The flag carrier of Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, plans to expand their presence in Asia this year, with more flights lined up to serve passengers coming from and bound for the Philippines and China. The flag carrier has also added transit flights to Tokyo en route to Los Angeles, and is scheduled to fly more planes out of the country and France to service KL-Paris-KL routes starting March 1.
Malaysia Airlines wanted to take advantage of the strong economic growth of the Asia Pacific market, and hopes to attract more visitors from the European segment. This is in line with the Malaysian government’s plan to increase visitors from Europe, particularly from the United Kingdom, starting this year. The government has also expressed its desire to increase Chinese visitors, as year-on-year trend shows that Malaysia is getting mainstream attention from travelers originating from the Middle Kingdom.
The main focus for the airline this year, however, is to service the robust market of budget travelers looking for value for money. Passengers could expect fuel-efficient aircrafts, more comfortable seating, and competitive airfares.
For business class travelers flying the Europe-Australasia route, chef-on-call options have been widened for KL-Amsterdam, KL-Frankfurt, KL-London, KL-Paris and KL-Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Auckland) passengers.
Kuala Lumpur is definitely the tourist central as it is the gateway to the rest of 13 Malaysian states and three federal territories, but adventurers have far more sights to see than the extremely conspicuous Petronas Twin Towers. KL may also be the shopping district for the cheapest bargains to be had in Malaysia, but Langkawi also tantalizes the shopaholic in equal measure.
Farther afield, there is Sabah in East Malaysia, famous for its achingly dramatic sunsets and the wildly abundant marine life off the Sipadan Coast. Since Sabah is right on the northern tip of the Bornean landmass, travelers flying in from KL can cross the land border to Indonesia via East Kalimantan. The oldest rainforests in the world await the intrepid cross-country wanderer, not to mention the added bonus to encounter up close the endangered orangutans.
For the lover of heritage, there is George Town, Penang’s UNESCO World Heritage pride, renowned for its street cuisine and colonial architecture. The geeks of the world find Penang not only conducive to doing IT business, but also to combining work and play without missing a beat.
Luxurious Langkawi right by the Thai border beckons with duty-free retail therapy, traditional Malay homes nestled in vast coconut plantations, and posh resorts cocooned in isolated bays.
There are plenty more destinations to fly to in a hurry, and some that are seemingly impossible to get to. With Malaysia Airlines ferrying in more passengers from outside the country, expect that domestic airport hopping will also pick up pace to make once hard-to-reach places more prominent on a traveler’s itinerary.
