Flying business class with Malaysia Airlines could soon be cheaper.<\/p>\n
The newly appointed chief executive officer of the struggling airline, Christoph Mueller, has hinted at a possible offering that would allow passengers to book cheaper business class tickets if they forgo lounge access and frequent flyer points.<\/p>\n
He also suggested making it easier to book flexible itineraries, so that a passenger could fly economy one way, and business on return.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Aviation Week at the recent International Air Transport Association in Miami, Mueller said he hopes to transform the airline into a \u201cvalue carrier\u201d offering basic products with the option of premium perks for those willing to fork out the extra cash.<\/p>\n
The \u201cunbundling\u201d of airfares is not new, but the model has been mostly confined to economy-class fares on low-cost carriers so far.<\/p>\n
Malaysia Airlines is currently undergoing massive restructure. It adopted a new name, Malaysia Airlines Berhad from September 1, cutting unprofitable routes, selling (or leasing) two of its new Airbus A380s and cutting about 6,000 staff.<\/p>\n
It had been unprofitable for three years and was under financial pressure following two aircraft disasters \u2013 flights MH370 and MH17 \u2013 less than five months apart.<\/p>\n
It was nationalised in 2014 by the government-owned investment arm Khazanah Nasional after debts reached nearly US$2 billion (RM7.52 billion)\u00a0with aims to have the airline back in profitability by 2017.<\/p>\n