KUCHING: AirBorneo Airways (AirBorneo) has defended its RM375 all-inclusive promotional fare between Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, saying the price was benchmarked against competing airlines while supporting one of the carrier’s key objectives of helping stabilise airfares for Sarawakians.
Chief executive officer Megat Ardian Wira Mohd Aminuddin said the fare was determined after analysing airline ticket prices over the past six months, taking into account fluctuations in fuel prices, as well as reviewing average fares from the previous year.
He said AirBorneo also benchmarked the average lowest fares offered by all airlines operating on the Kuala Lumpur-Kuching route before deciding on the introductory fare.
“RM375 sits within that range. The difference is that ours is an all-in fare,” he said during AirBorneo’s media roundtable here on Wednesday.
Unlike some promotional fares offered by other carriers, Megat Ardian said AirBorneo’s RM375 fare includes airport taxes, complimentary seat selection, meals, a 10kg cabin baggage allowance and 23kg of checked baggage.
Meanwhile, Business Class fares start from RM736 one way and include complimentary seat selection, a 15kg cabin baggage allowance across two pieces of luggage, as well as between 32kg and 43kg of checked baggage, depending on the fare package.
“What you see is what you pay and what you receive,” he said.
Megat Ardian said the fare, branded as the Sarawakku Sayang Fare, was introduced to help provide greater pricing stability for travellers between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
He said surveys conducted before the establishment of AirBorneo consistently identified high airfares as one of the biggest concerns among Sarawakians.
“The current fare is available for travel until March 27 next year, but we will continue monitoring market response before deciding how long the promotional fare would remain on sale,” he said.
Asked about competing airlines responding after AirBorneo opened ticket sales, Megat Ardian said the airline would continue analysing passenger demand, competitors’ pricing strategies and broader market trends over the coming days, weeks and months before making further commercial decisions.
“We want to test the market, see how passengers respond, understand where the demand is coming from and observe how the competition reacts. The data is very important for us as we chart our strategy going forward,” he added.
