7-12-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, made an unexpected move by publicly announcing that he had to travel on Singapore Airlines due to his own airline’s flights being sold out. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Fernandes shared pictures of himself boarding a Singapore Airlines plane and even captured the view from his seat in economy class.
Fernandes’ post received mixed reactions from social media users. Some praised him for respecting customer bookings and not resorting to corporate measures to accommodate himself. However, others doubted his explanation, suggesting that he simply preferred not to fly on AirAsia.
The cost of a return economy flight between Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia’s headquarters, and Singapore is approximately US$70 on the budget carrier. In comparison, the same flight with Singapore Airlines usually costs between US$60 and US$130 more.
This incident is not the first time Fernandes has attracted attention on social media. In October, he posted a shirtless picture of himself receiving a massage at work on LinkedIn, causing a debate about its appropriateness and professionalism.
Fernandes took the helm at AirAsia in 2001 when he acquired the struggling airline from the Malaysian government. Under his leadership, AirAsia became the fourth-largest airline in Asia until the COVID-19 pandemic led to the bankruptcy of its Japanese and Thai operations.
For the past 14 years, AirAsia has consistently been recognized as the world’s best low-cost carrier by airline review site SkyTrax.
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