KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — The government will look for the best method to regulate the sale of airline tickets to ensure all parties, especially airlines and travel agencies, can benefit, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
He said the ministry would find the best solution to ensure the sale of flight tickets did not favour any particular group, thereby overcoming the issue of ticket ‘wholesaling’.
“Of course, we have held various discussions and we will try to regulate the air tickets, including those involving Umrah. Because there are travel agencies that manage to get seats while others do not.
“This causes some dissatisfaction. So we will find the best way to create a win-win situation for everyone,” he said when met by reporters after the launch of the ‘AirAsia 5 Million Free Seats Campaign’ today.
Asked to comment on the latest developments surrounding allegations of the sale of Umrah flight tickets to foreign agencies, Tiong said the matter would be informed by his deputy Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan later.
He said Khairul was helping him manage the issue, and that further investigations would be conducted next week.
Local media reports recently claimed there were several local umrah companies that were ‘wholesaling’ flight tickets to the Holy Land, and allegedly also sold them to umrah agencies abroad to reap huge profits.
— Bernama
