DEC 5 — I am a simple traveller. Whether I am travelling for a vacation or on business to Bali, Melbourne or some other destination in any part of the world, I want to be paying for passage on a reliable airplane which is able to take me there and back safely and with very little hassle. I don’t want to be paying more than necessary for my ticket. I am sure you feel the same way.

In these tough economic times, like everyone, I am especially particular as to how much I spend on the actual flight to my destination. There was a time when travelling abroad was a once-a-year adventure (perhaps for many of us it still is) akin to that scene from James Cameron’s “Titanic” movie where the ship leaves the pier in a festive extravaganza.

Back then, just the act of travelling abroad felt like we were forking out money for that going-away scene. We would save up throughout the year or totally use the year-end bonus in an orgasmic burst for that family trip to Bali, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia or India. At least 40 per cent of the vacation budget would be eaten up by the cost of travelling in a steel and aluminium cigar for a few hours.

Today, with the advent of budget airlines and proper planning, we can ensure that the cost of the flights is kept as minimum as possible and for the vacation budget to be dedicated to where it really should be, on the vacation itself. Thanks to budget airlines, Malaysians are now such a common sight in places like Bandung that the crowd at some of the factory outlet shops there resemble the crowd at Mydin in Jalan Masjid India.

So, it baffles me as to why Tony Fernandes is getting so much flak from the public for his opposition to the airport tax increase which was recently instituted. It has been made very clear that the burden of paying the increase would be shouldered entirely by travellers. I do not agree with this increase as it is appears to be intended to contribute to the now overinflated cost of building the new and oversized KLIA2 low-cost terminal and pay for the use of existing facilities at the KLIA main terminal and Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).

Let’s go straight to the real reason why there is not so much public support for the campaign. Many detractors believe that Tony wants to maximise his profits by breaking down every single item which can be charged to the passenger and going ahead to do so. Food, drinks, luggage, blankets, etc. There is much public resentment on this issue.

One of the reasons why we continue to enjoy such low flight ticket prices in a time of global economic distress and unstable fuel prices is because AirAsia has done precisely what needs to be done and, to put it simply, adopted the “pay only what you need and want” model. Charge only what is needed and wanted by the traveller. In a free-market economy where there should be a variety of choices and selections, the consumer is king and is free to choose what she or he wants.

Why should I pay for food and drinks which I may not want on a two-hour flight? Nope, I do not need a blanket as my sweater is just as comfy, thank you. Many business travellers (and their respective account managers, I am sure) have expressed their appreciation for the option of only having carry-on luggage (which is free).

Sometimes there just isn’t any luggage to check-in on a short trip. If I am travelling to Bangkok and all I need is less than 15kg for my check-in luggage, why should I have 20kg? I don’t even take the flight insurance as I have my own, and please go ahead and assign me a seat.

Charging for services this way also reduces the possibility of wastage. While I too, like everybody else, curse either Tony or AirAsia (or both) whenever I have to pay premium prices for the odd bottle of mineral water or packet of nasi lemak, I have to remind myself that it all contributes towards ensuring that I pay only for what I need and want, a low ticket price and more money for me to pour into someone else’s economy.

I wish more people would complain about the high cost of food at the restaurants and cafes at LCCT and KLIA and the substandard public facilities in both. They would benefit from looking at their counterparts in Singapore and Bangkok. How many times do we have to remind ourselves that having world-class facilities is so much more than building bigger, increasingly expensive and overinflated airports? Somehow in our country it’s always about size. As any girl will tell you, it’s not the size that counts but the quality of services and facilities provided and how you use them. But I digress.

Let’s get this straight. AirAsia is neither a welfare organisation nor is it a charity. It is a business. As far as I know, the budget airline enjoys no huge subsidy from the public purse (unlike some recently uncovered private enterprises) and has, from the time of its establishment, faced time and again efforts intended to make it be cowed and submit.

Despite all this, the budget airline is the envy of others around the world and the way it has done business has almost singlehandedly led the renaissance of low-cost travel in the Southeast Asia region. It not only has benefited Tony Fernandes but many of us who now take to the skies in the same way we might take the express bus to Ipoh.

If you insist on wanting and paying for all the in-flight creature comforts mentioned above, then you have the option of going to a flag carrier airline, especially if its promotional prices are actually lower than that of the budget airlines. Competition is healthy and the consumer is the ultimate beneficiary.

So, I am at a loss as to where this airport tax increase fits in? What huge change in the quality of available services and facilities has recently occurred which justifies this increase? None that I can see at least. I would hate that the tax increase is being implemented to benefit some other party or subsidise a project that does not make sense.

I am appreciative of Tony Fernandes for going to bat for the consumer to fight against the airport tax increase. When you really think about it, he didn’t have to do it. All the airlines would have to adopt the same increase and the traveller would have to swallow it regardless.

It is in our best interests to support this campaign.

Having said all this though, I do hope that AirAsia will continue to improve on its management of flights. Fewer delays, cancellations and “technical difficulties” please. Lose the wheelchair assistance fee. And by the way, Tony, if you ever charge us for the use of the loo while on board a flight, we will pelt your car with eggs.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.