AirAsia to remove processing fee to keep air travel affordable

 AirAsia Bhd will be removing the processing fee for Malaysia for bookings made from Oct 1, 2019, to keep air travel affordable for all.

The fee is a charge related to the ongoing administrative, maintenance and developmental costs of AirAsia's online systems to ensure a secure and safe booking environment, which the airline will fully absorb going forward, it said in a statement.

"AirAsia is synonymous with affordable air travel, and by doing this, we will stay true to our promise - now everyone can fly. 

"We feel this is especially relevant now with higher passenger service charges (PSC) at klia2. We want to cut travel costs so our guests don't suffer, and we believe every little bit helps," said AirAsia Group president (Airlines) Bo Lingam.

With Visit Malaysia 2020 coming up next year, the airline hoped this would also encourage more people to travel to and within Malaysia.

“We want to make it an incredible success. This will be great for the tourism industry as well as the Malaysian economy, and it's one of the ways we want to give back to the country,” said Bo Lingam.

AirAsia will also be removing the processing fee for Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines by Dec 31, 2019.

- Bernama