KUALA LUMPUR- While many airline CEOs might avoid publicizing their choice to fly with a competitor, Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia (AK), took a different approach.
Fernandes shared on Instagram that he had to opt for Singapore Airlines (SQ) because AirAsia flights were fully booked. He posted pictures of himself boarding a Singapore Airlines plane and even shared the view from his economy-class seat.
AirAsia CEO Travels on Singapore Airlines
In his Instagram post on Wednesday, Fernandes stated, “No seat on @flyairasia for three flights, so had to take @singaporeair. Hehehe.”
A round-trip economy flight between Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia’s headquarters, and Singapore is priced around $70 on the budget carrier. In contrast, the same flight with Singapore Airlines typically costs $60 to $130 more, reported Business Insider.
Some users praised Fernandes for respecting customer bookings, with one expressing, “It is so refreshing to see the CEO of a private airline respect his customer bookings and not find a ‘corporate’ method to shuffle some passengers around.”
However, there were skeptics, with one user humorously commenting, “Good choice, you won’t miss your flight now!” and another suggesting, “Don’t lie, Tony. Even you don’t wanna fly AirAsia.”
Another user on Instagram commented, “Lol, you had to take @singaporeair because of the seat quality given on your own company @flyairasia.”
Always around Controversy
Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, seems to embrace the philosophy that all publicity is good publicity. In a previous instance, he shared a shirtless picture of himself getting a massage at work on LinkedIn, sparking a debate over its appropriateness.
Fernandes assumed leadership at AirAsia in 2001, transforming it into Asia’s fourth-largest airline until the pandemic led to the bankruptcy of its Japan and Thai operations.
Despite challenges, the airline has consistently been named the world’s best low-cost carrier by SkyTrax for the past 14 years.
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