Students struggles with airfares

By Berita Kampus 2

Passengers wait to board the flight to West Malaysia at KLIA. Photo by Azizah Allyza

Festive seasons such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali are important to students studying far from home as it is the time for reunions, cultural celebrations, and treasured family memories. However, this joy has been tempered in recent years as it becomes more expensive for them to travel, especially between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.

This problem manifests as a significant price increase. During the festive season, tickets that would normally cost a few hundred Ringgit can double or triple in price. This sudden and significant increase places a significant financial burden on students, particularly those from low-income families.

The reasons for these high airfares are complex. Airlines frequently cite the increase in demand during holiday seasons as a primary factor. Airlines have the ability to raise prices due to limited flight options and a high volume of demand. Some students are of the opinion that airlines can set their own prices because there is less competition for some routes.

However, these university students argue that this is an example of making money rather than simple market forces. They point out that airlines frequently schedule fewer flights during these periods, manipulating demand and driving up prices, and believe that this strategy maximises profits for airlines while ignoring the financial realities of students who want to celebrate with their families.

This analysis explores the significant effects of surging travel expenses on students, revealing the difficulties they encounter in managing their finances and keeping valued norms during these joyous occasions.

Our side of the story

Chong Say Li, a Sarawakian mother of two from a low-income family, said that her children eagerly await to travel back for celebration during Chinese New Year every year. Yet the soaring airfare costs make her children’s trip home increasingly difficult to afford.

“Living paycheck to paycheck leaves us with little money for extras, we always have to deal with expensive airfares. To save money for trips, we start to prioritise items that are important first and stop buying unnecessary things,” she said. 

The impact of high airfares during festive seasons extends beyond financial strain, affecting their mental health as well. This also causes loneliness for the ones who can’t travel home due to the high flight cost.

Melissa Chai Yu Hon, a Sarawakian who studies at  Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), emphasised that she was worried a lot about how she would feel when she could not be with her family during the festival as she felt the absence deeply and hoped for more accessible ways to connect with loved ones.

In a recent interview, the effects of rising airline ticket costs on students during the holiday season with Dr. Noraini Phillip, a lecturer from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)'s School of Biological Sciences. She highlighted the various issues that students encounter as a result of the high cost of airfare during these holidays.

Dr. Noraini stressed that the overprice flight fares may lead to the negative effect on students' academic performance and attendance if the overpriced flight ticket had caused them not to be able to return to the campus on time.

According to Rohiit Baskaran, 22, from Selangor and currently studying at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the subsidy from the Flysiswa initiative from the Malaysian government for public institution students would only be sufficient for a one-way trip and not for a trip during the peak season.

“I was not able to go home for Christmas and New Year this year due to the high price of the ticket. Since it was only my first year, I was not familiar with the ticketing culture here. Hence, most of the flights were fully booked and the available seats were really expensive”, he said.

He also added that he hoped the government could provide more assistance like this as it would make him more motivated to continue his education. He said it would be more rewarding to be able to be home often as he would have something to look forward to.

Ways to sustain 

The Malaysian Ministry of Finance has approved a one-off allocation for 2024 to the Ministry of Transport to continue implementing the FLYsiswa initiative. This initiative aims to provide subsidised flight ticket assistance to public university, polytechnic, and community college students under the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT), as well as matriculation and teacher education institution (IPG) students under the Ministry of Education (KPM) for domestic routes between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

High flight ticket price from Kota Kinabalu to Penang. Souce Expedia

Implemented through the issuance of credit shells, airlines will provide eligible students with digital vouchers worth RM300 each. These vouchers can be redeemed to purchase flight tickets for domestic routes between the mentioned regions, easing the financial burden on students and promoting connectivity within Malaysia.

The FLYsiswa initiative, with a government expenditure of approximately RM16.8 million benefiting 56,000 IPTA students, underscores the commitment to supporting students' educational journeys and enhancing accessibility across different regions of Malaysia. Students eligible for this assistance are those registered in public universities until the academic year 2022/2023 by June 30, 2023.

According to a report by Malaymail on the 15th of December 2023, the Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook mentioned that the government came up with initiatives to assist people back to their hometowns during festive seasons. He mentioned that the government sets the maximum price for flight tickets back to Borneo during festivals such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Gawai, Kaamatan, and Christmas where they will pay the price difference to the airline if the price of the ticket is more than RM599.

In a report by The Star on 25th of March 2024, the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor mentioned that the Sabah government will be giving a one-off assistance of RM600 for students from Sabah to purchase their flight tickets. The Sabah government has its best interest in mind to improve the quality of education and the lives of its people.  However, this is not a long-term solution as students are not allowed to buy many tickets through the assistance. Some students might not be mentally prepared to continue their studies in new fields introduced at Peninsular Malaysia because they are afraid they will not be able to return home during emergencies due to the high prices of flight tickets.

Furthermore, an ongoing pattern of cultural alienation is perpetuated as a result of the growing socioeconomic gaps brought about by these expensive tickets, which exacerbate marginalised people's sense of exclusion. While government initiatives and subsidies offer short-term respite, long-term fixes need to address the fundamental problems with accessibility and cost of air travel. To guarantee that every Malaysian university student, regardless of socioeconomic level, may fully engage in and appreciate the rich cultural legacy that distinguishes the country, collaboration between government agencies, airlines, and stakeholders is essential. Through the promotion of inclusion and a sense of belonging, Malaysian students may maintain the sense of solidarity that is important to its varied society.