Poor AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes was “forced” to fly full-service Singapore Airlines when his own carrier was “sold out.”
Too Bad, So Sad: Tony Fernandes Conveniently Flies Singapore Airlines
Fernandes is a controversial figure in the industry. He helped to turn AirAsia around from a failed state-run carrier to a viable budget carrier that operates throughout East Asia. Like Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has is known as being shrewd but brash. His big risks have not always been successful (AirAsia Japan failed, for example), but others have paid off.
More provocatively, he posted a shirtless picture of himself getting a massage during a meeting. The picture went viral, but there was blacklash and he eventually deleted the picture from his LinkedIn account.
This week, Fernandes posted a picture of himself on Singapore Airlines with the explanation, “No seat on @flyairasia for three flights so had to take @singaporeair. Hehehe.”
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Based on the photos, it appears Fernandes flew SQ113 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN) on a Boeing 737 MAX.
The backlash was surprising. Many “took him to task” for not flying his own airline and dismissing the idea that he could not get a seat on AirAsia.
My own viewpoint is that he not only can fly whatever carrier he wants, but it is great that he flies the competition and I don’t blame the billionaire CEO for wanting a little more legroom and service, even on a short flight. Frankly, I am surprised he did not fly business class.
And I don’t buy the “no seats” argument. Some are praising him for not bumping a revenue passenger, but the historic “no show” rate in the industry means you are vertically guaranteed to get a seat if you are at the very top of the standby list for a flight, unless it is massively oversold. Fernandes has defended overbooking in the past.
But the outrage is puzzling. Certainly Fernandes knows what it is like to fly on his own carrier. This is not like a Scott Kirby flying on a private jet because commercial aircraft are not running type of situation. Fernandes’ boast that his planes were full is a great reason for a CEO to fly on a different carrier. And while AirAsia and Singapore Airlines have very different business models, it is still not unreasonable for a CEO of a competitor to wonder if there are certain things that can be done better while still controlling costs.
CONCLUSION
AirAisa CEO has been criticized for flying Singapore Airlines from KUL-SIN instead of AirAisa. I find such criticism absurd.
I would encourage more CEOs to fly on more competitors or even JV partners. Would like for Eddy to fly KE just so he can see what “premium” really is, just within SkyTeam.
But that shirtless pic still baffles me to this day, I mean, what the actual fu, lmao
I couldn’t agree more. Or have Kirby move out of his bubble and see what best airlines in the world are instead of trying to convince people UA is the best.
I think there’s a few issues in play. First, it’s an airline.. for the most part, like banks and insurance companies, airlines are entities that just naturally draw “hate” … yes, some is fully justified, but other times I just don’t think it’s warranted.. but again, airlines are in that category of “love to hate” .. so for him, this is strike 1
Second, he’s the CEO.. Like #1, CEOs rarely ever get the benefit of the doubt and are like banks, insurance firms and the airlines themselves – they are love-to-hate entities.. they are the lightning rod for any and all bad decisions, failures (real or perceived) and general negativity.. here’s strike 2
third, AirAsia (speaking to the airline arm of the larger corporate entity) is a low-cost carrier.. and like the Ryan Air, Spirit, Southwests of the world, they seem to get a disproportionate percentage of hate.. again, like point 1 – sometimes that’s well warranted.. but sometimes it’s not.. so strike 3 for him.
I think even IF an outsider could come out with proof that he didn’t displace a revenue pax (if such where factually true), that the AirAsia fight went out revenue pax full and that he flew Y on SQ, and there would still be those who would find fault… this kind of case, for a CEO of an LCC carrier, is a no-win scenario in the court of public opinion and perception.
Pretty sure Air Asia doesn’t oversell flights and there’s no such thing as a standby list? I’ve never seen or heard of one. Flown FD, QZ and AK 200+ times.
I linked to an article in which Fernandes boasts that he oversells flights.
I think it’s a great move to see what the competition is up to and poach ideas. Unfortunately I can’t get that hideous pic of him getting a massage out of my head. Getting a massage during a meeting? WTH????
And he posted it. Ya think he would want at least a more flattering angle! Cringe.
It’s the traditional “prosperity” look in those parts. Back when he was a kid, he would probably have gotten the family and community messages that:
skinny = needs to be fed more
and
“healthy” = not skinny.
And he got the message and the massage.
Obviously the comment of ‘not buying that there aren’t empty seats available’ is coming from a person not understanding the SIN-KUL market, the busiest and most profitable on earth. The flight timings play a crucial part in the dynamics of this sector and more often than not all seats are oversold despite having no less than 8 airlines ply the route.
Check your assumptions. I’ve flown this route multiple times and at least on MH, never had trouble getting a same-day seat.
I don’t assume, I am on this route 4 times a week and thank my employers for the OW emerald due to it. There are timings where there are passengers begging for a swap especially out of KUL. I believe my data points provide a better insight on TF’s claims.
Give him a break.
At least he didn’t use a private jet like Kirby.:-)