Malaysia Airlines admits it has 'work to do' to win back flying public's trust

1 Nov 2014 01:41:12

smh.com.au

Malaysia Airlines concedes it still has work to do to win back the confidence of Australia's flying public following the loss of two of its passenger jetliners earlier this year.

The flag carrier has stressed that it will maintain its existing capacity on routes to Australia, its largest market after Malaysia, despite an initial slump in bookings.

Before the loss of MH370 and MH17, the airline had committed to boosting capacity by a third this year, and now has 74 flights a week to Australian cities including Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Speaking in Sydney, Malaysia Airlines commercial director Hugh Dunleavy said bookings dropped significantly in the months following the air disasters, and the airline discounted fares to win back travellers.

"It does take time "“ people don't forget about some of these issues immediately," he said.

"[Demand for flights] is coming back but of course our competitors are also active in the market in trying to take the traffic that was traditionally flying on Malaysia Airlines."

Malaysia Airlines MH370 veered off course on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, disappearing without trace with 239 passengers and crew, including six Australians.

Read full story: smh.com.au