MAS Frankfurt Keen To Promote Destination Malaysia

By Manik Mehta FRANKFURT, March 19 (Bernama) -- Despite having limited connectivity between Germany and Malaysia -- it has five non-stop flights a week from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur -- the Frankfurt office of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is very keen to promote destination Malaysia. "Indeed, we want to do more for destination Malaysia. We have offered to closely work with Tourism Malaysia in the same way as it is doing with Singapore Airline," explained David Raj, Frankfurt-based MAS area manager for Germany, Switzerland and Croatia, in an interview with Bernama in his office. Tourism Malaysia, which says it needs more connections to Malaysia to keep pace with the demand, has forged close cooperation with Singapore Airline, working out "special offers" for tourists visiting Malaysia and also entering into what is described as a "tactical campaign" with that airline. MAS has also been involved in other forms of cooperation with Tourism Malaysia to promote Malaysia. MAS provides air tickets for familiarisation tours organised by Tourism Malaysia for the travel and tour industry and the media. But Raj, who has built up a large base of business contacts in Germany, said that MAS did not mind Tourism Malaysia working with other airlines "as long as they promote Malaysia". Raj highlighted the corporate sector's importance for MAS' traffic to Malaysia, and said that the "business segment of travellers generate high yields" for the airline. There were also, of course, leisure travellers who take MAS' business class. Raj did not rule MAS increasing at some point in the future the current five flights a week from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur to a daily flight "subject to availability of aircraft". MAS deploys the B-777-200 aircraft type for the Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur sector. MAS works on a "hub-and-spokes" network basis. It has "spokes" in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zaghreb and Zurich. The bulk of MAS' business, estimated at 90 per cent, was provided by travel agents, underlining the airline's close association with the travel and tour operators. The new buzzword is direct retailing. This could be done by opening up direct channels of bookings through the Internet which currently accounts for five per cent. "We are working on that and will introduce a German online service. We have noticed that MAS' sales in France, for example, posted three-digit growth after a French service was launched. "Our German online service will be launched in the third quarter of this year," Raj disclosed. --BERNAMA