Tony Fernandes CEO Blog

HI Tony, Firstly, as a post grad student in Brisbane, I would like to thank Air Asia for enabling me to go home more often all the way back to Kuching, Sarawak =D I noticed that the Gold Coast -KL- GC flights are usually 50-60% full of Aussies as well.....good news for the tourism sector eh? Bravo on the posting on SIA......got a glimpse of the cozy yet well equipped 'office corner'!! How nice huh? The tips and observations you shared abt SIA, may sound straight forward but many still take them too lightly, while in fact, those are the basic principles of success in a service industry right? And wooww....u finally put pics in your blog and they are good! And I know you will get better with more practice =D Keep up the good work, man.....here are some Aussie white chocs with Macadamia nuts for u!! My treat =D Hope you like them.....

Tony u dont want to say the word, our Govt practices mediocrity.

Hmm...I know the Changi Airport in Singapore is just really awesome. I think it is better than Malaysia's KLIA. I remembered I got stuck in Changi Airport once for nearly 6 hours....it was actually quite pleasant there... they gave us burger king vouchers and such. Wow, the picture of the suite really does look nice. I won't know, never been on one :(

In Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew's memoir "From Third World to First : The Singapore Story: 1965-2000" he have explained how he transformed the country from colonial backwater to an economic powerhouse. During the turbulent and uncertain time when they started out many even speculated that they will not survive as a country for long. With lack of natural resources and manpower they realized from day one that they needed to strive for excellence just in order to survive. They had no choice and the leaders understood it very well. The leaders of the day were also firm that corruption or favoritism would not be tolerated at any level. These I would say were the first seeds which was firmly planted that has gave them the edge over the years and many more years to come.

Tony:

Singapore has limited natural resources. In order to survive, they strive to be the best in everything they do. Services is a relatively new resources in which Singaporean are now mastering.

Necessity is the mother of 'invention' or innovation! That said, for reason unknown to me, I still love Malaysia! You may say, it's my kampung.

Totally agree with ISB. Our government seems not to grasp the idea of meritocracy. Perhaps they are burdened with the idea of protecting the national interest, Hence, the downfall of our national airline, and also other industry (PROTON is one of them). Let's hope they will wake up to this fact, or else we would be lagging further behind. However, I doubt they will ever face the harsh reality.

Btw, I am now reading a book on Richard Branson's autobiography titled "Losing My Virginity". The title is rather obscene, but it's a great book, especially when it's about one of the greatest entrepreneur in the world (Tony, you could be on your way to become one if you sustain your momentum. Just hang on there!).

Oh yea, I would like to confess that I lost my "virginity" to AirAsia at the age of 26. Now, don't be naughty there! I just took my first flight with AirAsia, that's all!! On another note, It was my virgin flight to Thailand. :p

Well you have to define "us" when you compare - to compare SQ to AK is like comparing luscious seville oranges to Sunkist navel oranges. I assume that you are talking about MH in my explanation below.

I would say the quintessential reason why SQ has excelled and been profitable boils down to one fact, and only one indisputable fact. SQ has always been run, managed and marketed as a commercial entity - there is no government involvement in its activities (no government orders to fly a certain unprofitable route due to "diplomatic" reasons).

SQ is also part of the Star Alliance - an extremely beneficial relationship, of which its many products are beneficial to both, the frequent business and leisure traveller alike. Products like the Star Alliance Europass is an excellent product for people like me who requires seamless travelling over Europe (and the Asia / Japan / Africa pass likewise). Within Europe, there are several hubs to fly i.e. Frankfurt, Munich, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Stockholm - all of them major hubs in their own right.

Recent "move under one roof" efforts by Star Alliance airlines in main airports like Heathrow, Seoul and others make transit so much easier - plus the streamlining of flight schedules actually cut down on waiting time. I never have to wait over 2 hours for my next transit flight whenever I fly Star Alliance. A good example - try flying MH to Frankfurt and taking a connecting LH flight to Berlin. You'd have to run through the magical 800-metre tunnel between the two terminals as MH lands in the terminal designated for "lain-lain" carriers. This is not the case with SQ.

Certainly, the ability to accrue "tier level" frequent flier miles across all Star Alliance partner is a real plus when it comes to loyalty. I do not hesitate to fly via Singapore on my trips although it adds 2 - 3 additional hours to my total flight time. What good is a gold level Enrich frequent flier when it can only get you benefits on MH flights? My gold Krisflyer gets me benefits when I fly in any Star Alliance airlines - that's more than 18,100 daily flights to 975 destinations in 162 countries daily.

Furthermore, the number of points taken to redeem award flights, and other frequent flier goodies are also comparatively better on SQ and a wider scope is offered through its Star Alliance partners.

SQ is also light years ahead in terms of brand development - something that MH is trying to catch up with their recent MH (Malaysian Hospitality) campaign. I know what to expect when I fly SQ - consistency and recognition is the key to repeat clients.

Service is consistent throughout all flights - regardless of class, route, duration or sector flown. The same can be said with MI (Silk Air) as well.

Changi, being a major hub in South-East Asia attracts numerous Star Alliance flights - one can travel from Singapore to Frankfurt via LH, SK, TK, and many other partners.

Competitive pricing (in relation to MH), extensive network (with Star Alliance), great frequent flier programme, ease of use, consistent service and user-centric little details make the overall experience of flying with SQ second to none.

In short, continuous product innovation (like the A380, "beyond first class" suites, business class seats that rival first class in MH) and brand development is essential to a services-based industry like the airlines - afterall, doesn't it boil down to the experience? Take a holistic approach like what SQ has done from the point of booking till you touchdown at the destination and beyond.

I may sound like a proponent of SQ - but believe me, MH has little to offer to travellers like me besides the famed "Malaysian Hospitality" service on international routes, a point to point carrier. Service on domestic and regional routes are a totally different story altogether.

Tony, I'm pretty sure that many of us would like to hear from your success story, i.e: a CEO blog !!! Mind to share you tips and thoughts and guidelines to build a Great company like AirAsia???

True sportsmen never fear competition.

S'pore has succeeded becoz they have developed a culture of excellence, are
proud of their work and have a good system of continuous monitoring and
enforcement.

That's what we need to develope to a higher degree in M'sia.

Of course Singapore has better Airlines and better in many other things than us. You were right that competition is indeed important. That is why I disagree with our government in protecting Proton too much for far too long.

Another thing datuk, as you mentioned, " They all said that AirAsia had made a big difference to their lives both from the fact they could fly more and the fact that our company showed that you don't need to put people in boxes. That AirAsia had allowed cabin crew to be pilots, boys who carried bags to be pilots, call center staff to be Station Managers. It was great to hear all of this. But the best part of the conversation was that we gave from our heart and that we put our employees first." You praised SIA which hire best people around. By your statement above, you dun seems to be doing it. How can a cabin crew be better than a trained pilots at flying a plane and call center staff or bag carriers to be station managers? Are all these cost cutting measures taken by AirAsia? By the way, the first time I took AirAsia flight from Shenzen back to KLIA, I have been stuck in the airport for 3 hours and I reach home only at 4am, having to wake up at 6am the same day for work.

We indeed have plenty to learn from SIA. Cheers!

Tony,
I used to work for SQ and later with Cathay Pacific (CX) - both as cabin crew, and while both are great airlines in their own ways, there is fundamental difference in the way they manage the company. Like they say, many routes to Rome (Rome as in being the Best).

There are some things you can emulate, but AirAsia is definitely different from those 2 "tai kor". Never lose your own uniqueness while you try to make AirAsia better.

However, you were right in observing that SQ does sets high standards for its service. In fact, I would say the need to be first, the desire to be No. 1 is very much a corporate culture, if not the Singapore Culture.

We were drilled so much that "We are the BEST airline/ stewardess" that the sense of superiority just flows. Sometimes they are seen as "arrogant" but no one can deny that wherever they go - people just love to admire them. May be it is due to the marketing efforts, but then, it is also TRUE that SQ crew are among the best trained.

I still remember the company song that all recruit must learn (not sure if they have changed that):

... No finer fleet has ever seen the air ....
You have to work, to stay ahead ....
... we are proud to be a part of that Singapore Girl smile...

Most people don't know that SQ grooming requires that all bra should be padded, and straps are held in place with specially designed hook - that is looking into details.

Crew that can speak additional language gets extra allowance - that is meritocracy! To qualify for that allowance, there is also internal test - you have to actually conduct a decent conversation with native speakers that are working for SQ.

The crew were also given "speech" training. We were trained by broadcasters and also graded, on our skills and voice. Grade "A" crew will have to make announcement inflight, if none on that flight, then grade "B". Grade "C" crew should not make any annoucement. Compare that to the many mumblings we hear on other airlines, even by graduates of English major, even when they are chief crew on the flight.

Dear Tony..

Pretty much well put by you .. as what SIA has been doing over the years and what we can learn from them.Usually people or organizations fail not because of new inventions or competition but rather because of the fact that we stop innovating ...

I confidently believe that the trains didn't phase out or got skewed into freight because aircrafts came into picture rather they stopped innovating..

The trains forgot that they are not in the business of rail transport rather they are in the business of travel.. similarly airlines are not into the business of air transport but in the business of air travel .. SIA has kept on doing one thing in earnest fashion that is .. kept innovating .. be it A 380 or the business suite you traveled in :) ..

I do have the same thought as "supersaint". You've mentioned "That AirAsia had allowed cabin crew to be pilots, boys who carried bags to be pilots, call center staff to be Station Managers" Though they can fly a plane but can they manage emergency situation? I've been flying with AirAsia and so far it is good. It just bothers me when you say as if anyone is fit to be a pilot. I just hope that AirAsia will always keep to it's standard.

Dear Tony,

Wonderfully put. A monopoly based biz model will not benefit consumers in the long run. There are a few of them here in Malaysia. Monopoly tends to stiffle innovation & progress because 'they' know nobody can outdo 'them' by offering new & better service at a better rate. I can understand why monopoly maybe necessary initially, but, efforts must be made to slowly 'ween' them off the 'protection drug'.

You have managed to 'thwart' those companies & I salute you & your team. Look forward to reading more of your tots on the various topics & issues in this blog.

Another thing Tony, where do you find the time to blog, man?!?!

Chow!

Meritocracy is the only way to move forward. Favorism only breeds complacency.

P/s: thanks for introducing 2 flights a day to Alor Star!!!

Back in the old days when I'm a school boy (no AirAsia yet), I remember catching up a MAS flight back to hometown - Kuching, the flight was delayed like 3 or 4 times until around 6 hours+. Then an old lady shouted, do u know what stands for MAS? 'MxNx xDx SYSTEM' Haha.. With no subsidies and helps from the government, AirAsia is amazing because of what it is today ! AirAsia rocks! Malaysia can be better in a lot of things, but too much protectionism discourage healthier competition which lead to slow development, haihz! =S

Hi Tony,

Since this is my first time writing in your blog, please allow me to congratulate and welcome you into the world of blogging.

You had mentioned the five points to as why they are better than us but the way I see it is that it is the result of one factor - their education system.

I truly believe that a good education system is the way forward to develop any means - an individual, a company or even a nation.

Just my two cents.

nicely written tony . yeah , totally agrees with what u have stated regarding to sq , and this is y sq gained it's fames throughout the aviation industry , like u said , second to none . Y they r so successfull ?? IMO , just like what tony have said .

looking forward for more installment from u tony . cheers

Indeed, Singapore has shortage of resources, the only resouce Singapore can count on to be the best is it's human resources. Not only SIA enphasize on their services, in fact, all service providers here are put up for trainings to be the very best in the service industry.

Being a service provider for almost 5 years here, service trainings are a norm in our working life, learning from grooming to how to handle difficult customers. Mystery audits are common in our service industry. With these mystery shoppers going around auditing our service, not only will we be vigilant at all times, we will be able to know how we fair in our service and which areas could be improved.

With customers' demands varies overtime, one has to be flexible and able to provide an extra mile service without questions asked. We only have one thing in mind when dealing with customers; 'Delighting the Customers' in any way we can.

Rajka77 and others state it well.

The desire for Excellence! Like a corporate culture, Excellence is one of those intangible concepts that you can neither touch nor see. But we all recognize it when we experience it. Where does the desire for excellence come from? From inside an individual? Or is it part and partial to a culture of a country and or company? Or both?

You succinctly wrote "They hire the best people. It's a meritocracy." Hiring highly motivated individuals through a well formulated selection process is crucial. Separation of quality people from a “me-too” company begins with the emphasis and incredible investment in training. Complete training that meets and exceeds the needs of the individual.

I personally believe the Excellence of a company is manifested when the culture of the corporation wholly believes in and practices the empowerment of the front line workers. Highly motivated and skilled workers, properly and thoroughly trained and empowered to go out and do their job is a powerful combination.

However, this concept gets mostly destroyed when there is a strong, but unspoken fear by those individuals to make a “mistake.” Further exacerbated by an intolerant management. I experience it all too often.Of course government bureaucracy and meddling hurts business and ultimately hurts the people they are tasked to serve and protect. That little experiment taking place half way around the world from here called America illustrates that fact regularly.

In the 1980’s when the government decided to deregulate transportation and communications . . . the world has never been the same since!! Its only when government with their ignorance and corruption get out of the way, will the people of the land prosper.

good tips from the CEO himself. =) you're definitely an inspiration to all.

Tony, truly love this blog. What I really like is that we admire good work even if its done by the competition like SIA. The pursuit of excellence does not mean that we can't admire what good the competition has done and its great to see a Malaysian success story in AirAsia.

But closer to home with MAS I sometimes can't see where that road is leading. This copy cat thing must really stop from naming of insurance (MH Insure), to look-alike advertising, to a sudden emphasis on hot food. What's up with that?

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery but don't you think they should be following where SIA is going? Being a Five Star Full Service Carrier? God knows the pricing looks like it. So we Malaysians get AirAsia as our home brew LCC and MAS our part time 'Full Service Carrier' pretending to be an LCC.

In marketing the simple point is a unique differentiator and it is so sad to see what has happened to MAS today. If SIA can do what they do so well, why can't MAS?

Tony,

Got redirected here due to Kenny Sia's website and am pleased to see that you've set a blog up. As you mentioned having the new A380's certainly is a draw for those who fly business.

We've recently tried to book a flight home on the MAS airline and it was just a terrible experience. If it wasn't for the fact that the additional 5 hours of flying via SIA, we would have done so. Oh and those miles we racked up can't be used. Fantastic.

I personally have never flown AirAsia but am keen to try it out when the family settles back in KL. Speaking to my boss who recently flew on Virgin to NY, the different classes seemed a very interesting model. I'm sure you're familiar so I won't elaborate.

On SIA, I recall Discovery's documentary on Singapore where they covered it and their motto was always to be "in the black" - a far cry from our own airline sadly. Here's hoping we don't go down Alitalia's route!

I'm not sure if you've covered this elsewhere - but what is your policy on hedging on fuel prices? It's a difficult decision to make especially in the current environment.

Finally, we're seeing airlines and tour operators here failing due to the current environment. Am sure you'll get through these difficult times ahead.

Traveling will become more diversify in the future. Either flying 1st Class with SIA
or taking budget Airasia, each and everyone of the traveler has put $ into the
market. I am amazed that Airasia has started to see this opportunities.

Perhaps it would be Cab-Asia, Cash Card - Asia, Hotel - Tune, Shop-Asia all
blended to be global brand name in the future.

Eric Teo

Hi Tony, Yes, I agree that Singapore is better than us. The main factor is the competiton in that small lethal red dot on the world map. Singaporeans strive for the best, that is why they gained great achievements, not only in the aviation industry, but in other fields as well. (telecommunication- SingTel for eg.) I have never flown SQ before, only MH and AK. Will try SQ if I have the chance, since my parents highly recommended me SQ compared to other airlines.

Hi Tony, nice to see you writing again. I'm very admire your insight and analysis. I think this is how AirAsia developed for the past few years and also for the future. Does AirAsia consider to introduce A380? ha... I have a request, tat's can Tony share some experience with us on how to fight high petrol price?? I think many people will interested in it.... Hope you have all nice days and everyone too.....

Dear Tony,
Why are they better than us?
For a nation bereft of natural resources, it must surely be their better attitudes i.e. better human resources, with meritocracy being among the top attributes.

So why don’t we all jump onto the bandwagon of meritocracy as the “cure all “to propel our country to reach its great potential? Its realpolitik , specifically the socio-political demographics which have coloured much of this nation’s business and social policies.

Before I am accused of being a paid UMNO megaphone, we need to look around us – I mean look beyond your swank D’sara Malay neighbours and the nouveau riche Malays often portrayed in the weekly TV drama slots – and you will see the of socio-economic chasm that exists between almost the 2/3rd of this nation’s majority ethnic group, and the other races.

And for the sake of political stability – which itself an indispensable factor for any thriving business climate – affirmative policies were then introduced.

True, these policies have held us back when our southern friends were making great strides, while creating dissatisfaction among our ethnic minorities.

So how do we go around this problem? We must first reconcile with the fact that while this nation needs a new progressive attitude to reach higher economic altitudes, the ethnic majority must be assured that their road to economic parity will not, in any way, be jeopardised.

Next, I believe that inter-ethnic harmony and cooperation, which is vital if any change of attitude is to come into effect, must start from each of us. Honestly ask ourselves, have we made any effort to mix with our Malay colleagues / neighbours and vice versa?

You Tony – the “regular Indian guy made good” – have contributed a lot in this crucial area by creating a colour-blind airline which achieved so much in such little time. You Sir are a true Malaysian optimist.

And if it was true that an optimist is indeed the human personification of spring, then let it be that there will be more Tony’s in all of us.

Tony, totally agreeable with your assessment on the successful formula for SIA. And let's not twist words around here, the major reason SIA succeed, as indeed Singapore as a country, is because they run all things like they run companies. And if you are given the task of running a company, your most important duty is to ensure that it is run efficiently and profitably, for its shareholders and its employees. You therefore should run the country likewise. The shareholders in this instance are the citizens. To all critics of Singapore, think and learn!

Dear Tony, PLEASE JOIN STAR ALLIANCE =))))))))))))

You are spot on Tony, imagine when SIA split with MAS only to find that they have no domestic routes, no home turf. Day 1 you have to hit the ground running and compete compete compete ... i think this moulded SIA to what it is today, the premier airline of the world.

i'm also a shareholder of airasia, keep up the good job :P

Mr Steve Wong wrote "Tony, I'm pretty sure that many of us would like to hear from your success story, i.e: a CEO blog !!! Mind to share you tips and thoughts and guidelines to build a Great company like AirAsia???" Here's a tip I would like to share; First "I will call him to ask him to reduce his fee" Second "You got it at RM1 million" Third "Spoken to him, but not yet confirm" The above was a conversation between a CEO to another CEO.

Why SQ better than MH despite from the same origin. My own experience KUL-SIN shuttle flight few years ago can relate. SQ flight was suppose to depart 10 minutes ealier so I went to check in at MH counter. MH said their counter was already closed so could not check me in, advised me to wait next flight in two hours time. They were not bothered flying the empty seat. I went back to SQ counter. They not only checked me in but escorted me right to the boarding lounge to make sure I got on board.. When I thanked them,their reply was "Sir, you are very important to us'. Making their customer feel importance is just routine to them. I am sure they are 100 times better now. You can not beat service that come from the heart. I can see AirAsia is becoming like them by the day. Try harder, there is no reason you can not catch up or even overtake them eventually. IMHO what the CEO and management conceptually had in mind will not go far if staff on the floor do not practiced it.

I learnt the hard way that MH doesnt stand for Malaysian Hospitality. It actually stands for Malaysian Hostility! Its also a "Premium" airline with sky high fares & fuel surcharge BUT its services is that of a budget airline( or Worse!) & lets not also forget its also practicing similar terms & conditions for its flight tickets. WEF from 15 Sept anything below M class , passengers are unable to pre block the seats . Also NO REFUND on their premium fuel surcharge if you wanna process a refund. ...

It's all about ATTITUDE Tony.We can come up with long list of reasons but the utmost factor is about ATTITUDE.This is how I see....

Dear Tony,


In fact, I have used silk airways from PER to BSB before and I personally think that airasia is better =)

I'm just a student so yea, I think that airasia can be like SIA , the only thing you would need is money

SIA can show such great quality of work because they have enough resources and it is funded by the country whereby airasia is a private company that needs to earn money itself if I'm not mistaken.

And I think that MAS is seriously turning worse than cheap budget airlines compare to the quality of service they showed the past few years, so don't worry, Malaysians nowadays are more likely to take Airasia because it is cheap and affordable compare to the expensive fees that Malaysian airlines charge you.

AirAsia just needs better quality interior seats like how jetstar has them, and better quality uniforms for the cabin crews, I also discovered that many airasia workers doesnt really know how to talk english.

And one more thing, I have experienced this once before, the airasia plane took off about 20 mins before the departure time.. and not all people have got on the plane, I believe that if airasia improves these areas of developement it can become a succesful airline that will beat SIA in the future

Good luck!
Regards
(burt)

I agree with you Tony!

And to drtaufik who wrote "You Tony – the “regular Indian guy made good” - WELL, he is NOT just a regular Indian guy, he is in fact, a Malaysian, proud to be one, despite "challenges" coming from within!

drtaufik, there will never be a balanced distribution of wealth, in fact, the figures were always classified!

Great that you are a DR, how about those in the 1990s being deprieved of higher learning? I am one of them, I am denied of a higher learning opportunity because I am not one of the "majority" Malaysian, how sad can that be? Applications after applications ... How much harder do we have to work just to justify ourselves??

"Meritocracy" works!! The early bird gets the worm, unlike now, the worm is reserved! Early birds need to fly far far away to get a worm, sometimes, much better, bigger worm (i.e. talents flowing out of Malaysia!). I wish I can fly, but I am a big bird, too fat to fly and too free to complain... that's why I need Air Asia to be able to fly ... :D

Tony you have been entirely responsible for changing the ability of commoners, like me, to be able to travel to various destinations around asia. You deserve to be recognised for this. Not only have you put Malaysia on the world map but as a direct result of Airasia, tourism in this country and those where air asia flies has risen. Kodos to you.

My only one regret is you got involved in politics before the last elections. Keep out of it if you want to continue being successful.

This blog is great! I do absolutely agree that SIA understand how important "innovation" in marketing & business. Not only that the company has been very focused and disciplined in carrying out their plans forward, and furthermore understand how to "position" their brand equity from time to time, no doubt abt it in Japanese it's called Kaizen. But behind all these beautiful images, there has been tremendous pain & sacrifice involved in the process, it's not easy. All of the above are also part of the national strategic interest & survival effort as a country who understands their weakness & strength.

I believe with the strong vision of the founder, Singapore has been leveraging on its strategic location as the crossdocking "hub" of Asia & the rest of the world, so by right the country has to be excellent in air & sea transportation (super efficient in human & cargo flows). In turn the government has been investing heavily on the airport and seaport.

So why SIA is so successful, it's a process of everything technical & non technical aspects including history, national interest, marketing, technology, & other "invisible factors".

I can just keep typing on & on , anyway it's pretty late on Saturday night, have a good weeknd ahead to all.

cheers
tony zein

Hi Dato Tony, I'm happy that I got to find the link to your blog. SIA... one of my dream airplanes beside Korean Air. Do not misunderstood me, just that Korean Air was the first plane in my life that I've ever broad. Missed the memories. Not to forget MAS and Air Asia on the list as it is the most highly remarkable plane in our country. Expecting more posts from you that will brighten up our knowledge. TQ~

G'day Datuk Tony, (Perhaps Tan Sri) next time.

I totally, completely and absolutely agree with you!
Singapore, a tiny little country on the World map, with no natural resources (e.g fuel, palm oil) and limited land. Virtually no one on this planet will think that it will survived for more than a decade but with the help of Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew since 1965, Singapore has transformed itself from a tiny little island to a World renowned country with one of the World's best airline, largest sea port and a TOP 10 university. As a Malaysian, honestly... I am very sad to see that M'sia is lacking behind. At the same time, very jealous with Singapore. Why can they do it but we can't??? The worst thing is, with no natural resouces?!?! (Only Human Power). Now the only hope is that Anwar could turn M'sia around and transformed it into a better country than Singapore. By the way,(Are you an Anwar or R.P.K supporter???) I am not sure if I am supposed to ask you this question but if not, I apologise in advance.... :-)

Why is Singapore Airline so successfull???
99.925% of the world's population today have at one time or another, been on a plane, traveled to a land afar, and experienced the joys, or some say, romance of air travel, all thanks to globalization. Taking a leaf off Air Asia’s tagline – Now Everyone Can Fly.

Now, choosing the right airline.... Some airlines want to get you to your destination "as smooth as silk", others swears that there is something special onboard because they attempt to "go beyond expectation" while the world's 5 star airline promised that it is a "great way to fly" with them. Some budget airlines guarantees that you "get the real deal", while the others says that it is the time to fly with them because it is "where the world unwinds". To me, for a 4-5 star airline, I would certainly recommend SIA, for budget airline, definitely...... Air Asia (Best and value for money, Truly LOW-COST)!!!! This could be Air Asia's next company slogan, Tony!!!

Anyway Tony, as a 13 year old boy (SERIOUSLY), My family always say that I am crazy with planes because honestly I am obsessed with them!.... and hang on... one of the biggest fan of Air Asia. So I am thinking of asking you are you considering of an A380 like the launch customer-SIA, perhaps the B777 like the largest operator-SIA, the new B787 like the company that ordered 20 of them-SIA or the Xtra Wide-Body A350 like the airline that also ordered 20 of them-SIA for Air Asia/ Air Asia X? Also, can you create a visual tour of Air Asia X's new Airbus 330-300 (kindly include the cockpit if you can :-) and post it on AirAsia's website because I can't wait to see the interior ? Lastly Tony, If you really like planes, I recommend you to have a browse at this website:- www.airliners.net (the best aircraft website that I have ever came across in my entire life!)

Finally, I think I should STOP typing right now or my words will eventually fill up your whole blog :-))) Have a good day, cheers!!!

I think it is unrealistic for MAS to perform as well as SIA for many, many reasons. 1. MAS for a long time had to cover less-profitable domestic routes for the sake of national interest. 2. MAS kept with some destinations which were not profitable for a long time. Could this be because MAS was made to honour some government-to-governement agreements? 3. KLIA is less established as a hub, as compared to Singapore's Changi Airport. 4. MAS has not been consistently focussing itself as a premier service airline (in terms of products and services), unlike SIA. Idris Jala has made changes, but realistically I think MAS has a long way to go. Still, I believe MAS has not acheived its full potential. Give MAS maybe 5-10 years. Malaysia already has a top-notch world-class LCC in Air Asia. I look forward to the day when our national carrier, MAS will be the top-notch premium airline in Asia and Malaysia will have the best 5-Star premium airline AND the best LCC. Malaysia Boleh!

Tony, interesting point.. you are right, SQ is the top airline in the world. but while we give credit to SQ, we also shud give credit to our national airline. their new team took over the airline which was almost going bankrupt.. think 2 years ago, MAS report about RM1 billion losses, and now, they are making money. I think that's not too bad..

loo: if you look closer, MH made it back to black via asset liquidation and shifting of debts.. The MH building in Jalan Sultan Ismail is one of the precious "gems" that got flogged off.

most, if not all of MH's international routes are non-profitable (save LHR).

as long as MH remains a GLC (in Malaysian terms), it will need to serve the purpose of the government and us, Malaysians should forget about MH being "profitable".

Singapore govt got good brain.... the rest you can conclude.

Business wise, a company can only succeed if it makes profit. But MAS has been given the mission to serve all Malaysians eventhough they need to fly with unprofitable routes... as a Malaysian I hope that our national carrier will be on par with SIA, if not better.

The Singapore story always has a but in it. Is it so amazing to create a Singapore Airline and Changi Airport compared to Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok? Look at the pace of Chinese airlines and Chinese airports and you realize that while SIA and Changi is a good story, the lessons have been learned frankly. SIA have a sound strategy but its largely defensive. If you compare the details of SIA efficiencies, like turnaround time, they actually lose to very troubled North American companies and I am not talking about SouthWest but the likes of NorthWest and Delta.

Our neighbouring country might have many flaws yet they are more progressive in certain aspects. I believe Singapore is much better as a nation because of the mentality the government has nurtured among the people. It is very interesting that in every aspect of their development, they do not cut corners, they take rules seriously. They have clean streets, good governance and less corruption. Besides, the Singaporean government do not give up their prized brains away. They appreciate high achiever with scholarship. their concept is simply based on meritocracy. So, when one is raised in this sort of environment, it is a little wonder how they often strive to succeed.

Who say SIA recruits the best people? The best female pilot do not fly for SIA, same as MAS. The female pilots will never have any chance to enter SIA & MAS cockpits. Is this kind of "gender'cracy? At least you do not see gender biased in Air Asia. Malaysia 1st commercial pilot-Janet Chan is now with Air Asia and now you see more and more lady pilots in Air Asia. Tony, TQVM. You are the best.

Wow, blog of Air Asia's CEO. Without you, we don't have crowded LCCT. without you, KLIA/Senai airport would be dead deserted. You make backpackers' dream come true, we can travel to Bali, Krabi(Tiger suspended SIN-KBV, when would you start SIN-KBV?), Menado more often now, thank you very much. You are fully aware why MH and KUL lag behind SQ and SIN, and you are so humble to hightlight all these. hope you can join us at http://www.airliners.net listen to passengers's feedbacks. Well done people's CEO-Tony.

Whilst SQ is a government enterprise and CX is a private enterprise run on solid
business fundamentals, both of these airlines are considered the best in the world.

If I had to pick which one I would support, it has to be CX based on the overall
satisfaction, from inflight, ground, loyalty programmes, etc....

However, having flown on AirAsia several times, I do welcome the change on flights
between Singapore and Bangkok. As much as I do not like the Singapore Girl's
attitude (and I must add that the supervisors torture the juniors mentally by
overlooking at every little detail to the point that it looks like they are perving at
them)...

I do find the cabin crews of CX and AirAsia to be more flexible and friendly. CX
provides a very corporate style of service delivery whilst AirAsia has a fun, loving
and jazzy feel to it and SQ is very stiff and robotic.

My vote:

LCC Travel: AirAsia
Premium/Long Haul Travel: Cathay Pacific
A380 Suites: Singapore Airlines

Hi Tony,

I left Malaysia, got educated in NTU, Singapore worked there and was there for a total of approx. 10 years.

Yes, Singapore is well run and has a real good meritocracy that allows them to be the most efficient and forefront in many things they do , SIA included.

However, on the other hand, Singapore is having problem cultivating entrepreneurs like yourself. Being a entrepreneur in Singapore is just not easy as the environment and culture do not give premium to entrepreneurs.

Now, I am entrepreneur myself and am based in HK. I believe for the initial stage of an entrepreneur you need the environment and creativity.

Thus, I believe Singapore is still trying to figure this out.

I totally disagree with supersaint and bec. i strongly agree with Mr Tony's idea on cabin crew/other staff can become a pilot/station mangers etc. I am mysef an MH pilot and I don't see any reason why other staff can't become what they want to be. Maybe supersaint and bec don't know that to be a pilot they must meet certain requirements before they get into flying school. Cabin crew or other people who wants to be a pilot need to undergo certain Cadet Intake Process BEFORE they can be accepted into cadet pilots (before entering flying school). In flying school they will undergo rigorous trainings (normal and emergencies), flight tests and exams just for the sake of getting the initial flying license. Upon obtaining this license, they then will have to undergo another training for airline fleet type (under the company, of course). Again normal and emergencies training and flight exams. These requirements are mandatory by IQAO, FAA and CAA worldwide regardless of gender, status and who they were before, basically my point is cabin crew or staff who carries bag are also eligible candidates. You were just fixating on the fact that they were the airlines staff, where as you have to see beyond that, that firstly they come as a person who deserve a chance. In my opinion, Mr Tony's idea is not as bad as what you think. Please don't think that everyone can be a pilot but everybody can have a shot at it. That's what I believe Mr Tony thinks. And it is certainly not a cost cutting method. Cheers. mrpilot.

Perhaps its time to set up a base in Singapore. This could be especially good for AirAsia X given the extensive open skies agreements between SIngapore and many other countries.

Dear Tony, This section of the blog relates to your principle of equal treatment, and the dignity of the human person, in particular your clients and employees at the very least. I think that it is vital that you project these ideals and that of democracy and equity in all spheres of human interactions related to Air-Asia. Below is both one acid test and suggestion. Life is complicated with many types of choreographies going on. I congratulate you (perhaps AirAsia is not directly involved, but I would be grateful if you could use your influence regarding the topic of this email correspondence ) and your associates for encouraging the building of the LCCT international terminal in record time. There is just this one other thing: this country is theoretically multicultural; as such I would be grateful if you could in the interests of justice, fair play and the adherence to international norms build not just suraus for muslims as suggested by the manager of the new terminal, but also prayer halls and meditation rooms for others; in terms of demonstrable religiosity, the Chinese communities for instance here all have shrines in their homes and business venues and are demonstrably not less religious than especially Malay Muslims. Ditto with the Indians ,the natives of Sabah, Sarawak, and the orang asli of Malaya. It is important therefore in this regard to do away with the propaganda that the Malay people have a specia religious sense and ethical sense that is greater than the other races here, which is not borne out in practice but perhaps is propagated to ensure their dominance within the current Euro-American arrangements. I am glad that the food services have improved and become more reasonable so that people do not feel that they are under extortion, which is a demeaning experience; the piratical methods of previous vendors due perhaps to racial and political monopolies have to make way for business that is orientated towards service and value for money and customer satisfaction that is alien to the culture and religion of pirates. Thanks, Chris

Hi Mr Fernandes, I am a retired civil servant from Singapore. I had been in the service sector for nearly 32 years till my retirment in 2000. From the beginning, we were repeatedly told that our people are an important asset and that they should be given the best possible service and help at all times, irregardless of their race, language or religion. As part of an on-going process, we were sent to numerous service standard courses conducted by our Public Service Department. Through this courses we came to better understand the plight and feelings of our people. Throughout my career, I had to survive in a very competitive environment where you have to do better than your fellow peers, etc. This cause us to always strive to do the best and score in our examinations. We were also given the opportunity to do and act in the best possible manner in situations where decisions had to be made on the spot. This led us to become operationally-attuned and hence able to make sound decisions on the spot. However, mistakes were made during such difficult decision-making processes. At the end of the day, there was always this HOPE that we would not become victims of any form of witch-hunt, in the general belief that "an act done in good faith would go a long way in further improving our service standards to the people we served. I have flown SQ and Airasia on a number of occassions. I found your cabin and cockpit crew an excellent lot just like our SQ staff. There were smiles on their faces all the way and they were able to attend and handle "difficult guests" effectively. I felt very important on your flight. Infact I am now in the process of flying with Airasia to the Land of Smiles. Thanks you for making available 100,000 free seats to guests heading to a Nation which needs help to bounce back again. This little act by Airasia would go a long way to strengthen the foundations of Airasia and one day make it a formidable player in the aviation industry. Sedikit sedikit menjadi bukit. Thanks and HAPPY FLYING.

Hi Tony, I've seen so many racist remarks from various blogs. Still quoting INDIAN, MALAY, CHINESE. I've agreed with you that we are Malaysian. Even so I am a Malay but I dont give a damn to the racial type of statements. Frankly speaking, I am admiring you just because you're awesome. You have turned a RM1 company (taken over from DRB) into a multi millions company. Go ahead, dont bother whatever people says about you and Air Asia. We are a businessman, we must fight each and every corner for our survival. I wish one day you shall live with your dream to takeover SIA. Go and make it as our Malaysian Brand. And I wish you could be able to acquire MAS as well. We need a strategic thinking people like you. Make Malaysia as a flying hub. In the future what I want to hear is Why Malaysia better than Singapore.. I flew many times with AA. So far so good. It's only one incident made me sick. 2006. Tawau 10hrs stranded at the airport. AA flight got Technical Problem. Overal OK. Keep up good work man.. May GOD bless you!!!

Hi Tony.
First, I can't imagine that a CEO would set up this blog to share your expereiences.

Anyway, SIA did a great job on the A380. Also they got the whole country to back them up, so, in my point of view, I don't think it is suitable to compare with this giant company.

But SIA can provide a whole lot more then AirAsia for sure, the only thing i should say that is, both airlines are on different way to be promoted. SIA is more likely as a grand airline with good services through out your trip, from the momment you arrive to the airport til you arrive to your destination, there are so many things that a LOC wouldn't be able or hardly supply for the passengers. But I do agree with the LOC's thought, which makes flying more popular, instead of a luxuries experience, it can be also be a normal "Bus Trip" on the Airbus plane.
I have been on the SIA's A380, it really commit to their slogan, it is a great way to fly. Bigger seats, better services, better AVOD technology and other softwares make my A380 became my best experience in my life. These are the things SIA beat rest of the airlines.

I do hope both SIA can innovate more inflight experience that we have never tried, so as AirAsia.

Although i still haven't got a chance to get onboard with AirAsia due the place i am living right now are not AirAsia's Destinations. But AirAsia's revolution has attracted my attentions in the past few years and the years to come. Good Luck, Mr. Fernandes and AirAsia. I really looking forward to experience a great flight with AirAsia like what i experienced on SIA's A380.

Dear Datuk, wondeful job you are doing mixing bussines with sports. I read about Manchester FC almost everyday, I am so bored with them as everyone picks a ready made winner to support. What I would like to see is Air Asia sponsoring an unknown team and turning them to be a giant, similarly to what you have done in the process of building Air Asia. In the 70's I always supported the Malaysian Team as they could beat the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton to name a few, back then!. What has happen to our "Tigers of Asia", which we were so proud of????, before!. Datuk, you could start off by sponsoring our "Malaysian Under 12" team and nature them to be giants in the next maybe 7 to 9 years time!.

Even SIA acknowledges your effort of taking AirAsia to the greater heights. A feat to be proud of. One thing is that I noted that some AirAsia flight crew do not have good understanding of Mandarin for the KUL-SZX route. Some of them need to rely on their Chinese counterparts for translation. It's better to get the crew member undergo some basic Mandarin speaking skills. It certainly would be better...better and better!

Dear Dato', Well, personaly I never been flying with other airlines except for Air Asia locally or internationally as it's the most affordable for me (all local flights and only one flight to Chiang Mai ;) ). But I adored your leadership since you started the Air Asia wave in Airlines industry. I still remember the first time I took flight to Alor Star back when Air Asia started the operation at LCCT, I remembered it was raining, and you came and hold an umbrella for my daughter while I pushed my daughter's stroller to the flight and at the same time my sister in-law was complaining to you as we were walking a distance to reach the flight from the terminal. It was amazed that you can just listen patiently to her (been as ex-PR for the most prominent hotel in the city, she's a demanding person)and accepted that my sister in-law did not realized that it was you the most prominent CEO in the country. Looking at that experience, I am comparing with other leadership in the country. I do agree that leadership skill is important to shape the company's culture. For example, in my working environment, we have a totally different culture as compared to other division in the same group of the company as our ex-VP (Hussin Ali) can mix with all level of staff and open to ideas eventhough it came from a cleaner. ( we can even talk about family with him). We work in a sisterhood and brotherhood environment that made other division envy with our working environment. This culture actually has driven the satff to work for better of themselves and ultimately for the comany's success. We started with SEMASA SENTRAL and we have expand to more sister companies that do building servicing & maintenance, parking and security. For me it is not a small achievement in 8 years old age in the business. We also believe in grooming staff to be a better staff in climbing a career ladder. E.g: some of our CRO now are palying an important role in some of departments in the division. Therefore, I totally agreed with the operational and experience leadership whereby the CEO is experiencing the operational flow in the company to get a better understanding of the total operation. I believe the working culture actually can made the success of every airlines. When the staff appreciate what they got from the contribution they made, they will automatically serve the customer better. It just a little comment from me about the cabin crew of air asia, at every flight I had experienced especially locally, some of the cabin crew is hardly smiles to the passengers and it always heard that the announcement were badly pronounced til hardly understand what they said both in bahasa and english. Maybe because we pay cheap ticket and that's we what we got. Well it's fair for the ticket paid... ; ). Anyway, the nasi lemak was good, but a little bit too expensive. Well again it's fair with the taste it has ...he..he.. Note: Dato' I would like to suggest that the current outlet at station sentral to get a bigger size by acquiring the neigbouring outlet or a more convenient location at Level 2 as it is much less crowded and much more convenient to your customer but still prominent looking at the future development which will be happening soon there.

Well, from what I know, when Malaysia-Singapore Airlines split in 1972, Lee Kuan Yew said that Singapore Airlines better be profitable or he will close it down. Of course, the management knew that they had to attract customers to be profitable, so they decided on provided good customer service, and good service is what keeps people coming back. With regards to the incentives given to other airlines, the government here wants to make sure that Changi remains an aviation hub in the region. They've even gone so far as to say that if they need to sacrifice Singapore Airlines in order to maintain Changi's hub status, they will do it. So it's really no surprise that they are encouraging AirAsia to build its presence in Singapore, and I fully support that. AirAsia's recent flights to Miri and Tawau have gone a step further in enhancing Changi's connectivity, and I hope AirAsia can expand its set of destinations from Changi to include the likes of Sandakan, Sibu and Bintulu. I think essentially, AirAsia and Singapore Airlines serve different market niches, and having both around is good as it will give people a choice. If you wanted top notch service and don't mind paying a premium for it, then Singapore Airlines is the obvious choice. And if you just want good value for money, and don't mind sacrificing some comfort in exchange for that, then AirAsia will be ideal. Of course, safety is also paramount and I have to say both airlines do well in that regard. And in this respect, AirAsia can serve as a good model for other budget airlines, as AirAsia has shown that it can offer low fares without having to cut corners when it comes to safety.

I agree that the Singapore Airline guys are better as they hire the right people qualified for the job. alhtough its commendable that you offer ramp gouys to become piliots and hotel reception guys to end up as station managers, SQ on the contrary hires people who have started with the right background for the job. You will never find a station manager from SQ who was working in the reception of a hotel. Professionalsm in the key to SQ's success. I believe you could do magic if you had the right professionalyexperienced people in key positions of AirAsia. I wish you luck with all your future plans.