No kidding folks! AirAsia has responded well to calls from handicapped groups to make the airline truly handicapped friendly. RapidPenang has a long way to learn a thing or two from AirAsia.

I have been following Peter Tan's blog for awhile now. Seriously, the efforts put in by Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT), has caught the attention of AirAsia's CEO - Dato’ Fernandez. He personally met with members of BEAT to discuss the ways to resolve issues faced by disabled persons wanting to book seats.

I must say that many corporate Malaysia continue to beat their chest saying that they practise strong CSR (corporate social responsible) policies. Nothing beats AirAsia!

Somehow, another plus for AirAsia. I was never wrong when I fly on AirAsia when it first started. It's still my ideal airline. No - the wheels don't drop off lar  - cut out the stereotyping....

BEAT plays the issue very well. No one in the goverrnment actually brought up this matter. In fact, it was in the hands of the members of BEAT that brought the attention of the public and AirAsia about how unfriendly flying with AirAsia can be.

I am sure that RapidPenang and RapidKL can learn a thing or two from this latest AirAsia's move. After all, RapidPenang is suppose to serve the general Penang transportation well. If they are set up just to cater for a selected few, why should they be left freely to operate without addressing the plight of the silent ones?

Kudos to BEAT. Kudos to the members of BEAT. People Power at play and I am sure many Malaysians will see your efforts being noble.

If you wish to read more about this, click here.

My oh my! MAS is launching its own budget airlines -FIREFLY. This airline will ferry passengers to various domestic locations such as Kota Bahru, Langkawi, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu. For the international destinations, Phuket & Koh Samui are being mentioned as the probable locations. All this will happen in April and the major hub would be in Penang.

I am excited about this new flight service due to several reasons:

1. Able to fly to Phuket without having to fly to LCCT and catch a flight to head to Phuket from there.
2. Able to visit Kuala Terengganu and enjoy the nice beaches there.

Read more about it here.

For all frequent travellers on AirAsia, be ready! Be very ready! The version of Budget Hotel ala Air Asia is now ready and able to take in bookings starting April. I am sure that many budget travellers will find this development a sigh of relief. Paying hundreds of ringgit just to warm the bed is no bed of roses.

Since I am not getting anything out of this by reporting the opening of the hotel, let me give you the website - www.tunelhotels.com Interesting concept and looks clean. I am sure it will prosper and give the rest of the hotels throughout the country a run for the money. Hope to see one in Penang soon :)

Jeffrey