Studio Press

MALAYSIA Airlines'(MAS) cost-cutting measures under its business turnaround plan will not affect the services for customers.

"With the business turnaround plan, people think that we would want to skimp, but this is not the case as we are doing the best we can to ensure that the quality of our products will not go lower than what we actually offer," MAS assistant general manager of in-flight services Azman Ahmad told reporters in Sepang yesterday. "There will of course be some streamlining, but I think what we are going to do, and moving ahead, is actually to ensure all changes will not in any way affect our customers," he said. MAS recently bagged the "Economy Class Onboard Service Excellence 2006" award in an international airline survey done by UK-based Skytrax Research. Skytrax is an independent body with 13 years experience in airline service research. MAS economy class service came out tops when it was assessed through a product and service agenda covering up to 800 different rating items. "(Winning this award) serves as an endorsement that in spite of all the airline's problems we do not cut back on products, we do not cut back on the service," MAS general manager of flight operations Hayati Ali said. It is good to know that we are cost-conscious, without affecting the quality of product," he said. Asked about reports that MAS incurs high costs for the supply of its in-flight meals, he said, "Of course you cannot go to a five- or six-star hotel and ask for a RM1 nasi lemak as the processes involved in preparation of the meal itself needs to be looked at, then (only) can you give a comparison with regard to pricing." MAS has more than 55 chefs all over the world that cater for the airline on a contract basis. Azman said the airline has a benchmark against other airlines to ensure that costs are competitive and catering jobs go through a tender process. MAS is one of the four airlines in the world to be given a five-star rating by Skytrax.-NSTP