Malaysia Airports, Airlines Booking Fees and Taxes – All You Need To Know
With many people travelling many times a year from Malaysia, some travellers have been hit hard by hidden booking fee charges from airlines and also the increasing airport taxes and fees.
Well, this article sheds light on all you need to know about the Malaysia Airports and Airlines booking fees and taxes that may even shock you.
Over the years, many air travellers have had things easy, but in the last few years, much has changed regarding online booking fees and even the increasing airport taxes.
Debates over this have been shared between airport officials and airlines, which have also been publicized on mainstream media, and of course, on social media too.
All You Need To Know About Malaysia Airports and Airlines Booking Fees and Taxes
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| Flying through KLIA2 nowadays can be pretty stressful. |
Frustrations keep increasing nowadays when travellers find a cheap-priced ticket to and from a destination, only to find out that the total fee has increased on the payment page.
This means that when you make that booking to Bali, Indonesia, you will see to and from the ticket costing only RM450.00, and when you are about to make a payment, it jumps to RM490.00.
If you go back 10 or 15 years back, booking airline tickets in Malaysia was such a joy, and I remember those days when there was a free ticket promotion on AirAsia; I only paid the fuel surcharge.
Yes, back then, it was under RM100 per person, and I clearly remember booking a ticket to Laos for two-person in 2008 for under RM200.00. This was also during the free air ticket promotions, with only minimal charges imposed.
Nowadays, things are different and sometimes complicated for the passengers, but some do not care. They just want to travel, and that is all, regardless of the fees and so on.
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| AirAsia’s booking fees and taxes are noted when you book a flight ticket. |
Hidden Charges For Booking Airline Tickets Online
Lately, consumers have complained about the exuberant hidden fees when they make an airline ticket booking online.
In December 2018, outspoken blogger Wee Choo Keong published an article about the hidden airline booking fees that total up to RM38.00 per booking.
In January 2018, the local newspaper The Sun Daily also ran and article about the end of extra charges by airlines in Malaysia. However, to date, everything has stayed the same, or there could be other fees.
I have taken the initiative to explore some of the popular airlines in Malaysia and listed down all the different fees involved when you make an airline ticket booking online;
- Passenger Service Fee – RM11.00, RM35.00 or RM73.00
- Booking Service Fees – RM20.00
- Credit Card Processing Fees – RM8.00
- Debit Card Processing Fees – RM4.00
- Direct Debit Payment Fees – RM6.00
- KLIA2 Fee – RM3.00
*Fees above are based on November 2018
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| The taxes and fees when booking online for Malaysia Airlines |
Malaysia Airports Passenger Service Charge Fees (PSC)
Also, in 2018, there was much controversy over the passenger service charge or PSC. The government intervened in this area, where a new tariff was imposed on passengers travelling out of Malaysia.
Previously, the PSC at the KLIA2 was priced at RM50.00 per person before the revision. To understand this situation, read this article published on The Malaysian Reserve, dated 23 July 2018.
For those who still do not know what this is all about, below is a breakdown of the passenger service charge or PSC fees per person up to 2018;
- Domestic Travel – RM11.00 per person
- Asean Countries Travel – RM35.00 per person
- International Flights – RM73.00 per person
You should also know that the Passenger Service Charge is collected by Malaysia Airports, not the airlines or government, with a reason for running the airport.
With this PSC tax collected by Malaysia Airports, the issue of KLIA2 is still a hot topic, where many consumers have and still are complaining about the poor facilities and layout of the terminal.
One main question is being thrown about who designed KLIA2? While it looks modern, overall, it is not passenger-friendly at all. You will know what I mean if you have taken an AirAsia flight.
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| Malindo Airlines booking fees section with all the taxes and charges |
Malaysia Airport Departure Tax
On top of the PSC imposed on passengers travelling from airports, there has also been a new departure levy being imposed on travellers. This is different from the PSC.
Effective 1 June 2019, air travellers will have to pay a new airport departure tax, which has been debated among consumers and industry players.
The New 2019 Malaysia airport departure tax is as follows;
- Asean Countries – RM20.00 per person
- Non-Asean Countries – RM40.00 per person
When you total everything up, you are in for a nice hefty amount paid in all kinds of taxes. This will surely add to consumers’ traveller costs, but it does not affect business travellers.
But for some strange reason, Malaysian always amazes me, as when the news breaks, everyone will complain, but give it a few weeks or months, and everything goes back to normal.
The Minister at the transport ministry had stated that the departure levy imposed at the airports is in line with raising revenue for the government.
He also stated that other countries, including Thailand and Indonesia, have collected a departure tax for all passengers in their respective countries.
One of the main reasons cited for this departure tax is to encourage the development of domestic tourism among local Malaysians.
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| The fees when booking Firefly Airlines tickets online. |
MAVCOM Promises Service Level Agreement Policy
In July 2018, the Malaysian Aviation Commission or Mavcom, under the new executive chairman Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, pledged to introduce a service level agreement (SLA) policy between airport operators and airline service providers.
This was created to ensure the continuous growth and sustainability of the aviation industry, as it has never been done before in the history of Malaysia.
Over the years, the controversial passenger service charges (PSC) rates have been major issues for airlines, affecting all airports in Malaysia, regardless of whether they were small or large.
Check Airline Fees and Charges in Malaysia
After much research and reading online, I stumbled upon a page on AirAsia listing all the fees a passenger has to pay for their travels.
This is an excellent guide by AirAsia, and they have a search button for fees depending on where you are flying to.
Check the AirAsia Fees and Charges page if you want to know more about other fees, namely if you are travelling with infants, sporting equipment, etc.
Fees listed on that page are also one-way direct flights; hence if you are connecting or transiting, you may need to check it twice for the different destinations.
The great thing about the fees section is that AirAsia is transparent about all their fees. You can check the following fees on that page;
- Baggage Fees (Online and At Counter Fees)
- Sports Equipment Fees (Online and At Counter Fees)
- Other Baggage Information
- Seat Booking Fees (All types)
- Handling Fees
- Processing Fees
- Flight Changing Fees
- Cancellation Fees
- Wheelchair Service Fees
However, for those booking online tickets on AirAsia, you should take note of the processing and payment fees, as they are all clearly stated below;
– Processing Fee (direct debit) is non-refundable and is charged per passenger, per booking for payments made via UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat, CCAvenue, Rupay, India Wallet, LINE Pay, NAPAS and PayPal. Others will be charged per booking.
– Processing Fee (credit, debit, charge cards) is non-refundable and is charged when payment is made by credit debit or charge cards per guest per way at point of purchase.
– Please note that airport tax refund can be subjected to a Processing Fee (credit, debit, charge cards)(where applicable). Refund Processing Fee is waived for refunds made in Korea Won for bookings made in Korea.
– Booking service fee applies to all bookings made via Call Centre, Sales Offices, Airport Sales Counters, Indonesia AirAsia Carrefour booth and ATSC’s.
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| Passengers at KLIA2 International Departure Section |
Conclusion
Due to many complaints over the years, some consumers are pointing their fingers at the Ministry of Transport and why they are allowing this to happen.
You will easily find many articles published by the mainstream media where airlines, airports and government people will be pointing fingers or trying to work out issues on the airports, taxes and so on.
Finally, consumers may think that budget airlines or even full-service airlines may be cheap when they offer promotional flights, but when you look at all the fees imposed, you will be surprised.
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