Budget airline AirAsia X yesterday launched their 'Fly Home to Vote' campaign by asking those interested to register themselves in order to get the first word on this special offer.

According to its website, the carrier has set aside "a number of seats for registered voters" in order to allow Malaysians to exercise their democratic right.

However, booking and travel periods for the promotion will only be announced when the election dates are confirmed.

"As soon as election dates are announced, we will send an email to registered AirAsia members with full details... Jom mengundi untuk Malaysia ! (Let's vote for Malaysia!)," it said.

However, AirAsia X's announcement of the promotion only refers to one-way flights to Kuala Lumpur from several destinations and does not include return flights.

NONE Among the routes offered are Perth, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo, Osaka, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei.

Speaking to KiniBiz earlier , AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani ( right ) said that the intention is to block out the number of seats at promotion prices only for registered voters, even though the seats have been booked at the last minute.

Azran had first announced the plan on the 'Jom Balik Undi' Facebook page administered by Malaysian diaspora group Global Bersih. Global Bersih is an international off-shoot of the coalition for clean and fair elections, Bersih.

Bus firms also getting in on the act

The airline company is not the only one offering a discount for registered voters to return home for the polls.

Singapore bus ticketing booking service Easibook.com and the Lion City's 'Jom Balik Undi' chapter are also collaborating to offer discounts for Malaysians working in Singapore who will be travelling home to vote.

Easibook.com - which collaborates with 10 bus companies - expects sales to go up by 40 percent during the election period in Malaysia.

More than a million Malaysians are estimated to reside abroad, but the Election Commission said that as of February, fewer than 3,000 people have applied to be postal voters in accordance with the new regulations.

This does not include 2,651 Malaysian civil servants and students overseas who are already registered as postal voters.

Those who are not registered as postal voters will need to return home to cast their ballots.

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