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The ‘Malport’ that was meant to be a low-cost airport

YOURSAY | ‘It's a wonder the cost of this Mall-Airport, or Malport, was capped at RM4b.’

KLIA2 - what’s in a name?

Abasir: The answer to the concluding question, gingerly put by P Gunasegaram, is of course 'YES!' in capitals and an exclamation mark.

Any project, mooted or requiring processing by the alleged kleptocrats in power is premised on a variety of 'considerations' - all centred on percentages.

With so many mouths to feed in the bulging Umno tent and with the line awaiting handouts about the same as that outside the PM's palatial residence on Hari Raya, it's a wonder the cost of this Mall-Airport or Malport was capped at RM4 billion.

But then this should come as no surprise to anyone who has an insight into the secret wheeling and dealings which invariably characterise any 'gomen' project.

A regime whose every move is predicated on the 'cash is king' mantra and simply buying loyalty from those ever willing to sell it, will thrive in a devout country like this one.

Anonymous_1371464888: Apart from being guilty of over-running the cost of construction, I don’t see how changing its name now can improve service or reduce costs. So why the debate?

Anyway, there is no definition of a low-cost terminal. How low you want it to be? How about not installing air-conditioning and use fans instead.

Apparently, passengers don’t really want a low-cost airport or else they would not have complained about the lack of travellators.

Ask any senior citizen and I am sure the answer is KLIA has better facilities and is friendlier to seniors and disabled persons.

Everyone expects first class service at third class cost. It’s never going happen. The problem in our country is that we are just plainly not earning enough.

Mosquitobrain: This is Umno’s culture. Build first world facilities but with third world mentality.

Anonymous 1034721438846003: Changi Airport in my view is the best and most comfortable airport in this region.

I was given a S$20 voucher by the airport for me to consume anything inside the terminal shops. For S$20, I have a pot of Korean ginseng quarter chicken soup, wantan noodle and a drink.

Comparing dollar to dollar, there is no way I could get such a lavish meal in Kuala Lumpur, needless to say at KLIA2. At our terminal, I paid RM16 for a 3-in-1 coffee mix and roti bakar.

When it comes to airport and lighting comfort, I question the qualifications of our architect and interior designers.

SuppTulang: We Malaysians are 'famous' for being extravagant in things we do. Remember one time we boasted we had the tallest flagpole in the world? We ignore utility and efficacy in most things we do.

We bought grand submarines costing billions but which allegedly could not submerge. We paid hundreds of millions of consultation fees to maintain this apparently useless equipment.

In all these horrendous expenditures someone makes some quick bucks. For all you know, the same might apply in the case of the new impractical KLIA2.

Fusionbrand: Irrespective of whether or not there were other 'considerations', the fact of the matter is that both Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and AirAsia are wrong when it comes to the naming of the airport terminal.

The needs of the traveller, and in particular the international traveller, should be taken into account when determining the name of an airport's terminal/s.

And the logical approach to make it a consistent experience is to name the terminals T1, T2 and so on. Which is why, all over the world, the airport name comes first followed by the terminal number.

There are a few exceptions but the busiest and most successful airports such as Heathrow, Changi, LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), JFK (John F Kennedy Airport) and so on all name their terminals T1, T2, etc.

For a seamless experience that won't have travellers finding more faults with Malaysia, name the terminals KLIA T1 and KLIA T2 and so on. In the future terminals can be KLIA T3, KLIA T4 and so on.

Imagine if you stick with KLIA1 and LCCT2, what will the next terminal be? FGVR5 or perhaps TRX17?

Just a Malaysian: Fusionbrand is correct. For example, a first bridge is called the Penang Bridge. The second bridge has the name of our beloved Agong, a pretty long name though. The third bridge? We lose the flow and consistency.

Naming it KLIA T2 but operating it as a low-cost terminal gives it consistency and would be easy to refer to. Smart people keep things simple.

Legit: Why can't the Umno government get anything right?

Whether it is the Scorpene deal, 1MDB, independent power producers, KLIA2, many construction projects, and the list goes on and on, nothing is done right. It is all because of 'other considerations'.

The country is being screwed to its limits and Malaysians keep voting this government in.

Senior Citizen: Yes, MAHB, you spent RM4 billion not only for the airport but also for the mall. MAHB collects rental income from tenants.

So you can't say you want to collect it back from the passengers for your investment in the mall.

Alfanso: Forget the name, ask for the audit. See if they know how many zeroes there are in a billion.


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