As long as the airline carries the same name then it will showcase to air travellers worldwide that it still has links with the Malaysian government, or rather with government-appointed agencies or corporations.

Apparently, if allowed to continue, it will make the airline business rather dependent on government financial backing like when to pump in money to save the ailing business, thus (as a result) giving the latter the upper hand (the controlling power) in the entire business.

In fact, MAS was already trying hard to start making profits but and unfortunately the impact from the recent double air tragedies this year (2014) had made things more difficult.

This is not good for MAS. Besides, MAS is infamously known for having a huge ‘baggage’ in the business, like having 19,500 people working for the airline - is indeed a financial burden.

You may say some are employed doing redundant jobs. Or, perhaps, you may say over-employed, to an extent that there is a need to trim down the workforce (manpower) or rather to cut jobs like Thai Airways had done, as reported in The Sun newspaper on Aug 15, 2014.

For your information, at this point in time, most air travellers are afraid to fly MAS and have opted for other airlines, including making Malaysia a less-preferred overseas holiday destination. This shows a lack of confidence and it is quite bad for Malaysia when the nation

is currently promoting the Visit Malaysia Year event 2014.

Obviously, all previous bailouts including restructures exercises and reorganisations of MAS had failed to get the airline out of the red though it was able to get the airline business going again hopefully that this time it will start making profits for those elite shareholders. Sadly, it was another disappointment.

Exactly, it’s time to have a complete make-over for the airline instead. So that it will end the need to save the airline from the verge of bankruptcy or ever again to bail out MAS.

Hypothetically speaking, it is good to give the MAS airline a new name, a new image and a new clean management to kick-start a new airline in Malaysia? If not all things will soon fall apart again and come to naught or back to square one.

There you go! Khazanah Nasional and MAS as major shareholders should sell off enough MAS shares to allow a private buyer or group to take-over the airline business with at least 51 percent ownership, let alone making the airline truly privately owned is the bottom-line (objective).

Cutting frills and benefits

With this controlling shares in hand, the buyer(s) will then enjoy the freedom and powers to cut jobs and to retrench redundant staff, as well for the reduction on frills and benefits to top management staff and to elite shareholders as regards annual travel benefits, etc, etc.

They (staff and employees of the airline) should pay the usual fare at a 10 percent discount. It is for one person only and is applicable once in every two years. This entitlement is neither transferable nor  accumulative.

Here are a few names of airlines that appeared odd but they are still flying high:

In Gambia there is an airline known as the Bird Airline. There is another Airline known as the Kingfisher Airline.

So how about using ‘Bunga iSenangi Airline’ and with a tagline like ‘Beri Senangi Anda!’ Or for a tagline in English like the ‘Best iService Airline’ In abbreviation the airline should be known as BSA.

This may sound or look funny but I am sure you know that there is a company in China making big money and the company is called Alibaba Group. This is strange for China.

Therefore it is mandatory that the board of directors of MAS sit down to talk over plans to sell MAS to let it operate as a privately-owned airline in the nation, of course cutting off more red tape and terms and conditions to genuinely let go, to make it easy and convenient for buyers to take over MAS and run the airline with or without it given a new name.

Think about it, MAS name is no longer that popular any more and that calls for a new name for the airline!

LAU BING IS a community activist and writer in Subang Jaya.