Travelling to Malaysia for Chinese New Year? You can expect to pay more

SINGAPORE – Malaysians based in Singapore can expect to pay more for their journey back home for Chinese New Year on Jan 22 and 23, 2023. 

Checks by The Straits Times this week showed that one-way economy airfares from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur have increased to between $77 and $749 for flights from Jan 15 to Jan 21, up from between $66 and $281 for those from Jan 8 to Jan 14.

A spokesman for Malaysia Airlines, whose lowest-priced one-way economy air ticket for travel between Jan 8 and Jan 21 is $139, said: "Due to dynamic pricing of airlines globally, high-demand flights, especially those nearer to the preferred date of travel for Chinese New Year, are currently slightly high."

For AirAsia, the average one-way economy air ticket costs $77 for flights from Jan 15 to Jan 21, up from $69 for those between Jan 8 and Jan 14.

"As the people's airline, and despite rising costs to our operations post-pandemic, we will always champion the best-value fares which are more important than ever right now," said the airline's group chief commercial officer, Ms Karen Chan, who added that the company encourages consumers to plan and their book their flights earlier. 

One-way bus ticket prices from Singapore to Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur have also spiked for the week before Chinese New Year.

ST's checks showed that tickets cost from $30 to $210 for rides during Jan 15 to 21, up from $30 to $80 for the week earlier.

Bus operator Golden Coach Express has increased its ticket prices for trips from Singapore to Ipoh from Jan 16 to Jan 24 to between $80 and $170, up from its regular price of $45.

The company's general manager, Mr Leong Ying Ken, attributed the increase in fares to various factors, including demand from Malaysians and incurring additional operating costs during the festive season.

For example, the company will have to rent seven to eight extra buses and hire 14 to 16 more drivers from Jan 18 to Jan 24, said Mr Leong.

Fees for Malaysia-based transport services have also risen by about 20 per cent.

D'Cars Limo Transport Service, which uses private cars, multi-purpose vehicles and vans to shuttle between Singapore and Malaysia, has raised the cost of its one-way trips. For example, a trip to Johor in the week before Chinese New Year costs $100, up from $80 during the same period in 2019.

The increase is due to factors such as surging petrol prices and the heavy jam on the Causeway, said its manager Ashraf Kamal Batcha.

Despite the rising prices, travel providers told ST that demand for tickets in the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year has risen by up to 40 per cent already, and they expect the demand to rise further.

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Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Jetstar Asia and AirAsia said they have seen strong demand for flights to Malaysia. 

AirAsia's Ms Chan said the airline has seen "a positive uplift in" demand for flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur between Jan 8 and Jan 21.

For example, seats sold for flights between Jan 15 and Jan 21 are 40 per cent higher than those for the week before, according to her.

Without specifying details, she said certain flights during peak hours on Jan 20 and 21 are fully booked. She added that the airline expects demand to continue rising, especially during the peak of Chinese New Year.

Without sharing figures, Jetstar also said that the airline has seen strong demand across its network, including from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang. This is because many Malaysians return home for family celebrations, said its spokesman.

D'Cars Limo Transport Service's Mr Ashraf also said he has received bookings from more than 100 Malaysians in the week leading up to Chinese New Year, compared with 20 to 30 Malaysians the week before that.

At Golden Coach Express, 80 per cent of tickets from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh for travel between Jan 15 and Jan 21 have been sold. Malaysians account for 90 per cent of these bookings.

Malaysian bus operator Causeway Link also expects an increase of 30 to 40 per cent in commuters during the week before the festive period.

To meet with the higher demand, some travel providers will increase their services from Singapore to Malaysia.

Without sharing figures, Causeway Link said it will increase the number of bus services between Jan 15 and Jan 21. About 150 bus services currently run from Singapore to Johor daily.

From Jan 13 to Jan 29, Jetstar will operate 26 services from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, up from 21 currently. The airline will also operate 10 services from Singapore to Penang between Jan 18 and Jan 25, up from eight now.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.