New Malaysia Airlines Takes Off With 'Today is Here'

By Farhana Poniman KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines' twitter timeline was filled with warm congratulatory messages from netizens using the #todayishere campaign, a clear indication of Malaysians' support and hope for the airline's restoration to its glory days. From today onwards, the new company Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) will carry on the operations of the former Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS). The new company has so far decided to maintain the old logo and keep current flights, schedules, reservations or operations while assuring its customers that the change in the company will not impact on its day-to-day operations. "We have been working hard to make the transition seamless and we will proudly continue to serve and welcome you on board. "MAB continues to fly with the same focus on delivering exceptional customer service and will honour all current and future tickets and reservations," the airline said on its website today. The transition process had been a daunting and controversial task as it involved terminating the contracts of 6,000 out of the 20,000 employees, as part of its effort to restructure the airline's financials. Subsequent to the termination announcement, MAB's sole shareholder Khazanah Nasional Bhd had on June 1 established the Corporate Development Centre (CDC), which has registered 2,907 ex-MAS staff to-date. The centre was created to support exiting MAS employees by organising training courses for upskilling purposes, as well as arranging job interviews for those looking for new jobs. There were also complaints by several quarters on the new company being led by an "outsider", which is totally understandable. It is, after all, human nature to fear and even hate the unknown. But looking at the new chief executive officer (CEO), Christoph Mueller's track record, he might just be the right man for the job to replace "Ironman" Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, the former MAS CEO. Two of Mueller's impressive achievements, to say the least, were turning around financially-troubled German airline Lufthansa and leading Irish airline Aer Lingus in venturing into new markets and business models. Aviation analyst from Endau Analytics, Shukor Yusof, said it was indeed comforting to see that Malaysians are being loyal and supportive of the carrier and its employees. However, much work needs to be done in restoring the confidence of the international community, which remained skeptical of the airline. "Moving forward, there are many challenges for MAB, including making the airline profitable without resorting to selling assets, slashing its network and employees, cutting salaries and deviating from its mission of providing quality services at competitive fares. "The new carrier must aim to stay solvent by providing excellent passenger services and deliver value-added products, at all times," he added. -- BERNAMA