MAS Privatisation

[flee 5]

Hahaha, I'd like to think our comments were taken into account! Still, someone made a huge mistake when drafting those schedules!

[Robert 0]

2 hours ago, flee said:

Hahaha, I'd like to think our comments were taken into account! Still, someone made a huge mistake when drafting those schedules!

Not sure if you are on any of the popular MH FB groups but the plan to put the MAX on the route didn't go down well. There are many staff and some mgt on there who do read things so perhaps somebody was told to change it. 

[JuliusWong 0]

14 hours ago, Izanee said:

All of this will come and bite MH in the bum. 
poor salary, poor trained staff retention etc etc. 

also they missed a trick by bringing out their much hyped 737-max8 - without lie flat beds and IFEs. this is a huge mistake. They could have made it more premium and used it for flights to Amritsar, Perth, and even Seoul if you like (looking at the aircraft changes recently). 

I often wonder what goes through their minds. Of course, I understand the financial implications but you can now see people choosing other airlines for their better products (and worse still, more competitive prices!!)

The flat bed have been pre-ordered for their new regional narrowbody workhorse. Most likely be B737-MAX 10. The issue now is when will Boeing get their house in order, for them to formally place an order and get the money rolling.

IFE contents are now very expensive running in few millions every month, no thanks for Hollywood and its copyright issues and writers strikes demand. IFE boxes are not being produced fast enough by OEM, leading to more airlines delaying deliveries, so we need to strike a balance here. Can we afford to delay the 737max entry to service even further? Not refurbish the current B737NG until end of their service (737max is not going to get delivered fast enough thanks to Boeing) or we should pick a new product but without IFE and install a WIFI pod which is easier to manage and more cost effective? Regional players like MH, is it worth spending a few millions in heavy IFE content when our networks is not as wide as those of EK, QR, SQ, CX etc and we do not have as many pax as them. Most of our flight is under 10 hours, how many movies or documentary can one finish watching? This is something they may have considered.

A lot of forum member here complained about poor salary, poorly trained staff, now that they are upping their air ticket to pass on the personnel cost to customers, the customers will still not be happy. MAG also dished out three months bonus for the first time in few years to most of their staff, that didn't styme the talent attrition. AirAsia has highest pay among all the three airlines now, their cockpit crew are still resigning left, right and center to go to ME3. 

Let's not forget, MH has AirAsia and Batik Air at their home turf, that's their competitors in cannibalising pax numbers. Three airlines for a population of only 34 millions, less than half which can afford to travel. Unless we want the gomen to continuously bail MH out with another few billions every year, like what Thai government is doing with TG now, we can only make do with mediocre MH, good enough but not bad enough, since the customers will definitely still complain at everything they do, good or bad. Tough luck MH. 

[flee 5]

3 hours ago, JuliusWong said:

Let's not forget, MH has AirAsia and Batik Air at their home turf, that's their competitors in cannibalising pax numbers. Three airlines for a population of only 34 millions, less than half which can afford to travel. Unless we want the gomen to continuously bail MH out with another few billions every year, like what Thai government is doing with TG now, we can only make do with mediocre MH, good enough but not bad enough, since the customers will definitely still complain at everything they do, good or bad. Tough luck MH. 

MH has this problem in having to compete with LCC and an Indonesian airline using Malaysia as a pivot for its regional operations. Unfortunately, MAG is responding in a reactive rather than proactive manner. They lack long term planning and strategic vision. In order to be competitive, they have to go through their organisation with a fine tooth comb. Every little detail has to be looked into and every sen gained in efficiency will go towards the end product. Right now, they are boasting about their cash position - however this can disappear pretty quickly if they allow things to stagnate. They must continue to push forward and continuously improve. We are not seeing signs of that - so this strong financial position will not last very long. Then they got to go back to the government with a begging bowl again. They say you make your own luck - unfortunately, MH isn't doing that!

[Pall 0]

17 hours ago, Robert said:

Not sure if you are on any of the popular MH FB groups but the plan to put the MAX on the route didn't go down well. There are many staff and some mgt on there who do read things so perhaps somebody was told to change it. 

Whichever boss who decided to give it a go with the 737 below LCC level seat refurbishment should be sacked. The downfall of the product standard is solely his/her responsibility. 

[KK Lee 5]

14 hours ago, JuliusWong said:

The flat bed have been pre-ordered for their new regional narrowbody workhorse. Most likely be B737-MAX 10. The issue now is when will Boeing get their house in order, for them to formally place an order and get the money rolling.

IFE contents are now very expensive running in few millions every month, no thanks for Hollywood and its copyright issues and writers strikes demand. IFE boxes are not being produced fast enough by OEM, leading to more airlines delaying deliveries, so we need to strike a balance here. Can we afford to delay the 737max entry to service even further? Not refurbish the current B737NG until end of their service (737max is not going to get delivered fast enough thanks to Boeing) or we should pick a new product but without IFE and install a WIFI pod which is easier to manage and more cost effective? Regional players like MH, is it worth spending a few millions in heavy IFE content when our networks is not as wide as those of EK, QR, SQ, CX etc and we do not have as many pax as them. Most of our flight is under 10 hours, how many movies or documentary can one finish watching? This is something they may have considered.

A lot of forum member here complained about poor salary, poorly trained staff, now that they are upping their air ticket to pass on the personnel cost to customers, the customers will still not be happy. MAG also dished out three months bonus for the first time in few years to most of their staff, that didn't styme the talent attrition. AirAsia has highest pay among all the three airlines now, their cockpit crew are still resigning left, right and center to go to ME3. 

Let's not forget, MH has AirAsia and Batik Air at their home turf, that's their competitors in cannibalising pax numbers. Three airlines for a population of only 34 millions, less than half which can afford to travel. Unless we want the gomen to continuously bail MH out with another few billions every year, like what Thai government is doing with TG now, we can only make do with mediocre MH, good enough but not bad enough, since the customers will definitely still complain at everything they do, good or bad. Tough luck MH. 

Most if not all guests at 5 star hotel e.g Shangri-la unlikely to use all the facilities. But 5 star hotel need all these facilities to charge 5 star rate. To cater for exactly what all guests would use is minimizing e.g business hotel in Japan with no facilities. For reason why those could afford and have choice, unlikely to choose mas.

If local population or domestic routes is a restriction on airlines; sq, cx, ek, qr, ey, etc wouldn't be around. Failure always find excuses.

5 hours ago, Pall said:

Whichever boss who decided to give it a go with the 737 below LCC level seat refurbishment should be sacked. The downfall of the product standard is solely his/her responsibility. 

Due to mas track record, shareholders and bod don't have, dare not have plans beyond 5 years horizon and senior management are on contract. During the management tenure, often milk customers for their existence.

[Izanee 0]

KK Lee and flee hit the nail on the head!! 

[Craig 0]

On 7/5/2024 at 2:14 AM, Robert said:

Not sure if you are on any of the popular MH FB groups but the plan to put the MAX on the route didn't go down well. There are many staff and some mgt on there who do read things so perhaps somebody was told to change it. 

I doubt that'd be the case. If they listen to FB group, we would have better IFE, better seats/OTP, free alcohol on all flights, espresso based coffee rather than Old Town and Nescafe Gold Blend on say KUL-LHR in J. Maybe they'll switch the 7M8 to PKX instead (which is just about equidistance with KUL-ATQ). CA is using their 7M8 on their PEK-KUL (which surprisingly shows an upgrade to 333 for winter).

[JuliusWong 0]

9 hours ago, KK Lee said:

Most if not all guests at 5 star hotel e.g Shangri-la unlikely to use all the facilities. But 5 star hotel need all these facilities to charge 5 star rate. To cater for exactly what all guests would use is minimizing e.g business hotel in Japan with no facilities. For reason why those could afford and have choice, unlikely to choose mas.

If local population or domestic routes is a restriction on airlines; sq, cx, ek, qr, ey, etc wouldn't be around. Failure always find excuses.

Due to mas track record, shareholders and bod don't have, dare not have plans beyond 5 years horizon and senior management are on contract. During the management tenure, often milk customers for their existence.

I think you fail to realise that all these major international premium airlines SQ, CX, EK, QR, EY are sitting in major hubs which a tons of transit flow and flying a lot of long haul flights which MH does not have and will not have. Go big, fight with them, burn more money, bail out with taxpayers' money, is that what you want? How many times has MH got burn from those ventures by keeping up with the Jonses?? MH is not a five stars airline to begin with.......just be a little regional airline for now earning some profits/loss without incurring the wrath of the public.

Some members really ought to wake up from their slumber sleep.

Edited July 6 by JuliusWong

[KK Lee 5]

37 minutes ago, Craig said:

I doubt that'd be the case. If they listen to FB group, we would have better IFE, better seats/OTP, free alcohol on all flights, espresso based coffee rather than Old Town and Nescafe Gold Blend on say KUL-LHR in J. Maybe they'll switch the 7M8 to PKX instead (which is just about equidistance with KUL-ATQ). CA is using their 7M8 on their PEK-KUL (which surprisingly shows an upgrade to 333 for winter).

As a regular pax on CZ and MU between KUL and PRC, strapping in narrow body for 5+ hours is bearable provided leg room is not tight, proper meal and alcoholic drinks is served and meet expectation.

MH tend to over promise and under deliver, hence, often don't meet pax expectation.

3 minutes ago, JuliusWong said:

I think you fail to realise that all these major international premium airlines SQ, CX, EK, QR, EY are sitting in major hubs which a tons of transit flow and flying a lot of long haul flights which MH does not have and will not have. Go big, fight with them, burn more money, bail out with taxpayers' money, is it what you want?

Some members really ought to wake up from their slumber sleep.

MH did but didn't understand what pax need. Hence, like most glc failed miserably.

[Izanee 0]

MH was bigger than SQ in the 90s. MH was a major player on the kangaroo route. Again, we were not so limited in terms of population like SG (and also in terms of yield etc etc), but SQ were smart and used Malaysia and Indonesia as its hinterland. That made it have a huge ‘domestic’ market. 
 

MH decided to scrap most of its European flights after the twin disasters but if they had planned properly, they could have ordered a few Dreamliners to fly those long and thin routes. That would have allowed them to get some feed from Europe into Australia.

alas, their twin tragedies really knocked them back, and dented their reputation significantly (which is only just now recovering)… 

imagine, MH was the first to fly non stop Dubai to NYC (but were screwed by UAE limitations on their services- they were capturing a lot of India-US pax). Now AI is way bigger and offering KUL passengers services via DEL to Canada, US, UK etc etc!

MH was one of the few Asian airlines into South America, and also Central America. Again, their CPT-EZE and LAX-MEX were limited by SA and USA governments to protect their own airlines. That effectively tied one hand behind their back. 
 

we could have been big but we were screwed by being a GLC (cash cow for government officials as well as poor forward planning and vision) as well as some protectionism by certain governments 

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

8 hours ago, Izanee said:

MH was bigger than SQ in the 90s. MH was a major player on the kangaroo route. Again, we were not so limited in terms of population like SG (and also in terms of yield etc etc), but SQ were smart and used Malaysia and Indonesia as its hinterland. That made it have a huge ‘domestic’ market. 
 

MH decided to scrap most of its European flights after the twin disasters but if they had planned properly, they could have ordered a few Dreamliners to fly those long and thin routes. That would have allowed them to get some feed from Europe into Australia.

alas, their twin tragedies really knocked them back, and dented their reputation significantly (which is only just now recovering)… 

imagine, MH was the first to fly non stop Dubai to NYC (but were screwed by UAE limitations on their services- they were capturing a lot of India-US pax). Now AI is way bigger and offering KUL passengers services via DEL to Canada, US, UK etc etc!

MH was one of the few Asian airlines into South America, and also Central America. Again, their CPT-EZE and LAX-MEX were limited by SA and USA governments to protect their own airlines. That effectively tied one hand behind their back. 
 

we could have been big but we were screwed by being a GLC (cash cow for government officials as well as poor forward planning and vision) as well as some protectionism by certain governments 

At least for those I know, in the 90s I remember MH was always the first choice when flying from KUL to many popular places that MH offered direct flights. Many were willing to pay higher ticket prices for the branding, product and service which was always associated with a premium airline (at least in Y class). SQ on another hand was seen as a cheaper and yet less preferred option. How thing has changed !

Another thing is I believe MH underestimated the impacts from ME airlines to its Kangaroo Route. I think A380 was ordered at the back of their mind that the kangaroo routes could sustain those A380s. By the time they received A380, they already have lost the market share on Kangaroo routes substantially.

[Pall 0]

11 hours ago, Kee Hooi Yen said:

Another thing is I believe MH underestimated the impacts from ME airlines to its Kangaroo Route. I think A380 was ordered at the back of their mind that the kangaroo routes could sustain those A380s. By the time they received A380, they already have lost the market share on Kangaroo routes substantially.

They are also not paying much attention to the rise of Indian carriers, with Indigo, Vistara and Air India now flying direct to key south east asian routes. Its only a matter of time before they realize why yields/loads are deteriorating on their south asia network. By then its too late. Good luck MH.

Not to mention they are now adding routes and frequencies on the kangaroo route. 

Edited July 7 by Pall

[flee 5]

26 minutes ago, Pall said:

They are also not paying much attention to the rise of Indian carriers, with Indigo, Vistara and Air India now flying direct to key south east asian routes. Its only a matter of time before they realize why yields/loads are deteriorating on their south asia network. By then its too late. Good luck MH.

Not to mention they are now adding routes and frequencies on the kangaroo route. 

Yes, this lack of strategic awareness has been the hallmark of GLCs as they know the govt. will bail them out when they have a disaster. The kangaroo route now belongs to the ME airlines and even BA and QF have somewhat surrendered. That is why QF needed Project Sunrise to create a USP for their routes. They are also lobbying the Aussie govt. hard to block QR;s expansion into the market. MH is still oblivious and living in their own dreamland.

[KK Lee 5]

31 minutes ago, Pall said:

They are also not paying much attention to the rise of Indian carriers, with Indigo, Vistara and Air India now flying direct to key south east asian routes. Its only a matter of time before they realize why yields/loads are deteriorating on their south asia network. By then its too late. Good luck MH.

Not to mention they are now adding routes and frequencies on the kangaroo route. 

 

1 minute ago, flee said:

Yes, this lack of strategic awareness has been the hallmark of GLCs as they know the govt. will bail them out when they have a disaster. The kangaroo route now belongs to the ME airlines and even BA and QF have somewhat surrendered. That is why QF needed Project Sunrise to create a USP for their routes. They are also lobbying the Aussie govt. hard to block QR;s expansion into the market. MH is still oblivious and living in their own dreamland.

Most of those appointed to mas senior management and BOD have little exposure outside GLC or gomen service and aviation business outside the country, couldn't comprehend what customers need, competitors offering, market development and trend. MYS domestic routes is limited and saturated, MAG is unlikely to sustain on domestic routes alone in the long term; international routes is the only growth opportunity. Where and how mas could growth is another long article.

 

[Sandeep G 1]

Food for thought... 

Link: https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/will-john-mullen-s-emotional-intelligence-work-at-qantas-20240627-p5jp9p

Will John Mullen’s emotional intelligence work at Qantas?

The business veteran’s decency, toughness and persistence could make him one of the airline’s great chairmen.

[Australian Financial Review, June 27, 2025 - 5:53pm]

"Leadership lessons", by Aaron Patrick, Senior Correspondent

 

Every board-level job John Mullen has held over the past two decades suggests that he will – if the gods don’t turn against him – be one of history’s great Qantas Airways chairmen.

The 68-year-old Sydneysider and transport industry veteran recently joined the board, and will become chairman in coming months.

 

John Mullen at the Chanticleer 50th anniversary lunch in Sydney on June 13. Oscar Colman

Mullen’s top priority will be guiding his little-tested chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, through the challenge of restoring the reputation of a once-admired business that became a synonym for hubris.

Throughout his career, Mullen has shown an unusual degree of integrity, courage and foresight. Being decent and intelligent doesn’t automatically make a good leader. But Mullen is tough and persistent too.

To understand Mullen’s style, it is worth comparing him to his predecessors at Qantas and Telstra, where he was a director for 16 years.

At the phone carrier, the chairman from 2009 to 2016, Catherine Livingstone, maintained the traditional separation within the organisation. She communicated through the CEO, and didn’t encourage staff to go around him, according to a person who knows her.

Mullen was more pragmatic. A naturally friendly person, Mullen made himself available to Telstra managers without undermining the authority of Andy Penn, the chief executive from 2015 to 2022.

 

Outgoing Qantas chairman Richard Goyder. AFL Photos

At Qantas, a similar dynamic may play out. Chairman Richard Goyder, 64, was the stoic defender of previous chief executive Alan Joyce, who took the airline to financial greatness – and enriched himself – at the expense of its reputation.

Mullen is more likely to question his CEO, say those who know him.

“Some criticised Goyder for being totally behind Alan and perhaps not challenging him,” says a banker who follows the company. “I think John will be much more engaged and receptive and testing and challenging.”

Fund manager Mark Landau, who controls about 5 per cent of Qantas through L1 Capital, echos what many have said about Mullen: he’s approachable and combines a corporate governance focus “with a clear focus on shareholder and stakeholder interests”.

"Flying low"

The biggest perceived problem at Qantas is the same one Mullen saw at Telstra: angry and resentful customers.

Telstra’s reputation was so bad that, in 2007, technology consultant Mark Pesce wrote a column headlined “Why we all hate Telstra”. The problems persisted for years. Finally, at his last annual meeting, in October, Mullen claimed a partial victory.

Complaints are down 70 per cent, he said, but not as much as he would like.

Qantas’ poor reputation was reinforced this week when it fell seven slots to 24th in a ranking of global airlines. Its planes are old, frequent flyer seats sparse, and tickets expensive.

Part of the solution is Project Sunrise, the acquisition of 12 Airbus A350-1000s which will fly direct to London and New York. The plan was proposed in 2017. Delivery was recently pushed back to 2026 because a regulator asked for a redesign.

Mullen has experience of big, complex acquisitions. He knows why they fail. As executive chairman at Toll from 2017 to 2022, he watched as a company-wide financial reporting system simultaneously grew out of control and was fought by fiefdoms. Eventually Toll’s owner, Japan Post, gave up and broke up the company.

"Culture club"

Corporate culture is hard to define, difficult to quantify and challenging to change. Whether or not you believe it improves financial returns, Mullen has shown it is important to him.

When he ran freight group Asciano from 2011 to 2016, hiring and promoting women in the male-dominated industry was a priority. It was hard. Employment on the wharves was often passed from father to son. Many male staff didn’t believe women were suitable for the work, including operating cranes.

Mullen fired the most egregious opponents. A passive resistance persisted, and he overwhelmed it by docking the pay of mid-ranking men. “You have got to be absolutely relentless,” he said once. “When people say ‘we can’t do it because of this’, you have to sit down and work out how do we fix that.”

 

In five years he doubled the number of Asciano’s women employees.

Qantas was once a blokey business too, before Joyce arrived. While it is unclear if the airline requires a shift from the Joyce era, breaking up cultures that favour certain groups, based on gender or other characteristics, must be good for any business.

While Mullen promotes egalitarianism, he believes in paying good CEOs well too. Corporate leaders shouldn’t be punished when circumstances outside their control hit their companies, he has said. Even though shareholders will demand executive pay cuts when their share prices fall, Mullen believes this will be self-defeating.

Great managers will quit and switch to private businesses, which Mullen sees becoming much tougher competitors – and attractive employers – because of their focus on long-term returns.

Boards, he believes, have a responsibility to resist short-term pressures. With many fund managers reporting their returns on a monthly basis, CEOs sometimes focus more on their quarterly performances than well into the future.

Mullen’s reputation is for making long-term decisions even if they can cause short-term pain.

 

There is, of course, no guarantee that even if Mullen operates at his word, he can deliver a large, long-term increase in Qantas shares, which are barely up over the past five years. The future is unpredictable, and airlines have a remarkable talent for losing money.

In the meantime, if you’re unhappy with Qantas, let the new chairman know. His LinkedIn profile, as of Thursday afternoon, was open to messages from anyone.

[JuliusWong 0]

Source: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11388650

Bigger Malaysia flag with "MALAYSIA" wording underneath it near L1 and R1.

The yellow widget on "malaysiairlines" wording is no more. (or too small to be seen)

[Robert 0]

1 hour ago, JuliusWong said:

Source: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11388650

Bigger Malaysia flag with "MALAYSIA" wording underneath it near L1 and R1.

The yellow widget on "malaysiairlines" wording is no more. (or too small to be seen)

 

[Robert 0]

I like it but this will mean more livery mismatches with existing fleet.
The MALAYSIA under the flag is a CAAM requirement. 

[JuliusWong 0]

20 minutes ago, Robert said:

I like it but this will mean more livery mismatches with existing fleet.
The MALAYSIA under the flag is a CAAM requirement. 

The issue is the MALAYSIA under the flag does not appear in any of the newly delivered B737MAX. LOL....and MH has gone through repainting almost the whole fleet with the "Negaraku" livery. Only a few airframes have left to be repaint. *Smack head*

[Robert 0]

17 minutes ago, JuliusWong said:

The issue is the MALAYSIA under the flag does not appear in any of the newly delivered B737MAX. LOL....and MH has gone through repainting almost the whole fleet with the "Negaraku" livery. Only a few airframes have left to be repaint. *Smack head*

agree with you

The CAAM doc isn't new and it's covered in chapter 11. Im guessing somebody missed it
https://www.caam.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CAD-7-Aircraft-Nationality-and-Registration-Marks-ISS02_REV00.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawD5pRBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSVU0B2NHRLrdKZIGEcb6fH87gYUsi9-jr6vHDDJkmXKNPIITii-9oTeWw_aem__VVFSarPIBqP7C5ZSKOEhQ

Thx to somebody on TMAF for sharing it
 

[JuliusWong 0]

3 minutes ago, Robert said:

agree with you

The CAAM doc isn't new and it's covered in chapter 11. Im guessing somebody missed it
https://www.caam.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CAD-7-Aircraft-Nationality-and-Registration-Marks-ISS02_REV00.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawD5pRBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSVU0B2NHRLrdKZIGEcb6fH87gYUsi9-jr6vHDDJkmXKNPIITii-9oTeWw_aem__VVFSarPIBqP7C5ZSKOEhQ

Thx to somebody on TMAF for sharing it
 

Thank you for sharing. Oh dear, it was issued in November 2022.

[Robert 0]

8 minutes ago, JuliusWong said:

Thank you for sharing. Oh dear, it was issued in November 2022.

exactly.. would love to hear the reason for ignoring it

 

[JuliusWong 0]

7 minutes ago, Robert said:

exactly.. would love to hear the reason for ignoring it

 

LOL.........what an embarrassment. Just checked AirAsia and Batik Air, both of them have the flag and wording just below/ beside the cockpit. Guess, MAG needs to print a lot of stickers!

Wait, there is a surprise....Firefly has both near L1 and R1 door on their ATR 72 and B737 fleet, but not the mainline MH. Hahaha!

Edited July 9 by JuliusWong

[Robert 0]

4 minutes ago, JuliusWong said:

LOL.........what an embarrassment. Just checked AirAsia and Batik Air, both of them have the flag and wording just below the cockpit. Guess, MAG needs to print a lot of stickers! Wait, there is a surprise....Firefly has both near L1 and R1 door on their ATR 72 and B737 fleet., but not the mainline MH. Hahaha!

Check the photo here. Even MAS Wings have them haha
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7HkpoKzFiYMZC4yC/