Malindo Air takes flight

Malindo Air took to the sky for the first time with its inaugural flight to Kota Kinabalu last Friday from the main terminal building (MTB) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).Malindo Air, which identifies itself as a 'hybrid airline' in that it provides customers with full-service airline offerings at low-cost prices, is said to heat up competition with Air Asia. Its current promotion to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu promo fares start from RM38 and RM68, respectively."Our marketing campaign will highlight [the fact that we offer] economy class services at a value-for-money prices. Our fares are competitive, we depart from MTB KLIA and we provide aerobridge for passengers' convenience and security," Ramani Balan, marketing manager, Malindo Air, told A+M.With Malindo Air's plan to convert Kota Kinabalu into a second hub, travellers from Indonesia, Korea, Japan and China will be able to fly direct to Kota Kinabalu, helping the state to boost tourism, improve the economy in the state and provide more job opportunities, said Malindo Air CEO Chandran Rama Muthy.Its sister company Lion Air in Indonesia has carried 30 million passengers last year and Malindo Air expects to channel between 5% and 10% of the traffic to its destinations in Malaysia and regional Asia.Malindo Air is currently looking at Delhi, India as its first international route this June.The marketing campaign is publicised via print ads, magazines, out-of-home ads, social media and blogger initiative. The next phase of the campaign will focus on radio and television ads.The creative, PR and media are managed in house at the moment.