Early birds get the tickets
‘Balik kampung’ travellers secured seats since January
PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians made arrangements to “balik kampung” for Hari Raya early in the year and have already booked their tickets for travel from April 6-9.
Senior executive Sakeena Bakri, 32, said she booked her train ticket back to her hometown of Taiping in January.
“I decided to do it early this year because train tickets usually sell out very fast. Besides, I get to choose a preferred seat,” she said.
Sakeena said she prefers to travel by train rather than drive back because this way, she can avoid the traffic jam.
“I think more trains can be provided to accommodate those who want to go home for Hari Raya.
“This mode of transport (train) is also on time and less of a hassle,” she added.
Checks by The Star yesterday on the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) website showed that train tickets to Ipoh and Padang Besar between April 6 and April 9 were sold out.
However, towards Butterworth, there are still tickets available for travel on April 7.
KTMB will increase the frequency of its Electric Train Service (ETS) and the number of tickets to the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia from April 4-15.
Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali said tickets for most bus routes for the festive season are sold out too.
“Tickets have been open for booking since early this month.
“There are more buses on the road for Hari Raya but still, this is not enough to meet the demand due to a shortage of drivers,” he said.
Popular destinations are in the east coast, followed by southern states.
Business intelligence executive Imran Azmi, 24, said he wanted to take the bus back home to Kota Tinggi, but tickets were sold out.
“I checked last week and saw there were no more tickets available. Last year, I could still buy tickets three days before Hari Raya,” he said.
Imran said he will now car pool with his friends instead.
Teacher Nurul Amira Adriana Mohd Hisham, 23, said she was lucky to get bus tickets from Gerik, Perak, to Kuala Lumpur, to meet her family for the festive break.
“This will be my first time taking a bus in the peninsula as I’ve always been in Sabah,” she said, adding that the ticket price is reasonable.
Malaysia Aviation Group, meanwhile, said there is high demand for flights to all domestic destinations.
“Malaysia Airlines flights to Sabah and Sarawak are full from April 6-9, though there are still seats available to Labuan, Bintulu and Sibu.
“For Firefly, flights to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching still have limited seats available.
“Peninsular Malaysia flights also have limited seats left,” it said in a statement.
Malaysia Airlines has added 190 flights for the Hari Raya period from April 1-18, and increased flight frequencies from April 6-14.
“We have upgraded 26 Malaysia Airlines flights to widebody aircraft with 13 flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to meet the demand during the Hari Raya period,” the company said.