Bali, here I come…

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

And so the rat race has begun.

Not just any old rat but the earth rat – and according to “feng shui” experts casting their predictions about this Lunar New Year, the “earth” element will come into major conflict with “water” and wreak havoc across the globe.

Soothsayers say to expect political and social turmoil and more natural disasters.

I think they might as well say this every year at the rate that humankind is going.

In China, the big freeze threatened to put a dampener on the holiday plans of millions of Chinese trying to make it home for the lunar new year.

Between where I live and where I call home, there was the perennial crush and rush of people scurrying to get back to their families.

With only two main airlines operating the Singapore-Penang route, travellers are truly at the mercy of the carriers and we are actually grateful to pay exorbitant prices just to get a seat.

I can’t wait for the day when there’s true open skies in ASEAN and low cost carriers open up corridors hitherto unthinkable.

Imagine a day when folks can fly directly between Surabaya and Kuantan or Phuket and Kota Bahru.

Imagine what it would do to the ASEAN economy – the opportunities it would open up to small businesses and the tourism possibilities.

I was having these thoughts at the AirAsia party held at the Ministry of Sound to celebrate its entry into the hallowed grounds of Singapore at the beginning of the month.

As I watched Tony Fernandes walking around like a proud daddy and the entire AirAsia team jubilant, it really dawned on me just how much low cost airlines have done to transform the aviation landscape in ASEAN, and will continue to do so.

Yes, we have read about it and some of us have even written about it. But I don’t think most of us have grasped the magnitude of what could truly happen in a true open skies environment.

It could change the way we live, work and play in ASEAN. It could create a truly mobile workforce. Why, I could live in Bali and work in Singapore, for example. Or I could commute between Samui and Singapore.

I am told there are about 300 Airbuses on order from low cost airlines combined in ASEAN – these will arrive over the next couple of years. Think of the new markets that will open up as a consequence.

Meanwhile, back on earth, there is concern that there are too many holidays in Malaysia – according to reports, Malaysia has 16 national holidays compared with 11 in Singapore and 10 in the US and Britain.

Cambodia has the region’s highest number of holidays at 26 while Indonesia has cut three of its 23 holidays this year.

Apparently, the holiday-making is costing the Malaysian economy and in February last year exports shrank 14.41 percent to RM 41.1 billion (US$4.24 billion) compared with the previous month due to “shorter working days and festivities”, according to government data.

I don’t know about you but I reckon if the rat race is going to get even more vicious this year, what with the US economy slowing down and all that, we are going to need more holiday time.

Otherwise, who’s going to fill up all those seats on all those low cost carriers that are going to be flying in ASEAN skies soon?

Now excuse me while I start hunting for my second home by the sea.

Catch up with Yeoh Siew Hoon every week at www.thetransitcafe.com