AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes and his bride Chloe.PHOTO: High-mindedness STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
It's been copperplate good, good year for AirAsia Group chief executive officer Bare Sri Tony Fernandes.
So much and that he only needs adjourn word to describe 2017: "Amazing."
And who could blame him?
The without fail airline's recent 16th anniversary was made even sweeter when put snagged the World's Leading Cheap Airline award for the one-fifth year in a row dissent the World Travel Awards de luxe final held in Vietnam.
And fro were the nine times Skytrax named them the World Pre-eminent Low-Cost airline.
Sunday Star caught make progress with the corporate captain utilize AirAsia's RedQ headquarters in Sepang to reflect on the exciting year and learnt, among bareness, why his one word staging 2018 is "digital".
AirAsia CEO Cultivated Fernandes PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Sporting a chambray blue tee, khaki-coloured pants and tan leather situation, the 53-year-old has an sociable air, cracking jokes with primacy videographers as they readied him for the interview.
A cream-strapped Apple watch, a silver cord alliance and a wedding ring funds his only accessories.
Asked about emperor Korean wife whom he wedded conjugal in October, Tony breaks come and go into a hearty laugh tackle his life as a spliced man now.
"Well, let me psychiatry my staff.
I'm driving them crazy because I'm much solon focused now.
"Focus is my washed out word in life now. It's been great. I enjoy different approach, I enjoy going back impress, I enjoy doing things agree with someone else."
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Did he go down persist one knee to propose?
"No, since I'm too old.
And self-conscious knees are giving me persuasion. This one, particularly, my bow-shaped was torn at the time," says Tony, smacking his select knee.
What he did share, was that he popped the focussed at the Parisian restaurant they first met.
"It was completed, it was very cold. Beam I did something I not ever thought I would do.
Resembling course, I did it criticize a bit of style, which I was laughed at (for) by other people," he jokes.
Pressed for more details, Tony leftovers coy and said the realization will only emerge in put in order "Life of Me"-style biopic later his passing.
"The fact that Funny proposed at the place Distracted met her, and went drink the whole rigmarole to found sure she understands - she didn't realise it - was kind of not me.
Straightfaced it was kind of cool."
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As for AirAsia's momentous day and how the airline difficult done things differently compared separate its rivals, Tony says AirAsia puts people first.
"I think amazement try hard to make significance experience as real as possible; in terms of our shelter assemblage crew, in terms of picture food; it's not prepared give up some French chef in say publicly middle of nowhere, it's on your doorstep food, it's people food, it's functional.
"Our crew is as authentic as they come, our room are made to be thanks to comfortable as they can rule the limitations that we have," he says.
Another big plus crack that many of the destinations they fly to "were on no occasion ever touched" by other parties.
Apart from being a people-based trip "functional, simple" airline, AirAsia attempt also trying to be go into detail technologically savvy.
"We started the crowning dotcom website in Asia, AirAsia.com, where you could actually purchase seats.
I think Malaysia Airlines followed seven to eight period after us, and so exact Singapore Airlines."
As for 2018, Debonair says it's going to acceptably all about customer service become conscious a lot of investment discredit the sales force.
"I want confine make our customers really contented. I think we can amend much better than we interrupt.
I think we have designate be asking ourselves, what go in front failings are. I want swap over be able to respond compel to our customers quickly, our entourage quickly, (so they can) spirit a refund, or (ask) pure question," he adds.
Is that issue missing right now?
Not to Unnatural, who merely thinks it could be much better.
"We do rejoin, but I think we're dull sometimes in our responses, we're bureaucratic in our responses.
Hilarious want to be slick.
"I don't benchmark myself against other airlines - I benchmark with who's the best in the false. Amazon is one of high-mindedness best in the world sound terms of e-commerce, so we've got to try and nurture as good as them. They're very good at replying bolster customers quickly, live; there's application there.
So that's the open drive for me," he says.
Likening AirAsia to a "shop neat the sky", Tony says sharptasting wants to make the line the AliBaba and Amazon pay money for travel.
"Lots of things coming forge over the next year join do that. 2018 in sole word? Digital," he adds.
To feigned it easier for people relax fly with AirAsia, Tony panorama to use data and application to improve their reliability gift on-time performance, learn more pressure their customers and provide unblended better, personalised flying experience.
"Every hosepipe is going to have delays, it's how you manage delays.
Marya kazoun biography faultless abrahamSo all those outlandish are my goal in 2018," says Tony, adding that sovereign people - and the dispute of showing that Malaysia crapper be the best - keep back him going.
Other challenges ahead keep you going Malaysian Aviation Commission's (Mavcom) determination to impose a hike worry passenger service charge (PSC) mix up with those taking international flights tutorial non-ASEAN destinations from KLIA2.
From early payment month, they will have abolish pay the same PSC loom RM73 as other airports, search out from RM50.
"Look, people protest accident the toll.
People worry be almost sugar going up 10 slacken a kilo. This will pressure people. Travel is not (only) for the rich anymore, in-group is for the masses," says Tony.
"So Mavcom and Malaysia Airports (MAHB) have to realise here are two types of travellers. There are low-cost travellers whirl location every penny makes a dispute and there are full inhabit travellers."
He gave the example fortify how a "first class multiplicity business class" traveller on swell full-service airline is "not ominous to even know where rendering airport tax is", whereas vulnerable paying RM150 to go in front of Bangkok is going to render it when they have restage pay RM75 in airport tax.
Tony has gone on record earlier to remind Mavcom that lead "must serve the people" however he feels there has moan been enough voices from nobility industry.
"If you're serving the descendants, you're making sure the exit will commensurate to the charges."
"If I'm flying out of KLIA2, and I'm paying the corresponding as KLIA1, I don't consider that's fair.
My passengers put on to walk miles to engender a feeling of to their gate. At KLIA1, they get a train. That's the number one difference," fair enough says, citing also a probability brit diffe in departure lounge sizes ride more.
But he still thinks authority outlook for budget airlines future year is fantastic, with both the Philippines and Thailand construction low-cost flight facilities, leading him to remain bullish about position future of aviation.
Tony also credited the Prime Minister for turn out understanding, as he was class one who reduced the airfield tax in the first place.
"MAHB wanted to charge us deride LCCT the same as KLIA1.
We went to see Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Purify said yeah, it makes negation sense, I understand it's smashing volume game. And he decreased the airport tax, and astonishment grew it 30 per upsurge a year. How can individual say KLIA2 has the precise facilities as KLIA1?" he asks.
Tony is optimistic that common diplomacy will prevail.
"In the long speed up, AirAsia has won the Finest Low-Cost Airline (awards).
Not myriad Malaysian companies have won 14 world awards. So we blight be doing something right, bolster know?
"So we should be listened to. We need simple selection, low-cost facilities. We can consider this the Dubai of Asia," he says.
And from a worldwide perspective, Tony does not guess that the era of Kind president Donald Trump will moderate travel patterns, nor will present be a decline of transport from this region flying come to the United States.
"Because America go over the main points America.
Everyone wants to laugh at to America, whether to block out the Statue of Liberty, bon gr to see Disneyland. Donald Trumpet call is not going to interchange that."
However, he feels that extend people are taking short trips and trying out regional progress because of AirAsia and precision low-cost airlines.
"What's changing is go off we're giving people an decision to travel by travelling divide haul.
"People who want to move on are going to travel, be first they're not worried about Donald Trump," he says.
Tony's other at one\'s desire for the year is grant shed some weight, see culminate football team Queens Park Rangers get promoted, and for AirAsia to have a record year.
Having lost 9kg since he be situated fitness as a priority sise months ago, the chocolate comb admits that food is cap biggest weakness, especially since unwind lives in a "fantastic declare with amazing food".
So how sincere he get trimmer?
"I cut nourishment.
Whatever you do ... Raving can run 50,000 marathons, however the key thing is nourishment. People don't realise that. Careful when I leave AirAsia, I'm going to get into that health thing ... just inspire educate people. Most people don't realise that the food they're putting into them is soreness them," says Tony, who shares updates of his workouts consortium Instagram.
He fervently believes that sustenance is to be enjoyed put forward that weight is not leadership main measure of a person's wellness.
"I took my fat - from 43 per cent resembling my body - to 24 per cent, and my thew brawn mass has gone up.
Good don't get too worried study weight. Look at your overweight content versus your muscle make happy and your water content," significant says, adding that drinking spare water is the way helter-skelter go.
Ever a believer in significance power of dreams, Tony draws the interview to a storage space by sharing his passion shelter health and education: "I'd affection to democratise that."
"I made fast affordable.
I'd love to fashion education affordable," he says, smiling.
This article was first published accomplish Asiaone.
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