Call this the “airport war”, the “name war” or the “abbreviation war”.
AirAsia chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes is waging a campaign for klia2 to be renamed as LCCT2. But Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which manages the terminal, is sticking to its original name.
This is not just hot air as contentious rhetoric flew from both camps over the stormy issue.
The only thing agreeable here is the numeral ‘2’ that is appended to both the acronyms.
Acrimonious, indeed, is the relationship between Tony and MAHB, though nobody is calling each other names.
But AirAsia really means business.
The budget carrier has announced it will rename klia2 as LCCT2 in its flight tickets, boarding passes, website and taxi services.
Though conceding on Tuesday that AirAsia has “no right” to change the airport terminal’s name, Tony said the low-cost airline would continue to do so in its promotional materials.
He has pointed out that the rebranding of the terminal will help strengthen Kuala Lumpur’s position as the leading low-cost gateway to Asia and beyond, and thus boosting the economy.
But MAHB does not share a common ground with Tony. It insists that klia2 is not a low-cost carrier terminal, but part of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport hub.
MAHB feels it shouldn’t be called LCCT as this would make the RM4 billion terminal look “so low” when the name klia2 itself is a reflection of the branding and commitment of the country.
And since klia2 is the registered name of the terminal under the International Air Transport Association, calling it by any other name could confuse the public.
Anyway, let me fly into the middle of this “airport war”, armed with my two cents and invaluable words from William Shakespeare.
So, what is in a name? In the Shakespearean sense, a name by any other name, is just a name.
Juliet tells Romeo: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
By this, Juliet means that it does not matter that Romeo is from the house of Montague (the enemy of her family).
Hence, it does not matter to Malaysians whether it is klia2 or LCCT2 because in their hearts, the planes of AirAsia will fly just as high, as at “low cost”, in taking them from point A to point B.
Malaysians, by the way, love palatable words like “low cost” or “cheap”, which is why the shopping centres in this country have cheap sales the whole year round.
So, in this area, Tony needn’t have to worry. He has endeared himself to ordinary Malaysians by making it possible for them to fly — overseas for a holiday.
As the story goes, it has been a love-hate relationship between Tony and MAHB after the AirAsia boss was asked to leave his beloved LCCT in Sepang two years ago and relocate his company to klia2.
Though klia2 is trumpeted as a tony airport that gives passengers a new shopping, dining and services experience, it hasn’t been able to take off in Tony’s heart.
For Tony, moving in with MAHB into klia2 is like an arranged marriage that didn’t work out. There were issues with the housekeeping as he questioned the way the airport was designed and its structural defects.
So much so, the “new lady”, klia2, which is supposed to be more exciting and sexy than the tired old LCCT, fails to appeal to Tony.
“The terminal is boring… There is no energy, no excitement, there is nothing … During peak period, it is a nightmare because of the way the airport is designed,” he griped recently.
So far, the two sides are not ready to have fun together. And it gets pretty petty.
Tony said AirAsia chief executive officer Aireen Omar was not invited by KLIA for its 18th birthday party earlier this week. Tony tweeted: “@aireenomar discovered she was only airline not invited to KLIA 18 year birthday. Maybe because she is in LCCT Haha.”
But this doesn’t mean that Tony wants to fly solo. He has indicated that he and MAHB can channel their resources and energy to a super synergy that benefits Malaysians.
In klia2, MAHB has the world’s largest purpose-built low-cost carrier terminal.
Together, the two sides can turn the place in Sepang into the world’s busiest low-cost carrier terminal.
Meanwhile, you might need to tell the taxi driver taking you to the airport that klia2 or LCCT2 is the same. Tell him that Shakespeare said, so if he wants to argue with you.
NST deputy sports editor Chan Wai Kong sees life differently after waking up from a coma following a car accident in Vancouver