AirAsia chief on 'revealing' crew uniform: 'Crew designed outfit'

AIRASIA Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes has responded to criticism that the uniform of its female cabin crew is too revealing. "If you really want us to go global, and every politician says so, then support us and look beyond our shores and our cultural sensitivities," he said yesterday.

Mr Fernandes said that crew members themselves designed the outfit, and that it was chosen because of its "universal features", reported liberal news portal Malaysiakini.

"Being a big brand attracts detractors, not everyone will love us," he said during the Global Malaysia Series forum in Kuala Lumpur. Critics of the uniform come from both sides of the political divide.

One of them is Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who, in a written parliamentary reply, said that airlines can choose their own designs, but that the government would ask AirAsia to reassess its uniform.

Sell?

Meanwhile, during the same forum, the former boss of Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Idris Jala said the government should consider selling the national carrier, but not at a loss.

The minister in the Prime Minister's Department said MAS was trading at RM6 (S$2.30) when he was in charge, but the share price of the company has dropped to 30 sen now, Malaysian Insider reported.

The government's state asset manager Khazanah Nasional is the majority owner of the airline, which has posted losses for its last six quarters, the report added.

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