MAS cancellation of KL-Darwin route catches Aussies by surprise

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has cancelled its direct flights to and from Darwin, catching travellers and the Northern Territory (NT) government off guard.
NT News reported that Darwin travel agents were still taking bookings for the Darwin to Kuala Lumpur service.
Agents said they had been told on Monday morning that MAS would make an announcement about the Darwin to Kuala Lumpur service within 24 hours.
Travellers, who have paid for flights from Darwin, have been told that their flights are now departing from Singapore.
NT Tourism Minister Lauren Moss said while it had not been formally announced, it was understood Malaysia Airlines would end its Kuala Lumpur to Darwin service on July 28.
"This news is extremely disappointing but one that has ultimately been made for commercial reasons," Moss was quoted by NT News as saying.
"The Territory Government has worked with NT Airports and Tourism Australia to support this service, including offering cooperative marketing opportunities and meeting with airline representatives in Kuala Lumpur as recently as this month.
"We understand services from a number of locations are being pulled, not just the Territory. We will continue to explore opportunities with Malaysia Airlines into the future, including possible seasonal flights."
Meanwhile, MAS said the move was part of its network rationalisation exercise.
"This is part of a regular and ongoing network review process which is in line with the airline's strategy to focus on sustainable routes and on operating as efficiently as possible to enable it to return to profitability and deliver greater value to customers. Malaysia Airlines sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused to customers," it was quoted by a news portal as saying.