It has been a few weeks since I last wrote about my favorite airlines, Firefly~!

This episode is just a quick update to share the exciting event coming to town this week. None other than the highly anticipated MATTA Fair! You must been living under a rock if you have not heard about MATTA Fair.

In a nutshell, it is the most awaited and anticipated travel fair of the year. This year the fair returns with loads of offers from hundred of exhibitors including Firefly Airlines. MATTA FAIR 2010 is being held at Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) Kuala Lumpur from 12th-14th of March 2010.

I was at MATTA Fair on Friday afternoon to check out some great deals for my mid-year holiday. As always, the exhibition halls were full with 2 things.

People.

And Great Deals.

If you are going to MATTA Fair, don’t forget to drop by at Firefly’s booth at PWTC’s Hall 3 (all domestic and ASEAN’s destinations packages), and Hall 2 (all international packages) as they have plenty of great offers in line with the fair.

(Models not included) – Photo from Firefly/James.

As 2010 is a world cup year and football fever is in the air (Go Brazil!), Firefly is adopting a fresh football theme in its MATTA Fair promo. Score as a winner with Firefly’s Penalty Kick teaser and One Touch Wheel of Fortune.

There are plenty of great Firefly Holiday deals being offered over the 3 days. Last December I made trip to Langkawi on Firefly Holidays and it’s definitely worth it! On top of these affordable Firefly Holiday packages, you can actually win cool prizes!

Someone was lucky enough to win a pair of new boots!

As a spin-off to the huge success of last year’s introduction of the simulator, Firefly will once again give the public a great opportunity to test their piloting skills. For this contest, the top 3 best piloting and landing participants will get a chance to win Malaysia Airlines’ tickets to Brisbane or Firefly tickets to any of our destinations.

Click here to check out how well I did on this simulator in last year’s MATTA Fair.

Firefly has also introduced “Oh Snap!” where you can have your photos taken with the simulator and the crew for a minimal fee. Something interesting for a camera-shy guy like me hehe

If taking photo with pilots and stewardesses is not your thing, there is always other ‘attractions’.

There is also exciting range of Firefly merchandise that you can purchase at the MATTA Fair. If you are a Firefly Facebook fan, print out the voucher and get 20% off for the merchandise. Personally I would recommend the ATR72-500 1:150 scale model and the brand new Firefly Jersey!

I would love to wear that cool jersey on my next FY Blog assignments

And to top it all, Firefly Mobile is also offering RM1 fare for all destinations which will be available on-site and must be purchased via Firefly’s newly introduced application- Firefly Mobile.

This is a very useful application as there are lots of travel agents during MATTA Fair that offer great ‘ground only holiday packages (exclude flight). It was so easy for me to go on my mobile to check Firefly flights availability and prices that can go along these ground only packages. Planning my own travel was never this easy!

If you are around Klang Valley, do drop by at PWTC for MATTA Fair. It’s worth the traffic jam, crazy car park hunting and crowd wrestling as the prices are definitely cheaper and it did opened my eyes to many great destinations I have never heard before.

Firefly came out tops again on the final day among the travel bargain hunters at the fair and drove home another good hit in its sale of holiday packages and best bargain deals.

“We have exceeded our target of RM1.5 million in sale at this MATTA Fair. Our sales at MATTA Fairs just keep on getting better and better, and this is definitely the most successful MATTA Fair that we have participated in. Therefore, in appreciation of our customers’ support, we will extend the same MATTA Fair package promotions on-line. An announcement date will be made on-line at www.fireflyholiday.com as soon as we finalize some minor details.,” declared Lau Yin May, head of Firefly Holiday.

Dato’ Eddy Leong, managing director of Firefly was all smiles after witnessing the finals of the ATR Firefly simulator challenge at Hall 1, PWTC.

Eddy proudly said, “Firefly has certainly won over a lot of fans, with repeated customers coming again from previous years’ MATTA Fairs. What amazes us most at this fair is a new trend where each family purchases multiple packages to different destinations.”

The grand final of the ATR Firefly Simulator challenge drew large crowd where aspiring ace pilots Ahmad Aiman Mohd Razali; Mohd Syahrizal Aman; and Dzulkarnaen Rahmat; Ong Wan Lok; Mohd Amin Ibrahim; and Mohd Imran were neck-to-neck in a hard-fought battle to be the grand champion.

“The heat is too great to handle and unbearable, and in the end some of them crumbled under pressure. But nonetheless it was a healthy competition and a closefight indeed,” said Angelina, head of Firefly’s marketing and communications.

Ahmad Aiman walked away with 2-return tickets to Brisbane as the prize for the grand champion; Ong Wan Lock won 4-Firefly tickets to any of Firefly’s destinations as the 1st runners-up prize; and Mohd Amin Ibrahim won 3-Firefly tickets to any of Firefly’s destinations as the 2nd runners-up prize.

The recently launched Firefly Mobile making its debut at this MATTA Fair and offering RM1 for all destinations as their special promotion has done exceptionally well, with sale of RM30,000, which exceeded Firefly’s expectation and proved that mobile phone booking is a future means of booking and purchasing flights.

The winners for our Mobile Booking Top Spender Contest are as follows: 1ST Day 12 March – Return Flight to Seoul for one person worth RM5,856.00
Name of Winner: Wee Geok Siang (I/C No: 480813115034)

2nd Day 13 March – Return Flight to Shanghai for one person worth RM6,007.00
Name of Winner: Chung Kei Wah ( I/C No: 650321086357)

3rd Day 14 March – Return Flight to Brisbane for one person worth RM10,151.00
Name of Winner: TEOH TEIK LIM (590802-08-5257) who amazingly made 42
mobile bookings at one time.

Mohd Razlan who spent a total of RM14,000 on Firefly Hoilday packages won a Maxis-Blackberry mobile phone and a Chronotech watch as grand prizes in the Penalty Kick game that he was entitled to participate in.

Almost all Firefly’s flights to all their domestic destinations were also snapped up, as customers were still seen at closing time jostling to be served at Firefly’s booth at Hall 3, PWTC making some last minute planning and purchases.

Firefly’s booth at MATTA 2010 has as usual been a hive of activities since the doors of KL MATTA Fair were opened for business since 12 March at 10am and was officially closed at 9.00pm on 14 March. The current promotional flights are for on site purchases only.

Firefly customers do not just enjoy great offers and excellent flight schedule, but a huge plus factor is the convenience of SkyPark Subang, a city airport where their check-in process is completely hassle-free. Of course, there are other added values such as their offers of 20kg of check-in baggage allowance at NO extra cost;
assigned seating; and complimentary in-flight refreshment with snacks.

Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, and purchases are made exclusively on-site.

Firefly staff screaming in joy at the closing of KL MATTA Fair 2010

“This is the fourth time we are participating in the MATTA Fair and the response today was absolutely fantastic where we recorded about 2,000 visitors to our booth, and this has given us so much confidence in the up-trend of the current travel industry, which has always been cyclical in business nature. Although it is just the second day of the fair, our flights and packages to Koh Samui are hot buying items, and for the months of April, May and June, Koh Samui’s flights and packages have been 80 per cent snapped up. On the local front our flights to Langkawi and Terengganu for the same period have been 70 per cent sold,” said Ms Angelina Fernandez, head of marketing and communications, Firefly.

The other domestic destinations fared equally well as the tickets were also moving pretty quickly. Customers were still thronging in to purchase flights to all destinations at almost closing time although some of the flights to certain destinations were no longer sold at the special MATTA Fair promotional rates.

The 2nd day One Touch Wheel of Fortune spin draw drew enthusiasm at Firefly’s booth in Hall 1. The first three winners on the second day were Suppiah Ramachandran who won a Kenko Fish Spa voucher; S. Pamela won an Adidas leather soccer ball; and Leong Sook Teng, won a Langham Place Samui hotel stay voucher.

There are still plenty of great prizes to be won as only a fraction of the more than RM500,000 worth of prizes have been given away. As school holiday will officially start next week, Firefly is expecting another huge turnout on the final day of the KL MATTA Fair on Sunday 14 March, and therefore, are advising customers to come in early to avoid disappointment.

Among the prizes yet to be won are Maxis-Blackberry mobile phones; certain Adidas sports items; hotel/ spa/ dinner vouchers; Malaysia Airlines tickets to Brisbane; plenty of Firefly’s tickets to any destination; and more.

Firefly Mobile is still offering RM1 for all destinations and this special promotion is
only made available on site at the KL MATTA Fair.

The long queue of more adults but lesser kids to participate in the Firefly ace simulator pilots challenge was a sight to behold at Hall 1 today. The fight to be the best top 3 of the day was so hot among the aspiring pilots wannabe that Firefly’s pilots and stewardesses were seen on their feet since Firefly opened its simulator
cockpit door to the public at 10am.

First Officer Harpal Singh keenly judging the Firefly simulator challenge with Flight Stewardess Najiah and the crowd watching anxiously

The finalists for the ATR Firefly Simulator ace pilots from Day 2 are Ong Wan Lok; Mohd Amin Ibrahim; and Abd Rois Bin Saad.

Each of the three winners received two Firefly tickets to any Firefly’s destinations, and they will be in the running for the final challenge on Day 3 on 14 March at 2.00pm applying their skills to contest wiith the winners from the first day – Ahmad Aiman Mohd Razali; Mohd Syahrizal Aman; and Dzulkarnaen Rahmat, and all of
whom have already won two return tickets each to any Firefly destinations.

At stake for the finalists would be a chance to win 2 return tickets to Brisbane as the prize for the grand champion; six Firefly tickets to any of our destinations as the 1st runners-up prize; and four Firefly tickets to any of our destinations as the 2nd runners-up prize.

“The heat is on, and the competition mood is certainly brewing, and it looks to me like it is going to be a very close flying challenge tomorrow,” declared Angelina, head of Firefly’s marketing and communications.

Firefly’s booth at MATTA 2010 has again been the busiest spot with non-stop activities since the doors were opened for business at 10am today. The current promotional flights are for on site purchases only.

Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, and purchases are made exclusively on-site.

“This is the fourth year running that Firefly is participating in the MATTA Fair. The response this year is extremely encouraging and with football as our theme in our participation at this year’s KL MATTA Fair 2010 because of the World Cup fever, we want to make everyone a winner. Prizes to be given away are worth more than RM500,000 and they include Malaysia Airlines tickets to Brisbane and tickets to any Firefly’s destination; Blackberry phones by Maxis; and more. Our customers will be spoilt for choice – we are offering them a chance to be a striker in their Penalty Kick teaser or try their luck at the One Touch Wheel of Fortune,” said Angelina Fernandez, Firefly’s head of marketing and communications.

With the World Cup fever already in the air, the packages are basically categorized as Striker for the best value for money package deals; Midfielder representing packages with complimentary value-adds such as spa sessions, dinners or transfers; and Defender representing free & easy packages. These packages are basically tailored to meet everybody’s budget,” added Angelina.

Firefly’s optimism for a better sale this time around is also due to Firefly Holiday’s offerings of international packages to more than 100 Malaysia Airlines destinations worldwide, which would help sway the customers’ option to purchase Firefly’s offerings.

We captured 400 percent increase in terms of sales and this is greatly contributed by Firefly Holiday’s offerings of Malaysia Airline’s packages.

Its only the first day of the fair and Firefly Mobile Booking at a throw-away rate of RM1 to any Firefly destination is quite a hit.

The top selling MAS packages were to Bali; Phuket and Bangkok, whereas domestically, demands for packages to Langkawi and Terengganu were noticeably very encouraging and it comes from Malaysians making advance planning for this year’s school holidays. Mr Kenny Tan Kian Boon who was entitled to participate in the One Touch game from his ticket purchases walked away with a RM800 worth of adidas F50i football boots.

The other domestic flights purchases to Kota Bahru and Alor Setar are more of our regular passengers and those planning for their festive holiday celebration. Our dry sell tickets alone on the domestic routes were almost RM20,000.

Firefly’s booth at MATTA 2010 has been a hive of activities since the doors were opened for business at 10am today. The current promotional flights are for on site purchases only.

Our ATR72-500 simulator game was another big hit. Participants were given five minutes to do there successful landings, and their performances were monitored and rated by Firefly pilots. The best three winners on the first day were Ahmad Aiman Mohd Razali; Mohd Syahrizal Aman; and Dzulkarnaen Rahmat, and all of them won two return tickets to any Firefly destinations. They will enter the grand finals on Sunday, 14 March at 2.00pm with three more finalists from the second day’s contest. The grand prizes for the winners of the simulator game are two return MAS tickets to Brisbane for the champion; four return tickets to any Firefly destination for the first runners-up; and three return tickets to any Firefly destination for the second runners-up.

On a positive note, the high response in sale is an indication that travel has picked up significantly, and Firefly is happy to be able to provide customers with more travel options.

Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, and purchases are made exclusively on-site.

Want to get the best deal during MATTA? Check out our striker packages now!

Click  Matta-Domestic for Domestic packages now!

Click  Matta-International for International packages now!

Get the best deal during MATTA Fair only! So, come and visit us at Hall 3 PWTC this weekend !

Thank you!

 “Firefly Holiday is ideal for the general traveler as it offers convenience from time of booking to point of arrival at the preferred destination. For tour operators, it provides one touch point for all in one ground arrangements. In essence, they are the online local partner hence, the convenience extends not only to the travelers, but also to its agents,” said the Minister.

She further notes, “When visitors are already in Malaysia, they can use the Firefly services to get around the country, and even the region if they want to. This further enhances the ‘One destination, four countries’ concept, where Malaysia serves as a touch base for visitors before going about the Asian region”.

Since its inception in April 2008, Firefly Holiday has evolved from offering Malaysian and regional packages only, to more than 100 Malaysia Airlines worldwide destinations via its international holiday packages.

Managing Director of Firefly, Dato’ Eddy Leong said, “We will be working aggressively with travel agents here in ITB to partner with us and market Firefly Holiday to their customers. We are certain that customers will recognize the uniqueness of our services when in Malaysia and this in turn, is one selling point we will share with the agents.”

A variety of packages are offered for travel into Malaysia from specific destination points for instance Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and United Kingdom. Travelers can then opt for post travel within Malaysia such as islands of Langkawi and Terengganu, and tropical forests of East Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

 Since the commencement of its services into Singapore in July 2009, Firefly has since connected travelers from Singapore into various points of Malaysia namely Kuala Lumpur via Subang, Terengganu, Ipoh (Perak) and Kuantan (Pahang). This has further enhanced the various package offerings for visitors from the neighboring country.

 Firefly Holiday International Packages compliments the services offered by Firefly due to the existing code share agreement with Malaysia Airlines, which enables the travel portal to pair up its ground packages with international flights.

Launched in late 2008, Firefly plays the role as the operating carrier with Malaysia Airlines as the marketing carrier in their code share relation. Listed under the MH 9000 series, Firefly code share flights reach a wider distribution channel via Malaysia Airlines. Tickets can be purchased in conjunction with Malaysia Airlines or with other airlines where there is an existing commercial agreement.

For inquiries please email Alita Suraya at alita@malaysiaairlines.com or call +6016

3414 700 or +603 7840 4899

 This year, Firefly’s introduction into KL MATTA Fair 2010 is all about scoring as a winner with its football theme in anticipation of the World Cup 2010. We are offering all our customers a chance to be a striker in our Penalty Kick teaser and One Touch Wheel of Fortune.

 Firefly Holiday is striking strong at MATTA Fair this year with the launch of our Domestic, ASEAN and International packages to all Firefly and Malaysia Airlines destinations.

 Our booths are at PWTC’s Hall 3 (all domestic and ASEAN’s destinations packages), and Hall 2 (all international packages).

 As a spin-off to the huge success of last year’s introduction of the simulator, Firefly will once again give the public a great opportunity to test their piloting skills. For this contest, the top 3 best piloting and landing participants will get a chance to win Malaysia Airlines’ tickets to Brisbane or Firefly tickets to any of our destinations.

Firefly Mobile is also offering RM1 fare for all destinations which will be available on-site and must be purchased via Firefly’s newly introduced application- Firefly Mobile. For more information about this, please visit http://www.fireflyz.com.my/mobile

As an additional sweetener, we are also offering MAXIS users with exclusive MAXIS holiday packages. Just show us your network operator on your mobile phone and you will get exclusive entitlement to these packages.

We are also repaying our loyal Facebook fans by offering them a chance to grab our merchandises which include Firefly’s LIMITED EDITION football jerseys; aircraft model; polo t-shirts; playing cards and many more @ a special rate of 20% discount. Want to know how? Join us as fans at http://www.facebook.com.my/firefly NOW!

KL MATTA Fair 2010
Date:                     12 – 14 March 2010
Time:                    10am – 9pm
Venue:                 Hall 3, PWTC, KL
Fees:                    RM3 per entry

 Come join us and get a chance to win more prizes such as Maxis-Blackberry mobile phones; Malaysia Airlines & Firefly tickets; Chronotech watches; Adidas merchandise; and hotel/spa/dinner vouchers worth more than RM500,000.

Thank you.

 Reporters mingling before the press conference

 The crowds arrived on time.

Angelina, Head of Marketing & Communications explaining the games & activities to be held during MATTA.

Thank you to SkyPark for the venue!

Dila showing the Phuket and Koh Samui package while Yin May explains.

The girls in Firefly jersey! Want one? Stay tuned to find out.

Yes, she’s reading our NEW inflight magazine, Kunang-Kunang. Want one? let us know.

Lau Yin May, Head of Firefly Holiday.

Lawrence Chai, Head of Distribution & IT explaining about the RM1 mobile booking promo for MATTA.

Great job guys..i mean girls!

PETALING JAYA: Flight tickets from as low as RMI to all Firefly destinations are up for grabs during the upcoming Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) fair.

Firefly distribution head Lawrence Chai said travellers who booked their flight tickets via its recently launched Firefly Mobile application will be able to enjoy the special deals.

“We encourage travellers to sign up for the application which gives customers the special rates and provides them the convenience to book flights anytime, anywhere via mobile phone,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

Firefly Holiday head Lau Yin May said customers could also choose from a large selection of travel packages, which included all domestic, Asean and international Malaysia Airlines destinations at the Firefly Holiday booth at the Matta Fair.

“Customers who spend more than RM6,000 will stand to win a Maxis-Blackberry mobile phone or a MAS ticket or a Firefly ticket.

“Any purchase worth more than RM2,000 will get an opportunity to win prizes,” she said.

International packages available at the fair include the London and Paris Tour with Eurostar (5D/4N) from RM4,699 and Tokyo Tour with Disneyland (6D/4N) from RM4,339.

Firefly marketing and communications head Angelina Fernandez said the airlines targeted to boost sales to RMI.5mil, a three-fold increase compared to last year.