AirAsia co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes found himself flying with rival Singapore Airlines (SIA) after failing to secure a seat on an AirAsia flight.
Fernandes shared photos from onboard an SIA flight in an Instagram post, explaining that he had turned to the rival airline because he “couldn’t get” an AirAsia flight.
Despite travelling with a competitor, Fernandes had positive comments about parts of the experience, praising SIA’s service and onboard internet connection.
“The service was great,” he wrote, while describing the internet as “amazing”.
However, he was less impressed with the inflight meal, simply describing the food as “poor”. A photo shared in the post showed a meal that appeared to consist of noodles, beef, vegetables and red gravy.
Fernandes then compared the meal with AirAsia’s Santan inflight food brand, saying his airline’s offering was “far far better”.
He even claimed that some SIA cabin crew members agreed with his assessment.
Despite the criticism, Fernandes ended on a positive note, describing the journey as a “great flight” and saying AirAsia was “not far off” SIA overall.
This was not the first time Fernandes had turned to SIA after being unable to secure an AirAsia seat.
In 2023, he similarly revealed that he had taken an SIA flight after AirAsia was fully booked on three consecutive flights.
