From Ms S. Farrugia

In this country of ours, nothing ever changes does it? We’ve been regaled with endless whining from MHRA et al about the tourist situation in Malta, hearing endlessly how saviour O’Leary will rescue us from this dire situation by disgorging hundreds of thousands of tourists on our shores – subsidised by our taxes – and with a steady stream of letters on Air Malta’s high fares from locals.

As soon as Air Malta publicised its successful winter sale, what do we get? A vitriolic attack on Air Malta, its employees and its restructuring exercise in your editorial. A good look at some of the letters written mainly by foreigners about the service they received on Air Malta should make your editor feel ashamed of denigrating and undermining our national airline. I am aware that the company is far from perfect but which airline is? This attitude from colonial times that everything local is “bad” and everything offered by foreigners is manna from heaven never changes. Your newspaper has been leading a smear campaign, inserting every little black detail regarding Air Malta and at the same time vociferously pushing for low cost airlines at all costs and the opening up of new routes, with the full contribution from the MHRA proclaiming to one and all that this is the main answer to bring back the lost sheep. I wonder – what is the real agenda here?

Without waiting for real statistics to be published, the MHRA has objected to Air Malta’s seat sale, saying that this has resulted in less seats for incoming tourists. When Ms Dowling from Ryanair was asked if the 20,000 seats it sold were all incoming, she did not answer. So why did not anyone comment on this as well?

Isn’t it a clear-cut case of hearing only what suits us? Are we really interested in getting these tourists here or is it someone’s crusade to pave the way for Air Malta’s crash landing? Regarding Easyjet, there has been no official statement as yet but here we go again, jumping the gun and clamouring for more routes to be opened to suit them. How long will the government keep subsidising these routes? Has it ever crossed the MHRA’s mind that maybe Easyjet wanted to see how many tourists actually want to come to Malta before commiting itself? Can it even start to perceive that maybe these tourists have been fleeced one time too many by all and sundry in the tourist industry it represents? What about taking a hard long look at what is really keeping the tourist away? Starting from the exorbitant prices they have to pay for a low quality meal perhaps? I suggest its members read the letters sent to some of the other English language newspapers and the questionnaires they give out in their establishments to get their feedback and stop using Air Malta as their scapegoat.

Of all people, they should be the most pleased that 55,000 seats have been sold across Europe this winter – but then, you can’t really preach to the converted can you?

Stephanie Farrugia

NAXXAR