There are currently a lot of empty seats on Malaysia Airlines flights
Malaysia Airlines flights are taking off with row upon row of empty seats after the tragic loss of two planes this year.
Pictures are circulating online which show numerous vacant seats in first and business class, while people are also steering clear of the cheaper seats.
One picture, tweeted by passenger Ricardo Gonzales, shows a near empty economy cabin.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, people are electing to use other airlines after the fate of flights MH370 and MH17.
Last month, flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives, including ten Britons. Flight MH370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8.
Airline branding consultant Jonny Clark said: ‘When passengers have got the choice between Malaysian and another airline and the price is more or less the same, they will go with another airline for safety reasons.
He continued: ‘Maybe it’s illusory but it’s a factor that affects passenger choice.’
The airline would not comment on the pictures.
A spokesperson said: ‘We carry 50,000 passengers every day across the network and the London to Kuala Lumpur route in particular has been a huge success.’
There are reports that the airline will unveil its plans to re-brand later this week.
