Fernandes mentioned this yesterday in a posting on his Facebook page, which has since garnered over 3,800 likes by netizens.

“Here is a great story. Was going around the academy to wish everyone Happy New Year and walked into a classroom of ex-MAS staff who were made redundant.

“Hubert was there,” he said, referring to the former MAS cabin crew member, whose last name was not given.

Fernandes revealed that Hubert had previously offered him a free trip when they bumped into each other during a Grab ride that he had taken.

“Once, I was looking for a cab and Hubert offered me a ride for free. He was a GrabCar driver.

“Later, he told me that he was an ex-MAS crew member who missed flying. So, I got him an interview and now he’s back flying with AirAsia.

“PS, I paid Hubert for the ride,” Fernandes said.

In 2015, MAS, as part of its restructuring plan, terminated the services of about 6,000 of its staff.