Etihad Airways flies to Hong Kong in a code-sharing arrangement with Air Seychelles from 24 March 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to : Every Media and Travel-related personnel


Etihad Airways, the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates, flies to Hong Kong from Abu Dhabi in a code-sharing arrangement with Air Seychelles using Air Seychelles' aircraft from 24 March 2013. The Mahe-Hong Kong-Mahe flights will not be direct.


Hong Kong is Air Seychelles' first Asian destination after it withdrew scheduled flights from Singapore in 2011.

Tickets of the Etihad Airways/Air Seychelles code-sharing flight services are being sold by Air Seychelles' GSA in Hong Kong, The Walshe Group.

Etihad Airways has a stake of 40 per cent in Air Seychelles, its Indian Ocean airline subsidary.

Last budget flight to Ningbo from Singapore on 29 March 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to : Every Media and Travel-related personnel

      

According to Jetstar Call Centre, due to operational requirements and the proximity of Ningbo to Hangzhou, the last budget flight of Jetstar Asia Airways to Ningbo is on 29 March 2013. There will be no flights to Ningbo with effect from 31 March 2013.

Jetstar Asia Airways started thrice-weekly scheduled flight services from Singapore to Ningbo on 9 September 2011 using Airbus A320 aircraft. It also flies to Hangzhou.

Ningbo is the second destination that Jetstar Asia Airways has cancelled this year.  Jetstar Asia operated its last commercial flight to Hanoi from Singapore on 22 January 2013.

According to Ningbo Tourism Bureau at the NATAS Travel Fair 2013, the Ningbo authorities are in discussions with SilkAir to pave way for full-service flights to Ningbo as SilkAir does not fly to Hangzhou. SilkAir plans to fly to Ningbo by May 2013.

Ningbo is the eastern Chinese commercial city  that has ancient towns, and is home to the Neolithic Hemudu relics of  eastern China, home of the waxberries and peaches, and has the largest mulberry plantation in China. It has wide acres of persimmon and white pulp loquat plantations as well as spa resorts. It has great tourism potential as an educational  resort city of eastern China.

Surprises and freebies galore at NATAS Travel Fair 2013!

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA

Singapore's largest consumer travel mart NATAS Travel Fair 2013 opened at the Singapore Expo on 22 February 2013 and ends on 24 February 2013, attracting 156 registered exhibitors and more than five non-registered airline exhibitors.

Registered airline-exhibitor Finnair gives out free mugs, free umbrellas, free ezlink card stickers and free stationery celebrating Finnair's 90 years of flight services. No postcards were issued. Finnair, which officially marks 90 years of existence on 1 November 2013, is promoting cheap fares to third-party European destinations via Helsinki from Singapore from as low as 1078 Singapore Dollars.

Registered prize sponsor/partner of NATAS, Qantas Airways, distributes inhouse advertisement cards marking 78 years of flight operations to Singapore. These cards encourage visitors to book online competitive fares to Australia, New Zealand and Frankfurt, and  win up to 12 upgrades to Premium Economy seats or 88 double passes to its new Singapore lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1. Travel must complete by 14 April 2013.

NATAS prize sponsor Etihad Airways announced that it has started daily flights to Brisbane and Abu Dhabi from Singapore.

The non-registered airline exhibitors that do not appear on the NATAS' list of registered exhibitors include TransAsia Airways, Eva Air, China Airlines, SEAIR Southeast Asian Airlines, Tiger Airways, Airphil Express, Cebu Pacific Air, Swiss International Air Lines and Berjaya Air.

Non-registered exhibitors TransAsia Airways, Eva Air and China Airlines greet visitors at the tourism booth of Taiwan.

TransAsia Airways distributes cabin aircraft calendars with postcards attached and brochures which promote its connection flights to Hokkaido via Taipei using its new Airbus A330 aircraft. Access TransAsia's Facebook page to win attractive prices and free air tickets to Taipei or its Hokkaido destinations, namely Chitose, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Kushiro and Obihiro. The airline also has connection fares to Jeju and Naha, Okinawa from Singapore via Taipei.

China Airlines gives out its Timetables and Inflight Magazine Dynasty editions July and August 2012. Aircraft postcards are available.

Eva Air, for the first time, distributes its Timetables and new Inflight Magazine "enVoyage", which was renamed in September 2012. Its Inflight Magazine was formerly entitled "Verve". It also promotes its Evasion Holiday Taiwan fly, stay and tour packages.

SEAIR Southeast Asian Airlines appeared under the auspicious presence of Tiger Airways at the Philippine Tourism booth, promoting cheap fares to Clark, Cebu and Manila through brochures and e-newsletter sign-ups. Airphil Express continues its cheap fare promotions to Manila from 35 Singapore Dollars one-way excluding taxes. Cebu Pacific Air markets its new flights to Iloilo, besides its traditional destinations Manila, Clark and Cebu.

Swiss International Air Lines markets its direct flights to Zurich from Singapore at the attractive Switzerland Tourism booth with free stationery.

Berjaya Air appeared at the booth of Scuba People, marketing its leisure flights in Malaysia and from Singapore to Tioman and Redang islands. Scuba People sells diving packages with flights on the Malaysian private leisure carrier.

Major travel agents such as Universal and Chan Brothers continue to push their direct charter flight packages to Mongolia and Okinawa, Japan. For instance, the annual direct charter flight to Ulaanbaatar from Singapore by MIAT Mongolian Airlines takes place on 14 June this year.

While hotels from Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan continue to offer fantastic stay packages to the visitors, Tune Hotels is the most outstanding hotel exhibitor of NATAS Travel Fair. It has now a list of 25 no-frills budget hotels worldwide including four branches in the Philippines (Manila, Cebu, Angeles City near Clark) , three branches in Thailand (Hat Yai, Pattaya and Bangkok) and five branches in London and Scotland.  

According to Raji Dave Julman, Assistant Hotel Manager for Tune Hotels branch in Danga Bay, Johor,  branches of Tune Hotels in Malacca and China are under planning stage. Visit www.tunehotels.com for further updates.

Zambia Tourism Board and Hungary Tourism appeared at NATAS Travel Fair for the first time. They are marketing their countries to the Singapore outbound travel market before they embark on their journeys  to ITB Berlin 2013 next week. There are connection flights to Lusaka, Zambia via Johannesburg and to Budapest via Frankfurt with British Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines or Singapore Airlines.

One needs to visit the travel mart itself to find freebies and fantastic deals of airlines as they appear behind tourism exhibitors, a tradition now in almost every NATAS Travel Fair.

Air Mekong suspends flight operations in March 2013 while Indochina Airlines resumes flights

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to www.just4airlines.com

Vietnam's only private full-service airline Air Mekong has announced that it is suspending flight operations from 1 March 2013 to consider business plans in a bid to improve efficiency. Its final date of flight operations is 28 February 2013. However, its ticket offices will remain open through April to handle ticketing refunds and media enquiries.

From March onwards, Air Mekong will return its fleet of 4 Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft to U.S. aircraft leasing firm Sky West Leasing Inc. It plans to introduce Boeing B737 aircraft to its fleet in the future.

Air Mekong, however, did not state when it will resume flights.

Air Mekong currently flies from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Lat, Buon Ma Thuot, Haiphong (gateway to Halong Bay) and Vinh with CRJ-900 aircraft.

Meanwhile, Indochina Airlines which suspended flights in 2011 has resumed limited flights  from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and Danang this month after receiving 2 Boeing B737 aircraft. It has reached agreements with service providers to clear its debts.

Lao Airlines reverts to thrice-weekly flights to Singapore from 27 March 2013 with new timings

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to www.just4airlines.com


Lao Airlines is reverting to thrice weekly scheduled flights to Singapore from Vientiane as of 27 March 2013 due to less demand for summer travel to Vientiane and operational requirements. However, the new scheduled flights allow appropriate departure in the early afternoon to the Lao capital.

On 27 March, Lao Airlines' A320 under flight code QV535 departs for Singapore from Vientiane at 8.20 am and arrives in Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 12.20 pm. One hour later, passengers depart with the aircraft under flight code QV536 for Vientiane at 1.20 pm and touches down in Vientiane at 3.20 pm.

Flights operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

To celebrate the new day-time flights in conjunction with NATAS Travel Fair 2013, Lao Airlines is selling promotional FIT fares at 440 Singapore Dollars inclusive of taxes to passengers travelling alone. Tickets must be issued by 30 March 2013 and travel must complete by 31 July 2013.

Interested customers can also book Lao travel packages with Lao Airlines consortium agents at NATAS Travel Fair which will be held from 22 to 24 February at the Singapore Expo.

Lao Airlines to add new aircraft types and new routes between 2013 and 2020

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to www.just4airlines.com


Lao Airlines is planning to add new aircraft types and new routes between 2013 and 2020, according to its Vice President Sengpraseuth Mathouchanh.

The Lao national flag carrier will receive two ATR-72-600 aircrafts in 2014 and 2015. Its fifth Airbus A320 aircraft  and one ATR-72-600 aircraft will be included in its fleet later this year for commencement of flights to Kuala Lumpur, Yangon and add new frequencies to its existing route network such as Seoul, Busan and Singapore.

One new Airbus A321 aircraft will enter Lao Airlines'  operations in 2015 to fly to Varanasi (India) and Bangkok while a long-range Airbus A330 aircraft is expected to join its fleet by 2020 which will enable Lao Airlines to fly to the Middle East and Paris. Three weekly scheduled flights to Paris are planned.

Lao Airlines began scheduled flights to Seoul and Busan on 11 and 13 January 2013.

Indian budget airline IndiGo cancels flights to Singapore from Mumbai and Delhi but introduces direct flight from Chennai to Singapore on 1 March 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to : www.just4airlines.com

India's most profitable budget airline IndiGo has cancelled all flights from Delhi and Mumbai to/from Singapore on 1 March 2013 and introduces new direct flight from Chennai to Singapore on that day.

The first IndiGo direct flight from Chennal takes off at 10 pm on 1 March and arrives at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 4.50 am on 2 March under flight code 6E53. The first outbound flight from Singapore departs for Chennai at 5.50 am and touches down in Chennai at 7.15 am under flight code 6E54 operated by its Airbus A320 aircraft on 2 March 2013.

With the introductory daily Chennai flights of IndiGo, fares on the Singapore-Chennai-Singapore route sectors are expected to drop further in the months ahead, bringing IndiGo in toes with Air India Express and Tiger Airways on the increasing high demand for low-fare travel to eastern India.

According to IndiGo, the change of schedules were partially affected by the impact of Delhi sex rapes and the high risk of terrorism in Mumbai on the international media and travel markets. IndiGo has also cancelled flights to Bangkok from Mumbai and Delhi.

Batavia Air ceases flight operations, leaving 15 active Indonesian airlines in the skies

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA

Batavia Air ceased flight operations on 31 January 2013, one day after Sayacinta - Airpost visited Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for a short press interview with Kalstar Aviation and other domestic Indonesian airlines.

On 31 January, at 12 pm, Batavia Air ceased operations after the Central Jakarta Regional Court granted a bankruptcy appeal by IFLC the international aircraft lessor as the airline owed ILFC US$4,68 million in debts. The airline failed to repay ILFC after a series of financial difficulties, particularly after leasing two Airbus A330 aircraft from ILFC on 29 December 2009 on a six-year dry-lease agreement until 2015 for flights to Jeddah, Riyadh, Guangzhou and Hangzhou as well as domestic flights to Manado, Makassar, Medan and Jayapura.


Batavia Air announced bankruptcy formally to the Singapore media on 6 February 2013 as it moved its Head Office to its new Jakarta Pusat location one month after. All Batavia Air flights from Singapore to Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Pontianak were cancelled. All tickets purchased prior to the cessation of operations were either refunded or deferred to other airlines. AirAsia Indonesia took over the Singapore-Semarang-Singapore route from Batavia Air on 7 February.

Six airlines were slated to take over the entire Batavia Air route network. They include Citilink (low-fare domestic unit of Garuda Indonesia), Mandala (partner airline of Tiger Airways), Expressair and AirAsia Indonesia.

Mandala which is starting daily flights from Singapore to Pekanbaru on 14 February 2013 plans to add Pontianak and Jakarta to its Singapore route network later this year.

Lion Air has taken over Batavia Air's rights to operate the latter's flights to Kuching from Jakarta and will operate on this route in March 2013. It has also planned to start flights to Suvarnabhumi on 20 February and Cebu on 14 February after Batavia Air failed to launch new flights to the Bangkok airport  in January and Cebu.

As of 9 February 2013, there are 15 active Indonesian airlines. They include Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, Merpati Nusantara, Mandala, Lion Air, Wings Air, Sriwijaya Air, Kalstar Aviation, Aviastar, Expressair, Trigana Air, Transnusa, Indonesia Air (formerly Indonesian Air Transport), Susi Air and Sky Aviation. Pacific Royale Airways which suspended flights in October 2012 and Kartika Airlines had ceased business.

While the first seven carriers are familiar names, Kalstar Aviation is the regional airline of Kalimantan, Indonesia,with commercial flights from Jakarta, Semarang, Pontianak, Surabaya to Pangkalanbun, Sampit, Banjarmasin, Sintang, Berau, Kotabaru and other six Kalimantan destinations using a fleet of Boeing B737-300, B737-500 and ATR-42-300 aircraft. It began commercial scheduled flights from Pontianak on 10 November 2008 before commencing scheduled flights from Jakarta in 2011. Initially, it only provided charter flights in partnership with Trigana Air and cargo flights under Star Cargo using Kartika Airlines aircraft.

Aviastar and Trigana Air operate charter and scheduled flights from Jakarta to remote towns of Indonesia.

Expressair is Makassar-based airline of Sulawesi with flights from Jakarta to Makassar, Sorong and Manokwari.

Transnusa is the airline of Kupang in West Timor, Indonesia. Indonesia Air is the scheduled service unit of Indonesian Air Transport with its hub in Bandung. Susi Air concentrates its business in Sumatra and Jakarta. Sky Aviation took over businesses of Linus Airways, Kartika Airlines, Riau Airlines and Pacific Royale Airways on the Riau islands, Sumatra.

With the sudden, unfortunate closure of Batavia Air's business, only Sriwijaya Air, AirAsia Indonesia, Lion Air, Mandala, Tiger Airways, Valuair, Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia fly to Jakarta from Singapore currently.

ITE & MICE 2013 highlights new and trendy travel themes

Press Release by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd, Hong Kong

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                   / KUCINTA SETIA

ITE & MICE - International Travel Expo & MICE Travel Expo, the annual Hong Kong travel fair held in June, which drew respectively 12,000 trade and 70,000 public visitors in 2012, will highlight the following travel themes at the stage pavilions:- Sport Tourism (new), Honeymooning & Overseas Wedding (HOW), Study Tour (ISTC), Travel Photography, Cruise, Wellness & Medical Tourism (WMT), and MICE from 13 June to 16 June 2013.

While exhibitors of ITE & MICE are mainly arranged by geography, a growing number of exhibitors now prefer to showcase their products and services according to travel themes which nowadays have become more popular in Asia.

A survey on Hong Kong's public visitors in 2012, which drew over 4,000 replies, found 52 per cent of respondents interested in travel photography, 34 per cent interested in cruise, 18 per cent in study tour, 16 per cent in honeymooning and overseas wedding, and 11 per cent on wellness and medical tourism. Sport Tourism, new this year, was not included.

 In addition, 18 per cent of the respondents made 5 times or more overnight leisure trips in the past 12 months. While 57% of the respondents made 2 to 4 trips, 29 per cent of the visitors would attend travel seminars and 20 per cent (equivalent to 14,000 travelers) interested in booking tours at the fair. 72 per cent of the respondents prefer travelling in FIT and 6 per cent in tailor-made tour groups. All indicate good business prospects in Hong Kong for tour service providers of the Asia-Pacific region.

To ensure the continuous success of ITE & MICE, each highlighted theme of ITE & MICE 2013 has its own program comprising all or partly of the following: separate visitor promotion, official mini-site, supports by related professional bodies and/or trade associations,; designated areas for related exhibitors, information stands or education corners, signage and banners, trade seminars; auctions, lucky draws and seminars in public days, in order to attract trade and media visitors. 

During trade days of 2012, there were a Cruise training seminar by the Asia Cruise Council, the ISTC Conference on Study Tour, seminars on HOW and WMT, and a series of MICE seminar. In fact, the second trade day of ITE & MICE is being designated as MICE / Corporate Travel Day. They were popular and well attended, and will again be held this year. 

Among buyers and trade visitors, geographically, 73 per cent come from Hong Kong, 20 per cent from mainland China and 7 per cent from abroad. By sectors 5700 are from travel agents, 3,300 from MICE and corporations, and some 800 from trade and public media. Therefore, ITE & MICE covers effectively the regional travel trade, MICE and corporate travel, and Hong Kong’s affluent FIT sectors. 

Organized by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd., ITE & MICE is supported by China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and Macau Government Tourist Office, trade associations of travel agents and event industries from Hong Kong and in the region.

ITE & MICE 2013 will be held from at Halls 1A to 1E at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The Flowers of Phuket

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA

January is one of the blooming months for Thailand's flowers. Sayacinta - Airpost took snapshots of these endemic Thai flowers near Phuket airport area on 12 January.

Sayacinta Airpost wishes all readers and the media a Healthier, Peaceful, Prosperous and Happier Family

 New Year of the Water Snake in 2013.

舍运安康，社锦家兴！

Celebrate Thailand's Children Day at Srinath National Park, Phuket

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                    / KUCINTA SETIA

January is the best month to visit Phuket from Singapore as Tiger air fares are the lowest in this month. Choose 12 January as it is Thailand's Children Day. See how Thais celebrate Children's Day, a public holiday at the turtle conservation area, Srinath National Park.  Contests, games with free gifts for children at the national-level and of course swimming and picnics. Adults revel in Children's Day for they were children once. It is a day for Thailand to reflect about family harmony, children's growth and adult wisdom. Admission fee is 100 Thai Baht.

Srinath National Park is the closest tourist destination of Phuket outside the airport. It is also the gateway to the picturesque Naiyang Beach which any tourist does not fail to notice it on all Thai tourism postcards. The national park is a must-see destination as it is not only a simple national park, it also has a youth hostel for backpackers to stay and a national park education centre for turtle and flora conservation.  One can easily spend two hours in Srinath National Park before proceeding to check-in for a flight to another city.



If tourists are visiting Phuket for the first time, travel in an airport taxi but be prepared to pay a 100 Thai Baht tax for travelling out of Phuket Airport. It costs 200 Thai Baht by taxi to reach Srinath National Park. Walking back to the airport from the national park takes about ten minutes only.

Phuket is easily troubled by crimes committed by illegal tourist shops employing Russians to target the Caucasian tourists and Phuket newspapers are not short of daily murder news. Taxi fares in Phuket are the most expensive than taxi fares in other cities of Thailand.

It is advisable to spend only one day exploring the peaceful Phuket airport area if one is not spending holidays there sun-bathing and frolicking.

Airlines operating to Phuket include AirAsia, AirAsia Thailand, SilkAir, JetStar Asia Airways, Tiger Airways, Dragonair, Firefly, Malaysia Airlines, Transaero Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Thai Airways International, Thai Smile, Nok Air, Orient Thai Airlines, China Southern, China Eastern and Juneyao Airlines.