Garuda operates daily flights to Surabaya and Denpasar from 27 October 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

ITB Asia 2013 airline exhibitor Garuda Indonesia is due to operate daily flights from Singapore to Surabaya and Denpasar from 27 October 2013. It has also moved from Row 1 to Row 5 of the Changi Airport Terminal 3 for passengers' convenience from 25 September 2013, according to Garuda's advertisement card release.

Twice daily flights to Denpasar begin from 27 October at the following timings, 7.50 am to 10.35 am and 1.15 pm to 4.05 pm, operated under flights GA841 and GA843. Twice daily flights from Denpasar to Singapore are at 6.50 pm to 9.30 pm and 5 pm to 7.40 pm under GA840 and GA842 respectively.

Garuda Indonesia will increase its four times weekly flights between Surabaya and Singapore to daily flights on 27 October. Flight GA855 departs for Surabaya at 8.45 pm and arrives in Surabaya at 10.20 pm. Flight GA854 takes off from Surabaya at 8.45 am and touches down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 12.15 pm.

Daily flights of Garuda to Denpasar and Surabaya are operated by B737-800 jets.

Garuda Indonesia flies from Singapore to Jakarta, Denpasar, Balikpapan and Surabaya.

Ethiopian Airlines flies from Addis Ababa to Singapore effective 3 December 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Ethiopian Airlines has moved forward its inaugural flight on the Addis Ababa to Singapore route on 15 October. It now informs the international travel media that it will begin thrice-weekly direct scheduled commercial flights from Addis Ababa to Singapore with a refuelling stop in Suvarnabhumi effective 3 December 2013, instead of 17 December. Flights will be operated by Ethiopian Boeing B767-300 aircraft.

On 3 December 2013, Ethiopian flight ET626 departs from Addis Ababa at 12.40 am, refuels in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 1.15 pm before taking off at 2.25 pm from Suvarnabhumi and arriving in Singapore at 6.15 pm.

The outbound flight from Addis Ababa to Singapore will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The outbound flight from Singapore to Addis Ababa takes place on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and it will depart from Singapore at 10.45 pm, stopover in Suvarnabhumi at 12.05 am for refuelling before taking off at 1.10 am from Suvarnabhumi and arriving in Addis Ababa  at 6.25 am under flight ET627.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest African continental airline and it will be the second African airline to operate scheduled flights to Singapore without any code-sharing flight arrangements with other airlines after Air Mauritius in 2013.

Changi Airport T3 welcomes its first budget airline Lion Air on 18 October 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 welcomes Lion Air as the terminal's first budget, low-cost airline on 18 October 2013 as Lion Air stops operating in Terminal 2 after 17 October 2013.

The shift in Lion Air's operations will enlarge Lion Air's hub operations in Singapore as it flies daily from Singapore to Jakarta, Surabaya and Ho Chi Minh City and will add further direct flights to other Indonesian cities from Singapore in the near future.

Lion Air's Malaysian sister airline Malindo Air also has plans to operate new shuttle flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Changi Airport Terminal 3 by 2014.

As a result of Lion Air moving to Terminal 3, Philippine Airlines and PAL Express will shift operations back from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 on 28 October 2013 as Tigerair and Scoot increase outbound flights to Asian cities such as Chiang Mai, Lijiang, Lombok (begins 22 November by Tigerair), Surabaya  (commences 15 November by Tigerair) and Hong Kong (by Scoot)  from Terminal 2 in November.

In September 2013, Changi Airport Terminal 3 welcomes Asiana Airlines' shift of operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 on 30 September.

Scoot to fly to Hong Kong from 15 November 2013, subject to aircraft availability

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Scoot plans to launch five-weekly scheduled flight services from Singapore to Hong Kong on 15 November 2013.

The first Scoot flight to Hong Kong departs from Singapore Changi Airport at 1.30 am on 15 November and arrives in Hong Kong at 5.25 am before taking off from Hong Kong at 6.50 am on 16 November and touching down in Singapore at 10.35 am. The flight timings and actual dates of  inaugural flights are subject to changes as it has not yet received its sixth B777 aircraft to operate new services between Singapore and Hong Kong.

However, Scoot will unveil any updated flight schedules and fares on its web-site www.flyscoot.com  on 30 September 2013.

Stay tune to Scoot's web-site www.flyscoot.com for further information!

Khiri Travel offers new Myanmar-Thailand tour options as new border crossing opens

Press Release by : Khiri Travel Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan                   / KUCINTA SETIA Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

ITB Asia 2013 Exhibitor Khiri Travel has announced new destinations and personalized tour options following the opening of the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border in August 2013. The opening of the border facilitates land travel between Bangkok, central Thailand and the Kayin and Mon States of Myanmar and on to Yangon and the rest of Myanmar for the first time in over a hundred years.   Khiri Travel has already surveyed attractions and set up facilities and services along the route. They have created many travel options linking Sukhothai and Mae Sot in Thailand to the remote and rarely visited Hpa An and Mawlamyine areas of upper peninsula Myanmar.   Some highlights of Khiri Travel's new itineraries and travel options include:   Sukhothai to Yangon (or vice-versa) for four days and three nights, with kayaking, Golden Rock and insights to the seventh century Buddha images in the holy Kaw Goon Cave.   Soft Adventure trips to the Mon and Kayin States that last for four days and three nights are for higher-end luxury clients. Stops include Bago, Golden Rock, the colonial city of Mawlamyine, Mon villages (sarong weaving), monasteries, a Thanlwin (Salween) river cruise, and kayaking in rivers and rice paddy fields surrounded by dramatic karst scenery.   Adventures in Mon and Kayin States are for adventurous clients and involve train travel,  visits to the wonderful Seindon Mibaya monastery, Ni Paya (where Orwell and Kipling lived), kayaking for three to four hours, Golden Rock, and travel by public bus.   Kayaking rest stop e "The opening of the border crossing between Mae Sot and Myawaddy is hugely significant," said Edwin Briels, General Manager of Khiri Travel Myanmar. "It allows us to create pre-scheduled or tailor-made excursions in culturally and geographically fascinating areas that rarely, if ever, receive international visitors."   For example, guests take a rarely travelled scenic route to Hpa An, the capital of Kayin State. Roads are narrow and steep. On even days of the month local vehicles drive up to Hpa An. On odd days, traffic only goes in the direction of Myawaddy.   "Expect the unusual on this trip," said Briels, "But also expect to experience a richness of culture and insights into rural lives far removed from mainstream travel. Khiri believes that soft adventure, culture, nature and meaningful contact with local people should be included in every highlights of Myanmar trip."   Travellers can exit Myanmar from Yangon. The package trips have guaranteed departure dates for groups with a minimum of two people. Only Khiri Travel offers kayaking in the area.   Khiri Travel starts a join-in bus trip from Yangon to Sukhothai on 1 October 2013 -- a four-day/three-night itinerary with guide, sightseeing and accommodation in Kyaiktiyo, Hpa An and Sukhothai for USD475 per person.   Prices for the itineraries in Mon and Kayin State, including kayaking range from USD435 per person for a six-day adventure trip up to USD1,015 for a four-day luxury soft-adventure trip.   Khiri Travel Myanmar says that all tourists need to get a valid Myanmar visa before going to Mae Sot. Myanmar visas are available in one day at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok. There are no visas on arrival in Myawaddy.

ITB Asia will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in the next three years

Press Release By : Messe Berlin (Singapore)

Picture and Caption By : Gan Yung Chyan

                                 / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, ‘The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’, has announced a strategic three-year partnership with integrated resort, Marina Bay Sands, starting in 2014. The next three editions of ITB Asia will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from 29 – 31 October 2014, 21 – 23 October 2015 and 19 – 21 October 2016.

Through this new agreement, Marina Bay Sands will also be ITB Asia’s official hotel partner hosting international buyers, the opening receptions, VIP C-suite lunches, as well as offer free Wi-Fi to all delegates, providing a convenient and integrated experience for all delegates.

“Marina Bay Sands offers ITB Asia a unique value proposition, including accommodation for attendees as official hotel partner and world-class conferencing facilities as official venue. The venue’s prominence together with ITB Asia’s reputation as a leading trade show will help to attract and grow leisure, MICE and corporate industry partnerships. This partnership also provides ITB Asia with the space we need to grow this industry platform over the next few years, and expand our exhibition and conference programme to reach out to more delegates and exhibitors worldwide,” said Nino Gruettke, Executive Director, ITB Asia.

The collaboration with ITB Asia will see Marina Bay Sands help grow the level of quality participants by inviting an additional 100 of their top worldwide buyers from leisure, corporate, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions), to the existing ITB Asia Hosted Buyers Programme.

Committed to keeping delegates at the forefront of travel-tourism developments, ITB Asia will also increase its investment on the conference programme component to provide attendees with more quality content that address the opportunities, trends and potential issues faced by the industry.

“We have secured fresh funds for ITB Asia over the next three years and our aim is to take our conference sessions to new heights with more prominent speakers who will share powerful industry insights,” added Gruettke.

George Tanasijevich, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marina Bay Sands, said, “This three-year partnership with ITB Asia is a very powerful testament of our commitment to remain the number one business and leisure destination in Asia. With ITB Asia’s long standing reputation and extensive reach throughout the region, we are very confident that this partnership will solidify our leadership within the MICE industry. We are very privileged to be chosen as a partner and we look forward to delivering an exceptional Marina Bay Sands experience through ITB Asia.”

ITB Asia represents the full spectrum of tourism at all levels including the hospitality sector, tour operators or travel agencies, National Tourism Organisations, Convention and Visitors Bureaus, travel technology firms, MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) and corporate travel representatives.

Each October, the trade show attracts over 8,000 participants, representing more than 90 countries, allowing delegates to ‘meet the world in three days’. ITB Asia is also a partner event of TravelRave, a mega travel and tourism festival week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Cambodia Angkor Air adds Guangzhou to its network from 26 September 2013, Singapore to follow

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Cambodian national budget and full-service airline, Cambodia Angkor Air, is expanding its route network after Wat Phnom Airlines failed to launch flights from Siem Reap to other parts of Asia. From 26 September 2013, Cambodia Angkor Air flies daily between Siem Reap and Guangzhou on a non-stop basis.

On 26 September, Cambodia Angkor Air flight K6 484 departs from Siem Reap at 8.40 am and arrives in Guangzhou at 12.15 pm before leaving for Siem Reap from Guangzhou at 1.25 pm and touching down in Siem Reap at 3 pm under flight code K6 485. Return flights are operated by its Airbus A321 aircraft. Seats are being sold from a Super Promotion price of 50 US Dollars per way.

Cambodia Angkor Air is the fourth scheduled Indochina airline to fly to Guangzhou after Thai Airways International, Vietnam Airlines and Lao Airlines. Guangzhou is the second Chinese city that the airline flies to after a charter flight to Xiamen from Siem Reap in July 2013.

Besides Guangzhou, Cambodia Angkor Air anticipates to inaugurate scheduled flight services from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to Singapore and from the Cambodian cities to Hong Kong and Seoul in the future. It is applying for rights to operate on the Singapore routes.

For further information, please visit www.cambodiaangkorair.com.

New Singapore Branch Office of Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines opens

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines has opened new Branch Office in Singapore to address an increasing number of Bhutan air ticketing and travel enquiries of Singaporeans and foreigners.

Served by the staff of Druk Asia, the new cosy community centre-like Branch Office is located at #12-04 Albert Complex on Albert Street. Space allocated is bigger than the Bangkok office of Drukair. Access is via a lift near the OG Shopping outlet at Albert Complex near Little India.

To commemorate the opening of new Branch Office, limited made-in-Bhutan Drukair-issued umbrellas are currently given away as souvenirs to agents and walk-in customers.

For more information, visit www.drukair.com.sg.

Meanwhile, according to Drukair's official web-site, the airline has downgraded its city office in Bangkok to Representative status and closed its Suvarnabhumi Airport office to compete with Bhutan Airlines, Bhutan's second airline that starts operating to Kolkata and Suvarnabhumi from Paro in October 2013. It has also closed its Yangon office.

Tigerair launches flights to Yunnan from 29 October 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Media & Travel Professionals

Tigerair is continuing its flight expansion plans during winter this year. On 29 October 2013, it begins to operate twice-weekly scheduled flights to Lijiang, Yunnan Province in China, besides resuming direct flights to Chiang Mai (daily from 2 November 2013) and Langkawi (on 8 November 2013). Lijiang is Tigerair's fourth China destination after Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Haikou.

The inaugural Lijiang flight from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 takes place at 9.20 am on 29 October under Tigerair flight code TR2922. It arrives in Lijiang at 1.25 pm before departing for Singapore at 2.20 pm, stopping over in Chiang Rai for refueling that lasts for 35 minutes and arriving in Singapore later at 7.45 pm under TR2923.

There are no passenger traffic rights between Singapore and Chiang Rai.

Subject to bilateral regulatory approval of CAAS and CAAC, Tigerair operates on the Singapore-Lijiang-Singapore route on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Of interest to tourists, Lijiang Sanyi Airport's first Southeast Asian flight is the Tigerair flight to Singapore. Lijiang city is the gateway to the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-la of China, the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Old Town of Lijiang and is very close to the Baishui Terrace and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It is also of close proximity to the Village of Baisha, famous for Baisha Fresco and the Naxi Hand-made Embroidery Institute.

Lijiang Sanyi Airport has frequent thirty-minutes flights to Kunming and is of an eight hours ride to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province.

NOTE: On the second and fourth weeks of each month from November 2013, Tigerair operates on the Lijiang routes on Thursdays only.

No more budget long-haul flights to Osaka and Beijing from Singapore from November 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Further flight suspensions to Singapore are on the cards by existing flight operators, posing a great challenge to Changi Airport in maintaining its status an air hub. One example is Jetstar Airways.

Holiday planners that have bought tickets from Jetstar or are considering budget travel with Jetstar should note that there will be no more long-haul direct Jetstar flights to Osaka and Beijing from Singapore from November 2013.

Jetstar is ending direct flights from Melbourne via Singapore to Osaka on 1 November 2013. It is also ending direct flights from Melbourne via Singapore to Beijing on 30 November 2013.

Jetstar says the flight suspensions are due to operational reasons and "insufficient number of Singaporeans travelling on these routes".

The aircraft deployed on these routes, the Airbus A330, will fly from Melbourne to Phuket and from Melbourne to Honolulu directly to meet rising demands of Australians travelling to these destinations, bypassing Changi Airport.

Jetstar Asia Airways will continue to fly from Singapore to Osaka via Taipei and Manila.

The suspensions are likely to continue even if Jetstar inducts its first B787 Dreamliner to its fleet.

TransAsia's Singapore route suspension due to operation reasons and bankruptcies of three foreign airlines

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

TransAsia Airways is forced to suspend its Singapore scheduled route from 26 September 2013 due to operation reasons and bankruptcies of three foreign airlines.

From 23 September 2013, TransAsia Airways' Airbus A320 aircraft, which currently operates on the Taipei Taoyuan-Singapore-Taipei Taoyuan routes, will fly on a scheduled basis between Taipei Taoyuan and Siem Reap to replace Wat Phnom Airlines, that has failed to launch scheduled flights between Siem Reap and Taipei Taoyuan.

Wat Phnom Airlines is the new name of a new Phnom Penh-based airline taking over the defunct TonleSap Airlines, a Cambodian charter airline.

TonleSap Airlines and its Palau airline subsidiary, Palau Airways, owe Taipei Taoyuan International Airport aircraft landing fees and were forced to cancel flights without prior notice to travel agents and tourists. The Cambodian and Taiwanese civil aviation authorities have so far refused to let Wat Phnom Airlines launch flights between Siem Reap and Taiwan as the management of Wat Phnom Airlines is the same as the management of TonleSap Airlines and Palau Airways under the leadership of Singaporean entrepreneur Teo Yong-Hwee that owes Taiwan their aircraft landing fees.

TransAsia Airways earlier turned its Palau charter flight route into a scheduled route in June 2013, hence replacing Palau Airways whose flight cancellations have left passengers stranded in Taipei and Koror, the capital of Pacific country Palau.

From 26 September 2013, TransAsia's Airbus A330 aircraft which also currently operates on its Singapore route will be deployed on the new scheduled Taipei Taoyuan-Tokyo Narita-Taipei Taoyuan routes on a daily basis to cater to another rising Taiwanese-Japanese travel market demand.

TransAsia Airways did not state when it will resume scheduled flights to Singapore from Taipei Taoyuan despite a higher demand for Taipei flights in the Singapore outbound tour market. However, it says that Singapore will remain as one of its charter flight destinations.