Drukair celebrates more than 30 years of existence at JATA Tourism Expo 2014

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

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines celebrates more than 30 years of existence by attending the Bhutan tourism conference held at JATA Tourism Expo 2014 in Tokyo. Private airline Tashi Air - Bhutan Airlines is also attending the conference.

At JATA Tourism Expo, Drukair introduces its new flights from Paro to Singapore and Mumbai as well as its other domestic and international flights to the Japanese market under the booth of the Tourism Council of Bhutan. It has resumed flights to Bumthang from Paro. It consistently offers discounted prices to travellers for departing from Paro with the airline.

For sales, ticketing and further marketing information about Drukair contact Drukair's Singapore office or Passenger Representative Druk Asia Pte Ltd at joni@drukasia.com or visit the Singapore website of Drukair, www.drukair.com.sg. Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines operates weekly scheduled flights from Singapore to Paro with a brief layover in Kolkata, India.

Note : Airline exhibitors of JATA Tourism Expo 2014 include Jeju Air, Air Macau, Thai Airways International, Myanmar Airways International and for the first time, Mann Yadanarpon Airlines. Hunnu Air and MIAT Mongolian Airlines did not attend this year's version of JATA Tourism Expo, which ends on 28 September 2014.

Historic low-cost flights to Pakistan begin on 17 November 2014

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

Mihin Lanka, Sri Lanka's state-owned budget airline, islaunching thrice-weekly scheduled flights between Colombo and Lahore on 17 November 2014. It will become the first airline in the world to operate low-cost flights to Pakistan. Lahore is the cultural capital of Pakistan.

Thrice-weekly flights from Colombo to Lahore by Mihin Lanka take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while flights from Lahore to Colombo will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On 17 November (Monday), a Mihin Lanka Airbus A320 flight will depart from Colombo for Lahore at 7.45 pm and arrive in Lahore at 11.30 pm. On 15 November, the aircraft will depart from Lahore at 12.30 am and touch down in Colombo at 5.20 am.

Mihin Lanka is the low-cost airline pioneer on routes from the aviation hub of Colombo to Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Singapore, Gaya and Mahe (the Seychelles, Africa) and Lahore will be happily added to the list. It currently operates on a code-sharing basis with SriLankan Airlines to Singapore from Colombo but plans to resume flights on its own in the future. 

Air Astana launches scheduled flights between Astana and Bangkok from 15 December 2014

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

Air Astana, which won the Best Airline for Central Asia and India 2014 Award from Skytrax for the third consecutive year in July 2014, is launching direct scheduled flights from Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, to its first Southeast Asian destination, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, from 15 December 2014.

On 15 December 2014, an Air Astana Boeing B767 aircraft under flight KC231 departs from Astana at 1.35 am and arrives in Suvarnabhumi at 9.55 am before it takes off under KC232 at 11.05 am and touches down in Astana at 6 pm.

In Astana, tourists will be amazed with ultra modern architecture of different shapes be they oval, trapezoid or ship-shaped. Astana's symbols include the Baiterek Tower, the Peace Pyramid and the Khan-Shatyr shopping mall which mirrors the design of the traditional Kazakh house. Explore its famous Central Asian food alley to taste the varieties of Central Asian and Russian/CIS cuisines. 260 km away from Astana, enjoy spa and receive medical treatment in the lakeside wooden residences of the Borovoye district.

Air Astana provides stopover package programs to customers for Astana and Almaty travels. The airline operates domestic and international flights from Astana and Almaty, the financial and commercial capital of Kazakhstan. Currently it operates direct flights from Almaty to Suvarnabhumi, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur in Southeast Asia and East Asia flights to Hong Kong, Beijing Capital and Seoul-Incheon.

As of 15 July 2014, citizens of Malaysia, Japan, the UK and the US do not require entry visas as long as they do not stay more than 15 days in Kazakhstan. Singaporeans still require visa for entry into Kazakhstan.

For bookings in Singapore and further information on Air Astana's Stopover Holidays in Astana and Almaty, contact its GSA Aviation Services (S) Pte Ltd, also the Passenger GSA in Singapore for MIAT Mongolian Airlines. Email reservation and ticketing officer Randolph Jay at jay@aviationservices.com.sg . Tel: 62238377. Online bookings are currently reserved for exclusive use by Kazakhs.

Second low-cost airline of Taiwan to launch flights by December 2014

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

TransAsia Airways formed its low-cost airline subsidiary V Air on 15 November 2013. The name V Air is selected by the Taiwanese to symbolize Taiwan's young generation. The alphabet V can mean "Voyage", "Vision", "Vivid" or words that correspond to the young generation's characteristics while its logo shows the Formosa black bear, a beast with typical V-shape chest mark reflecting the traits of energy and curiosity that V Air and Taiwan share.

V Air has unveiled its flight crew uniform this month, opened an online inflight duty-free store in August and organized lucky draws to reward fans with free flight tickets. It plans to launch its first route between Taipei Taoyuan and Bangkok (which airport it will fly to is yet to be identified) by December 2014 with either an Airbus A321 or A320 aircraft inherited from TransAsia Airways.

V Air also has plans to launch flights from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Chiang Mai, Denpasar, Singapore, Kalibo, Cebu as well as to Seoul-Incheon, Jeju, Busan, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Tokyo.

V Air is using Avantik Passenger Service Solutions (PSS) of Bravo Passenger Solutions for bilingual internet sales, B2B modules, ancillary revenue tools, e-ticketing capabilities, dynamic reporting, departure control capability and airport check-in functionality.

V Air web-site is www.flyvair.com. Its headquarters is the former Head Office of TransAsia Airways located in Zhengzhou Road, Taipei.

Air New Zealand's B787-9 Dreamliner and resumption flights to Singapore from 6 January 2015

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

Air New Zealand which took delivery of its first B787-9 Dreamliner in July 2014 has put the aircraft in service on its route from Auckland to Perth this month. It is also resuming a daily scheduled flight from Auckland to Singapore from 6 January 2015 while its flights to Christchurch are operated by a Singapore Airlines aircraft under the new alliance arrangement between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines signed on 25 September 2014.

On 6 January 2015, Air New Zealand flight NZ0088 departs from Auckland for Singapore at 12.45 am local time, arriving in Singapore Changi Airport at 6.15 am before leaving the airport at 8.50 am and touching down in Auckland at 11.45 am under NZ0281. Both flights are operated by its Boeing B777-200 long-range aircraft.

For the resumption flights, Air New Zealand is offering different budget fares under the categories of "Economy Flexi", "Premium Economy" and "Economy Saver". While Economy Flexi fares are refundable and dates changable anytime. selecting Premium Economy fares provide passengers with more leg room, increased seat pitch, premium dining premium check-in, and allowance of 2 checked bags (23 kg each) and 2 cabin bags (7 kg each).

An Economy Saver fare of Air New Zealand starting from 942 Dollars duplicates an existing Jetstar international fare as passengers choosing this fare have to pay for carry-on luggage (7 kg maximum) and 1 checked bag although meals and drinks onboard are complimentary.

Air New Zealand has started to charge passengers for carry-on baggage or cabin luggage since 2012 after it withdrew services from Singapore. However, since Jetstar is no longer operating flights between Singapore and Auckland, it appears that the exorbitant budget "Economy Saver" fare is not necessary. It should have been lowered to attract more passengers.

Passengers interested to fly with Air New Zealand on its routes may well take note of the carrier's changes of fare and baggage policies.

ITB Asia Exhibitors win PATA Grand Awards

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



ITB Asia exhibitor Garuda Indonesia has garnered two awards at the PATA Travel Mart last week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Under the PATA Grand Award 2014 list, Garuda Indonesia won Best Marketing Carrier Award for marketing its Immigration On Board service on long-haul flights and Best Heritage Award for rendering its inflight service and service image on the ground.

Another ITB Asia exhibitor Khiri Travel won the Best Heritage and Culture for Accommodation Award for its unique Banteay Chiamar Tented Camp in Cambodia.

More than 80 exhibitors participate in this year's edition of PATA Travel Mart. Airline exhibitors include Air India, Cambodia Angkor Air, Garuda Indonesia and China Airlines.

ITB Asia's largest round-up of conferences this year

Press Release by Messe Berlin (Singapore)

Pictures of ITB Asia 2012 at Marina Sands by Gan Yung Chyan / KUCINTA SETIA

ITB Asia, ‘The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’, organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) has announced its most comprehensive conference programme line-up to-date. Designed to cater to the business needs of industry players, the programme will have something for everyone all across the Asian travel industry. This year’s event will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 29-31 October 2014.

The seventh instalment of the annual trade show will have over 4080 minutes of high powered content over 30 sessions. These include sessions from Robb Report Singapore, TTG Asia, American Express Meetings & Events, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), NATAS, MPI and K.I.T Group. Strengthening its position as a dynamic marketplace of ideas and business opportunities, a wide range of topics will be on offer including sessions on how to identify opportunities amid uncertainties, distinguish upcoming trends, manage the growth of travel events in Asia and deal with the challenges of an increasingly digital world.

“As one of the most international travel trade shows in the region, our conference programme has developed a reputation as a key knowledge platform that helps top decision makers from all spectrums of the industry. Delegates at this year’s conference can expect informative and tailored sessions that will deliver insights into the latest developments, challenges and trends in travel for 2015, leaving attendees with valuable learning points to help them transform and grow their businesses,” said Nino Gruettke, Executive Director of ITB Asia.

Identifying opportunities under uncertainties

Delegates can attend a variety of sessions designed to optimise business performance in the face of ever-changing industry terrain. Manuel Ferrer, Founding Partner & Chairman of QOS Consultancy, will lead a panel discussion on strategies and tips to survive the regional trend of consolidation in the Asian hospitality and travel industry. Building on lessons learnt from regions such as Europe and the US, this session will explore how companies in Asia can take steps to strengthen and adapt their businesses to succeed in these changing environments. 

Additional sessions highlighting opportunities such as the market potential of Chinese travellers from secondary cities will also provide delegates with new insights as well as angles for potential business growth and development.

Industry insights and trends

Robb Report Singapore will host its inaugural session at this year’s event, allowing delegates access to even more in-depth analysis on the latest luxury travel trends. Amrita Banta, Managing Director of Agility Research & Strategy, and Jean-Michel Dumont, Chairman of Ruder Finn Asia, will share keynote addresses highlighting the latest insights into the ‘Affluent Asian Traveller’, and strategies for successful brand expansion in Asia respectively, before exploring these issues through panel discussions involving heads of hospitality and luxury brands from across the region.

Building on this strong line-up, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), will host a Business Travel Day, offering attendees engaging and useful content on the latest economic forecasts of business travel spend in the region, as well as insights to support expansion in the Asian travel market. GBTA will also be launching their latest Business Travel Index Report which will highlight key findings into corporate travel trends for Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC).

Managing the digital arena

Rapid digitalization and proliferation of smart devices for travel booking has led to the emergence of the new age omnichannel traveller. Navigating and leveraging the synergies between online and offline will soon be essential to the way travel agencies run their businesses. Delegates can hear from Laurens Van Den Oever, Global Director - Travel and Tourism, GfK share his insights into how elements such as e-vouchers, in store terminals and online applications can work together to create a vibrant market place of the future.

The powerful line up of events continues with the highly-anticipated TTG Asia Conference focusing on travel operators’ usage of the 5Cs – Cloud, Content, Channels, Customer Marketing and C-level strategy – to stay ahead. The conference will also detail what it means to for travel trade companies to adopt a mobile-first approach, expand their range of content, launch successful digital campaigns as well as how to build a tech-savvy workforce. The winner of the prestigious TTG Asia 40tude Innovator Award will also be announced at the event.

A talk by Andrew Demaria, Executive Producer for CNN Digital Asia and CNN Travel will explore how travel companies are using big data analytics tools to connect with the digital traveller.

Furthermore, a session outlining how innovation in travel technology is opening up Asian markets to Western business travellers by Blacklane Limousines‎ will demonstrate some of the untapped potential of the Asian travel market, raising awareness of how travel technology has facilitated increased investment in Asia through improving mobility for international business people on the ground.

Growth of events in Asia

American Express Meetings & Events will help to shed some light on issues impacting the meetings space including digital meetings solutions, planning in emerging markets, tips for successful sourcing and insights on how to make the most of key industry trends for 2015.

MPI will help delegates explore the impact and design of incentive meetings to achieve business results. The session will examine the potential advantages and disadvantages of including business components in incentive meetings, while also allowing delegates to learn from the latest global trends.

Through ITB Asia’s partnership with leading conference management company, K.I.T. Group, this year’s conference programme will also see two back to back educational sessions on the growth and outlook of international association events in Asia.

Last year, the ITB Asia attracted close to 9,100 attendees, representing over 110 countries and these numbers are expected to grow again this year underscoring the ability of attendees to “meet the world” at this three day event.

As a global platform to share industry insights and best practices, ITB Asia operates alongside the Web in Travel (WIT) Conference as an essential networking platform for all players in the travel industry. ITB Asia is also a partner event of TravelRave 2013, a mega travel and tourism festival week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.

XiamenAir's next 20-years ambition

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

XiamenAir has outlined details of its next 20-years ambition as it operates its B787 Dreamliner jet, introduces new cabin crew attire colours and opens new routes to Jakarta, Suvarnabhumi and Kuala Lumpur this week.

XiamenAir aims to be one of the main Chinese international airlines operating a fleet of 360 jets, employing more than 400,000 workers, operating daily 1300 flights on more than 300 scheduled route sectors, achieving an annual passenger flow of 700,000,000 and inaugurating 50 more regional and international routes besides operating daily 150 international and regional flights to 40 Asia-Pacific cities in the next 20 years.

In late 2014 and 2015, XiamenAir will receive 6 Boeing B787 Dreamliners which will enable the airline to inaugurate its first North American and European flights to San Francisco from Fuzhou and from Xiamen to Paris.

XiamenAir receives its first B787 Dreamliner B-2768 on 31 August 2014 and operates its first B787 Dreamliner domestic flight from Fuzhou to Beijing Capital on 6 September 2014 followed by the same service on the Xiamen-Beijing Capital route sectors.

XiamenAir's B787 Dreamliner has a three-cabin configuration with a total of 237 seats, four First Class seats, 18 Business Class seats and 215 Economy Class seats. Each seat can recline at 180 Degrees. The legroom of its Economy Class seat measures 84 cm. It enables passengers better relaxation onboard. Each seat has a power point and an inflight entertainment screen. Kids travelling onboard the Dreamliner can watch entertainment shows on XiamenAir's Kids Channel.

By the end of 2014, in conjunction with the introduction of the environmental-friendly Dreamliner aircraft, XiamenAir's cabin crew uniform will change to shades of blue, ending the purple attire which has been in use such 2003.

On 25 September 2014, XiamenAir links Tianjin with Suvarnabhumi via Fuzhou (MF821/MF822) and Tianjin with Jakarta via Xiamen (MF867/MF868). On the same day, it launches indirect scheduled flights linking Zhengzhou and Kuala Lumpur with a one-hour stopover in Xiamen under flight MF847/MF848. It has also opened scheduled flights linking Xiamen with Siem Reap.

Sayacinta - Airpost's new Twitter page

Special Announcement

Sayacinta - Airpost that has been disseminating airline and travel news online to other online aviation travel news agencies, presses, travel agents, airlines, hoteliers, travel mart organizers and individuals in the world, has now officiated its Twitter page at twitter.com/asianperu.

Readers can access to the Twitter page to check what has been reported about the entities and destinations so far by Sayacinta - Airpost. In years to come, it will expand its flight news coverage to include under-reported aviation travel news from Latin America in cooperation with myflightis.com, based in Buenos Aires.

Sayacinta - Airpost migrated from the Multiply platform in 2012 to the Blogger platform to provide better aviation travel news services to the travel industry, media and friends. It initially existed on the Multiply platform in 2005.

Sayacinta - Airpost is published by Kucinta Setia that previously published and distributed heritage collections such as Odes to Edibles, ASIA.PERU Exports in Singapore, the US and Australia.

Launch dates of new Cambodian airlines

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

Two new Cambodian airlines owned by Chinese and Cambodian investors are planning to launch domestic flights in September 2014. They are Apsara International Air (Apsara Air, in short) and Bassaka Air.

Apsara Air has received its first Airbus A320 aircraft on 8 September 2014 and will launch daily flights from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh on 20 September 2014 before launching flights to 15 Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Xiamen and at a later stage to Seoul-Incheon, Tokyo-Narita and Russia.

Apsara Air is co-owned by Air Hanuman, an airline ticket wholesaler based in Siem Reap which previously operated charter flights to Utapao from Siem Reap in 2012 using TonleSap Airlines aircraft. The Chief Marketing Officer of Apsara Air, Chris Ho, is Air Hanuman's founder.

Apsara Air's logo shows a Cambodian Apsara dancer whose wings look similar to the wings of Japan Airlines' crane. It has been endorsed as an authentic Cambodian airline.

Bassaka Air previously known as PP Air plans to operate charter flights only but it did not reveal the exact date of its launch in September 2014.

Cambodia Bayon Airlines partially owned by China's AVIC will launch scheduled flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and Silhanouville on 21 December 2014.

If Bassaka Air successfully launched flights later this month, Cambodia will have six private airlines by end of December. They include Cambodia Bayon Airlines, Skywings Asia Airlines, Wat Phnom Airlines, Legacy Air, Bassaka Air and Apsara Air.

Praise and Worship Service in Kuta, Bali

Heritage Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                               / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone

Kuta is not all about windsurfing, swimming and beach-side shopping. It is also a small town where tourists can worship God  but where to find a spiritual place or worship where there is no church building, no mosque and no temple?

God has a way for travellers who want to keep the seventh day (Saturday) a distinct different day from the rest of the week in Kuta. He negotiated with the management of Harris Hotel & Residences Riverview Kuta who allowed the brethren of Bali's Seventh-Day Adventist Church to rent a meeting room in Harris Riverview four years ago and started a small congregation in the hotel.

The congregation in Harris Riverview form the SDA Halleluyah Church of today. This hotel church has attracted tourists from as far as Tanzania and I was blessed to worship with them on 13 September.

Worship is mainly in Bahasa Indonesia with intermittent short English translations by the speakers and members. The worship starts with an hour of Christians singing hymns in Bahasa Indonesia and English followed by a one-hour sermon.

Sabbath is the birthday of humanity and it is delightful to end the worship service with a birthday song wishing everyone Happy Sabbath, Shalom and Happy Birthday! Free lunch after the service is a privilege for all.

Address: SDA Halleluyah Church, Harris Hotel & Residences Riverview Kuta, Jalan Raya Kuta No. 62, Kuta, Bali. Facebook : gmahk.halleluyah.bali. Contact member lucy.pakpahan@yahoo.com or call Harris for directions.

Stay at Harris Hotel & Residences Riverview Kuta at 50 USD per room per night. Harris is Indonesia's largest chain of budget hotels with branches in Batam, Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta, Makassar and other major cities of Indonesia. It is known to play host to Gospel camps, worship services and conferences in Indonesia.

Singapore Airlines wins Skytrax Awards while its subsidiaries were nominated

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

Singapore's best Airline, Singapore Airlines, has won the Best First Class Cabin Award and Best Business Class Seat announced in Skytrax the World Airline Awards at Farnborough International Airshow. Having an award from The Skytrax World Airline Awards is a global benchmark of airline excellence.

Singapore Airlines outbeat All Nippon Airways and Etihad Airways to win first place in the Best First Class Cabin Award.  It also outbeat Japan Airlines and Oman Air to win first place in the Best Business Class Seat Award. However, it has not won any award in the categories of Premium Economy and Best Asia Airline Awards. The Best Economy Class Seat Award goes to Saudi Arabian Airlines while Singapore Airlines is ranked sixth under the same award category.

Singapore Airlines' subsidiaries Scoot and SilkAir have also been nominated under separate award categories by Skytrax.

Many highly-influential First Class passengers prefer to travel with Singapore Airlines due to the highly-pampered service onboard and seat screens that work but Economy Class passengers often complain of seat screens that are unable to work. Besides, Singapore Airlines should only supply each Economy Class seat with a pillow as both the mattress and pillow on the Economy Class take up space and make the roomier space with wide legroom more cramped.

Singapore Airlines is ranked fifth this year for the Best Airline Staff Service in Asia by Skytrax. The first winner of the Skytrax Best Airline Staff Service in Asia Award goes to Thai Airways International. Garuda Indonesia is the second runner-up.

The male crew of Singapore Airlines onboard should smile more. Singapore Airlines should actively promote and market the image of the Singapore Crew instead of the Singapore Girl image although she is the pride of Singapore.

In terms of airline catering, Singapore Airlines is ranked sixth in the category of Best Economy Class Catering and third in the category of Best First Class Catering.

Singapore Airlines' low-cost long-haul subsidiary Scoot is ranked fourth in the Best Low-Cost Premium Cabin Airline Award category by Skytrax this year while SilkAir is third behind Bangkok Airways and  Dragonair under the Best Regional Airline in Asia Award category in 2014.

Tigerair due to the lacklustre inflight and customer service quality is ranked eighth in the Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia Award category behind SpiceJet. The Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia Award goes to AirAsia Berhad. Jetstar Asia Airways is ranked fourth.

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines has launched its Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix KrisShop Edition onboard its flights in September 2014 selling exorbitant special collectibles, with the polo T-shirts selling at 63 Singapore Dollars each and 1oz 999.9 Gold Medallion selling at 3088 Singapore Dollars each. There are numerous Chinese translation and grammatical errors in this KrisShop edition collectible though. The publisher of KrisShop should improve the quality of the Chinese translation to attract passengers to buy Singapore Airlines' duty-free items. A lacklustre inflight magazine can be a contributing factor to a lower ranking in the Best Airline Seat Award.

Singapore Airlines maintains third position in the Skytrax Airline of the Year Award overall.

Airport Review : Ngurah Rai International Airport, Kuta, Denpasar, Bali

Airport Review : Gan Yung Chyan
                         / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone

Ngurah Rai International Airport, after modernization, is now Indonesia's most beautiful airport. The pictures below show the architectural beauty and inner beauty of the airport. However, like KLIA2, it has only a pair of toilets on each level. Queues at the toilets are expected if passenger numbers exceed the airport's target.

Currently, domestic and international flights are handled in the same new terminal but in a few months' time, the refurbished domestic terminal will re-open to handle domestic flights.