XiamenAir launches scheduled flights to Manila from 8 February 2015

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

XiamenAir is launching daily scheduled flights to Manila from Xiamen on 8 February 2015 using its Boeing B737-800 aircraft and introducing many new domestic routes during the winter season of 2014/2015.

On 8 February, XiamenAir flight MF819 departs from Xiamen for Manila at 6.20 pm and arrives in Manila at 8.20 pm. At 9.20 pm, it takes off under MF820 from Manila for Xiamen and returns to Xiamen at 11.20 pm.

XiamenAir also proposes to begin daily scheduled flights from Quanzhou to Manila currently on an unspecified date in the winter season. The pending Quanzhou to Manila flight departs Quanzhou at 6.10 pm and arrives in Manila at 8.20 pm under flight MF817 before it leaves Manila at 9.20 pm and touches down in Quanzhou at 11.30 pm.

Besides the new Xiamen and Quanzhou flights to Manila, XiamenAir has recently launched a weekly chartered flight route from Xiamen to Siem Reap. Flights depart every Thursday and Sunday from Xiamen at 1 pm under MF815 for Siem Reap while flights depart from Siem Reap under MF816 at 3.40 pm for Xiamen.

XiamenAir will also launch new domestic routes during the winter season. These routes include Xiamen - Yichang - Xi'An, Xiamen - Wuhan - Taiyuan, Fuzhou - Zhuhai - Kunming, Changsha - Haikou, Tianjin - Hangzhou - Guiyang, Zhengzhou - Haikou, Chongqing - Tianjin - Harbin and Jinan - Xiamen - Haikou.

To enable a smoother transiting experience for XiamenAir's passengers, the airline will in due course enable its passengers to check-in for their respective Xiamen domestic flights in Changi Airport and the airports of Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Kuala Lumpur, Suvarnabhumi, Taoyuan, Songshan and Kaohsiung which XiamenAir flies to.

Jin Air commences scheduled flight to Kota Kinabalu on 22 December 2014

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

Jin Air, ITE & MICE 2014 exhibitor and the low-cost subsidiary of Korean Air, is commencing daily flights from Seoul-Incheon to Kota Kinabalu from 22 December 2014 and from 4 March 2015 it will operate scheduled flights on the new route on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

On 22 December, Jin Air flight LJ061 leaves Seoul-Incheon for Kota Kinabalu at 6 pm and arrives in Kota Kinabalu at 10.30 pm. At 11.40 pm, flight LJ062 departs from Kota Kinabalu for Seoul-Incheon and touches down in Seoul-Incheon at 5.45 am on 23 December 2014.

Jin Air has postponed plans to start long-haul flights to Kuala Lumpur from Seoul-Incheon. On 1 December 2014, it begins regional flight from Seoul-Incheon to Fukuoka.

Jin Air currently flies internationally from Seoul-Incheon and Jeju to three cities in Japan, and cities in China such as Quanzhou and Yantai, as well as scheduled flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Suvarnabhumi, Vientiane, Clark and Cebu.

Jin Air has special ticketing offers for its Hong Kong and Macau flights. For further information, visit Jin Air at www.jinair.com.

Xpress Air starts Jakarta - Senai scheduled service on 11 December 2014

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

Xpress Air, the current second regional airline of Indonesia after Sriwijaya Air, is commencing twice-weekly scheduled services between Jakarta and Senai on 11 December 2014.

On 11 December, Xpress Air flight XN1874 departs from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 2.10 pm and arrives in Senai Airport of Johor at 5.10 pm before taking off from Senai at 5.45 pm for Jakarta and touching down in Jakarta at 6.45 pm Jakarta time.

The two-hours return flight takes place on Thursdays and Saturdays. 

Xpress Air previously operated flights to Senai from Pontianak, Kalimantan. 

Xpress Air's other Malaysian route is the Kuching - Pontianak route. Travellers can fly with Xpress Air from Pontianak to Yogyakarta.

The Jakarta - Senai route was previously operated by AirAsia.

SilkAir flies to Cairns three times a week and to Darwin six times a week from 30 May 2015

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

SilkAir flies to Cairns, Australia, three times a week and to Darwin six times a week from 30 May 2015. The scheduled flights are on Saturdays, Mondays and Thursdays.

On 30 May 2015 (Saturday), SilkAir flight MI828 departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 1.40 am and arrives in Cairns at 10.20 am local time before it departs from Cairns to Singapore via Darwin at 11.10 am. It stops over in Darwin at 1.25 pm for Darwin-bound passengers to alight before departing at 2.15 pm and touches down in Singapore at 5.20 pm.

On 1 June 2015 (Monday), SilkAir flight MI822 departs for Cairns via Darwin at 1.40 am. It transits in Darwin at 8 am before departing for Cairns at 8.50 am and arriving in Cairns at 11.50 am. Nearly an hour later, MI822 departs directly from Cairns for Singapore at 12.40 pm and arrives in Singapore at 5.20 pm. The inaugural Thursday flight on 4 June 2015 follows the Monday schedules.

The Singapore-Cairns-Darwin-Singapore and Singapore-Darwin-Cairns-Singapore circular routes will be operated by SilkAir's new generation B737-800 aircraft. SilkAir is the only airline flying to Cairns from Singapore. 

Jetstar Pacific Airlines launches daily flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

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

Jetstar Pacific Airlines launches daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport on 10 December 2014.

On 10 December, Jetstar Pacific flight BL661 departs from Ho Chi Minh City for Suvarnabhumi at 1.05 pm and arrives in Suvarnabhumi at 2.35 pm before leaving Suvarnabhumi at 3.20 pm and returning to Ho Chi Minh City at 4.50 pm under flight BL662.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines faces direct competition on the route from VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines and Thai Airways International. Its other international route is to Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City.

Jetstar Pacific Airlines Head Office has moved to Vietnam Airlines Building situated next to Tan Son Nhat International Airport of Ho Chi Minh City.

Sriwijaya Air launches new flights to Kuala Terengganu and Ipoh from 24 November 2014

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

Sriwijaya Air, Indonesia's third largest passenger airline, is commencing new scheduled flights to Malaysia from Kuala Namu International Airport, Medan, from 24 November 2014.

On 24 November 2014, Sriwijaya Air flight SJ1104 in code-sharing arrangement with new Malaysian airline You Wings, departs from Kuala Namu at 11.45 am for Kuala Terengganu and arrives in Kuala Terengganu at 1.55 pm before leaving Kuala Terengganu at 2.40 pm and touching down in Kuala Namu at 2.50 pm under flight SJ1105. Scheduled flights take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

On 25 November 2014, Sriwijaya Air begins flights to Ipoh at a new timing from Kuala Namu at 11.45 am under flight SJ1106 and arrives in Ipoh at 1.40 pm before taking off from Ipoh at 2.25 pm and returning to Kuala Namu at 2.20 pm under flight SJ1107. Scheduled flights are operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On 15 December 2014, Sriwijaya Air adds a new frequency to its daily flight to Penang from Kuala Namu. Also in code-sharing arrangement with You Wings, the new frequency starts with flight SJ1102 leaving Kuala Namu at 3.50 pm for Penang and arriving in Penang at 5.35 pm before ascending to the sky at 6.20 pm and touching down in Kuala Namu at 6 pm local time.

The Malaysian flights of Sriwijaya Air are managed by You Wings using the Boeing B737-300/400 jets of Sriwijaya Air since You Wings still does not have its own aircraft. You Wings was formerly known as Flying Fox Airways. It re-started operations in Penang airport in late June 2014 where it has been selling air tickets of Sriwijaya Air.

According to Ipoh media, You Wings started operations in Penang as it is waiting for Ipoh airport runway maintenance to complete in December 2015 before deciding to commence operations on its own from Ipoh to Don Mueang, Singapore, Macau and in the long run to cities in Japan and Australia from 2015.

Meanwhile, Sriwijaya Air is applying for the right to take over Tigerair Mandala's time slots on the Jakarta-Singapore and Yogyakarta-Palembang routes. It hopes to resume scheduled flights to Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 in 2015. 

Besides Singapore, Sriwijaya Air is in preparations to launch Indonesia's first scheduled flight from Kuala Namu to Dhaka, Bangladesh by end of December 2014 and from January 2015 to launch new scheduled flights to China from Kuala Namu and Denpasar.

Presently, Sriwijaya Air's charter flight routes link Denpasar with Chongqing, Changsha, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing and Chengdu.

Inflight Review : Malindo Air

Inflight Review by : Gan Yung Chyan

                               / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Airline : Malindo Air.

Route sectors : Singapore - Kuala Lumpur (OD804) and Kuala Lumpur - Singapore (OD805), launched since 3 November 2014.

Aircraft : The Boeing B737-800 aircraft has roomier legroom than an Airbus A321 and an inflight entertainment screen behind each Economy seat. There are no inflight entertainment screens behind Rows 1 to 3 (Business Class).

Inflight Service : Inflight entertainment on short sectors is limited to Malaysian tourism videos. Onboard OD804, inflight music keeps passengers awake. Inflight environment in flight OD805 is quieter. Service is excellent. The air hostesses and air stewards are cheerful and passionate about their work though busy throughout the one hour flight. They speak competently in Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, Hindi and English. *****

Safety Demonstrations : The air hostesses leave safety demonstrations to the inflight safety demonstration video. **

Inflight Magazine : None. Only air sickness bags and safety cards are available. The airline replenishes The New Straits Times and Focus Malaysia. ***

Postcard / Stationery : None. **

Sky Shop : None. **

Onboard Meals and Refreshments : Like Lion Air and Wings Air, only free biscuits and mineral water, tea and coffee are served on board short-haul flights. Malindo Air offers meals and beverages on flights to India and Bangladesh. *****

Surcharge :  No surcharge if passengers want to sit at the emergency rows. ******

Booking : Electronic tickets are issued at Malindo Air web-site, airport counters and Lion Air downtown ticketing offices. All ticket prices at these locations are the same. Passengers do not need to worry about paying higher fares at last minute at the airports. 

Ground service in Singapore : Very good. Keep it up. *****

Overall Impression : A full-service low-cost three-star (Good) airline that offers very low prices on flights out of Kuala Lumpur but not so for departures from Singapore. It is the ferry of the skies.

Malindo Air Web-site : www.malindoair.com.

** Poor
*** Good
***** Very good
****** Excellent

Khiri Travel wins online awards in ITB Asia 2014

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

Khiri Travel has won the "Best Asia Pacific Responsible Tourism Website" and "Best Asia Pacific Tours & Activities Website" awards at the 7th TravelMole APAC Web Awards of ITB Asia in Singapore on 31 October 2014. 

Charles Kao, the TravelMole Group Publisher told the audience that the TravelMole awards "honored the best mobile, social and technology initiatives in Asia Pacific web deployment" in the travel industry.

Award presentation: (L to R) Min Yoon, CEO, Tide Square, Charles Kao of TravelMole, award platinum sponsor Rajeev Kumar of Mystifly, and Ken Scott, who received the award on behalf of Khiri Travel Download image here

Kao said that the travel industry nominated the websites upon the invitation of TravelMole, which has around 65,000 members and subscribers in Asia Pacific. Appointed judges then shortlisted 36 of them into 12 categories. The online travel industry, most of them TravelMole subscribers in Asia Pacific, then voted for the winners.

Kao added that the shortlist criteria were based on design, ease of navigation and the ability of shortlisted websites to communicate their unique selling points in a compelling way.

The current Khiri Travel website was launched in November 2013 and is content rich, much of it underpinned by a commitment to responsible tourism supported by accreditation in the Sustainable Tourism Education Program (STEP) and a code of conduct committed to people, planet and profit.

The Khiri Travel website was developed by Bangkok-based online consultants Bedside Media, founded by Andy Chatman, Jago Gazendam and Ken Scott. 

Scott received the TravelMole awards on stage on behalf of Khiri Travel.

Apart from Khiri, other winners of the 7th TravelMole APAC web awards were Centara Hotels and Resorts, Thai Airways, Silversea Cruises, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Expedia, Airbnb, Skyscanner, Hotellink solutions, Contiki Tours, and BeMyGuest.com.

Khiri Travel Founder & CEO Willem Niemeijer, said: "We've been working very hard on our B2B website, both on user interface and content. The TravelMole awards are a great stimulus, not just for the marketing and web teams, but also for our country general managers who are instrumental in creating great experiences for our clients."

Recent Khiri Travel awards include the 16th Annual NTCC (Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce) Business Award for 'Best Tourism Company' in Thailand and the Pacific Asia Travel Association 2014 Grand Award for Heritage and Culture.

About the Khiri Travel Group

Khiri Travel, established in 1993, is an independent destination management company with its own regional network. The group has 15 offices in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives as well as a sales office in the USA. The company's detailed knowledge of the world shows in its unusual destinations, innovative itineraries and in its commitment to responsible travel throughout Southeast Asia and the world. Visit Khiri.com.

SriLankan Airlines receives its first Airbus A330-300 aircraft

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

ITE & MICE 2014 exhibitor SriLankan Airlines has received its first Airbus A330-300 aircraft. Named "City of Sri Jayawardenepura", the aircraft arrived in Colombo from Toulouse on 31 October 2014. It is the first of seven A330-300 jets the airline has ordered under its fleet renewal programme which will be completed by 2017.

SriLankan Airlines plans to add another six A330-300 aircraft and from 2016 induct seven latest-generation Airbus A350-900 aircraft to its fleet, which will help expand the airline's medium and long-haul operations by optimising fuel efficiency and bring in more new destinations to its route network.

SriLankan Airlines, that joined the Oneworld airline alliance on 1 May 2014, has unveiled an enhanced world class service where modern air travel blends in with a touch of unique Lankan natural heritage.

For instance, the new aircraft cabins are illustrated with motifs inspired by the extraordinary flora and fauna diversity, especially those of the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a UNESCO Heritage Site in Sri Lanka. The cabins also feature soothing mood lighting designed to suit dining and relaxation times.

Other novelties onboard the A330-300 aircraft of SriLankan Airlines include the Thales Avant, an Android-based audio video on demand system in both Economy and Business classes and the Touch Passenger Media Unit (TPMU) handheld, which functions as an interactive second screen for web browsing, interactive games, email and much more.

The future A350-900 aircraft of SriLankan Airlines will have a wide fuselage cross-section designed for an optimal travel experience in all classes of service, with passengers enjoying more headroom, wider panoramic windows and larger overhead storage space in addition to providing space for unmatched economy class and business solutions.

The fleet renewal programme continues at a time when SriLankan Airlines celebrates 35 years as the Sri Lanka's national flag carrier.

Congratulations, SriLankan Airlines!

Tigerair commences flights to Guangxi from 1 November 2014

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

Tigerair has commenced scheduled flights to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (formerly Guangxi Province), China, from 1 November 2014 today. 

The first Tigerair flight to Guangxi was operated on the route to Nanning, the provincial capital of Guangxi, on 1 November. It departed under flight TR2916 from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 10.05 am and arrived in Nanning at 1.15 pm. One hour later, flight TR2917 left Nanning at 2.15 pm and arrived in Singapore at 5.35 pm. This return flight is a charter flight by ASA Holidays. 

Owing to the overwhelming response to the Nanning charter flights, Tigerair decided to avail the tickets online a few days ago and turned the subsequent charter flights to Nanning into regular scheduled flights which will be operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Tigerair took up the Nanning flight slots previously operated by Sichuan Airlines.

On 15 November 2014, Tigerair inaugurates its first direct non-stop scheduled flight to Guilin from Singapore. The once-weekly flight departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 every Saturday at 8 am and arrives in Guilin at 11.35 am under flight TR2948 before taking off from Guilin at 12.35 pm and touching down in Singapore at 4.30 pm under flight TR2949.

The Singapore-Guilin route was previously operated by China Southern Airlines.