Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Lao Airlines is marketing promotional fares and distributing free pens, mug holders, its latest route maps showing new destinations Busan and Changsha, and Champa Muanglao frequent flier application forms at NATAS Holidays 2015.
Promotional fares are for passenger departures from Singapore to Vientiane on Wednesdays, all-in promotional fare which is 360 Singapore Dollars, and all-in promotional fare of only 260 Singapore Dollars for departures to Vientiane on Fridays.
All-in promotional fare from Singapore to Luang Prabang via Vientiane for departures on Fridays only is 320 Singapore Dollars.
Travel must complete by 30 September 2015.
The new promotion fares for departures in October to December are only available after 2 August 2015.
Lao Airlines has resumed scheduled flights to Busan from Vientiane on 25 July 2015. Flights are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flight QV915 departs from Vientiane at 12.15 am, arrives in Busan at 6.50 am before leaving Busan at 7.50 am and returning to Vientiane at 11.05 am under QV916.
Weekly scheduled charter flights to Changsha from Vientiane pending for regulatory approval are due to begin in mid-August 2015. The airline signed with a Chinese travel agency in July 2015 to start regular charter flights in August according to Lao Airlines Facebook.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
From 31 July to 31 August 2015, Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines is marketing its discounted return fare of 770 Singapore Dollars for two passengers to go together to Paro from Singapore to celebrate Singapore's 50th year of independence. This cheapest international return fare to Paro, the gateway to Bhutan is inclusive of taxes and surcharges but excludes entry visa fee of 43 US Dollars to Bhutan.
Drukair has printed its flight schedules for the Singapore public and travel itineraries. Their staff are distributing them at NATAS Holidays 2015 till 2 August and at their Singapore office at Albert Street Complex on weekdays.
Travel to Paro must complete by 15 September 2015.
There will be a special Bhutan tourism introduction by Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines at Campers' Corner on 51 Waterloo Street on 3 August at 7.30 pm.
Tourism Council of Bhutan is also at NATAS Travel Holidays 2015 to provide travel advice to the public.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA STIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Air Serbia, a member of the Etihad Airways Partners Group, is marketing its long-haul flight services under Etihad Airways booth at NATAS Holidays 2015 in Singapre from 31 July to 2 August 2015.
With support from code-sharing and entity partner, Etihad Airways, Air Serbia proudly offers long-haul fares from Singapore to Belgrade and beyond via Abu Dhabi, the major hub of Etihad flights. It offers competitive fares to travel in and around Europe with its European hub operation at Belgrade's Nikosla Tesla Airport.
Air Serbia participates in the Bill-Settlement Plan (BSP) in Singapore and offers a commission to the Agency communnity, selling Air Serbia's fare products.
Air Serbia was launched on 26 October 2013 as the national airline of the Republic of Serbia. It however dates back to 1927, when its predecessor Aeroput was established. The Serbian Government holds a stake of 51 per cent in the airline while the remaining equity stake is held by Etihad Airways It serves more than 40 destinations across Europe, the Mediterranean and Middle East from Belgrade.
Air Serbia currently operates a fleet of 10 narrow-bodied (8 Airbus A319 and 2 Airbus A320) and 6 turboprop aircraft (3 ATR 72-200 and 3 ATR 72-500). Long time Singapore resident Dane Kondic is the CEO of the airline.
Air Serbia distributes brochures, Dane's official word of gratefulness to passengers and airline logo agent stickers at NATAS Holidays 2015. Etihad Singapore office can process Air Serbia group bookings
Visit www.airserbia.com for more information about Air Serbia.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Etihad Airways has notified Sayacinta - Airpost that it is launching daily B787-900 Dreamliner flights to Singapore from Abu Dhabi from 1 August 2015. The new flight schedules are as follows:-
Etihad Dreamliner flight EY470 departs from Abu Dhabi for Singapore at 10 pm on 1 August 2015. arrives in Singapore on 2 August at 10.15 am. At 8.10 pm on the same day, it departs for Abu Dhabi at 8.10 pm and touches down in Abu Dhabi at local time 11.45 pm under EY473.
Etihad Airways provides convenient shuttle bus services from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and frequent onward connections to its European and other continental destinations from Abu Dhabi.
To celebrate the new flights, Etihad Airways is promoting all-in return fares from 688 Singapore Dollars until 3 August 2015 for flights until 31 March 2016.
Etihad Airways no longer flies to Brisbane from Singapore since end of May 2015.
Etihad Airways is exhibiting at NATAS Holidays 2015 from 31 July to 2 August 2015 at Singapore Expo Halls 3B and 4.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
After an absence of at least six months, Jetstar Pacific Airlines has re-launched its inflight magazine under the title JetstarPacific in mid-July 2015. Available on its routes with a higher density of Vietnamese passengers and at its Ho Chi Minh City headquarters, it is a bimonthly publication published by Publicitas Publishing which has opened an office in the city to publish and print the magazine on behalf of the airline.
The June/July 2015 issue of JetstarPacific covers Singapore cocktail bars, Bangkok and the Hai Van Pass among others. It also reveals that after new destination Hong Kong, Jetstar Pacific Airlines has a plan to launch Vietnam's first scheduled flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Denpasar, Bali.
Jetstar Pacific Airlines is launching scheduled flights from Hanoi to Hong Kong on 7 September 2015. Its other international routes include Ho Chi Minh City-Singapore, -Bangkok and Danang-Macau.
JetstarPacific is not available on its Singapore route.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Jetstar Pacific Airlines launches direct scheduled flights to Hong Kong from Hanoi from 7 September 2015. Flights between the two cities operate on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays using its Airbus A320 aircraft.
On 7 September 2015, flight BL678 leaves Hanoi at 4.15 pm, arrives in Hong Kong at 7.05 pm before departing from Hong Kong at 7.55 pm and touching down in Hanoi at 8.55 pm under BL679.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
In a surprise move, Bhutan's first private airline and a member of Tashi Group of Companies, Bhutan Airlines (also known as Tashi Air Pvt Ltd), is launching its first chartered flight to Singapore on 20 November 2015, according to Singaporean package tour operator ASA Holidays Air One Aviation that is marketing Bhutan Airlines' chartered flights to Singapore under its ASA Holidays Charters' Bhutan Happiness Kingdom tour packages.
On 20 November 2015, Bhutan Airlines' Airbus A319 flight B3 704 departs from Paro for Singapore at 5 pm (7 pm Singapore time) and arrives in Singapore on 21 November 2015 at 1.30 am. The airline has the option to refuel in Kolkata along the way.
On 21 November 2015, Bhutan Airlines departs from Singapore at 6 am under flight B3 705, transits in Kolkata for refueling, a stage which will take 40 minutes, and returns to Paro at 9 am (11 am Singapore time). It departs from Paro on 24 November 2015 at 5 pm under B3 704 and touches down in Singapore on 25 November 2015 at 1.30 am.
Bhutan Airlines will operate further five more return chartered flights between Singapore and Paro on 1 December, 6 December, 11 December, 16 December and 21 December 2015.
According to ASA Holidays Air One Aviation, it has been chartering Bhutan Airlines' flights from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi for Singapore group tours to Paro with a stopover in Kolkata and the last chartered flight from Suvarnabhumi is 14 November 2015 before the 5 Days 4 Nights tour begins.
The ASA Holidays Charters' current 6 Days / 7 Days Bhutan Happiness Kingdom tour packages also utilize Bhutan Airlines' Airbus A319 aircraft but the flight takes off from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi instead.
Its current 7 Days Magical of Bhutan tour packages utilize Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines' A319 aircraft which departs from Singapore via Kolkata without any stopover in Suvarnabhumi.
Interested customers can purchase ASA Holidays Charters' various Bhutan group tour packages from ASA Holidays Air One Aviation at its roadshow at Suntec City until 26 July, its offices daily and at NATAS Holidays 2015 from 31 July to 2 August 2015.
According to Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper, Bhutan Airlines earlier this year applied to the civil aviation authorities of Bhutan and Myanmar for a new route to Singapore via Yangon. However, the Myanmar authority has rejected the application as there are no fifth freedom rights for the airlines of Bhutan to operate any onward flight to Singapore unless Bhutan gives up its fifth freedom right to operate flights to Suvarnabhumi via Yangon.
Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines plans to resume flights to Yangon from Paro by 2016 and may resume flights to Suvarnabhumi via Yangon according to market demand.
Bhutan Airlines initially planned to launch future scheduled flights to Singapore from Paro via Dhaka. It currently flies from Paro to Kolkata, Suvarnabhumi, Kathmandu and commences weekly flights to Delhi on 16 September 2015. Besides Singapore, its other planned scheduled destinations include Bagdogra, Yangon, Hong Kong and Dubai.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
At Travel Revolution Fair 2015, Air China not only formally announced to the public its 30th year of flight operations from Beijing to Singapore, but also announced in its latest brochure that it is launching long-haul flights from Beijing to Johannesburg on 30 August 2015. It recently launched new flights to Hakodate in Hokkaido on 3 July 2015, and to Budapest via Minsk, the capital of Belarus on 1 May 2015 from Beijing.
Air China began its inaugural flight from Beijing to Singapore on 17 June 1985 in the name of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Since then it has increased its routes to include Chengdu (after absorbing China Southwest Airlines in the 1990s), introduced short-period services to Hangzhou and Qingdao (operated by its subsidiary Shandong Airlines) and to Shenzhen operated by its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines.
To celebrate the anniversary, Air China is selling fares to Beijing and Chengdu at a discount of 30 Singapore Dollars on its Singapore web-site www.airchina.sg though 31 July 2015. Outbound flights are applicable through 31 December while inbound flights under the promotion are available through 26 March 2016.
On the African front, Air China launches its first direct scheduled flight from Beijing to Johannesburg at 11.15 pm on 30 August 2015 under code CA867, arrives in Johannesburg on 31 August 2015 at 7.35 am before taking off from Johannesburg at 11.40 am local time and returning to Beijing at 7.10 am on 1 September 2015 under CA868.
The Beijing-Johannesburg flights are on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while the Johannesburg outbound flights to Beijing are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flights are operated by Air China's Boeing B777-300ER aircraft.
Passengers from Johannesburg can connect in Beijing with other Air China flights to 12 Japanese and Korean cities including Hakodate, Sapporo, Sendai, Daegu and Hiroshima.
Passengers from Singapore can consider connecting in Beijing for Air China's B737-800 flights to Hakodate. Flights depart from Beijing on Mondays and Fridays at 12.10 pm for Hakodate, arrive in Hakodate at 4.35 pm under CA729 before leaving Hakodate at 5.45 pm and touching down in Beijing at 8.45 pm.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
The all-new Singapore Travel Revolution Fair (TRF) organized by the Singapore Outbound Travel Agents Association (SOTAA) takes place at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 24 July to 26 July 2015 at Halls D-F.
The second edition of TRF has attracted Air China and Myanmar National Airlines to exhibit at the travel fair for the first time. Their booths along with the booths of Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Air Mauritius and Garuda Indonesia are located at the Foyer before the entrance of Hall F.
Air China marks 30 years of flight operations to Changi Airport this year. It distributed brochures and files at TRF. Sayacinta - Airpost has suggested the airline to produce and distribute aircraft postcards at its local office to mark the anniversary.
Myanmar National Airlines distributes its Singapore GSA office MNA brochures including price lists and international flight schedules. It does not yet have any aircraft postcards and inflight magazine. Visitors can get free Myanmar snacks at the booth. Its inaugural international scheduled flight posters are pasted everywhere at TRF.
Myanmar National Airlines said the same brochures will also be distributed at NATAS Holidays 2015 next Friday to Sunday.
Air New Zealand distributes hardcopies of June and July 2015 editions of Kia Ora, its inflight magazine while Garuda Indonesia finishes distributing its Colours magazine on Friday.
Singapore Airlines markets its new Premium Economy Class seats and continues to do so during the NATAS Holidays 2015 travel fair which will be held at the Singapore Expo from 31 July to 2 August 2015.
No radio DJs appear at TRF and among the exhibitors, Taiwanese travel trade exhibitors number the most. They offer free samplings of Taiwanese snacks, tea as well as an array of Taiwanese cultural products and invitations to visitors to participate in the Taipei 101 stairs-run-up contest. There are also Korean and Japanese Tourism booths. Okinawa has its separate booth at TRF.
The major travel agents printed too many holiday package brochures that resulted in much rubbish outside the exhibition halls. There are not many visitors by 6 pm but SOTAA is confident to rein in more travel package buyers towards the end of the week.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
XiamenAir has repositioned Jiangxi Airlines as Nanchang's low-cost carrier in a bid to fend off competition from Spring Airlines and 9Air, two puritan low-cost airlines of China. It will be XiamenAir's low-cost subsidiary.
Jiangxi Airlines which obtained its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 2 March 2015 has deferred launch of its flight operations from mid-June 2015 till at least October 2015.
The airline has seen management restructuring including its CEO, the manager of Xiamen Airlines Nanchang Branch Office and now its management board are staff from XiamenAir deployed from different departments.
Jiangxi Airlines has not confirmed which logo to adopt after the quest for the desired official logo ended more than five months ago. When it will be launched, it would initially utilize older XiamenAir Boeing B737 aircraft for its domestic flight services.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Thai Lion Air is launching a daily flight from Don Mueang to Singapore on 15 August 2015. On this day, flight SL8800 departs from Don Mueang for Singapore at 7.40 am, arrives in Singapore at 11.20 am before leaving Singapore at 12.20 pm and returning to Don Mueang at 1.30 pm under SL8801. Flights are operated by its Boeing B737-800ER aircraft. Etickets are now on sale at Thai Lion Air web-site www.lionairthai.com .
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone
Oman Air has opened its regional branch office in Singapore to process sales and ticketing matters pertaining to Oman Air's flights to Muscat, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It is located at The Gateway East Tower #06-08, 152 Beach Road, Singapore 189721. Sales / Tel : 66030130. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays 9 am to 6 pm. Emails : ticketing.sin@omanair.com, sales.sin@omanair.com.
It has also opened its Changi Airport operations office at Terminal 3, #B1-52. Tel : 68220828.
Oman Air's office is no longer located at Serangoon Air Travel after the latter's moveover to a smaller unit at The Verge.
Oman Air will exhibit its products and services at the coming NATAS Holidays 2015 to be held at the Singapore Expo from 31 July to 2 August 2015. Other airline exhibitors include Garuda Indonesia, Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines, Lao Airlines, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways.
Oman Air flies from Singapore to Muscat and Kuala Lumpur.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Following the launch of the Amsterdam flight, XiamenAir is launching Dreamliner flights to Tokyo from Xiamen on 16 August 2015.
On 16 August, XiamenAir flight MF829 departs from Xiamen for Tokyo at 10 am, arrives in Tokyo at 2.45 pm before leaving Tokyo at 3.55 pm and touching down in Xiamen at 7.15 pm under MF830. Flights are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
XiamenAir has launched flights from Xiamen to Osaka before 4 July and on 16 July 2015 it is launching flights from Fuzhou to Osaka under codes MF835/MF836.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
XiamenAir announced that from 26 July 2015 it will fly in code-sharing arrangements with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from Amsterdam to twelve European cities including London, Manchester, Rome, Venice, Florence, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Zurich, Brussels, Stockholm and Vienna. The MF code will be placed on KLM's flights to these cities.
XiamenAir launches its first long-haul flight to Amsterdam from Xiamen on 26 July 2015 using a B787 Dreamliner.
In return, KLM will also place its KL code on XiamenAir's flights from Xiamen to Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Qingdao, Chongqing, Kunming, Changsha, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou and Ningbo.
XiamenAir has also expanded its international sales and ticketing network to include Portugal, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates where new XiamenAir's General Sales Agents have been recently appointed. Its offline Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) network operated by its pool of General Sales Agents (GSA) now covers 19 countries in Asia, North America, Europe, Australia and Africa where XiamenAir does not fly to. E-tickets are bookable on Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre international GDS platforms.
XiamenAir plans to add Russia, Hungary, Vietnam and Argentina to its offline BSP network soon.
Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Myanmar National Airlines (MNA/UB) has notified Sayacinta - Airpost that it is launching its maiden scheduled flight to Singapore in its new Boeing B737-800 livery on 17 August 2015. MNA flights between Yangon and Singapore with no stop over in Naypidaw will operate six times a week excluding Saturdays.
On 17 August 2015 (Monday), MNA flight UB1 departs from Yangon for Singapore at 10.15 am, arrives in Singapore at 2.45 pm before embarking on the return journey to Yangon at 4 pm and touching down in Yangon at 5.30 pm under flight UB2.
The cheapest return fares (Economy Super Saver fares) of Myanmar National Airlines including taxes and surcharges from Singapore start from 289 Singapore Dollars. Economy discount fares start from 518.90 Singapore Dollars, which are more expensive than online fares of Myanmar Airways International, MNA's immediate full-service rival.
The new Yangon-Singapore-Yangon time slots were granted to MNA under a priority basis although Sayacinta - Airpost understands that Myanmar budget carrier Golden Myanmar Airlines has applied to Myanmar's Ministry of Transportation (MOT) to resume flights to Singapore. Golden Myanmar Airlines which cancelled flights to Suvarnabhumi in April 2015 has yet to inform Sayacinta - Airpost the actual date of flight resumption.
Meanwhile, Myanmar National Airlines is confident that its convenient domestic flight connections to more than 20 Myanmar cities and towns from Yangon, its new inflight services onboard its first B737-800 which boast the new Premium Economy Class with seats that recline up to 360 degrees and the unique MNA airstreamUB inflight entertainment system that allow passengers including smartphone and tablet users to download its inflight entertainment system application MNA inflight entertainment or airstream-ub from iTunes or the Google Play store before boarding the flights, will attract travellers to choose to fly with the airline to Myanmar.
With the addition of MNA flights, there will be 46 weekly return flights between Singapore and Myanmar providing more than 15,000 weekly seats, including SilkAir flights which operate on a Singapore-Yangon-Mandalay-Singapore routing.
Myanmar National Airlines has appointed Discover The World Marketing located at The Bencoolen Office Tower as its GSA and ticket sales office in Singapore. Tel : 62388603. Email : flymna@discovertheworld.com.sg .
