Shwedagon : The stunning symbol of Myanmar unity

Heritage Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Updated 20 September 2020

Coming to Yangon, it is necessary to visit Shwedagon Pagoda, the important symbol of Yangon and the stunning symbol of Myanmar unity. It is the most noticable ancient architecture noticed from four sides of the city besides the tallest commercial building, the twenty-storied Sakura Tower that overlooks Shwedagon Pagoda and the environs.

Shwedagon Pagoda, where the relics of four Buddhas were enshrined, was built over 2,500 years. Visitors that did not step into this place would think that it is only one pagoda structure. In fact, Shwedagon Pagoda is the largest pagoda complex or temple museum of Southeast Asia. Besides the main Shwedagon Pagoda that stands out stunning at nights, it has an Indian temple, a Myanmar-style Chinese pagoda built by the local Chinese community and other pagodas of other Myanmar races.

National races living in Myanmar comprise Bamar (the majority), Kachin, Karen, Kayar, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan who speak in their own languages and English and have their own traditional attires and ways of dressing. Majority of people are Buddhists while there are also Christians.

For instance, the Chin tribe who live in Chin State bordering India, Myuangmya and Yangon are Christians belonging to the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination. We believe that the first day of the week is Sunday and the week ends on Saturday. We rest from labour on Saturday (Sabbath) and look forward to Jesus Christ's Second Coming.

It is best to visit Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, a city with a population of five million, in November and December when it is winter. It is also less hot but it is rainy from May to October. Yangon records very high temperatures and sometimes dry spells from January to April.

Visitors coming to Shwedagon Pagoda during the dry season of 2014 are likely to see the reknown Dhammazedi Bell restored to glory here in early 2014 if it were salvaged successfully from the confluence of Yangon and Bago Rivers in a joint-effort led by Singaporean company SD Mark International LLP and the Historical Research Department of the Ministry of Culture.

Dhammazedi Bell and its relation with Shwedagon Pagoda

Dhammazedi Bell, made by highly skilled Mon craftsmen, is covered in letters from top to bottom that relate Myanmar's ancient history. It was cast in 1476 by King Dhammazedi, the nineth king of the Mon Dynasty based in Hanthawaddy (present-day Bago), and installed in Shwedagon Pagoda as he felt guilty about taking land from the Shwedagon Pagoda precinct. It remained there until the early 1600s, when Portuguese mercenary Filipe de Brito y Nicote located it in order to melt it down and cast cannons for his settlement at Syriam, now Than Lyin. En-route to Syriam, it plunged into the waters at the confluence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers, never to be salvaged successfully.

XiamenAir delays inaugural flights to Jakarta to September 2013

News Release by XiamenAir

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                   / KUCINTA SETIA

XiamenAir has re-scheduled its inaugural flights from Zhengzhou, Xiamen and Fuzhou to Jakarta to September 2013.

The Zhengzhou-Fuzhou-Jakarta routes will be open officially on 12 September under flight codes MF869/70 and there are four flights every week. The Zhengzhou-Xiamen-Jakarta routes will be launched on 14 September under flight codes MF867/8 and there are three flights each week. The routes will be operated in turn between Zhengzhou, Fuzhou and Jakarta.

Besides the Jakarta routes, Xiamen Airlines also plans to resume flights from Xiamen and Fuzhou to Bangkok during winter this year and will run the Xiamen-Manila route to further improve its service network in Southeast Asia.

Inflight Review : Golden Myanmar Airlines on 6 - 8 August 2013

Inflight Review by : Gan Yung Chyan
                            / KUCINTA SETIA
Updated 20 September 2020

Routes : Singapore - Yangon - Mandalay and Mandalay - Yangon - Singapore.

Airline : Golden Myanmar Airlines.

Inflight Service : Service is excellent. The air hostesses and air stewards are passionate about their work. They are always on smiles, unlike Jetstar, AirAsia and Tigerair cabin crew.

Inflight Magazine : Eazyfly is provided onboard for reading and may be kept as a souvenir of a Golden Myanmar Airlines flight. Information about Myanmar customs and immigration are helpful. For instance it is the only travel media to announce MasterCard and VISA debit cards are accepted for cash withdrawals at CB Bank outlets in Myanmar.

Safety Demonstrations : Adequate. Safety Card is always in rough, used condition.

Postcard / Stationery : Aircraft postcards and stationery items are not available onboard or its offices, including the Head Office. However like other airlines flying to Yangon, Golden Myanmar Airlines issues arrival cards or copies of arrival cards showing the airline logo and departure cards showing the same logo upon checking-in at Yangon International Airport.

Sky Shop : Although Golden Myanmar Airlines mentions duty-free items are available onboard, the crew never brings out the shopping cart for passengers' selections. This is very good news for budget travellers.

Onboard Meals and Refreshments : Onboard meals cannot be ordered on-line. They can be ordered during booking at travel agents and airline sales offices . Hot meals are served much faster than Tigerair and other major LCCs of Asia-Pacific. Prices of refreshments, drinks and hot meals are the lowest in the region. Be sure you have the correct amount of cash to pay for meals and refreshments although a cabin crew may decline to accept 1 US Dollar more if there is not enough change.

Surcharge :  Passengers are required to pay a sudden surcharge of 6 US Dollars to 10 US Dollars for changing a seat onboard. For example, if you want to change from Seat 5A to Seat 1A at the Exit Row, a surcharge of 10 US Dollars must be paid.

Booking : Electronic tickets are issued via email or at sales offices upon payment confirmation via cash, debit cards or credit cards. Terms and conditions are not forwarded by email, however.

Overall Impression : A LCC that can be the best in Southeast Asia.

Status of Airport Office address : Golden Myanmar Airlines' Changi Airport office has changed unit number to 04-18 although its Head Office refuses to change the error 04-8 on its brochures to this unit number.

Asian Wings Airways to launch new flights to Gaya from Yangon and Mandalay

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

One of Myanmar's small regional airlines, Asian Wings Airways, plans to introduce new scheduled flights to Gaya, India, from Yangon and Mandalay by end of 2013.

In a pre-ITB Asia 2013 show visit to Yangon on 6 August to determine which Myanmar airline will exhibit in ITB Asia this year, Sayacinta - Airpost learnt from Ye Myat Min, the Research & Development Manager of Asian Wings Airways. that the airline is now concentrating on plans to fly direct to Gaya from Yangon and Mandalay in October 2013 since it has submitted its application to exhibit in ITB Asia 2013 after the deadline for exhibitor registration.

Preliminary flight schedules show that Asian Wings Airways flies to Gaya from Yangon on Sundays and to Gaya from Mandalay on Saturdays using its new Airbus A321-112 aircraft, flying to Gaya from Yangon at 5 am, arriving in Gaya at 5.55 am, before departing from Gaya at 7.25 am and touching down in Yangon at 10.20 am. Saturday flights from Mandalay depart at 7.55 am, touching down in Gaya at 8.40 am before departing from Gaya at 9.40 am and arriving in Mandalay at 12.25 pm. The outbound flight code from Myanmar is YJ 5511 while the inbound flight code from Gaya is YJ 5522.

Subsequently, the airline has withdrawn its late application to exhibit during ITB Asia 2013 in favour of a re-participation in ITB Asia 2014.

Ye Myat Min reveals to Sayacinta - Airpost that Singapore will be the third international destination that Asian Wings Airways plans to fly to within one to two years' time and a possible announcement will be made to the travel media during ITB Asia 2014.

Sayacinta - Airpost wishes Asian Wings Airways success in expanding its Asian route network.

Asian Wings Airways' first international destination is Chiang Mai, to which it began scheduled services to during the first week of August 2013.

Asian Wings Airways currently has no aircraft postcards among its products. However, inflight magazines, company profiles, aircraft key chains and aircraft stickers are available at its Head Office in Yangon.

Tigerair to launch daily flights to Yangon on 1 October 2013

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

Sayacinta - Airpost reported that Tigerair plans to launch flights to Yangon this year a week ago and now Tigerair has confirmed that it plans to start daily flights to the booming city of Yangon on 1 October 2013, subject to regulatory approval.

Tigerair has started to sell its Singapore-Yangon-Singapore tickets online. Raw fares start from 65 to 85 Singapore Dollars excluding taxes.

On 1 October 2013 (Tuesday), flight TR2826 departs for Yangon from Singapore at 5 pm, arriving in Yangon at 6.25 pm. About forty minutes later, flight TR2827 leaves Yangon at 7.05 pm for Singapore and touches down in Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 11.35 pm. This flight schedule will take place on Sundays, Mondays to Fridays.

On Saturdays, Tigerair flight TR2826 will fly to Yangon at 12 pm, arriving in Yangon at 1.30 pm before departing Yangon at 2.20 pm, touching down in Singapore-Changi at 6.45 pm under TR2827.

Tigerair is the third budget airline to launch flights between Singapore and Yangon after Jetstar Asia Airways and Golden Myanmar Airlines.

National Tourism Organisations expand presence at ITB Asia 2013

Press Release on ITB Asia 2013

With a significant increase in National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) participation, visitors can expect to experience a world of opportunities at ITB Asia 2013, the Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market, which will be held from 23-25 October at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition & Convention Centre.   

Organized by Messe Berlin (Singapore), ITB Asia reports an increased demand for exhibitor space and is completely sold out, four months ahead of the event. The sixth instalment of the annual trade show is welcoming back several exhibitors as well as a number of new participants.

NTOs in particular are increasing their presence significantly at the show, with many making a first time appearance including the Armenian National Tourism Organization, South Pacific Tourism Organisation, Greek National Tourism Organization, Beijing Office, Reunion Island Tourism Board and the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation.

“This year we will definitely be seeing more destinations being featured. Following past successes at ITB Asia, a number of NTOs are increasing the size of their pavilions while other exhibitors which have previously shared a stand are committing to having their own booth to enjoy more exposure at the show,” said Nino Gruettke, Executive Director of ITB Asia.

“Exhibitor demand from Europe, Asia and North America have been particularly strong this year as the tourism industries continue to focus their attention on the Asia travel market. ITB Asia is really the most effective business platform for travel professionals to meet the world at one place,” Gruettke added.

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

A number of exhibitors have also increased their booth space bookings significantly compared to last year. For example, the Chinese and Japanese exhibitors have more than tripled their exhibition space. The US contingent has doubled its presence from the previous year, and Russia has increased by over 70% in the search for more ASEAN travel dollars.

Other new exhibitors at this year’s show include Visit Finland, Kenya Tourism Board and The USA Brand USA Pavilion - Discovery America among others.

Last year, the show attracted close to 8500 attendees, representing over 90 countries. ITB Asia is also a partner event of TravelRave, a mega travel and tourism festival week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Source : Messe Berlin (Singapore)

Golden Myanmar Airlines opens Singapore town office on 1 July 2013

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

Golden Myanmar Airlines has opened its first foreign town office in Singapore since 1 July 2013. The address is as follows:-

111 North Bridge Road
#04-05, Peninsula Plaza
Singapore 179098
Tel : 63339980, 63339080
Fax : 63339280
Opening Hours : 10 am - 6.30 pm (Mon-Fri), 10 am - 2 pm (Sat)

Tickets sold at the foreign town office of Golden Myanmar Airlines and on-line are at the same prices. However, booking experiences show that on-line itineraries of Golden Myanmar Airlines in pdf format cannot be received via email from the airline's Head Office in Yangon. Only email slips from Globespan are received. Besides, it is impossible to book seats and onboard refreshments online as there are no options to indicate payments for seats and onboard refreshments.

The next step is opening a town office in Bangkok.

For further information on Golden Myanmar Airlines' flights and services, please visit www.gmairlines.com.

Sayacinta - Airpost plans to review a Golden Myanmar Airlines' return flight on 6 August and 8 August.

Tigerair aims to enhance relations with business travellers, ends unprofitable routes

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

Tigerair aims to enhance relations with business travellers and ends unprofitable routes after the official launch of its new look on 3 July 2013. Sayacinta - Airpost learns about these Tigerair's plans after a short media trip to Tigerair's Station in Kuala Lumpur International Airport-Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (KLIA-LCCT) on 6 July.

In an endeavour to focus on building its image as an airline passionate towards excellent, warm customer service and in addition to the early sale and raw fares on its web-site, Tigerair plans to introduce "combo" and "combo plus" fares.

The "combo" fares take into account of the selected inclusion of key products like a hot meal, selections of a preferred seat and an SMS itinerary.

The "combo plus" fare is designed to meet the needs of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) business travellers and customers who travel to a destination and return the same day. In addition to the free meal and free preferred seat selection, it includes a change-fee waiver, a BoardMeFirst fee of 6 Singapore Dollars and the option to fly back on an earlier or a later flight, which is subject to availability when checking-in for these flights starts.

In order to provide variety of destination choices to all travellers, Tigerair continues to hunt for new and exciting destinations.

Besides launching new direct flights to Boracay (Kalibo), Yogyakarta and Bandung, Tigerair plans to begin new flights to other Indonesian cities like Pontianak, Makassar and Manado itself or through its Indonesian unit Tigerair Mandala. It has plans to begin flights to Ipoh, Kuala Terrenganu, Yangon, and even Mandalay in Myanmar. Options are open.

Tigerair aims to launch flights to further eight new destinations by December 2013. However, with the new flights and limited Airbus A320 aircraft, it has ended unprofitable routes or stopped services to destinations that have shown lower passenger loads such as Kota Kinabalu, Padang (Mandala's Padang-Singapore route suspended in June) and Kuching.

According to Tigerair, it will also stop direct flights of Tigerair Philippines (or SEAIR South East Asian Airlines) to Clark on 16 July 2013 so that a new domestic flight from Clark to Kalibo will be introduced on 17 July 2013 and direct flights to Kalibo from Singapore begin on 18 July 2013.

Tigerair Philippines' last flight from Clark to Singapore is on 15 July 2013. At 7.25 am, the last flight DG7792 leaves Clark for Singapore, touches down in Singapore at 10.55 am before departing for Clark at 11.25 am and arriving in Clark at 2.55 pm under DG7793.

On 17 July, DG7402 departs from Clark for Kalibo at 3.40 pm, arrives in Kalibo at 4.55 pm under DG7402 before embarking on its return journey to Clark at 5.25 pm and touching down in Clark at 6.40 pm.

The Tigerair flight from Clark to Singapore will thus transit in Kalibo from 17 July, according to Tigerair.

The roll-out of the new Tigerair corporate logo and name starts from its inflight magazines Tiger Tales and Tiger Shop since 1 July 2013 and the process of continuous change is taking place in phases systematically and smoothly across the Tigerair-branded airlines in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Feedback will be gathered from passengers after their booking, flight and call-centre interactions with Tigerair.

Tiger Tales has a bilingual English-Bahasa Indonesia edition for Tigerair Mandala, named Tiger Tales Indonesia.

Nok Air launches Mae Sot's first international flight to Myanmar in September 2013

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

Nok Air, Thai Airways International's low-cost airline subsidiary, is launching Mae Sot's first international flight link to a city in southeast Myanmar in September 2013 and its second flight link to Yangon in October 2013.

On 1 September 2013, Nok Air launches Mae Sot's first flight to Mawlamyine in southeast Myanmar at 9.45 am and arrives in Mae Sot at 9.40 am Myanmar time under flight code DD4212. Then at 10.05 am flight DD4213 ascends to the sky for Mae Sot from Mawlamyine and touches down in Mae Sot at 11.05 am. Nok Air will fly between Mae Sot and Mawlamyine daily.

On 1 October 2013, Nok Air opens daily flights to Yangon from Mae Sot at 11.35 am and arrives in Yangon at 12 pm under DD4226 before departing for Mae Sot at 12.30 pm and touches down in Mae Sot at 1.55 pm under DD4227.

The Nok Air flights from Mae Sot also end Mawlamyine's lack of  international flight services, enabling the Myanmar city to become the third city to serve international flights after Yangon and Mandalay.

Mawlamyine, formerly Moulmein, is the first capital of British Burma, the fourth largest city of Myanmar, capital and largest city of Mon State, Myanmar and southeast Myanmar's main trading centre and harbour. It is famous for its pomeloes, durians and other fruits for export from Myanmar.

Mae Sot shares Thai border with Myanmar to the west. It is a hub for gems and teak trading and the main land gateway between Thailand and Myanmar. Nok Mini, Nok Air's domestic partner operated by SGA Airlines currently flies from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot.

Tiger Airways is now Tigerair

An Extract of Tiger Airways' Media Release edited by Gan Yung Chyan.
More to reveal after Sayacinta - Airpost's visit to Tigerair Kuala Lumpur station on 6 July 2013. 

Travellers in Asia can now look forward to a brand new Tigerair, as Tiger Airways, Singapore's leading
group of budget carriers unveiled its new identity at a press conference held at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 on 3 July 2013.

Sharing his vision at the press event this morning, Koay Peng Yen, Group CEO of Tiger Airways Holdings, said, “Leisure travel is all about accumulating great experiences and memories. We hope that the new Tigerair can represent relaxation, joy and adventure in the hearts on our customers.”

The new face of Tigerair has a fresh and upbeat look that embodies its brand personality — warm, passionate and genuine. The leaping tiger that used to be the main element of Tigerair’s logo has made way for a contemporary grey rounded font typography, with blushing orange accents.

The Singapore-born and bred budget carrier has also been creating synergies with its affliates in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines by allowing customers to book connecting flights from any of these carriers. The Australian unit of Tigerair is Tigerair Australia (formerly Tiger Airways Australia). The Indonesian partner is Tigerair Mandala (previously Mandala) while the Philippines affiliate is Tigerair Philippines (also known as Tiger Airways Philippines and previously SEAIR South East Asian Airlines). Passengers can connect flights seamlessly in Singapore without clearing immigration or transferring their own luggage.

Tigerair plans to enable mobile and web check-in for all customers, allowing customers without check-in baggage to head straight to the departure lounge upon arrival at the airport. Customers can also look forward to more capabilities on offer via Tigerair’s mobile application, which currently contains many functions, including searching and booking flights, and selecting seats. The mobile app is available on
Android, Apple, and Blackberry platforms.