Qingdao Airlines launches flights to a bright future

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

China Northeast's youngest commercial airline Qingdao Airlines has recently launched evening daily flights between Qingdao and Shanghai Pudong, allowing passengers to connect in Pudong for one-way flights to Africa (Ethiopian Airlines), Male (Mega Maldives Airlines) and Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (AirAsia X / AirAsia).

Since 14 June 2014, Qingdao Airlines departs for Pudong from Qingdao at 8.50 pm, arriving in Pudong at 10.05 pm under QW9777 before leaving Pudong one hour later at 11.10 pm, and touching down in Qingdao at 12.35 am. Daily flights are operated by its second Airbus A320 Sharklet aircraft.

Qingdao Airlines is a joint-venture civil aviation company approved by CAAC on 6 June 2013 and established by Nanshan Group (which also owns Nanshan Business Jet and Nanshan Civil Aviation Academy in Qingdao), Qingdao Transport Development Company (Group) Ltd and Shandong Airlines Group on 12 June 2013. The carrier obtained its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from CAAC on 10 March 2014, received its first A320 Sharklet aircraft on 11 April 2014, certified operational-ready on 16 April 2014 and launched its first scheduled flight to Chengdu from Qingdao on 26 April 2014.

Direct flights from Qingdao to Changsha were launched at end of April.

On 15 May 2014, Qingdao launched thrice-weekly flights linking Qingdao with Harbin and Hailar and later daily flights between Qingdao and Pudong.

A further two Airbus A320 Sharklet jets will join Qingdao Airlines' fleet later this year. The airline has a purchase order of 23 A320 aircraft which will be delivered before 2016 and has signed an intentional order for 20 Boeing jets with the Boeing Company.

Qingdao Airlines positions itself as China's first boutique airline. It has restructured the seat configuration of the Sharklet aircraft such that each seat has wider legroom than an ordinary Airbus A320 aircraft of a budget airline, bringing comfort and happiness to passengers not only on Business Class but also Economy Class. Passengers arriving at the check-in counters of Qingdao Airlines in Qingdao Liuting International Airport are treated as VIPs. Customised meals, pre-appointed check-in, express check-in, express customs and immigration clearance services are offered to Business Class passengers on a complimentary basis.

Qingdao Airlines plans to establish overnight aircraft bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xiamen, Xi'an and Harbin, establish a national route network, and open international scheduled flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul-Incheon, Jeju, Singapore and other Southeast Asian cities as soon as possible. In the long-run, it plans to launch flights from Qingdao to Europe, North America and Australia.

Qingdao Airlines hopes to become one of the major airlines of China by 2020.

Inflight Review : Qingdao Airlines

Route : Qingdao-Pudong on 14 June 2014, flight QW9777.

Service quality of Qingdao Airlines : Excellent. On the night flight to Pudong, bread and Mount Lao mineral water are served to passengers. Cabin crew are courteous. Inflight magazines, safety cards and barf bags donning the Camelia logo of Qingdao Airlines are available.

Cost of travel to Pudong from Qingdao with Qingdao Airlines : from 100 Singapore Dollars (including taxes).

Press Release by Tigerair Mandala on ceasation of flights from 1 July 2014

PT Mandala Airlines (“Mandala”) deeply regrets to inform customers that its airline (operating under the brand-name of "Tigerair Mandala") will cease operations from 1 July 2014.

Customers who hold a flight booking with flight designator "RI" should note the following:

• All Mandala flights from now to 30 June 2014 will operate as scheduled.
• The last flight to be operated will be RI545 on 1 July 2014, HKG-DPS departure time 0235hrs.
• All other flights operated by Mandala on 1 July 2014 and thereafter will be cancelled.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Tigerair Group will assist all affected customers with either a flight transfer to a TR flight if seats are available, or a refund for tickets booked for travel on 1 July or thereafter. Tigerair has no legal obligation or responsibility to do so. All legal obligations and responsibilities still rest with Mandala.

Customers requiring assistance on flight transfer or ticket refund must contact the Mandala call centre +62 (021) 2939-6688 or the Tigerair call centre by 31 July 2014. They may also check tigerair.com for additional information.

The Board and staff of Mandala wish to thank all customers for their support and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Explore Taichung in 4 hours

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

Where to visit  within 4 hours in Taichung if you arrived in Taichung Ching Chun Kang Airport from Hong Kong? You can visit the nearby heritage town of Chingshui and the recreation town of Shalu by airport taxi. The airport taxi station is located across the street from the airport. It is a typical airport taxi shophouse of Taiwan. From here, you start to see the real community lifestyle of Taiwan that you do not find in Taipei.

Chingshui town which encompasses the Taichung airport was formerly called Gomach （牛骂头）, the community grounds of the Papora Aborigines of the Pingpu tribe in ancient times. In 1920, Gomach was renamed Chingshui as there was a 'magical' spring which supplied the communities with pure water. Ching Chun Kang Airport was named after this 'magical' spring. A symbolic fountain stands distances away from the base of Mount Aofeng with a monument erected explaining the name origin of Gomach.

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On the touristic Number 1 Street of Chingshui are famous temples Purple Cloud Temple （紫云严）, Three Kingdoms Royal Temple （三山国王庙）and Fortune Deed Temple (开基德福寺, the first Land God temple of Taichung) that were built during the Qing Dynasty. They narrated the stories and fortunes of the Han Chinese forefathers in Chingshui. In particular, Purple Cloud Temple is revered as a pilgrimage site. Around the temple are alleys and walkways that dated back to the Qing Dynasty and chessboard streets with cafes, food

courts and grocery shops lined on both sides.

If you are a history buff, Chingshui is an educational town with many relics from the 1930s and World War II. Before reaching the scenic Mount Aofeng, walk up the Japanese bridge from Dajie Road. Along the way you will notice the Cingshui Street Earthquake Memorial (to remember the 1935 Earthquake in Taichung) and the not-so-obvious Japanese Temple.  If you have time to spare, continue to walk up to the Relics of Gomach before considering any short hike to the pristine Mount Aofeng.

If one arrives in Taichung on Saturdays, the Chingshui Ghost Tunnel at Mount Aofeng, World War II's Japanese soldiers' defence base, is opened to the public.

If you do not have time to discover the Relics of Gomach  like I am, visit the Zheng Cheng Gong Monument Tower, which was erected to remember the Fujian chief commander of the Ming troops Zheng Cheng Gong (or Koxinga). See how the locals conserve the tower which now looks more like a temple.

Take in church architecture during a four-hour journey in Chingshui. Pass by Tianzhu Cathedral and Presbyterian Church to admire and take snapshots of the different denominations' architecture. Tianzhu Cathedral has a Chinese temple-like roof. Presbyterian Church  was established in 1897 and renovated in 1957. Alternatively, take a stroll or rest at the Garden of the Relics of Gomach and see recreation and Taiwanese flora in the park.

Before proceeding to Taichung Ching Chun Kang Airport, one may detour to visit a small porcelain production house in Shalu district named Aofeng Yao. Aofeng Yao is famous for supplying customised porcelain plates to Taipei 101 and one of the large porcelain production factories in Taiwan.

Through this trip, one learns that one does not need to go far to discover so many things in a small area. There is more diversity in a small destination.

Ought-to-buy product in Chingshui: Almond cookies.

Transport tips: Public buses serving Taichung airport operate on hourly basis. The Taiwan Tour Bus only operates infrequent rides per day although there is a one-daily shuttle service to Sun Moon Lake. The most convenient but expensive way to get around Chingshui is by airport taxi. Round trip starts from 2000 TWD. Travel in a rental car to the city downtown if you have at least eight hours to spare in Taichung.

HK Express and Mandarin Airlines fly from Hong Kong to Taichung daily while the latter has many flights from Taipei Sungshan. From Singapore, fly to Taipei Taoyuan, transfer to an airport bus for travel to Taipei Railway Station for a bullet train ride to Taichung city. In contrast, flying round trip to Taichung from Hong Kong is cheaper than travelling from Singapore to Taipei Taoyuan.

Other Tips: Bring plenty of AA batteries as AA batteries sold in Taichung last only 5 hours from the time of usage. Mineral water is not on sale in 7-11 stores of Taichung. Bottles of tea are common.

For more tourism and travel information in Taichung, visit www.tourism.taichung.gov.tw.

Inflight Review : HK Express

Inflight Review by : Gan Yung Chyan
                            / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press Media & Travel Professionals

Routes : Hong Kong - Taichung - Hong Kong on 13 June 2014 (in conjunction with ITE & MICE 2014 where HK Express and Taichung Tourist Authority are the exhibitors)

Airline : HK Express.

Aircraft : The Airbus A320 aircraft (still in the old livery) has bigger legroom than a Tigerair Airbus A320 aircraft. Obviously it is the only choice to travel budget from Hong Kong to other cities not served by Jetstar and Tigerair. 


Inflight Service : Service is excellent. The air hostesses and air stewards are passionate about their work though busy throughout the one hour plus flight. They speak competently in English, Cantonese and Chinese.

Safety Demonstrations : Adequate. Safety Card is in excellent condition.

Inflight Magazine : UO is the official inflight magazine of HK Express and is free for passengers. One may get it from HK Express' Head Office. Information about HK Express, cities' tourist destinations, tourism and cultures are precise helpful to passengers who wish to learn more about the airline's background and destinations. It is the best marketing tool of HK Express.

Postcard / Stationery : Aircraft postcards and stationery items are not available onboard or its offices, including the Head Office. It appears that HK Express only issues Customs Forms of Taiwan rather than Immigration Arrival/Departure forms on the Taichung route.

Sky Shop : There are duty-free items for sale onboard HK Express flights.  

Onboard Meals and Refreshments : Onboard meals and refreshments have to be paid and the air stewardesses issue receipts for sales of onboard meals and refreshments. Such a professional practice ensures no arguments between a passenger and an air stewardess over a particular inflight transaction. Hot meals are certainly better and more nutritious that hot meals of Jetstar, AirAsia X, AirAsia and Tigerair. There are two types of mineral water on sale.

Surcharge :  If a passenger wishes to upgrade his seat to one of the seats in Row 1, Rows 12 or 13, be prepared to pay a surcharge of 160 Hong Kong Dollars (less than 40 Singapore Dollars).

Booking : Electronic tickets are issued on hkexpress.com.  There is no Manage Booking function at the moment. Changes to existing bookings have to be made by contacting HK Express via an overseas call to its Call Centre outside its Head Office. HK Express accepts Singapore bank-issued debit card payments. Fares are not refundable.

Overall Impression : A low-cost airline that meets the needs of budget travellers and business travellers using boutique seats of its former full-service identity Hong Kong Express Airways and offers down-town check-in services at Airport Express Hong Kong and Kowloon Stations 24 hours before departure.  Everyone will like HK Express's inflight service.

Status of local ticketing address : No off-line ticketing office in Singapore yet. HK Express plans to launch scheduled flights to Singapore only within the next few years to replace Hong Kong Airlines. It is concentrating on opening routes to the Far East. 

Web-site : www.hkexpress.com.

HK Express inaugurates direct flights from Hong Kong to Ningbo, Busan and Nagoya

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

HK Express, Hong Kong's low-fare airline, is inaugurating direct flights from Hong Kong to Ningbo, Busan and Nagoya.

The first budget flight between Hong Kong and Ningbo begins on 31 July 2014.

The Ningbo budget flight schedules of HK Express are as follows:- departing from Hong Kong at 5.15 pm on Mondays and Saturdays, arriving in Ningbo at 7.25 pm on the same days, and departing from Hong Kong on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4.50 pm and touching down in Ningbo at 7 pm under flight UO1318. On the four days, flight UO1319 departs from Ningbo at 8.35 pm and arrives in Hong Kong at 10.55 pm.

HK Express will finalize the necessary formalities with the relevant Ningbo travel agents soon and train the agents before introducing fares on-line shortly.

Meanwhile, it goes well for HK Express' new Korean flights to Busan which will take off on 7 August at 10.20 am under flight UO1673, landing in Busan at 2.40 pm before taking off at 5.10 pm, arriving in Hong Kong at 7.35 pm under UO1674.

HK Express is also opening direct flights six-times a week to Nagoya from 25 September 2014, according to HK Express' Vice-Administrative Executive Officer Andrew Cowen. For the Hong Kong-Nagoya route, the low-cost carrier will introduce return special fares of 500 HK Dollars while a one-way fare starts from 160 HK Dollar.

HK Express' first Nagoya flight takes off from Hong Kong at 10.20 am on 25 Septmber, touching down in Nagoya at  3.10 pm under UO1655 before departing from Nagoya for Hong Kong at 4.30 pm, arriving in Hong Kong at 7.35 pm under UO1656.

HK Express currently has 8 Airbus A320 aircraft jets and aims to have 11 jets when it starts flying to Busan and Ningbo. Some of the aircraft still spot the previous livery of hkexpress.com. It currently flies to destinations including Penang, Phuket, Seoul-Incheon, Kota Kinabalu, Kunming, Taichung, Osaka, Tokyo-Haneda and Fukuoka..

A review on HK Express' Taichung flight in conjunction with ITE & MICE 2014 will follow soon.

Hunnu Air introduces tour itineraries at ITE 2014

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

Hunnu Air has started selling customised tour itineraries in Hong Kong. At ITE 2014, its GSA Global Union Transportation Limited markets holiday packages such as Wonders of Southern-Central Mongolia 8 Days/7 Nights, Mountain Biking Tour in Mongolia and Discover Nomadic Culture and Wilderness Nature 10 Days / 9 Nights. No other GSA in the world is known to sell packages using Hunnu Air aircraft.

For further information contact Hunnu Air GSA in Hong Kong at info@global.com.hk or hkgmr@hunnuair.com.hk.

Hunnu Air has also appointed GSAs in Singapore and Malaysia to sell tickets in the local markets. Visit www.hunnuair.com for more information.

MIAT links Ulaanbaatar with Hong Kong up to five times a week this year

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

MIAT Mongolian Airlines, which will open direct flights between Ulaanbaatar and Frankfurt on 19 June 2014, is adding two new return flights to Hong Kong during summer 2014.

Besides the existing flight schedules on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays which see the national airline of Mongolia departing from Ulaanbaatar at 6.25 am, arriving in Hong Kong at 10.55 am, taking off from Hong Kong at 12.05 pm for Ulaanbaatar at 12.05 pm, arriving in Ulaanbaatar at 4.45 pm, the other two new flight schedules are as follows:-

On Mondays effective 7 July to 26 August, MIAT will depart for Hong Kong at 6.35 pm, arriving in Hong Kong at 11.05 pm before leaving Hong Kong at 12.35 am, arriving in Ulaanbaatar at 5.15 am.

On Saturdays effective 7 June to 30 August, the carrier departs for Hong Kong at 9 am, arriving in Hong Kong at 1.30 pm before departing for Ulaanbaatar at 2.40 pm, arriving in Ulaanbaatar at 7.20 pm.

A relevant source from MIAT Mongolian Airlines revealed that the airline is in negotiations with Changi Airport on opening possible scheduled flights from Ulaanbaatar to Singapore via Hong Kong.

At ITE Hong Kong 2014, MIAT Mongolian Airlines auctioned round trip Economy Class ticket from 1 Hong Kong Dollar excluding taxes and surcharges, again. It is also selling Ulaanbaatar hotel room and 4 day-3 night holiday packages. Inevitably, one of the beautiful, friendly and helpful airline booths of ITE is MIAT Mongolian Airlines.

For further information and details on MIAT Holidays packages designed by Pacific Aviation Marketing Hong Kong, email pkg@pam.com.hk or visit holidays.pam.com.hk.

Etihad Airways plans to open flights between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi from 1 November 2014

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

Etihad Airways which owns 40% stakes in Air Seychelles and Air Berlin plans to open flights under its own code between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi, doubling the flights between the two cities, starting 1 November 2014, according to the airline's GSA in Hong Kong, The Walshe Group, which is also GSA for Air Seychelles and Air Berlin in Hong Kong.

On 1 November 2014, Etihad Airways flight EY4121 departs from Hong Kong at 6.55 pm and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 11.25 pm. This flight takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Hong Kong-bound Etihad flight departs from Abu Dhabi at 9.40 pm and touches down in Hong Kong at 9.40 am. Flights are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

The new Hong Kong-Abu Dhabi flight links Air Berlin's Abu Dhabi-Berlin flight AB 7495 / EY departing at 2.45 am, arriving in Berlin at 6.35 am the next day, taking off at 10.45 am and touching down in Abu Dhabi at 7.50 pm every day.

During the winter season 2014/2015, Air Berlin will operate the Abu Dhabi-Berlin-Abu Dhabi services on its own. Flight AB7493 departs from Abu Dhabi at 9.10 am, arriving in Berlin at 1 pm before taking off at 10.45 am the next day, touching down in Abu Dhabi at 7.50 pm.

According to The Walshe Group Ltd, Etihad Airways plans to link Hong Kong with Dusseldorf via Abu Dhabi on a code-sharing basis on the Abu Dhabi-Dusseldorf route with Air Berlin.

28th ITE Hong Kong and 9th ITE MICE opened on 12 June 2014

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

The 28th edition of the International Travel Expo (ITE) Hong Kong and the 9th edition of ITE MICE opened in Hong Kong on 12 June 2014 and ended on 15 June 2014 at Halls 1A to 1E of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. This event has attracted 12,308 trade and corporate visitors during the trade days with around 26% from mainland China and other countries, and 75,300 public visitors on the public days. Some 6000 visitors are travel agents and 2,500 from MICE and corporations.

The Travel Expo highlights themes like MICE, Corporate Travel, Cruise, Travel Photography, Wellness & Medical Tourism, Overseas Wedding & Honeymoon, In-depth Travel and Sport Tourism.

Repeated pavilions originate from Guam, Switzerland, USA with the largest contingent from Japan followed by Taiwan and China.

New pavilions or official stands by tourism boards originate from Berlin, Indonesia, Sweden and Tainan. This year's ITE has around 100 tourism boards and USA is the leading featured destination. Twenty seminars and business matching sessions were conducted on the trade days while 100 seminars are held on the public days
.

More than seven airlines participate in ITE Hong Kong this year. They include MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Hunnu Air, Ethiopian Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and for the first time, Jin Air, Air Berlin and Hong Kong's low-cost airline HK Express.

At Booth F126, Jin Air gave away exquisite Jin Air logo paper fans and street shopping bags upon registration as a Jin Air on-line member. The Korean airline did not confirm the inaugural flight date of its another Japanese destination but said that more information will be available in July on its web-site. It also confirmed no plan to launch any flight to Singapore from Seoul-Incheon in the near future.

Further airline news from ITE will follow shortly.

ITE & MICE 2015 will take place between 11 and 14 June at the same venue.

Source (partially) : TKS Exhibition Services Ltd

Ethiopian Airlines markets Ethiopia at ITE Hong Kong 2014

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

The Ethiopian Airlines booth at ITE Hong Kong 2014 was graced by the Ethiopian principals of the Hong Kong office on 12 June 2014. It distributed hardcopies of Selamta and Ethiopian Holidays magazine. Visitors to the booth can scan the QR code on the brochure to access for facts and more information about Ethiopia travel.

Ethiopia, the motherland of coffee, has opened domestic flights from Addis Ababa to Semera, the capital of the Afar Regional State in northeastern Ethiopia. Flights link Addis Ababa directly to Hong Kong with onward flights to Seoul-Incheon. The other destinations in Asia with flights linking to Addis Ababa include Delhi, Shanghai Pudong and Beijing.

The Afar region is well known for its early hominid fossil finds including 'Lucy', an Australopithecus afarensis, discovered in 1974, who lived about 3.2 million years ago, and more recently the Grandfather of Lucy' dubbed "Kadanuumuu", which means "big man" in Afar language and which dates back from 3.5 - 3.8 million years ago.

Round-trip Economy Class air tickets from Hong Kong to Addis Ababa in Grand Lucky Draws were up for grabs at ITE & MICE 2014 which ended today.