Lucky Air launches its second international route on 12 August 2014

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

Lucky Air, the Kunming-based low-cost subsidiary of HNA Group, has launched its second international route linking Kunming with Koh Samui on 12 August 2014.

On 12 August, Lucky Air flight 8L9897 departs from Kunming at 12.15 pm, arrives in Koh Samui at 3 pm before leaving for Kunming at 4 pm and touching down in Kunming at 6.45 pm under flight 8L9898.

Lucky Air's Airbus A320 flights to Koh Samui take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with an option to increasing the frequency to daily flights subject to market demand.

Lucky Air faces no competition on the new route. The airline launches its first international route Kunming-Guiyang-Singapore on 25 January 2014.

China Eastern launches scheduled flight from Lanzhou to Singapore via Kunming on 19 September 2014

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

China Eastern Airlines is launching Singapore's first scheduled flight from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province in China, to Singapore via Kunming on 19 September 2014.

On 19 September, China Eastern flight MU5093 departs from Lanzhou at 6.45 pm for Singapore via Kunming. It transits in Kunming Changshui International Airport at 8.45 pm before departing onward for Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 10 pm, arriving in Singapore at 2 am on 20 September.

On 20 September, flight MU5094 leaves Singapore at 3 am, transits in Kunming Changshui at 6.55 am before taking off for Lanzhou at 8 am, touching down in Lanzhou at 10 am.

The new Lanzhou-Kunming-Singapore-Kunming-Lanzhou routes are operated by China Eastern Airlines' Airbus A320 aircraft.

Nam Air takes over route of Tigerair Mandala on 20 August 2014

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

Nam Air, the sub-brand subsidiary of Sriwijaya Air, has taken over the Yogyakarta-Palembang-Yogyakarta route sector of defunct carrier Tigerair Mandala. Its first flight is on 20 August 2014.

On 20 August, Nam Air flight SJ9080 takes off from Yogyakarta at 10.35 am for Palembang and arrives in Palembang at 12.15 pm before leaving Palembang at 2.35 pm under flight SJ9081 for Yogyakarta and touching down in Yogyakarta at 4.15 pm on the same day.

Nam Air operates on the new route on a daily basis while Sriwijaya Air flies from Yogyakarta to Palembang via Jakarta.

Nam Air operates on second-tier city community routes within Indonesia on behalf of Sriwijaya Air with a fleet of B737-500 W aircraft in competition with Garuda Indonesia Explore. The airline plans to launch its first regional flight from Kupang, Indonesia, to Dili, the capital of East Timor in the near future.

Garuda Indonesia inaugurates more than five domestic routes in August and September 2014

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

Garuda Indonesia, which wins the Best Cabin Crew Award 2014 from Skytrax on 15 July 2014, is launching more than five domestic routes in August and September 2014 using its "Explore" sub-brand turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft.

The new route sectors of Garuda Indonesia "Explore" ATR 72-600 aircraft include Makassar- Bau-Bau- Makassar, Makassar- Kolaka- Makassar, Makassar- Luwuk- Makassar, Balikpapan- Palangkaraya-Pontianak (and vice versa) and Pontianak- Putussibau-Pontianak.

Garuda Indonesia inaugurates the Makassar- Bau-Bau- Makassar, Makassar- Kolaka- Makassar and Makassar- Luwuk- Makassar routes on 1 August 2014. Bau-Bau is the major town on the island of Buton in southeast Sulawesi where the Butonese people originate and it is the site of the Kingdom of Buton mentioned in the records of the Majapahit Empire. Kolaka is a new city regency formed in 2001 while Luwuk is famous for its Luwuk coffee plantations of Indonesia.

Garuda Indonesia is launching new "Explore" flights from Balikpapan to Pontianak via Palangkaraya and from Pontianak to Putussibau on 1 September 2014. Balikpapan, Palangkaraya, Pontianak and Putussibau are tourist destinations of Kalimantan Borneo, of which Pontianak is the capital while Balikpapan is home to the sunbears. Putussibau is the nearest surface gateway to Brunei Darussalam from Kalimantan.

The continuous boom in Garuda's domestic skies have somehow refuted an industrial claim that Garuda Indonesia is cutting unprofitable routes. Garuda's direct flights to Taipei were suspended on 11 August 2014 but an additional daily frequency has been introduced on the Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta sectors since 14 August 2014. Garuda Indonesia is resuming flights to London from Jakarta via Amsterdam on 8 September 2014.

Flight Suspension News : Tigerair's flights

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

Tigerair is suspending its flights to the Indian city of Thiruvanapaturam from 22 September 2014. The last commercial return flight to the city is 20/21 September 2014. Customers who had purchased the tickets for travel from 22 September can contact Tigerair for refunds.

Tigerair has suspended its flights to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, without prior notice.

Flight Suspension News : SilkAir's Solo flights

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

SilkAir is suspending its flight services to Solo in Central Java, Indonesia with effect from 26 October 2014. Flight services to Semarang and Yogyakarta in Central Java will continue as per normal. 

Passengers who have purchased tickets to Solo for travel after 25 October 2014 will be given the option of a full refund, or the choice to utilise a SilkAir flight between Singapore and another Indonesian point. All administrative fees and penalties will be waived for customers who have purchased tickets prior to today. 

The SilkAir Contact Centre at +65 6223 8888 is available 24 hours for customers who require further assistance.

Budget flights to Chiang Mai from Yangon begin on 23 September 2014

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

Budget flights to Chiang Mai from Yangon, Myanmar, begin on 23 September 2014 when Golden Myanmar Airlines ATR 72-600 flight Y5 251 departs from Yangon at 6.30 am, arrives in Chiang Mai at 8.20 am before taking off for Yangon at 9.05 am and arriving in Yangon at 9.55 am under Y5 252.

Seats are on sale at Golden Myanmar Airlines official web-site www.gmairlines.com.

Golden Myanmar Airlines does not face any other budget airline competition on the route which will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Lao Airlines offers discounted tickets to Vientiane from Singapore, Phnom Penh and Bangkok as Lao Central Airlines suspends flights

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

In celebration of Lao Airlines' 25th Anniversary and the resumption of Singapore-Vientiane-Singapore flights from 29 October 2014, Lao Airlines is offering return online tickets to Vientiane from 219 Singapore Dollars, taxes and surcharges included. Offer is valid for travel between 29 October 2014 and 28 March 2015 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Besides, Lao Airlines is offering limited discount return tickets on its international flights to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi and  Phnom Penh.

For further information, please visit Lao Airlines web-site or enquire to Lao Airlines Facebook.

Sayacinta - Airpost journalist will embark on the debut familiarization trip to Vientiane with Lao Airlines on 12 December 2014 and will visit the Head Offices of Lao Skyway and Lao Central Airlines and major tourist destinations of Vientiane proper on 13 December.

Lao Skyway, formerly Lao Air, is the national charter and domestic airline of Laos which operates on routes abandoned by Lao Airlines. It recently expanded its route network to include airports in Luang Prabang, Pakse and Luang Namtha to meet passengers' needs partly due to sudden flight suspensions by Lao Central Airlines.

Lao Central Airlines Head Office is still open for tourists to visit from Mondays to Saturdays despite suspending its domestic flights to Luang Prabang and Pakse and its international flights to Bangkok since July 2014 for the purpose of internal restructuring. The airline has yet to specify when it will resume flights. All Lao Central Airlines passengers travelling to Bangkok, Pakse and Luang Prabang have choice to fly with Lao Airlines at prices charged by Lao Central Airlines.

Lao Central Airlines is the only budget airline of Southeast Asia to have a separate Head Office building outside an airport or airport district. Head Offices of other low-cost airlines such as AirAsia, Cebu Pacific Air, Tigerair and Jetstar are located within international airports.  

Airlines at Myanmar Jobs Fair

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

Golden Myanmar Airlines and Myanmar Airways International participated at the Myanmar Jobs Fair on 2 and 3 August 2014 to promote company brand and flight awareness to the Myanmar nationals living and working in Singapore as well as recruiting locals proficient in Burmese and English to work in the Head Offices of the airlines.

Also attending this job fair are other employer exhibitors looking for prospective employees including the parent company of Air Bagan, Htoo Foundation Company and its resort subsidiaries, Calsberg Myanmar and Coca-Cola Myanmar.

Myanmar Jobs Fair is organised by MyJobs.com.mm, the first job listings web-site of Myanmar with a branch office in Singapore.

Golden Myanmar Airlines' flights to Mandalay, Suvarnabhumi and Imphal

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

Golden Myanmar Airlines currently operates daily scheduled Airbus A320 flight services on its Singapore-Yangon-Mandalay-Yangon-Singapore routes. It has group charter flights to Imphal, India from Mandalay using its Airbus A320 aircraft too. It is planning to launch a new weekly scheduled flight from Yangon to Chiang Mai in September 2014 using an ATR72-600 aircraft, date unspecified. It resumes daily return night flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi from Yangon on 26 October 2014 under Y5 237 and Y5 238.

Schedules of Golden Myanmar Airlines' on-the-same-day connection flights from Mandalay to Singapore and return until 24 September 2014 are as follows:-

Flight Y5 233 departs from Mandalay at 8.05 am, transits in Yangon at 9.15 am to allow Yangon-bound passengers to alight before taking off for Singapore at 10.10 am and arriving in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 2.40 pm.

Flight Y5 234 departs from Singapore at 3.35 pm, transits in Yangon at 5.05 pm to allow Yangon-bound passengers to alight before taking off for Mandalay at 5.45 pm and touching down in Mandalay at 6.55 pm.

Passengers have a choice to board flight Y5 776 in Mandalay at 7.35 pm, arriving in Yangon at 8.45 pm but the itinerary entails a night's stay in Yangon for the onward Singapore-bound flight.

Golden Myanmar Airlines participated in the inaugural Myanmar Jobs Fair held at Singapore Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre on 2 and 3 August 2014.