Myanmar's first low-cost airline begins domestic flights in January 2013

Edited by Gan Yung Chyan

               / KUCINTA SETIA

Contributed by PK Chai, Seremban
Distributed to www.just4airlines.com

YANGON - Myanmar's first low-cost airline Golden Myanmar Airlines has conducted its first scheduled flight on 17 January 2013 between Yangon and Mandalay following a recent test flight on the Yangon-Mandalay-Yangon route on 11 January 2013 to get its Air Operator Certificate (AOC), according to U Win Kyaw Moe, the airline’s Assistant General Manager.

Fares on the Yangon-Mandalay-Yangon route are available from as little as K27,000 one way although not all seats will be available at that price, which is less than one-third what existing operators charge. However, U Win Kyaw Moe said that the airline will manage its airfares to ensure prices remain low and will be more affordable or cheaper than the other domestic airlines of Myanmar.

Myanmar has five private domestic airlines, namely Air Mandalay, Air Bagan, Air Kanbawza (AIR KBZ), Asian Wings Airways and Yangon Airways,. They charge passengers essentially the same price. On the Yangon-Mandalay route, fares are about K80,000 for locals and US$130 for foreigners.

Golden Myanmar Airlines flies the Yangon-Mandalay route nine times a week using an Airbus A320 with 180 economy-class seats. A rented Boeing aircraft will arrive by the end of February according to U Win Kyaw Moe.

Golden Myanmar Airlines also plans to begin flights from Yangon to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Thailand from March 2013, according to the airline's Chairman U Khin Maung Aye.

“The situation has changed – tourist arrivals are increasing sharply this year – so we are interested in starting this business,”  U Khin Maung Aye said. “We won’t take much profit and primarily want to offer the public flights at a cheap price.”

Golden Myanmar Airlines, a public company established in August 2012, will also begin selling shares to the public on 14 January 2013 at K10,000 each, according to U Khin Maung Aye.

U Khin Maung Aye, the CB Bank chairman and founder of Kaytumadi Co, Ltd and Kaung Myanmar Aung Group of Companies is one of 15 major investors, along with U Thein Tun of Myanmar Golden Star in this joint-venture airline company.

“Not only do we want everyone to fly cheaply but we also want everybody to have the chance to be involved in this business,” U Khin Maung Aye said.

To keep prices low, passengers will be charged for some services that are free on most airlines, such as food. The most expensive meal on Golden Myanmar Airlines will be K3400, the airline says. Passengers will also be charged for baggage over the 10-kilogram limit.

Southeast Asia's first long-haul budget flight to Dubai takes off on 7 October 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                / KUCINTA SETIA

Southeast Asia's first long-haul direct budget flight to Dubai takes off from Manila on 7 October 2013.

On 7 October, Cebu Pacific Air's first Airbus A330-300 aircraft under flight code 5J7944 is scheduled to depart for Dubai from Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at 4.40 pm and arrives in Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 at 9.40 pm UAE time after nine hours on 8 October (1.40 am Singapore time). This is the longest long-haul flight ever performed by a low-cost Asian budget airline after flight suspensions to Paris and London by AirAsia X.

The first outbound budget flight from Dubai to Manila takes place on 8 October under flight code 5J7945  at 11.10 pm UAE time (3.10 am Singapore time) and touches down in Manila at 11.40 am local time on 9 October.

The Airbus A330-300 aircraft of Cebu Pacific Air has a configuration of more than 400 all-economy class seats. Passengers can enjoy OnAir Wifi connectivity inflight.

Cebu Pacific Air is leasing up to 8 A330-300 aircraft for its new long-haul operations, with the first 4 aircraft for delivery between mid-2013 and 2014, enabling it to become Asia's first short-haul, medium-haul and long-haul budget airline. The aircraft with a maximum flying range of up to 11 hours enables the Philippine carrier to serve markets such as Australasia, the Middle East, parts of Europe and the US from Manila, thus effectively positioning Manila as another Southeast Asia's hub for low-cost long-haul flights after Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Cebu Pacific Air presently operates a fleet of 10 Airbus A319, A320 jets and 8 ATR-72-500 aircraft and is waiting to introduce the new Airbus A321neo aircraft to its fleet besides the A330-300 jet.

Besides Dubai, Cebu Pacific Air plans to inaugurate scheduled flights to Honolulu, Sydney, Frankfurt, Auckland and Los Angeles as a medium-haul and long-haul budget flight route pioneer of Southeast Asia.

Cebu Pacific Air is the low-cost flight pioneer of trans-Asian services to Seoul, Busan, Taipei, Osaka, Shanghai and Beijing from Southeast Asia.

Juneyao Airlines commenced daily direct flights to Bangkok on 16 January 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Also Published in  www.just4airlines.com


Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai's second private budget airline, has commenced daily flights from Shanghai - Pudong International Airport to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International Airport on 16 January 2013. The details of the flight schedules are as follows:-

Juneyao Airlines flight code HO1317 departs for Suvarnabhumi from Shanghai-Pudong at 10.05 pm and arrives in Suvarnabhumi at 1.30 am on 17 January. The first outbound flight of Juneyao Airlines for Shanghai-Pudong takes place at 2.30 am under flight cide HO1318 and touches down in Shanghai-Pudong at 7.50 am.

The new direct flight of Juneyao Airlines to Bangkok allows passengers to connect to other Southeast Asian capitals like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Juneyao Airlines also flies to Phuket in Thailand.

Medical Tourism- The Old and New Environs of Aenon Health Care

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA

Aenon Health Care had its beginnings as a professional medical farm at Bukit Rambai, Malacca more than five years ago before it moved up north to a site in Bukit Batu, Tampin, Negri Sembilan in 2011. The former venue is now a retirement villa known as Aenon Retirement Villa which provides permanent lodging for the elderly and upon request, budget tourists looking forward to spend less than five days' holidays in Malacca. The villa grows exotic fruits such as longans, passionfruits, jackfruits and red bananas for domestic consumptions.

In Tampin, Aenon Health Care provides higher quality health treatment for patients and tourists looking up to five, ten or twenty days' holidays in Malaysia for intensive medical care treatments. It is situated on a peak which allows guests to admire the beautiful countryside scenery of Malacca.

Aenon Health Care is the only long-term medical care treatment and lodging provider in Tampin. Its lodging, accommodation and service quality is on par with the five-star hotels of Malacca. It has rooms that can accommodate up to a family of five guests. It also sells quality top-nutritious health food such as organic flaxseeds, barleys, Peru-originated quinoas and other organic health food not available for commercial sale in Singapore on Sunday mornings, Mondays to Fridays. It does not sell any products or services to anyone on Sabbath, the seventh-day of the week as God rests from labour on the seventh-day after six days of creating the world.

Aenon Health Care  now contributes to the overall medical tourism and hospitality industrial development of Negri Sembilan. Tourists can arrive at Tampin Railway Station from Singapore directly by KTM Railway and travel in Aenon's shuttle-transport service free-of-charge on the day of check-in. Bookings must be submitted to Aenon in advance by email or by fax.

For further information about Aenon Health Care, its medical care programmes and services, please refer to its web-site www.aenon.org.my.

Dragonair adds three new destinations to its route network in January 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Also Published in www.just4airlines.com

Dragonair is adding three new destinations to its Hong Kong route network in January 2013. These three new destinations are Zhengzhou, Wenzhou in China and Yangon, the largest commercial city of Myanmar.

Daily services to Zhengzhou begin on 8 January 2013 under flight codes KA740 (from Hong Kong at 12.45 pm, arriving in Zhengzhou at 3.10 pm) and KA741 (departing from Zhengzhou at 4.05 pm, touching down in Hong Kong at 6.50 pm).

Commercial flights of Dragonair to Yangon from Hong Kong start on 9 January 2013 at 9.25 am under flight code KA250 and arrive in Yangon at 11.35 am before departing for Hong Kong at 1 pm and touching down in Hong Kong at 6 pm under KA251. Flights are operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Flights to Wenzhou from Hong Kong are operated on a daily basis at different timings. For schedule details , please refer to http://www.dragonair.com/da/en_INTL/new-Dragonair-destinations this month.

Re-discover Malacca

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                  / KUCINTA SETIA

Many Singaporeans visit Malaysia but they usually bypass Malacca in preference for Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Malacca or Melaka is one of the hometowns of many Malaysians working in Singapore. In this report, Malacca and Melaka are used interchangably to refer to the same State.

There are a few reasons why many Singaporeans have shunned Malacca.

Firstly, after Malacca or Melaka (in Malay) was officially declared as one of the UNESCO Heritage Cities in 2008, taxi fares have spiked. A ride on a Melaka taxi from Melaka Sentral, the interstate bus terminal, bazaar and market, to any part of a bigger Melaka costs 17 Ringgits even for a very short distance ride. An hour taxi hire costs 40 Ringgits and a one-day taxi hire to visit the important tourist destinations of Melaka costs 300 Ringgits. Unless one  travels in a Melaka friend's car, the expensive taxi is the best transport to get around Malacca. Buses are not as bus stops do not exist in Malacca although nice public buses are available.

Secondly, tourism promotion of Melaka as an ideal, safe tourist destination has reduced after 2010 when Malacca celebrated 750 years of foundation as the federal government focused tourism promotion on Kuala Lumpur, Johor and East Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah in the international travel markets.

Thirdly, private enterprises that reclaimed land from the Straits of Malacca in cooperation with the Melaka State Government have left many new buildings vacant. The lack of property investment promotion outside Malaysia has led many business tourists to give Melaka a miss.

Despite the problems that Melaka tourism face, there are plenty of reasons to re-discover Malacca as a new emerging tourist destination.

Firstly, Malacca's medical infrastructure offers the best deals for medical treatment outside Bangkok. If one does not have the money to fly to Bangkok or Singapore for medical treatment, many tourists will choose Malacca. The three private medical hospitals of Malacca including Mahkota Medical Centre can arrange free-shuttle bus services from Malacca International Airport to their hospitals for passengers arriving from Indonesia and elsewhere by plane. If anyone is arriving by coach, consider staying in Aenon Retirement Villa in Bukit

Rambai, Malacca, which offers budget lodging with delicious healthy food and free access to Internet. Car-shuttle service and food are included in the total cost of booking which can cost 665 Ringgits for three persons for three nights. There are too few budget stays in Melaka city centre.

Secondly, visit Malacca International Airport or formerly Batu Berendam Airport to see the airport watch tower which directed the plane of the first Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman  to land from London on 20 February 1956 to announce Malaysia's independence from the Royal Crown. It went under modernization from April 2006 to 2009 and the new terminal was opened in May 2009 and officially renamed in February 2010 as Malacca International Airport, the cleanest airport of Peninsula Malaysia. It can accommodate B737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 1 January 2013, Indonesia Air starts direct flights from Pekanbaru to Malacca and it is the fourth airline to operate from Malacca after Melaka Air (the State's airline), Wings Air and Sky Aviation of Indonesia. The airport has direct flight links with Penang, Medan and Pekanbaru.

Thirdly, visit Malacca as it is the first heritage city of Peninsula Malaysia. Visit Christ Church, constructed in 1753 housing hand-crafted church benches and many interesting artefacts. In the forefront are many beautiful plants that form memorable images. The fountain of Christ Church is the most beautiful fountain in the region.

Fourthly, visit Jonker Walk which covers Jonker Street along Jalan Hang Jebat. It is very popular on weekends and Fridays. It is developed by Datuk Gan Boon Leong, "Mr Asia" /"Mr Malacca" of 2010 as a corridor of a myriad of Melaka traditional shopping cultures and sarabat stalls. The famous Singapore drama serial Little Nyonya was filmed in Jonker Walk. The Melaka communities are nostalgic. Years-old commemoration banners decorate Jonker Walk and other important spots of Malacca.

Fifthly, visit Menara Taming Sari or the Eye of Malacca near Mahkota Parade (the largest shopping centre) and Submarine Museum. They provide perfect images of Malacca as an interesting recreational destination.

Lately, the area covering the Eye of Malacca and Pirate Ship Wild Adventure has been renamed Melaka River Wild Adventure Theme Park.

Sixthly, if one is a fan of mosque architecture, Malacca has many interesting mosque of different designs. Kampung Kling Mosque built in 1748 has Chinese characters carved on the side roof of the mosque. Recently, Masjid Selat Melaka was opened as the largest mosque in Malacca. It drew many Muslim tourists.

Finally, if one wants to spend one more day in Malacca, consider visiting Cheng Ho Cultural Museum opened by the International Zheng He Society (Singapore) to know about the life of Admiral Cheng Ho and the artefacts that his subordinates left behind and the Chinese technology exported to Malacca in the course of Sino-Malay cultural exchanges of trade, commerce, agriculture, fishery and industry. Cheng Ho Cultural Museum is located along Lorong Hang Jebat, next to Hotel Puri. For more information, visit www.chengho.org/museum.

Alternatively, travel to Aenon Health Care after the junction of Tampin and Malacca to admire the beautiful mountainous scenery of Malacca (you cannot see it elsewhere) or undergo budget serious illnesses treatments here. For further information, visit www.aenon.org.my.

In general, although it may take up to 4 days to explore Malacca, a trip up there can be a memorable one with unexpected surprises.

TransAsia launches A330 flights on its Taipei-Singapore-Taipei route sectors from 1 January 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to www.just4airlines.com

TransAsia Airways has announced that its first new Airbus A330-300 aircraft will be deployed on its Taipei-Singapore-Taipei route sectors with effect from 1 January 2013.

On 1 January, flight code GE887 departs from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport for Singapore at 6.55 pm and arrives in Changi International Airport at 11.10 pm. The first TransAsia A330-300 aircraft flight departs for Taoyuan from Changi at 12.55 am under flight code GE888 and touches down in Taoyuan at 5.30 am on 2 January 2013.

The return flights to Taoyuan are operated daily sometimes with A330 or A320 aircraft, subject to passenger load considerations. With the new flight schedules, TransAsia Airways branch office at Changi Airport is opened for booking at nights after normal office hours.

Limited updated TransAsia flight schedules are available at KUCINTA SETIA while stocks last. Readers can email to asianperu@gmail.com their addresses and the journalist will mail a free copy to the readers for their references.

ITE & MICE 2013 covers Hong Kong and China under one roof

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                / KUCINTA SETIA

In 2011, the number of Hong Kong tourists to Singapore and Thailand were respectively 464,375 (an increase of 19.8%) and 386,139 (a rise of 33.5%). Hong Kong incurred US$19.1 billion (+9.6%) on international tourism expenditure, and has a per capita spending per even higher than Japan! Click here to see the details.

Respectively, 20% and 73% of 12,000 buyers and trade visitors of ITE & MICE 2012  in the two trade days came from China and Hong Kong, with over 5700 from travel agents and from 3300 corporations and MICE industry. Therefore ITE & MICE is the effective platform covering under the same roof in these two significant source markets. The next ITE & MICE will be held from 13 to 16 June 2013 at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Besides meeting visitors at booths, the Travel Expo's password-enabled online system allows exhibitors and buyers to make pre-appointments weeks before opening, and exhibitors can join the onsite Business Matching. ITE also assist exhibitors to hold seminars, including publishing on the Expo's trade websites for online pre-registrations by trade visitors.

ITE & MICE 2012 drew from 54 countries and regions worldwide 665 international exhibitors, 85% of which came from abroad. There were 30 official pavilions / participations including those ASEAN countries like Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia (Sabah, Penang & Malaysia Tourism Health Council), the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Bhutan, Mongolia and Macau.

The Expo ITE & MICE highlights trendy themes like Wellness & Medical Tourism, Cruise, Honeymooning & Overseas Wedding, Study Tours, and Travel Photography etc.

The two public days in 2012 draw some 70,000 quality visitors. Surveys found over 70 % of them prefer travelling in FIT; 18% made 5 or more overnight leisure trips in the past twelve months; and over 20% did or showed interest in booking tours and purchasing travel products.

ITE & MICE is supported by China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Macau Government Tourist Office, and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. 

Source : TKS Exhibition Services Ltd, Hong Kong

Note : As the representative media of Singapore, Kucinta Setia has covered the travel and tourism products and news of ITE & MICE during the last three years in the online publication Sayacinta - Airpost and hopes to report on ITE & MICE again in the next two years. Selected pictures from ITE & MICE in those years will be re-featured soon.

AirAsia launches connecting flights to Shanghai-Pudong from Singapore on 19 February 2013

Reported by : Gan Yung Chyan
                     / KUCINTA SETIA
Also available at asiaperu.multiply.com till 30 November 2012

At least one week since the launch of budget Phuket-Shanghai flights by Juneyao Airlines, another airline has brought the Shanghai budget skies closer to home. Effective 19 February 2013, AirAsia and its long-haul affliate AirAsia X will launch direct connecting flights to Shanghai-Pudong via Kuala Lumpur International Airport-Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (KLIA-LCCT).

According to AirAsia's web-site, the code-sharing flight from Singapore to Pudong begins at 1.25 pm with flight code AK1810 and arrives in Shanghai-Pudong under AirAsia X flight code D7330 at 12.45 am on 20 February 2013 after at least an-hour transfer at LCCT.

AirAsia X departs from Shanghai-Pudong at 1.45 am on 20 February 2013 and returns to Singapore via a transfer at LCCT in a code-sharing arrangement with AirAsia under D7331/AK1809 at 12.45 pm.

All return flights are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays using A320 and A330/A340 aircrafts.

Currently, AirAsia X has connecting or code-sharing flights to Singapore from Chengdu, Beijing and Hangzhou in China via KLIA-LCCT. They are not considered as officially-direct as AirAsia X has not been given the light to launch direct scheduled flights to Singapore independently. It also has dozens or more connecting flights to Singapore from other parts of Asia-Pacific such as Bandar Seri Begawan, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Gold Coast and Melbourne in the same arrangement with AirAsia. All flights do not involve any clearance at Malaysian Immigrations and Customs at KLIA-LCCT.

Sayacinta - airpost hopes that Scoot will be allowed to launch true-yellow direct low-cost long-haul flights from Singapore to Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai, Tokyo, Shizuoka and Seoul-Incheon using one type of aircraft in the years ahead.

Tiger's daily services to Surabaya begin on 4 January 2013

Reported by : Gan Yung Chyan

                    / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to www.just4airlines.com

 

Passengers looking for a cheap morning flight to Surabaya from Singapore need look no further as Tiger Airways is launching its first daily flight to Surabaya through its Indonesian affliate Mandala on 4 January 2013.

On 4 January, flight code RI880 departs from Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 10.25 am after flight code RI881 arrives in Singapore from Surabaya at 9.45 am. The first Mandala's Surabaya-Singapore flight takes place at 6.20 am. RI881 touches down in Surabaya at 11.50 am.

The Surabaya-Singapore-Surabaya flights are operated by Mandala using Tiger Airways' A320 aircraft.

Mandala's Surabaya flights to and from Singapore to Surabaya are the only budget morning flights for passengers departing from Changi Airport. All other Surabaya flights take off in the afternoons. Lion Air, SilkAir, China Airlines and Valuair fly to Surabaya from Singapore currently.