9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 9832 times:
Selamat Datang to the fourth instalment of the Malaysian Aviation Thread.
VMY2007
Some of the major highlights in the previous threads:
New Carriers:
FAX's AirAsia X was scrapped and is now will be known as AirAsia Long Haul. FAX is in the final stages of firming up its interim fleet as it aims to start operations in September 2007.
MAS-BE Airlines Sdn Bhd was initiated as an aviation arm of Malaysian-Beijing Group of Companies to operate chartered flights. MAS-BE Airlines has direct scheduled chartered flights to Haikou and Chongqing, it planned to have more direct routes to Chengdu, Kunming, Xian, Shantou, Nanning, Zhangzhou and other major cities in China.
New Routes/Service:
Firefly started serving Koh Samui on 16 April 2007.
AirAsia will start serving Shenzen on 15 July 2007 from KUL and BKK.
AirAsia is adding a second flight daily to Hanoi from KUL LCCT with effect from 19 June 2007 to cope with the high demand and strong load.
Malaysia Airlines is mounting an additional six flights which will transit in Dubai to cater for the increased demand from West Asian tourists wanting to holiday in Malaysia during the peak summer holiday period from July to August this year. The additional flights comprised 3 weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Kuwait and 3 weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-Bahrain, all using Boeing 777s with a total of 1,680 seats.
MASkargo has quit Beirut, Milan and Manchester.
Kuala Lumpur and Vientiane will resume direct air links after almost 10 years. Beginning July, AirAsia will fly direct to the capital of Laos.
MH is on track to roll out eTicketing on 21 September 2007. This would allow the 15 airlines including Jet Airways, Royal Brunei and Kuwait Airways, which are served by MAS as the ground handling agent, to check in eTicket passengers along with paper ticket passengers.
For the first time in history, online check in services is now available in Malaysia. AirAsia is the first carrier to introduce such service from their website.
MH and SQ have successfully rolled out their joint interline electronic ticketing (eTicketing) initiative that would see MH becoming eTicketing capable by this September 2007.
AK introduces yet another online facility to its customer - Xpress Boarding. AirAsia offers option to choose seat for MYR 20 via its website. This new service provides passengers the opportunity to be amongst the first to board and have the greatest choice of seats, ahead of the general boarding group.
AirAsia AirAsia is celebrating its partnership agreement with the AT&T Williams Formula One racing team by offering 600,000 seats with fares as low as RM1 via its Fast & Furious campaign. The tickets were available online only at www.airasia.com, and guests can start making their bookings from midnight April 23 to April 29 for flights between Oct 1, 2007, and March 2008.
MH’ cheap fares fall under its SuperSavers promotion with 500,000 tickets allocated over six days for domestic locations only. The sales period was from April 23 to 28 for travel between May 7 and May 22, and, June 14 and June 30.
Crashes/Mishap:
A Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) Fokker F50 aircraft which carried Miri police chief and several members of the media caused a scare when one of its tyres burst after landing at the airport. However, no casualty was reported.
A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Hawk 208 jet crashed after take-off at the Kuantan airbase. The pilot managed to eject to safety.
The Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu (TGG) was closed for 2 days because of runway lights malfunctioning. The closure affected six commercial flights (MAS, AirAsia and Firefly), the King's (Sultan Mizan) special flight and some 335 passengers were stranded on the first day. MAHB had taken all measures to keep the airlines abreast of the development at the airport.
The opening of the KUL-SIN route:
YTL Corporation is still positive about their plan and introduced the train model that they are going to use for their Kuala Lumpur-Singapore track, the Velaro E Train by Siemen AG.
DPM Najib Razak said that the KUL-SIN route is unlikely to be opened up any earlier than 2008, when the planned ASEAN air agreement comes into effect.
Plane delivery/movement/order:
AK has received their 18th A320, 9M-AFR on 13 March 2007.
FAX orders 10 Airbus 330-300 with 5 option for its long haul LCC operation. Each aircraft carries a price tag of US$175 million. FAX said the first 10 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2008 and to be fully delivered by 2011.
MH will proceed with the purchase of 6 A388s. Airbus to compensate MH for late delivery. Airbus COO, John Leahy said, “We will compensate MAS and other customers for late delivery. For MAS, the delivery is 22 months late.” Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd, the parent company of MAS, bought six A380 aircraft for RM1.6 billion. Leahy said Airbus was finalising the details of the compensation with MAS and will set new dates for the deliveries. “I don’t see any indication that they (MAS) would not be taking the aircraft. We just need to put in the dates,” he added. Bernama quoted MAS as confirming that the discussions with Airbus was on-going. "We are having on-going discussions with Airbus on the compensation and the new delivery date. No decision has been made yet," MAS said.
MH has invited Boeing and Airbus to quote for 55 aircrafts as a replacement to its 39 B734s.
Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB) is offering interested parties an opportunity to bid for eighteen B737-400 aircraft with leases attached. PMB said in a notice posted on its website on Monday that the aircraft sale would be divided into two lots of nine planes each. Bids could be offered for one lot or both. The 18 aircraft are currently leased to national carrier MH. After the sale, they will be leased to MH by the buyers on identical operating lease agreements.
9M-MPA, which is now N718BA is currently sitting in TPE ready to be cut up for the LCF programme.
Government/NGO interferences in airlines' businesses:
MH has been directed by the government to take back the rural air services (RAS) in Sabah and Sarawak from Fly Asian Express (FAX), which was awarded the duty following the 1 August 2006 domestic air rationalisation decided to give it up to focus on its long haul LCC operation.
Sarawak State Government and Sarawak Tourism Board are fully supporting the government's decision of returning the RAS to MH (through Firefly).
Bilateral Disagreement:
Malaysia vs India over landing rights. India claimed that Malaysia did not granted landing rights for Air Sahara and Air India Express in favour of protecting MH. India threatened to ban all MH flights into India.
MH is facing arbitration at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, after Air Maldives Ltd alleged that MAS had failed to perform its duties under a management agreement signed on Jan 16, 1996.
Visa/Entry Requirement:
No more visas on arrival for South Indian travellers at KUL.
Malaysians are to fill in a special form when they leave the country as the Tourism Ministry wants to know why they go overseas and what do they do there. So far it has yet to be implemented.
Others:
Captain Mohd Fairuz Mohd Sakirin will be flying solo around the world in a French single engine TBM-700 aircraft from Eurocopter. He will undergo training in Los Angeles, Europe and Australia, which is scheduled in late April. He plans to cover 150 countries across seven continents in 120 days. Fairuz will also be on a peace mission in countries along his flying route.
Blind aviator Miles Hilton-Barber, who is attempting to fly half-way around the globe in a microlight plane, made a brief stopover in Penang to spread the message that blindness is not a barrier.
Etihad Holidays, the tour operator of UAE's Etihad Airways, has named Malaysia as its top-selling tourist destination. The airline said Malaysia emerged as the most popular destination among European and Middle Eastern travellers, beating perennial favourite Thailand, which was the top choice in 2006.
Malaysia is vying to be elected into the 36-member Council of the ICAO. Malaysia, an ordinary member in ICAO since 1958, is vying for a Council position (under category III - related to its geographical location). Singapore is already a council member (under category II).
A Malaysian entrepreneur, Song Hoi See is the proud CEO of 'economy class' lounge, The Plaza Premium Lounges in seven international airports in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Vancouver.
Malaysia's premier air (and maritime) show, LIMA 2007 is back, scheduled for Dec 4 to 8, 2007. 800 exhibitors are expected to show up.
Malaysia has won an award as this year’s top choice summer holiday destination for United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents from renowned tourism magazine Asfaar. The magazine’s 3,000 UAE residents picked Malaysia as their worldwide favourite because of the reasonable cost and the respect given to Arab and Islamic tradition and culture.
MALAYSIA AIRLINES
MH will offer Employee Share Option Scheme (ESOS) to its employees.
MASkargo, the air cargo division of MAS, managed to maintain its position as one of the top three air cargo carriers in Asia for the fifth consecutive year in the annual Air Freight and Supply Chain Awards or AFSCA ceremony.
Air France and All Nippon Airways are now MH's partner airlines, where passengers can earn Enrich miles when flying with them.
MH won't risk its business turnaround plan by taking over the RAS.
MH has selected SunGard’s Kiodex to help it better manage earnings volatility due to changes in fuel prices.
Effective 1 May 2007, flight MH 8 for Kuala Lumpur/London has been renumbered and rescheduled. It is now MH 4, departing KUL at 12:00 and arriving LHR at 18:10 daily on B744.
MH and the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy) have renewed their collaboration in disaster relief initiatives following their successful partnership for the past year. The partnership includes special fares to assist deployment of teams during disasters and excess luggage allowance, fundraising and promotion activities and training for MH staff in humanitarian work and skills in emergency situations.
A woman from India who boarded a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang threatened to “hijack” the plane during the flight. According to sources, the 35-year-old woman boarded the plane with two children, aged one and three. She later claimed that she was only joking.
MH is refurbishing its A333s. As revealed by Isz1:
9M-MKF, 9M-MKS, 9M-MKR are now with "new" GCC seats w/o PTV. Making its debut soon, the 8 inch AVOD Portable Media Player (PMP) aka eVU Mobile Entertainment Device to be offered onboard MAS A333... if iam not mistaken they also add 2 more seats in that zone.
For EY, they removed the main screen and replaced it with drop down LCD monitor... more or less for every 4 rows. 4 more seats in zone C and removed the main screen divider and doghouse. Slimmer EY seats compared to the older ones.
GCC In flight services onboard MAS A333 to be upgraded to RNSD (Revised New Service Delivery) sytle aka MAS B772 and B744 inflight services... as more and more A333 crew rostered for A333 RNSD Classes. New dining ware etc... phasing out old dining ware etc. All these are temp solution until the arrival of "brand new" "replacement" aircraft... first A333 RNSD flight... september. more and more MAS A333 to be retrofitted into this new confi.
B734 product enhancement. As revealed by Isz1:
Other than that, our hardworking and very sporting AIC ex-KUL might dress EY seats with new headrest cover... white/light grey as opposed to the current one... blue. i think it looks great as it brighten up the cabin interior. MQO is the only MAS B737 with dark brown interior carpet.
AIRASIA
US-based Wellington Management Company LLP has emerged as a substantial shareholder in AirAsia Bhd after it acquired 129.64 million shares or a 5.5% stake.
AirAsia's Tune Hotels:
Tune Hotel Kuala Lumpur opened on 27 April 2007. The hotel offers 173 single and double rooms, where guests are given an option for add-on amenities like soap, towel and air-conditioner. Automated teller machine services, an Internet room and currency exchange services will also be made available.
Tune Hotels to open 2 more hotels in Penang.
Tune Hotels would launch a hotel in Kota Kinabalu. The 168-room budget hotel in Kota Kinabalu will be opened in January next year at 1 Borneo Lifestyle Hypermall is to be called Tune Hotels.Com 1 Borneo.
MALAYSIA AIRPORTS
Airport performances:
Passengers can now go to/from KUL LCCT from Subang Parade shopping mall with the introduction of Star Shuttle busses. The journey costs MYR 9 one way.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is extending its existing range of incentives for airlines, which ends in May 2007, until year-end and is reviewing a new set of incentives that will go into effect in 2008. MAHB was finalising a new scheme of incentives for carriers to fly into KL International Airport (KLIA).
Effective 21 May 2007, liquids, aerosols or gels (LAGs) in airline passengers’ hand luggage will be limited to 100ml per item on all international flights departing from Malaysia. LAGs carried in containers larger than 100ml will not be allowed, even if the container is partially filled and these containers must be placed in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity of one liter.
MAHB was awarded the 10-year deal to manage Astana International Airport in Kazakhstan, its third overseas deal after Hyderabad and New Delhi in India. MAHB is also waiting for the outcome of the bids for airport management in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman.
Allegations that a man succumbed to an asthma attack due to the lack of medical emergency facilities at KUL L LCCT will be investigated. This is in response to a report in a Chinese daily claiming that the man, who was a passenger flying in from Tawau, died at the LCCT early Tuesday morning because there was no emergency room to treat him at the terminal. Last July, actor and Roda Impian (Malaysia's Wheel of Fortune) host Hani Mohsin Hanafi, 43, died of a heart attack after collapsing at the AirAsia counter at the terminal while he was preparing to take a flight to Langkawi, with his daughter.
Airports' constructions:
SULTAN Ismail International Airport (JHB) is going to be expaned as it will be part of Johor’s comprehensive logistic infrastructure plan in the Iskandar Development Region. Under the plan, the airport will be connected with the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Gelang Patah, Johor Port in Pasir Gudang and Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTMB). Also, under the airport city plan, Sultan Ismail International Airport will be transformed into a “Transit Mall”; a lifestyle mall with appealing services, products and facilities. Renovation at the airport has started in April 2007.
Freighter services in Senai (JHB) to start in August 2007. The government wants the freighter services at the airport to start despite the potential losses to the airport operator due to the possibility of a price war with Singapore's Changi Airport.
KUL LCCT is now equipped with free WiFi internet facility, making it the second airport in the country to offer such facility after KUL. MAHB was targeting to equip all its airports with WiFi technology within three years.
The proposed expansion of the KUL LCCT to cater for AirAsia Long Haul has yet to commence. MAHB was awaiting the government’s decision on the matter.
AirAsia will set up and operate a Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in PEN. Penang Chief Minister said the state had approved in principle the LCCT to be located on a piece of land near the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
Negri Sembilan has agreed to the extension of the airport express rail line between Kuala Lumpur and KLIA to Seremban and Port Dickson. Mentri Besar said a committee was preparing a report on the matter, which would be submitted to the Cabinet when completed.
KUL new facilities. As revealed by Isz1:
KUL A380 gates and boarding lounges are completed and partially operational (2nd floor still close). Installion of the Muhibbah Airlines Support Industries Sdn Bhd Ipoh Mali Aerobridge last month... it can be stretch up to 30m long
MAS New Hangar in KUL taken shape.
Apron for the hangar made of PQC and can withstand very huge load from big planes.
Runway 2 upgrade completed. Now... grooved already to reduce the potential for hydroplaning. it comply to the ANNEX 14 requirement for the new large aircraft. Runway 2 completed, runway 1 next.
New carrier/additional frequency/upgrade/downgrade/movement to KUL:
Jetstar of Australia will be flying into KUL LCCT in September 2007.
EgyptAir will add a third weekly (Monday) frequency from 2 July 2007, a month after its first service to KUL on 2 June 2007. The route will be served by Airbus 330-200 via Mumbai.
Malaysia and Kenya was in talk about possible air link.
Bangladeshi GMG Airlines is adding two more flights to its presently three flights per week between Kuala Lumpur and Dhaka from May 15, 2007. The flights will be 5 times per week from Kuala Lumpur at 4am every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and scheduled to reach Dhaka by 6am. From Dhaka, the flight to Kuala Lumpur will depart at 9pm every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and scheduled to reach Kuala Lumpur by 4am the next day.
Gulf Air will be increasing its flights to Kuala Lumpur starting this July to cater to demand from tourists during the summer season in the Gulf states. Gulf Air has three direct flights weekly to Kuala Lumpur and this is expected to be increased to one flight daily by July.
Possible direct air link between Astana in Kazakhstan and Kuala Lumpur.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 1, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9799 times:
We kick off with more news on the open of KUL-SIN route.
Open skies the way to go
The Star
By WONG CHAY NEE
of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER)
WHEN talks emerged last year about expanding the air services agreement (ASA) between Malaysia and Singapore, industry observers took this as a sign that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route would be finally made available to other airlines.
This would put an end to the “duopoly” long held by Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and Singapore Airline (SIA).
Aviation analysts say that it is about time that Malaysia and Singapore open up the much-guarded route. The existing ASA was last reviewed nearly 30 years ago. Since then, all air traffic rights for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore sector have been fully used up. As a result, new carriers are unable to service this route.
Budget airlines have been lobbying for the decades-old agreement to be dismantled, arguing that low-cost carriers (LCCs) will promote healthy competition, maximise efficiency, and ultimately pass on gains to travellers through lower airfares.
For travellers, this is indeed terrific news. Especially, when they have to fork out over RM800 for a round-trip ticket, inclusive of fees and taxes, for a mere 40-minute ride.
Many would agree that freeing up the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route would be good for the country. Given that the Malaysian tourism sector is the second largest foreign exchange earner, garnering some RM36.3bil in receipts last year, there is much for the industry to gain should the two governments reach an agreement to open the route to budget airlines.
Singapore is an important market for Malaysia. Tourists from Singapore currently account for the largest portion, about 55% (or RM19.9bil in tourist receipts) of the total inbound travellers to Malaysia.
But growth has been stagnant of late. Annual figures from Tourism Malaysia showed a mere 0.2% growth in total arrivals from Singapore in 2006 from the previous year.
This means that fewer Singaporeans are opting for a holiday in Malaysia. One key reason could be due to the far cheaper airfare offered by LCCs to neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia, and thus, Singaporean holidaymakers are giving Malaysia a miss.
This is indeed worrying as Singapore is an important market for Malaysia, especially since authorities estimate that tourists from Singapore will account for half of the targeted 20.1 million tourist arrivals for the Visit Malaysia Year.
That being the case, allowing budget carriers to join in the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore action is certainly a step in the right direction to bring Singaporean holidaymakers back to our shores.
Malaysia’s pioneer budget carrier, AirAsia, made no secret of its desire for a slice of this lucrative pie. Since its launch in December 2001, AirAsia has been lobbying for rights to fly into the Lion City but to no avail. Then, the budget carrier announced that it was no longer interested in this short-haul route.
But in an apparent change of heart, the airline’s CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes once again made an aggressive push for the Government to free up the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air route. This came soon after the industry un- derwent a major overhaul last year.
Across the border, Tiger Airways (a budget carrier co-owned by SIA) has already made known its desire to be part of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore action.
Media reports suggest that both governments are working to liberalise the air route between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore ahead of the deadline set by Asean. While no-frills airlines applaud this move, the reaction from Malaysia’s national carrier suggests otherwise.
One can understand why MAS is reluctant to let go of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route. It is said to be one of Asia’s busiest routes and is believed to be one of the national carrier’s most profitable routes. And MAS, unfortunately, does not have many money-making ventures.
The airline introduced its business turnaround plan in February last year in order to trim cost and enhance revenue. Therefore, it is unsurprising that MAS is against freeing up this route before 2008. An early liberalisation, the airline argued, will only jeopardise plans to turn its operations around.
But with Asean capitals moving towards open skies by end-2008, the clock is ticking. It is only a matter of time before the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route will be thrown open, and ready or not, MAS will have to compete as an equal player.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 2, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9796 times:
AirAsia's bright future as profit increases although Indonesian unit failed to live up to expectation.
AirAsia set to soar even higher
The Star
ANALYSTS strongly favour AirAsia as they see good upside to the stock, going forward. The budget carrier has continued to deliver in terms of financial performance, despite facing tough times in a competitive industry.
The region's largest low-cost carrier is one of the most widely covered stocks on Bursa Malaysia. Analysts are generally positive about its future performance, going by its sound management, business model and current form. A local analyst said the airline's nine-month results were within expectations, buoyed by foreign exchange gains, which helped offset losses from its Indonesian operations.
The air accidents in Indonesia recently, including the Adam Air crash in January and the Garuda accident in March, led to concerns over air travel which resulted in AirAsia's Indonesian unit making an RM8.5mil loss last quarter. “However, overall, AirAsia managed to post a six-fold increase in its third-quarter net profit, placing the airline on track for a double-digit growth for its financial year ending June 30, 2007,” he said.
For the nine-month period ended March 31, 2007, AirAsia's net profit swelled to RM86.9mil from RM14.1mil in the corresponding period a year ago. The analyst said AirAsia's recent results showed that the low-cost carrier's business model was a success. He said AirAsia's revenue for the third quarter rose 53% to RM396mil compared with RM259mil in the corresponding period in 2006, with average fare rising to RM171 per passenger compared with RM123 previously.
According to him, management had attributed the strong earnings to a 39% jump in the number of passengers in the third quarter to 2.16 million compared with the same quarter in 2006, after AirAsia offered more promotions and added flights. “Moreover, the airline's third-quarter net profit received a substantial boost from a tax adjustment of RM45.1mil,” said the analyst.
Going forward, he said, the continued delivery of A320s would boost capacity while the new services and lower low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) taxes announced by the Government recently should ensure high load factors. Airport taxes at Malaysia's LCCTs in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu will be reduced for domestic and international travels effective June 1. For LCCTs in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu, the airport tax for domestic travel would drop to RM6 from RM9, while for international travel, to RM25 from RM41.
Another analyst said AirAsia's recent results gave analysts greater confidence that growth was sustainable. He said AirAsia's reported annualised pre-tax profit was within the broking house's estimates, although 15.5% above consensus and was achieved despite its Indonesian unit's losses.
He said floods in Jakarta hit AirAsia's Indonesian operations in February, causing cancelled flights, and the recent airline crash in Indonesia also dampened travel demand. However, on a year-on-year basis, AirAsia's growth was spectacular, he said, adding that it managed to add nine planes to its Malaysian fleet.
He said AirAsia had pursued a load factor strategy and that revenue per passenger per km grew by 50.7% year-to-date. “The airline also increased fuel surcharge and ancillary income-boosting revenue and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA),” said Eng, adding that despite increased finance and depreciation charges from the 19 A320s, the increased EBITDA led to a 96% jump in pre-tax profit.
He said new services rolled out such as Web check-in and Xpress boarding services also would improve yield and save time, while lower LCCT taxes would help maintain the attractiveness of AirAsia’s flights. “These improvements, coupled with strong fleet growth over time, lead us to estimate a 33% compounded annual growth rate for AirAsia's pre-tax profit for the next three years,” he said.
He said a research house evaluated AirAsia based on its pre-tax profit rather than net profit due to the large deferred tax assets in the books. “AirAsia managed to report fair numbers even as its Indonesian operations were hit by floods and other airline disasters, as the stronger ringgit allowed the airline to record a foreign exchange gain of RM77mil for the nine months.
“Investors should note that AirAsia has restated its revenues, other income and costs such that insurance revenues and administration charges are now booked under revenue rather than offset against costs,” he said, adding that the airline had to record losses from its Indonesian associate above its equity investment as per Financial Reporting Standards 128.
On AirAsia's long-haul services, he said: “While the potential from the airline's long haul looks exciting, we feel that it is still too early to impute anything into AirAsia's earnings as yet. With the airline only scheduled to take off in July 2007, the revenue from the franchising of AirAsia’s brand should be minimal for now.”
As for AirAsia’s stake in Fly Asian Xpress, a research house understands that it will be structured probably in the form of irredeemable convertible unsecured loan stocks, which would protect the carrier from any start-up losses incurred by its long-haul services. “As such, although the airline's long haul might add spice to the AirAsia story, we feel that it would be too early to adjust our earnings for now,” he said.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 3, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9785 times:
Quoting 9MMAR (Thread starter): AirAsia will start serving Shenzen on 15 July 2007 from KUL and BKK.
Official announcement and AK's Chinese invasion plan.
AirAsia to start flights to Chinese city from July 15
The Star
AirAsia will finally be flying to China starting with daily flights to Shenzhen from July 15. The low-cost airline's commercial executive vice-president said: “For the first time, we will be flying to one destination from two of our hubs – Bangkok and the KLIA LCCT – on the same day.
“Shenzhen will act as our initial gateway to the mainland. At present, our only China destination is Macau which has proven to be very popular,” she said in an interview. She said the airline would also be flying to Guilin, Xiamen, Haikou and Kunming. Previously, AirAsia had been operating charter flights to some Chinese cities like Guilin.
She expected the flights to Xiamen to start in the next three months. AirAsia is considering a four-times-a-week schedule for this flight from Kota Kinabalu. At present, the only international destination for the airline from Kota Kinabalu is Macau, on a daily basis.
As for the other cities, she said AirAsia expected to start services there by the end of the year. “We are quite used to Guilin and Haikou because of the charter flights. The Kunming sector will probably start in the last quarter of the year,” she added.
Tan said that, at the moment, AirAsia was still looking at Chinese cities within four to four-and-a-half hour flight time. “We will have quite an extensive network in China when our long-haul operations under AirAsia Long Haul rolls out later this year. Then we will look at cities all over China including Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chengdu and even Chongqing,” she added. Tianjin is a city about two hours from Beijing while Hangzhou is about an hour from Shanghai.
AirAsia Long Haul, which is expected to start operations in September, is a franchise of AirAsia that is to be operated by FAX. The two airlines share common directors.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 4, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9784 times:
Blame Canada?
Canada to stay strict on visas, says D-G
The Star
Canada, which maintains one of the most stringent visa regimes, is not about to ease its tedious vetting processes. Malaysia is among the 147 nations included in Canada’s visa requirement list.
Director-General (International Organisations Bureau) at the Department of Foreign Affairs Ferry de Kerckhove said there were several reasons why Canada chose to adopt a strict visa vetting system “over and beyond 9/11”, referring to the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept 11, 2001.
One reason, he explained, was to ensure that Canadian authorities did not harass bona-fide visitors. “Once you get a visa and enter Canada, nobody is going to control you,” he said. Malaysia’s inclusion in Canada’s visa list in Sept 2002 sparked off protests from Wisma Putra as it affected tourists, business travellers and transit visitors to Canada.
Visa applicants here complained that there were many “irrelevant” questions to answer. The Canadian Immigration Office here issued 7,953 temporary resident visas to Malaysians last year, with 7,966 and 7,117 visas issued in 2006 and 2005 respectively.
He said his country had to strictly vet visa applications as there were people who tried to exploit Canada’s immigration programme. “There have been many people coming into Canada and then asking for refugee status. That is why we want you to prove that you are coming to Canada in good faith.”
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9778 times:
A proceed from the recent airport tax lowering.
AirAsia to refund airport tax on unused tickets
The Star
AirAsia passengers who did not board their flights will be refunded on airport tax but not on fuel surcharge. “AirAsia is a low-cost airline and the bulk of its ticket sales are purchased online, some for even 11 months ahead of the travelling date. Due to the high volume of passengers, it is not easy for us to track the number of no-show passengers,” said its executive vice-president (commercial) in a reply via e-mail.
The airline advises passengers who want to claim any refund to contact its guest support team at 603 8660 4388 (from 9am to 6pm daily) or by e-mailing to guestsupport@airasia.com. “But our policy on no-refund on the fuel surcharge remains unchanged,'' she added.
On the reduced airport tax, she said AirAsia's online booking would reflect the new rates from June 1. “We are happy with the reduced airport tax. However, we believe that it could be lower. As we do not want to burden our passengers, we hope that cost will be exempted totally,” she added.
Swissgabe From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5168 posts, RR: 27 Reply 6, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9776 times:
Quoting 9MMAR (Reply 1): This would put an end to the "duopoly" long held by Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and Singapore Airline (SIA).
The "duopoly" is only affecting airlines from Malaysia and Singapore, right? Why can airlines such as UL, JL, AI and others operate between KUL and SIN and/or vv.? Why aren't they affected by the non existing open-sky between Singapore and Malaysia. Why couldn't Air Asia Indonesia or Air Asia Thailand operate services between those two countries as well?
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 7, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9776 times:
All tuned up for no-frills model
The Star
by CHAN CHING TH
TRAVELLERS on a shoestring budget have reason to rejoice.
Where air tickets and hotel accommodation usually take up the bulk of a holidaymaker's expenditure, these days the equation has changed a fair bit.
For the average wanderlust Malaysian income earner – and an increasingly number of Asians – travelling has become a less costly affair since Datuk Tony Fernandes introduced a no-frills business model in the form of low-cost carrier and budget hotels.
AirAsia took to the skies five years ago while Tune Hotels.Com was officially launched this week. And both tie in nicely to cater to the tourism industry.
Malaysia certainly does not lack budget hotels but Tune Hotels will probably raise the benchmark as to how it can and should be operated. Since its soft launch on April 27, it has registered an average of 85% occupancy rate.
It is still too early to tell, but if the numbers are any indication, Tune Hotels.Com definitely serves a market in which travellers want rooms that are simple, reasonably priced and the option to add on amenities should these be needed.
Using the demand-based pricing and booking system, guests can make reservations with prices ranging from RM9.99 to RM59.99.
For a minimal fee, guests can select additional amenities such as air-conditioning in the room, toiletries kit and towels as request for breakfast while booking online.
Now this truly allows guests to tailor their stay as they wish and pay only for what they really need.
Barely a month in operation, Tune Hotels.Com will make further improvement based on guests' feedback.
From next month, all rooms will be equipped with LCD television sets and wall-mounted writing desks. Tiles will cover cement floors.
Obviously, Tune Hotels.Com leverages on the volume game, similar to the model adopted by AirAsia, which relies on passenger volume by offering the lowest price and doing away with all the frills.
The opening of Tune Hotels.Com is another feather in Fernandes' famous red cap.
Fernandes has said it was a natural decision to create a seamless “no-frills travel experience for everyone” but this remains to be seen as bookings are now done through two different websites.
In addition, while AirAsia operates an extensive route covering South-East Asia and Southern China, there are many more destinations it does not cover.
Having proved sceptics wrong on AirAsia, Fernandes could well make Tune Hotels the place among travellers in a very short time.
While no-frills means less income, Fernandes found other ways to keep the cash register ringing. Food is served on board at a price and just recently, AirAsia offered Xpress Boarding, which enables passengers to board aircraft first and choose a seat of their liking, at RM20 per person.
To improve services, it introduced online check-in this year. Upcoming initiatives include self check-in counters at the airport and overbooking on some flights, which could enhance load factor and yields.
Taking what has become a successful concept a step further, Fernandes will offer Tune Money, a no-frills online financial service, by year-end.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 8, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9771 times:
AK's wish granted!
New airport tax apply to tickets issued after June 1
The Star
The reduced airport tax for flights from low-cost carrier terminals (LCCTs) will only apply to tickets issued from June 1. Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) senior general manager (operations) said the new rates did not apply to those who had bought tickets in advance for travel on or after that date.
Transport Minister said on Wednesday that for the LCCTs in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu, the airport tax for domestic travel would be reduced from RM9 to RM6. For international travel, the tax will be reduced to RM25.
On queries from The Star readers who said that the current airport tax was the same as the new rate of RM6, he clarified that at present the rates for domestic and international flights were broken down into passenger service charge (or airport tax) and security charge.
The new rates lump both charges as one charge under passenger service charge without any breakdown but inclusive of the security charge, he said. “The rates are now standard and will be applicable to all future LCCTs in the country,” he said, adding that the charges would be remitted to the MAB through airline tickets.
On statements by the Transport Minister and Tourism Ministry that airlines should refund the airport tax and fuel surcharges to passengers who did not board their flights, he said it was up to the airlines to make such refunds. He explained that MAB did not know who pays the charges because the airlines only submit the names of passengers who board the planes.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 9, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 9768 times:
Quoting 9MMAR (Thread starter): Malaysia vs India over landing rights. India claimed that Malaysia did not granted landing rights for Air Sahara and Air India Express in favour of protecting MH. India threatened to ban all MH flights into India.
India ready to discuss frequencies of MAS flights
The Star
INDIA is ready to hold discussions with Malaysia to clarify the frequency of MH flights to Indian cities under its open skies policies, reported a Tamil daily.
An official from India’s Civil Aviation Ministry said the country did not impose any ban on MH flights as reported in the papers lately but admitted that India was unhappy with Kuala Lumpur’s decision not to give landing rights to two of its carriers.
Last week, leading local newspapers in India had reported that the Indian Civil Aviation Department had issued a ban warning to MH as retaliation to Malaysia’s decision not to allow Air Sahara and the Air India Express to fly to Kuala Lumpur. India had nominated the two carriers to operate the Malaysian route and Air Sahara had started its Delhi-Kuala Lumpur operations last March. The official said the ministry was ready to discuss the matter and was in the process of preparing a letter for the Malaysian authorities.
India’s move shocked airlines and tourism industry observers, who feared such a ban or even the idea to limit number of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi would harm the booming Malaysian tourism sector, which attracted about 280,000 Indian visitors last year.
9MMAR From Malaysia, joined Jul 2006, 1554 posts, RR: 12 Reply 10, posted (1 year 4 months 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 9764 times:
Quoting 9MMAR (Reply 8): New airport tax apply to tickets issued after June 1
More details on the new LCCT airport tax's structure.
Cut in airport taxes from June
The Star
Airport taxes at the country's low-cost carrier terminals (LCCTs) in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu will be slashed, for both domestic and international travels, from June 1.
For both the LCCTs in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu, the airport tax for domestic travel will be reduced from RM9 to RM6. For international travel, the airport tax will be reduced to RM25 from RM41 (at the LCCT in Sepang) and from RM51 (Kota Kinabalu).
Airport charges at the KLIA main terminal and other airports in the country would remain at RM9 for domestic passengers and RM51 for international passengers.
Transport Minister said the new rate would be applicable to other LCCTs the Government will build in the future. He said the move would enhance Malaysia’s potential as a hub for low-cost carriers in Asia, as it would make airfares and flights more affordable.
“This new airport tax – also known as passenger service charge – will be inclusive of security charges. I believe the move will make Malaysia’s LCCTs the cheapest in the region,” he added.
He said the new rate would make it more on par with the level of facilities and services currently offered at the LCCTs now. “For instance, the LCCT does not offer the services of aerobridge for passengers boarding planes, which can be inconvenient when it rains.” The Government, he said, was confident that the new rate would translate into an increase in the volume of passengers using the LCCT.
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that there would be significant reduction in airport tax for international flights flying from LCCTs in the country. Najib had said the move was to make the LCCT “a separate cost centre.”
On the possibility of reduction in the parking and landing charges for airlines, he believed AirAsia, which flies mainly from the LCCT in Sepang, had put in a request to the Malaysia Airports Berhad. “At present, there is no change to both the parking and landing charges. The ministry is encouraging them to discuss the matter before they refer it to the ministry,” he said.
He declined to comment on a statement by Tourism Minister that Firefly would be allowed to operate from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang (SZB).
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