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Tag: flights

  • AirAsia India flights on new route starts

    AirAsia India flights on new route starts

    AirAsia India will start a daily flight on the Delhi-Jaipur route from October 20. The flight will depart daily from Delhi airport at 10.35 am and arrive at Jaipur airport at 11.45 am. The return flight will depart daily at 12.15 pm from Jaipur and arrive at 1.25 pm at Delhi airport. Tickets are available for as low as ₹1,315 on the route.

    The airline had recently announced flights from Agartala to destinations like Guwahati, Imphal, Kolkata, and New Delhi, starting October 20. The airline is offering tickets starting ₹1,019 on this route. Booking of tickets can be done on airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app.

    AirAsia India is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and AirAsia Investment Limited.

    The airline commenced operations on June 12, 2014, and currently flies to 20 destinations across India with a fleet of 23 A320 aircraft.

    Another budget carrier, GoAir offered tickets for as low as ₹1,296 (inclusive of taxes) for international and domestic routes in its 24-hour pre-Diwali ‘super saver fares’ deal. The ‘super saver fares’ was a boon for passengers who would like to usher in Diwali in style.

    The domestic air passenger traffic fell for the fourth consecutive month during September, the monthly decline worsening to 2.20% as compared to 0.94% during the previous month.

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  • Tigerair eyes Davao-Taipei flights

    Tigerair eyes Davao-Taipei flights

    Another international air link will be added to Davao City as Tigerair Taiwan plans to service the Davao-Taipei route within the year or early 2020.

    Department of Tourism Davao Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan revealed that the new route will boost the region’s tourism, trade, and investments

    She said a group of 12 Taiwanese travel agents and an executive from the airline visited Davao Region in July.

    “We tour(ed) them around the city and region. The highlight of our tour was our beach destinations especially in Samal, Davao del Norte,” she said during the agency’s presentation of its accomplishments and updates on Monday, October 7, at Seda Abreeza Hotel in Davao City.

    The regional director said the Taiwanese visitors were impressed with Davao’s tourism destinations.

    “They appreciate more about the people’s hospitality and the food. The tour has strengthened their intention to set up Davao-Taipei route,”she said.

    Rabat-Tan added that Tigerair Taiwan initially planned to launch a chartered flight only but later on decided to push regular direct flights due to the routes viability.

    “If it is not going to push through this year, it will be early next year. Also, we are expecting another visit from them any time within the year but most likely a bigger group will be coming,” she said.

    Sustaining flights

    Following the launch of more direct flights to the city, Rabat-Tan acknowledged the necessity of programs and plans to sustain these flights.

    Trade and tourism roadshows and missions are already set to promote Davao Region and Mindanao as a whole to international markets where Davao has direct link and vice versa.

    “A mission to Taipei composed of Davao tour operators and other stakeholders including city officials is presently being organized. It is more like a Business-To-Business (B2B) meeting. We are in constant communication with the Taiwan group,” she said.

    She also mentioned a Manado, Indonesia travel roadshow with Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is happening this month or in November.

    How are other flights doing?

    Rabat-Tan shared that, in a meeting last week, the Qatar Airways country manager said he was happy with how the Davao-Doha route is performing. She said plans of increasing the flight frequency of the route is being discussed.

    Qatar Airways’ Doha-Davao route, the first long-haul flight in Mindanao, was launched on June 18. It is operating once a week, every Friday.

    Meanwhile, around 50 travel agents from Hong Kong are also set to visit Davao City sometime in November to promote the Davao-Hong Kong link.

    She also shared that Davao-Tokyo route is currently being discussed with the City Government of Davao and Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.

    At present, Davao City has five international direct air links – Singapore; Hong Kong; Quanzhou, China; Qatar; and Manado, Indonesia.

    These routes are currently being served by six airlines namely Cebu Pacific, SilkAir, XiamenAir, Qatar Airways, Cathay Dragon, and Garuda Indonesia.

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  • Vietjet Air among global leaders in revenue from ancillary services

    Vietjet Air among global leaders in revenue from ancillary services

    Vietjet Air ranks 12th in the world among airlines in terms of ancillary services as a percentage of total revenues.

    The budget airline’s income from ancillary services such as on-flight food and souvenirs was $338.2 million in 2018, or 23.5 percent of total revenues, according to the CarTrawler Ancillary Revenue Yearbook recently released by U.S. consultancy IdeaWorks Company.

    Low-cost carrier VivaAerobus of Mexico topped the list with its ancillary earnings making up of 47.6 percent of its revenues, followed by the U.S.’s- Spirit Airlines (44.9 percent and Frontier Airlines (42.8 percent).

    IdeaWorks listed statistics for 76 airlines that disclosed revenues from selling frequent flyer points to partners, fees from passengers choosing seats, commissions from hotel bookings and other such sources. The study found that the carriers earned almost $52.7 billion in ancillary revenues last year.

    For budget carriers, ancillary revenue is a decisive factor in success when its profit margin reaches over 90 percent.

    Vietjet aims to become one of the top five airlines in the world in terms of ancillary revenues. The carrier, owned by billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, has the largest domestic market share of 44 percent.

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  • AirAsia India to start direct Delhi-Chennai flight from September

    AirAsia India to start direct Delhi-Chennai flight from September

    Budget carrier AirAsia announced a new direct Delhi to Chennai flight. The new flight will be introduced from September 2019. The sale of tickets will begin on 20 September. The tickets can be booked through airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile app.

    “The new daily direct flight between Chennai and New Delhi will help boost our operations in Chennai. We have also increased the frequency between Chennai and various other destinations like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata,” the airline said in a statement.

    AirAsia will also operate a third daily flight between New Delhi and Kolkata.

    The Bengaluru-headquartered airline is also set to launch additional flights on New Delhi-Kolkata route from 20 September.

    The airline has also increased the frequency and introduced a fourth service on the Delhi-Bengaluru route.

    AirAsia India currently flies to 19 destinations with a fleet of 22 aircraft.

    Air Asia India, which started operations in June 2014, is a joint venture between Tata and AirAsia Berhad. It currently operates 164 flights a day, covering 19 destinations and carrying over 25,000 passengers.

    The budget carrier has already started daily direct flight on the Delhi-Chandigarh route from 1 August onwards. The launch fare on Delhi-Chandigarh route is ₹1,365, the airline mentioned. The flight would leave from Delhi at 10.40 am every day and would reach Chandigarh at 11.50 am.

    The return flight would depart from Chandigarh every day at 12.50 pm and arrive at the Delhi airport at 1.55 pm, the low-cost carrier said.

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  • AirAsia cleared to start five new Asian services

    AirAsia cleared to start five new Asian services

    AirAsia was granted traffic rights by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) to start five new Asian services from August onwards.

    Mavcom’s latest bulletin shows that these flights will operate from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou, Jambi and Tanjung Pandan, alongside Sibu-Singapore and Penang-Kuala Terengganu routes.

    The low-cost airline was also cleared to raise frequencies on two domestic services, while both Malaysia Airlines and Malindo Airwere permitted to add flights internationally.

    Traffic rights on nine domestic and international routes were also returned in July, although Mavcom did not specify operators whose traffic rights were given back. This covers three routes to China, two routes to Nepal, one domestic route, as well as one route each to Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam.

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  • Google Flights now guarantees refund for price difference

    Google Flights now guarantees refund for price difference

    In an attempt to make its Flights app more trustworthy, Google announced a couple of nifty new features that, hopefully, will offer users more peace of mind when they book a flight through the app.

    Up until now, Google Flights would show users whether prices for a flight route are high, low or typical. However, starting today, the app is getting a new feature that will show you the same insights for your exact itinerary. On top of that, for some flights, the app will be able to show you how the price has changed over the past few months.

    Google Flights will also notify users when it predicts the price may go up soon or won’t get any lower so that they can book their flights as soon as possible. And to give Google Flights more confidence when they book a flight, when the app predicts the price won’t decrease for select routes booked between August 13 and September 2, Google will guarantee the price won’t drop and will refund you the difference if it does.

    Yes, Google will monitor the price and if the price drops any time before your departure, you’ll receive an email to inform you once your flight takes off. According to Google, this feature is only available for select routes originating in the United States with domestic or international destinations.

    Google Flights is also getting some improvements when it comes to trips. Starting this week, the app will assist users with recommendations for the next steps after they booked a flight and received a confirmation in Gmail. These recommendations cover everything from searching for hotels to restaurants and other things to do.

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  • Why Cebu Pacific plans to suspend flights to and from Guam in December

    Why Cebu Pacific plans to suspend flights to and from Guam in December

    Philippine-based low-cost airline Cebu Pacific will suspend its service to and from Guam in December, saying the Guam route “is no longer viable.”

    The last round-trip flights between Manila and Guam will be on Dec. 7, 2019, more than three years since Cebu Pacific’s March 2016 inaugural flight to the island. Cebu Pacific’s entry into the Guam market in 2016 was its first U.S. destination.

    With Cebu Pacific suspending its Manila-Guam service, travelers on the route will be down to two airlines to choose from: United Airlines; and Philippine Airlines.

    “The entry of Cebu Pacific into the market gave the traveling public more choices and a more affordable alternative to fly between these two destinations. However, despite all efforts, the Guam route is no longer viable,” Cebu Pacific said in a July 18 statement.

    Passengers affected by the suspension of the services to Guam are being notified, the airline said.

    To minimize the changes, affected passengers can:

    • re-book on earlier travel dates with Cebu Pacific;
    • get a full refund; or
    • place the full value of the ticket in a travel fund for future use.

    “With limited slots in Manila, Cebu Pacific will reallocate these slots and re-deploy the aircraft to routes where these can serve higher passenger demand,” Cebu Pacific said.

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  • AirAsia launches three new routes for Jakarta flights

    AirAsia launches three new routes for Jakarta flights

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia is launching three new routes for direct flights from Jakarta to Sorong, West Papua; Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara; and Semarang, Central Java. These flights will start operating on Sept. 1 using the Airbus A320 plane with a 180 seat capacity.

    The airline is offering a special price for a one-way ticket for these flights starting from Rp 2.7 million (US$193.97) for Jakarta – Sorong, Rp 634,000 for Jakarta – Lombok, and Rp 341,000 for Jakarta – Semarang. All of these flights are available through airasia.com or the AirAsia mobile apps. The offer is available starting from July 20 to 28 for flights from Sept. 1 to Oct. 26.

    AirAsia Indonesia CEO Dendy Kurniawan said that his company was currently focusing on expanding its domestic and international routes.

    “We showed our commitment to provide affordable and high-quality flights through this offer,” Dendy said through a written statement.

    According to Dendy, the ticket includes 15kg checked baggage for passengers.

    “We hope that our service will be able to boost economic growth, especially in tourism,” Dendy said.

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  • AirAsia prepares for budget long-haul flights

    AirAsia prepares for budget long-haul flights

    Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia launched the first of 66 new long-haul aircraft during the annual Paris Air Show on Monday, as it began to expand in Australia and could revive its Europe service to keep with the burgeoning market for budget long-haul flights.

    The new Airbus A330-900 aircraft, showcased during the 2019 Paris International Air Show, is expected to take off on June 25 on the Bangkok-Brisbane (Australia) route via AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate, Thailand X.

    AirAsia declined to provide a definite timetable for the other 65 to take flight, saying it depended on Airbus. It also remained cagey about the other planned routes. But AirAsia X Group CEO Nadda Buranasiri said they were eyeing more destinations to and from Bangkok and other parts of China.

    With this purchase, AirAsia would become the first airline in Asia-Pacific to operate the A330-900: a wide-body 377-seater aircraft that could fly 12,000 miles over a 10 and a half-hour power range, said AirAsia X chair Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

    The planes boasted of comfort, with more legroom, larger cabin bag storage spaces and power sockets in every seat, she added.

    “Our destination reach is not limited because of the capabilities of the plane,” she said. “We can strategize now about where we want to go beyond what we have right now.”

    AirAsia was named the world’s best low-cost airline during this year’s Skytrax World Airlines Awards, the aviation industry’s Oscars, marking its record-breaking 11th win in a row.

    The Malaysian airline has always wanted to expand its footprint, but it has only gone so far as Hawaii in the United States.

    It earlier tried to operate in Europe via London, but the AirAsia chief said, “the fleet that we used to go to London, that was not the right plane. The cost factor killed us.”

    “Maybe now seems like an opportunity for us to start again in London, but I cannot say that yet,” she said. “So perhaps this plane (A330-900) could give us an advantage. We have to look it up very carefully.”

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  • Cebu Pacific to launch flights Between Clark, Philippines and Narita

    Cebu Pacific to launch flights Between Clark, Philippines and Narita

    Cebu Pacific has unveiled plans to launch flights from its rapidly growing hub in Clark, Philippines to Narita Airport.

    The airline will operate four flights per week between Clark and Narita on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, beginning Aug 9.

    Cebu Pacific will also begin direct flights between its hubs in Clark and Iloilo; as well as between Clark and Bacolod on Aug 9; as well as daily flights between Clark and Puerto Princesa in Palawan by Oct 9 October 2019.

    The four new routes will boost Cebu Pacific’s total capacity in Clark by 40% in 2019 alone, following a 75% increase in 2018 with the launch of direct flights to and from Davao and Panglao (Bohol); as well as additional frequency for the Clark-Macau route.

    “There is so much untapped potential in Clark, and we are committed to expanding our Clark hub to expand tourism, trade and investment opportunities. This will open up the areas around Clark to more investors and entrepreneurs,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Distribution of Cebu Pacific.

    With a population of over 23 million in its catchment area, Clark International Airport is one of Asia’s fastest-growing airports, with passenger volume reaching about 2.5 Million in 2018.

    Cebu Pacific has been operating flights in and out of Clark since 2006 and today has direct flights to Cebu, Caticlan, Tagbilaran, Davao, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong.

    “With direct air service between Clark and Narita, it will be easier for Japanese tourists to access destinations in Pampanga, Pangasinan, Baguio, La Union and the rest of Luzon. Conversely, it will also be easier for residents in these areas to enjoy Tokyo, with a direct flight from Clark,” added Candice Iyog.

    Japan is one of the Philippines’ top sources of inbound tourists, with 631,801 Japanese visiting the country in 2018.

    In 2018, Cebu Pacific flew 20.3 million passengers on over 2,130 weekly flights across 37 domestic and 26 international destinations.

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  • Google delivery drones cleared for Australian Airspace

    Google delivery drones cleared for Australian Airspace

    A sister company of Google has been given the green light to launch drone delivery in Australia after years of test flights.

    The drone company Wing, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, was given permission this week to deliver takeaway food and drinks and over-the-counter medicines by drone to about 100 homes in Canberra.

    Wing, which has been trialing deliveries for the last 18 months, began testing its drones in Australia in 2014, but faced initial opposition from residents who complained about the noise.

    Although the drones were below legal noise limits, Wing developed a new, quieter model and said the feedback obtained during its trials had been “valuable” and it hoped to “continue the dialogue”.

    “We will continue to engage with the local community and stakeholders as we expand our service and are hosting community information stalls and delivery demonstrations in the serviceable areas over the next few weeks,” the company said in a statement.

    According to Wing, the delivery service will initially be available to a limited set of eligible homes in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston and Franklin.

    “We expect to gradually expand to more customers in Harrison and Gungahlin in the coming weeks and months.”

    Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority gave Wing permission to launch a commercial service after examining its safety record and operational plans.

    The drones will only be allowed to fly 11-12 hours a day and must be piloted, rather than fully automated.

    Wing’s initial launch partners include Kickstart Espresso, Capital Chemist, Pure Gelato, Jasper + Myrtle, Bakers Delight, Guzman Y Gomez and Drummond Golf.

    “We’re excited to connect with more local businesses in the Gungahlin area about how we can help them reach more customers faster, safer and more sustainably and encourage any local merchants who are interested in learning more to get in touch with us.”

    Wing had said that drone deliveries reduce traffic and pollution and can deliver goods in six to 10 minutes.

  • Emirates offers summer promotion tickets

    Emirates offers summer promotion tickets

    Emirates offers summer promotion fares for customers from Vietnam who book tickets from now until April 22 and travel from April 15 until November 30, 2019.

    Economy Class fares start from VNĐ17,189,000 (US$747) to Dubai, VNĐ19,999,000 ($870) to Paris, VNĐ21,809,000 ($948) to London, VNĐ23,819,000 ($1,035) to Amsterdam, VND25,189,000 ($1,095) to Madrid, and VNĐ27,179,000 ($1,181) to Boston.

    The Early Bird promotion also offers very attractive Business Class fares, only from VNĐ66,079,000 ($2,873). Business Class passengers traveling on the Boeing 777 can enjoy unprecedented levels of comfort with wider and more ergonomic seats that recline into a lie-flat position for a restful sleep.

    In addition, Emirates passengers from Vietnam who purchase Economy Flex or Flex Plus fares can enjoy 30kg and 35kg baggage allowance, respectively. When booking Flex or Flex Plus fares, Skywards members earn more Skywards and Tier Miles, allowing them to earn the next reward or reach the next tier faster.

    Emirates currently operates daily non-stop flights between HCM City and Dubai, and daily non-stop flights between Hà Nội and Dubai. Through its Dubai hub, Emirates offers passengers travelling from Việt Nam convenient connections to an extensive global network in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the US and South Asia.

     

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  • Flight Centre Looking at Corporate Travellers

    Flight Centre Looking at Corporate Travellers

    Travel retailer Flight Centre has made a 25 per cent investment in The Upside Travel Company, strengthening its presence in the global corporate travel sector.

    Flight Centre, which is now the business’s largest shareholder, will gain access to its technology platform and software development resources, enabling it to fast track growth in the small-to-medium sized corporate sector.

    “Upside is an emerging corporate travel business with an innovative customer offering that has the potential to disrupt traditional offerings in the SME sector in the future,” Graham Turner, Flight Centre’s managing director, said.

    Turner said the business is taking steps to future proof its SME offerings, which it predominantly provides through its Corporate Traveller brand, while also creating a blended on and offline offering for customers.

    Dean Smith, president of Flight Centre’s operations in the Americas, said the company planned to utilise Upside’s technology platform to grow Corporate Traveller’s digital offering.

    “We’ve been impressed by the capability and flexibility of Upside’s technology and team to improve the business traveller experience,” Smith said.

    For Upside, the deal will significant improve the business’s reach by giving it access to Flight Centre’s supplier relationships and global business.

    “Flight Centre is the perfect partner for Upside as we get aggressive in serving small corporate clients,” Jay Walker, CEO of Upside, said.

    “Not only does Flight Centre’s global scale, content and experience immediately make our product more complete and more credible, but its people and expertise also make us smarter, which is key as we accelerate into the future.”

    The investment is the latest in a string of such moves by Flight Centre, which recently invested in Bangkok-based 30SecondsToFly, and the acquisition of travel companion app Sam.

    The enhanced Corporate Traveller option will initially only be available in the Americas, but will be pushed to the United Kingdom in the “medium-term”.

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  • AirAsia X Wants To Launch A330neo Flights To Europe

    AirAsia X Wants To Launch A330neo Flights To Europe

    AirAsia X is looking to launch flights to Europe using the Airbus A330neo. Flights could commence as soon as 2019, with the airline keen to reenter the market as quickly as possible.

    AirAsia X previously operated flights to Europe, but suspended these flights back in 2012. Now, it seems that the airline is ready to restart these flights. AirAsia X have 100 A330neo aircraft on order, with deliveries due to start later this year. As well as eyeing European service for these new planes, they may also look to start flying to the US too.

    Europe Again

    When AirAsia X abandoned their European flights in 2012, they said this was to “focus on markets where it can build a leadership position”. It seems that now they are happy with their place in the world, and are ready to start service to Europe once again.

    When it flew to Europe, AirAsia X flew to Paris’ Orly Airport (ORY), London’s Stansted Airport (STN), and London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Given the airline’s low-cost operation, it is likely that AirAsia would look at flying to Stansted Airport again. In September last year, the airport announced that it plans to launch direct services to at least 25 new long-haul destinations in the next five years. This includes services to Los Angeles, Shanghai, Vancouver, and Manila. As such, Flights to Malaysia with AirAsia X could be an attractive route for them.

    The A330neo

    The A330neo, the newest iteration of the family, would be used by AirAsia X for flights to Europe. The neo in its name stands for New Engine Option, as the aircraft are equipped with newer, more fuel-efficient engines.

    There are two models of the A330neo; the A330-800 and the A330-900. While the A330-900 has sold relatively well, the -800 has not sold well at all. In fact, as of January, only eight had been ordered in total, all by the same carrier, Kuwait Airlines.

    AirAsia has ordered a total of 100 A330-900 aircraft, with the most recent order being for 34 at the Farnborough Airshow in 2018. The airline will be the first airline in Asia to operate the A330neo, and deliveries of the aircraft are due to begin in late 2019. The total list price of the order was just short of $30billion.

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  • Airasia will soon start selling flight tickets of other airlines

    Airasia will soon start selling flight tickets of other airlines

    AirAsia’s group CEO Tony Fernandes said the Malaysian low-cost carrier’s official website will soon start selling tickets of other airlines, as it looks to generate a new form of revenue. In a Twitter post, Fernandes said that AirAsia.com will be formed as a new company under the open sourcing firm that helps in building software, Red Hat Inc.

    Fernandes is confident that in time, airasia.com will generate as much gross merchandise volume (GMV) from non-AirAsia flight tickets as it does from selling AirAsia flight tickets. As of now, the GMV is $4 billion, he tweeted.

    GMV indicates total sales dollar value for merchandise sold through the ecommerce platform.

    Moreover, in a series of tweets, Fernandes announced that the hotel sales via the website increased 300 percent last week and is going to grow along with activities.

    He added that AirAsia’s loyalty points will help drive more people, because of their database, to the platform, which claims the strongest platform among ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

    “We have a much more powerful database and better knowledge of our customers than OTA,” he said in a tweet.

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