Low-cost airlines information center
By Budget Airline News
AirAsia X, the long-haul wing of AirAsia, will be increasing flight frequency from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Tokyo (Haneda), Japan. Starting March 23, 20120, flights will increase from 3 per week to 6 per week
Starting June 22, 2012, the number of flights will further increase to a daily service.
The increase in frequency is part of the airline’s realignment plan which will focus the core markets in Southeast Asia, Australasia, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
By Budget Airline News
Bangkok Airways has announced it will increase the number of Koh Samui – Hong Kong flights starting March 31, 2012. The frequency will increase from a daily flight to 10 per week.
“To respond an increasing demand and to offer more choice to our passengers, we have decided to add three more flights to each leg of the Samui – Hong Kong route.” said Ms. Ariya Prasarttong-Osoth, the Vice President of Sales for Bangkok Airways.
New flights PG873 Koh Samui – Hong Kong (17:50 – 22:05) operate Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday and PG874 Hong Kong – Koh Samui (09:05 – 11:10) operate Wednesday/Friday/Sunday.
By Budget Airline News
Cebu Pacific, the Philippines based budget airline, has announced it will commence long-haul flights in the 3rd quarter of 2013. The airline will lease up to 8 Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets beyond the range of their current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.
The Airbus A330 has a range of up to 11 hours which means Cebu Pacific could serve markets such as Australia, Middle East, parts of Europe and the US. The aircraft is one of the most commonly used wide-body aircraft in operation today, given its highly reliable operating statistics.
“The A330-300 will give us the lowest cost per seat, allowing us to drive long-haul fares 35% lower than those currently offered by other airlines, and as much as 80% lower when CEB offers promo fares. This aircraft type is very well suited to the kind of network we want to build and the routes we want to launch,” said Lance Gokongwei, CEB President and CEO.
“We are exploring serving cities where large Filipino communities reside — Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the USA. Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop,” added Gokongwei.
Gokongwei cited Saudi Arabia as an example, where only 165,000 passengers flew direct non-stop flights from Manila (Civil Aeronautics Board 2010 data), compared to 293,000 Filipinos deployed to Saudi Arabia in the same year. This means that nearly half of Filipinos who flew to Saudi Arabia in 2010 had to take multiple flights to get to their destination. With CEB’s long haul operations, the budget airline will provide more affordable, direct flight options to Filipinos overseas, a population estimated to be 11 million worldwide.
Since its inception in 1996, CEB has posted a good track record in stimulating short-haul travel of Filipinos working and residing overseas. Passenger traffic to and from Hong Kong, where a lot of Filipinos reside and work, grew by 88% since CEB started operating flights from Manila in 2001.
“We want to do the same for long-haul traffic — offer the lowest fares possible and drive a significant increase on demand for air travel to regions outside of Asia. This is truly an exciting time for CEB as we continue to be of service to the 11 million strong global Filipinos, wherever they are in the world; and to their families back home,” Gokongwei said.
“As CEB develops long-haul routes and opens new destinations for a Philippine flag carrier, we will be creating an important enabler for increased trade, tourism and foreign investment.”
The airline currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 19 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 37 aircraft – with an average age of 3.6 years – is one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Asia. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take an additional 23 Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft.
CEB operates the most extensive network in the Philippines with 34 domestic destinations and hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark and Davao. It also offers 19 international destinations, namely Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon (Seoul), Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei and Xiamen.
By Budget Airline News
Budget airline Cebu Pacific has announced it will begin direct flights from Manila, Philippines, to Siam Reap, Cambodia, starting in April 2012.
The new route will debut with three flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Flights will depart Manila at 7:50pm and arrive in Siam Reap at 9:30pm. The return flight will depart Siam Reap at 10:30pm and arrive in Manila at 12:10am.
“It will be the first and historic direct flight between the two countries,” said Ek Tha, the spokesperson for Cambodia’s Council of Ministers. “The upcoming flights will help boost mutual tourism.”Cambodia’s Siem Reap province houses Angkor Wat temples, one of the world heritage sites. Last year, the temples attracted 1.6 million foreign visitors, up 23 percent year-on-year.
By Budget Airline News
Jetstar Airlines has announced it will cease direct flights between Singapore and Macau from February 6, 2012. The airline said it was for “commercial reasons”, likely due to a significant drop in the number of passengers on this route.
After Jetstar ends Singapore-Macau flight, there will be two other airlines service this route: Tiger Airways and Air Macau.
By Budget Airline News
The number of Koreans using low-cost airlines surpassed 10 million for the first time last year as more people take advantage of affordable air travel at home and abroad.
The figure reflects a 32.5 percent on-year surge, according to the Transport Ministry. Combined market share of the country’s five budget carriers — Jeju Air, Air Busan, Jin Air, Eastar Jet and T’way Air — jumped to 16.5 percent, up by 3.3 percent.
In stark contrast, the number of air travelers rose merely 4.8 percent during the period to about 49.1 million. That includes those flying with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, the two national flag carriers.
The data underscores the fledgling companies’ growing slice of the aviation pie on the back of robust demand for easier, cheaper air travel, which was once deemed a costly luxury.
They offer one-way tickets from Seoul and Jeju for as low as 19,000 won (US$16.8) during off-peak times, nearly a third of regular price tags. During the busy season, however, prices go up to around 80,000 won.
In the domestic market, the five firms together boasted a 41.4 percent share last year. They control more than 50 percent in three routes — Gimpo-Jeju, Gimhae-Jeju and Gunsan-Jeju.
To hedge against skyrocketing fuel prices and revenue shortfall, the no-frills carriers are increasingly steering overseas now via 25 international flights. More than 1.8 million people flew abroad with them last year, doubling their collective stake on-year to 4.3 percent in that segment.
By Budget Airline News
Thai AirAsia, the Thai subsidiary of AirAsia, is pulling out of the highly contested Bangkok-New Delhi route. The withdrawal will begin with a reduction to four flights a week from February 14 and full suspension from March 24, 2012.
TAA became the first low-cost carrier to operate the Thailand-India sector in December 2010, with flights from the Thai capital to New Delhi and Kolkata.
TAA’s announcement of axing the Bangkok-New Delhi service came a week after its affiliated long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X decided to end flights from Kuala Lumpur to Gatwick airport in London and Orly in Paris.
Azran Osman-Rani, AirAsia X’s chief executive, said visa restrictions for travel between India and Malaysia and an increase in airport and handling charges in India forced the withdrawal.
AirAsia X plans to focus on its core markets in Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, opening new services and stepping up frequency.
While Mr Tassapon insisted India is a priority destination for TAA, he said any Indian route must allow for low fares.
He stressed that TAA’s daily Bangkok-Kolkata service remains intact.
Dropping the Bangkok-New Delhi route is also meant to improve efficiency and enable a focus on new international and domestic routes this year as TAA takes delivery of more A320 jets.
The first quarter will see three new routes from Bangkok to Trang province, which began on Jan 15; to Nakhon Phanom province, set to begin Feb 15; and to Colombo from March 1.
TAA will offer passengers who hold bookings on Bangkok-New Delhi an alternative travel option at no additional cost or a full refund.
The airline has been looking to serve more Indian cities such as Bangalore and Chennai from Bangkok. It was unclear yesterday whether that plan will be affected by circumstances leading to the end of Bangkok-New Delhi service.
By Budget Airline News
Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines launched a regular chartered passenger service between Shanghai, China, and Saga, Japan, on Wednesday, January 18, its third route connecting Shanghai and a Japanese airport.
The airline will operate one round-trip flight between Shanghai and Saga Airport every Wednesday and Saturday, the airline said.
The Shanghai-Saga route follows the airline’s current regular chartered passenger flights between Shanghai and Ibaraki Airport, about 80 km northeast of Tokyo, and Takamatsu Airport in Kagawa Prefecture.
The Saga Prefectural Government hopes the new service will encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the area and create other positive economic effects. The prefecture plans to subsidize the cost of operating the flight and related promotional activities.
By Budget Airline News
Thai Airways International have made public a strategy shift for Thai Smile, their upcoming low-cost wing.
In a departure from initial plans which focused on domestic routes via Bangkok, the carrier will place an emphasis on regional destinations such as India, China and other SE Asian countries within three to four hours flying time.
One driving factor looks to be on the heels of an larger shareholding in Nok Air which is firmly entrenched in a Thailand network of flights.
Viewing the proposition from the outside, the move makes sense given the increasingly competitive low cost carrier sector, so Thai Smile look to position in the midscale segment.
This new budget airline is expected to begin operations in the middle of 2012.
By Budget Airline News
Asian budget airline AirAsia X has officially announced it will start offering daily flights between Sydney, Austraia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Service will start from April 1, 2012, making this the airline’s fourth fourth Australian destination after Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth.
To celebrate this new route, fares are on sale and start from just USD $65 one-way including taxes and surcharges.
“Australia is a key market for AirAsia X and the Sydney route has long been a priority due to strong demand from travellers across the globe especially Asia,” said chief executive Azran Osman-Rani.
AirAsia X, the long-haul offshoot of Asia’s largest budget airline, has been pushing to fly into Sydney for four years.
The announcement came a week after it cited global economic uncertainty, soaring taxes and higher jet fuel prices for a decision to cut Europe flights and routes to India.
New South Wales Tourism Minister George Souris said the new service would bring around 55,000 more international visitors to the state each year.
“This daily service will inject nearly Aus$138 million (US$143 million) into NSW every year and is another great step towards the NSW government’s goal of doubling overnight tourism expenditure by 2020,” Souris said.
