Budget Airline Guide

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SpiceJet to establish regional base in Delhi

By Budget Airline News

Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet has announced it will establish a new regional base in Delhi. The airline will base five of its Bombardier Q400 aircraft at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

This new base will help SpiceJet expand its services in Northern India. The airline has already announced new routes from its Delhi base, including flights to Amritsar, Chandigarh and Indore starting on July 12 and flights to Dehradun starting on July 19, 2012.

In addition to the new Delhi base, SpiceJet has regional bases in Hyderabad and Chennai.

 

 

Thai Smile airline debuts with Bangkok-Macau flights

By Budget Airline News

Thai Smile, the new budget wing of Thai Airways, debuted on July 7, 2012, with its inaugural flight from Bangkok to Macau. This is the airline’s only confirmed international route and has a schedule of two flights per day.

In the coming months, Thai Smile will takeover domestic routes currently operated by Thai Airways. On August 16 Thai Smile will begin flying from its base in Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Krabi, on September 1 to Surat Thani, and on September 16 to Phuket.

Thai Smile operates a fleet of brand new A320 aircraft with an all-economy layout. Fares include a 20kg luggage allowance.

Cebu Pacific to offer in-flight WiFi

By Budget Airline News

Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ largest flag carrier, has announced it will offer WiFi on its long-haul flights starting in 2013. It will be the first low-cost carrier in Asia to offer this service.

Cebu Pacific passengers will be able to access the Internet during flights and make calls using Voice Over IP applications, using their Wi-Fi enabled personal electronic devices, such as Android™ phones and tablets, iPhone®, iPad®, BlackBerry®, and laptops.

OnAir WiFI service will initially be available on the airline’s A330 aircraft used for long-haul flights to the Middle East, Australia, Europe, and USA starting in the third quarter of 2013. Stage two will be to install WiFi on the A320 aircraft used for short-haul flights.

Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s VP for Marketing and Distribution, said: “Cebu Pacific has a highly social community of over 600,000 likes on Facebook and over 380,000 Twitter followers. We are very happy to provide our guests with the convenience of online connectivity while in-flight. CEB can now engage passengers through innovative web-based solutions that will further enhance their flying experience with us.”

Jetstar Japan takes to the skies

By Budget Airline News

Jetstar Japan took to the skies on July 3, 2012, with its inaugural flight from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to New Chitose Airport near Sapporo. Jetstar Japan is the country’s second low-cost airline following the debut of Peach Aviation in May 2012.

The airline will also offer domestic flights from its base in Tokyo to Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture, and Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka.

Fares with Jetstar Japan are about 50% less than with full-service Japanese Airlines like All Nippon Airways or Japan Airlines. Before its launch, the low-cost airline had already sold over 100,000 tickets.

Jetstar Japan is a spin-off of Jetstar Airways which has bases in Australia and Singapore.

Tiger Airways will fly to Hyderabad and Phnom Penh

By Budget Airline News

Tiger Airways has announced two new routes from their base in Singapore.  The budget airline will fly to Hyderabad, India, starting on September 27 and to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, starting October 1, 2012.

The initial schedule for the Singapore – Hyderabad route will be 5 flights per week on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. One-way fares start from $190 SGD including taxes and surcharges.

The initial schedule for the Singapore – Phnom Penh route will be one flight per day. One-way fares start from $78 SGD including taxes and surcharges.

With these new routes, the Tiger Airways network now covers 43 destinations in Asia and Australia.

Peach Aviation launches flights to Hong Kong

By Budget Airline News

Japanese low-cost carrier Peach Aviation launched its newest route from Osaka’s Kansai Airport to Hong Kong on July 1, 2012. This is the second international route for Peach Aviation which debuted earlier this year.

Flight MM67 departs Osaka at 21:10 each day, arriving in Hong Kong at 00:05 the following day. Return flight MM68 departs Hong Kong at 00:50, arriving in Osaka at 05:30 local time.

One-way fares for the new Osaka-Hong Kong route start from 8,880 JPY (about $110 USD) plus taxes.

Cebu Pacific adds 2 domestic routes to Davao

By Budget Airline News

Starting August 1, 2012, budget airline Cebu Pacific will offer direct flights from Davao – Kalibo and Davao – Puerto Princesa. The initial schedule will be four flights per week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Cebu Pacific is the Philippines’ largest and most affordable national flag carrier and will be the only airline to offer these routes.

“These routes will be launched just in time for Davao’s Kadayawan Festival in August. It will open up new markets from Palawan and Aklan, especially since fares to Davao and vice versa are now 55% lower with direct flights,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s VP for Marketing and Distribution.

“CEB’s extensive route network will also encourage Davao’s top tourist markets from the US, Japan, South Korea, China and ASEAN to proceed to Davao after visiting Palawan or Boracay. We believe in Davao’s potential for tourism, as the largest airline operating from this hub.”

Thai AirAsia to move to Don Mueang Airport by October 2012

By Budget Airline News

Thai AirAsia has signed an agreement with the Airports of Thailand (AOT) that will have the airline shifting its operations in Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to older Don Mueang Airport. The first Thai AirAsia flight out of Don Muaeang Airport is currently scheduled for October 1, 2012.

The AOT has been offering Thailand’s low-cost airlines incentives to move to Don Mueang Airport in an effort to reduce congestion at Suvarnabhumi International Airport which is operating over capacity. Subarnabhumi was designed to handle up to 45 million passengers per year, and in 2011 is estimated to have served 47.9 million.

The AOT is currently in negotiatons with other airlines to shift their operations, and it is likely that other domestic airlines will relocate as well.

IndiGo increases Dubai – India routes

By Budget Airline News

Indian low-cost airline IndiGo has announced new routes connecting Dubai, UAE, to major cities across India.

Starting in August 2012, the airline will offer direct flights from Hyderabad-Dubai, Chennai-Dubai, and Kochi-Dubai. Indigo will also be increasing the frequency of its Dehli-Dubai flights to two flights per day. The airline also plans to add flights from the South Indian cities of Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the near future.

Promotional fares for these new routes start from  11,200 Rupees for a return fare.

AirPhil Express launches Manila – Kuala Lumpur flights

By Budget Airline News

June 21, 2012 – AirPhil Express, the low-cost wing of Philippine Airlines, has launched a new international route from Manila to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The initial schedule will be three flights per week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Promotional fares for this new route start from 455 Philippine Pesos plus taxes for one-way travel.

While other low-cost airlines like AirAsia Philippines also fly this route, AirPhil Express is the only one that offers a free checked luggage allowance of 10kg to all passengers.