新加坡民航局（CAAS）设立新服务网站，为本地消费者提供另一个购买促销或便宜机票的管道，也希望吸引更多过境新加坡的外国旅客逗留和观光。
这个全新网站名为ViaSingapore.com，公众可通过该网站查询往返新加坡的客机机票价格，在“货比三家”后也能立即在网上订购主要航空公司或廉价航空公司的机票。
民航局昨天发文告说，ViaSingapore的搜索引擎具备搜索超过100个网站的实时资料功能，可以根据用户所处的国家和所提出的要求为他们搜寻价格最低廉的飞机票。此外，该网站也借助樟宜机场与区域的广泛连通性（connectivity），让网站用户从中获取旅游资料，并以新加坡作为旅游起点或到亚太其他区域游玩。
民航局局长林金春说：“这个网站将为旅游者提供一站式服务，能让他们以最理想的飞机票价来新加坡旅游或探索亚太其他区域。民航局积极提升新加坡樟宜机场作为航空枢纽的魅力，这个网站的设立是民航局在这方面所作的其中努力。”
ViaSingapore.com的搜索引擎具备搜索超过100个网站的实时资料功能，可以根据用户所处的国家和所提出的要求为他们搜寻价格最低廉的飞机票。
文告说，ViaSingapore.com所推出的特价促销，将会是这个网站独有的。除了能搜寻价格具有吸引力的机票，用户可以通过这个网站寻找合意的旅游配套和酒店住宿等资料。外国旅客也能从中获知有关新加坡好去处和最新的活动消息，并且提供本地各个旅游景点的观光游配套，吸引过境的外国旅客在本地逗留。
为了配合ViaSingapore网站的正式启用，本地廉价航空公司捷星亚洲（Jetstar Asia）在网站上推出飞往曼谷的90元单程机票（包括燃油附加费和其他税务费），供顾客订购，促销日期从本月14日到19日。
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Airfares to KL in freefall
THE Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route, monopolised for so long by the national carriers of the two countries which routinely charged return fares in excess of $400, is opening up with some aggressive promotions. Travellers are spoilt for choice.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has become the first to throw down the gauntlet, with its 'One Price, All Seats, All Flights' online promotion offering one-way, economy-class fare on its flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur for $89 nett.
MAS also dropped its fares for flights from Singapore to Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, offering similar $89 nett one-way, economy-class fares to these destinations. This represents a reduction of up to 78 per cent of the lowest normal online fares on these routes.
The move comes ahead of the liberalisation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route from Dec 1, and services between Singapore and East Malaysia, which starts next week. Not to be outdone, Tiger Airways has charged into the battle with one-way fares between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur at $29 (RM69), all inclusive. AirAsia and Jetstar Asia have also launched a slew of additional services, beginning next month, between the two major cities. And flights between Singapore and the East Malaysian towns of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu begin next week.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir have launched promotional return fares to Kuala Lumpur at $293 nett, and to Penang at $313 nett. While these may still appear to be on the high side, they are a sharp markdown to what SIA, a premier airline, used to charge in the days when it monopolised the route along with MAS.
Meanwhile, Jetstar Asia's CEO Chong Phit Lian said that her airline had already been cutting fares on the route for several weeks.
'Yes, we have already started cutting fares to KL with everyday low fares,' she informed. 'But next week, we will embark on even more aggressive fare reductions on our website.'
AirAsia has been trying to out-manoeuvre its rivals by scrapping fuel surcharges (a move which will lop off $20 from ticket prices) in an effort to try to lure passengers.
In addition, the budget carriers are also offering several tens of thousands of 'free tickets' during the month of December to commemorate the further liberalisation of routes between Singapore and the Malaysian destinations.
All this comes after Malaysia and Singapore decided to fast-track their air connectivity by liberalising routes between Changi and several Malaysian destinations. This has resulted in a scramble by both legacy carriers and low-cost carriers to launch more flights and compete more aggressively for passengers.
In about three weeks, flights between the Republic and Kuala Lumpur are set to double to 29 daily as AirAsia, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia and Tiger battle it out against incumbents Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
Interestingly, the fare battle comes as the global aviation industry - including Asia-Pacific carriers - is wrestling with the impact of a widening global economic slowdown.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) noted that passenger and cargo demand had already fallen dramatically in recent months, with expectations of a further deterioration during the first half of 2009.
'Oil prices are likely to remain subdued given continuing weak economic conditions,' AAPA said. 'This should enable carriers to keep fares competitive and help maintain travel demand at a time of diminished consumer confidence.'
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has become the first to throw down the gauntlet, with its 'One Price, All Seats, All Flights' online promotion offering one-way, economy-class fare on its flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur for $89 nett.
MAS also dropped its fares for flights from Singapore to Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, offering similar $89 nett one-way, economy-class fares to these destinations. This represents a reduction of up to 78 per cent of the lowest normal online fares on these routes.
The move comes ahead of the liberalisation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route from Dec 1, and services between Singapore and East Malaysia, which starts next week. Not to be outdone, Tiger Airways has charged into the battle with one-way fares between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur at $29 (RM69), all inclusive. AirAsia and Jetstar Asia have also launched a slew of additional services, beginning next month, between the two major cities. And flights between Singapore and the East Malaysian towns of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu begin next week.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir have launched promotional return fares to Kuala Lumpur at $293 nett, and to Penang at $313 nett. While these may still appear to be on the high side, they are a sharp markdown to what SIA, a premier airline, used to charge in the days when it monopolised the route along with MAS.
Meanwhile, Jetstar Asia's CEO Chong Phit Lian said that her airline had already been cutting fares on the route for several weeks.
'Yes, we have already started cutting fares to KL with everyday low fares,' she informed. 'But next week, we will embark on even more aggressive fare reductions on our website.'
AirAsia has been trying to out-manoeuvre its rivals by scrapping fuel surcharges (a move which will lop off $20 from ticket prices) in an effort to try to lure passengers.
In addition, the budget carriers are also offering several tens of thousands of 'free tickets' during the month of December to commemorate the further liberalisation of routes between Singapore and the Malaysian destinations.
All this comes after Malaysia and Singapore decided to fast-track their air connectivity by liberalising routes between Changi and several Malaysian destinations. This has resulted in a scramble by both legacy carriers and low-cost carriers to launch more flights and compete more aggressively for passengers.
In about three weeks, flights between the Republic and Kuala Lumpur are set to double to 29 daily as AirAsia, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia and Tiger battle it out against incumbents Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
Interestingly, the fare battle comes as the global aviation industry - including Asia-Pacific carriers - is wrestling with the impact of a widening global economic slowdown.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) noted that passenger and cargo demand had already fallen dramatically in recent months, with expectations of a further deterioration during the first half of 2009.
'Oil prices are likely to remain subdued given continuing weak economic conditions,' AAPA said. 'This should enable carriers to keep fares competitive and help maintain travel demand at a time of diminished consumer confidence.'
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Murdoch: Aussies ill-prepared
MEDIA magnate Rupert Murdoch said on Sunday that Australians were poorly prepared to live in a global economy and may 'learn the hard way' what it means.
Speaking amid the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Mr Murdoch cited the recent fluctuations in the value of the Australian dollar as evidence of Australia vulnerability to world markets.
The rise of China and India as economic superpowers, each with a new, vast and ambitious middle class, posed special challenges for Australia, and the country would need to adapt.
'Over the next 30 years or so, two or three billion people will join this new global middle class,' Mr Murdoch said at the Sydney Opera House. 'The world has never seen this kind of advance before. These are people who have known deprivation.
'These are people who are intent on developing their skills, improving their lives and showing the world what they can do. And they live right in Australia's neighbourhood.'
The Aussie has lost 15 per cent this month as investors unwound carry trades and dumped commodity currencies on expectations that a global recession would hurt demand for natural resources. Australia is a big exporter of commodities.
On Sunday, the Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen said confidence globally should get a lift once the US presidential election was out of the way on Tuesday, including in the Australian economy.
Australia has announced a set of measures to deal with the financial crisis, including a stimulus package for households and a government guarantee on local bank deposits, to shield them from the credit crisis.
But Mr Murdoch said Australia's '19th century education system' and the poor living conditions of much of its indigenous population were key hurdles to be overcome, Mr Murdoch said, urging the country of his birth to recover its frontier spirit and position itself as a centre of excellence.
'Australia is wedded to the world - mostly for richer, very occasionally for poorer, certainly for better, and only rarely for worse. And I fear that many Australians will learn the hard way what it means to be unprepared for the challenges that a global economy can bring.'
Australians needed to become less dependent on government handouts and the country must remain open to immigration, he said.
Australia must tap on its advantages of an open, democratic and multi-racial society, built on the rule of law.
'To compete well and use our human capital to the best, we will have to draw on these advantages and make our country stronger. That means being less dependent on government, less complacent about our national institutions, more willing to accept radical reform, and more trusting in our creativity and our competence.
The Australian-born media magnate, who now mainly lives in the United States but whose News Corporation still controls a large part of the Australian media, was giving the first of six lectures in a series known as the 'Boyer Lectures'.
Speaking amid the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Mr Murdoch cited the recent fluctuations in the value of the Australian dollar as evidence of Australia vulnerability to world markets.
The rise of China and India as economic superpowers, each with a new, vast and ambitious middle class, posed special challenges for Australia, and the country would need to adapt.
'Over the next 30 years or so, two or three billion people will join this new global middle class,' Mr Murdoch said at the Sydney Opera House. 'The world has never seen this kind of advance before. These are people who have known deprivation.
'These are people who are intent on developing their skills, improving their lives and showing the world what they can do. And they live right in Australia's neighbourhood.'
The Aussie has lost 15 per cent this month as investors unwound carry trades and dumped commodity currencies on expectations that a global recession would hurt demand for natural resources. Australia is a big exporter of commodities.
On Sunday, the Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen said confidence globally should get a lift once the US presidential election was out of the way on Tuesday, including in the Australian economy.
Australia has announced a set of measures to deal with the financial crisis, including a stimulus package for households and a government guarantee on local bank deposits, to shield them from the credit crisis.
But Mr Murdoch said Australia's '19th century education system' and the poor living conditions of much of its indigenous population were key hurdles to be overcome, Mr Murdoch said, urging the country of his birth to recover its frontier spirit and position itself as a centre of excellence.
'Australia is wedded to the world - mostly for richer, very occasionally for poorer, certainly for better, and only rarely for worse. And I fear that many Australians will learn the hard way what it means to be unprepared for the challenges that a global economy can bring.'
Australians needed to become less dependent on government handouts and the country must remain open to immigration, he said.
Australia must tap on its advantages of an open, democratic and multi-racial society, built on the rule of law.
'To compete well and use our human capital to the best, we will have to draw on these advantages and make our country stronger. That means being less dependent on government, less complacent about our national institutions, more willing to accept radical reform, and more trusting in our creativity and our competence.
The Australian-born media magnate, who now mainly lives in the United States but whose News Corporation still controls a large part of the Australian media, was giving the first of six lectures in a series known as the 'Boyer Lectures'.
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