Archive for July 8th, 2006
Mr. John and Ms. Isari Ashworth including their 2 sons (Luke and Max) who recently booked the trip to Vietnam with us last month just sent us the following e-mail and pictures:
Hello Too,
We are heading back to America, at the moment in the Narita Airport in Japan. I just wanted to thank you once again for organizing our trip to Vietnam, we had a fantastic time! Everything went smoothly, our guides were very informative and fun to communicate with about the culture, history and other interesting facts about the country. The boys especially liked Ha Long Bay as you can see from the photos attached. I enjoyed the people, the food and the culture. I would highly reccomend a trip to Vietnam with orientalcompass.com.
All the best,
John Ashworth
Nothing is more important to us than seeing our guests enjoying our the trip arranged by us and going home with their happy faces!
On behalf of the orientalcompass.com team - we would like to thank you Mr. John Ashworth and his family for taking his valuable time to write to us and of course, for traveling with orientalcompass.com!
July 8th, 2006
Laos Airlines will have 2 new 56-seater MA60 aircrafts with deilvery target for July 30 and September this year. Currently, the airline’s fleet consists of 2 ATR-72 and 2 Y-12 so with the arrivals of the 2 new aircrafts - the airline will commence service on new and previously run routes for the coming high season. This is what they plan to do:
New Destinations
Luang Prabang-Pakse-Siem Reap
: 3 flights a week (using MA6 aircraft)
Luang Prabang-Hanoi
: 2 flights a week (using MA6 or ATR72)
Resumed Flights
Luang Prabang-Bangkok
: 3 flights a week (using MA6)
Vientiane-Pakse-Phnom Penh
: 2 flights a week (using MA6)
Flight Frequencies Increase
Vientiane-Bangkok
: from 1 to 2 flights a day (using MA6, ATR72)
Vientiane-Luang Prabang-Chiang Mai
: from 3 to 5 fights a week (using ATR72)
Vientiane-Pakse-Seim Reap
: from 3 to 5 flights a week (using ATR72)
Vientiane-Luang Prabang
: from 3 to 3 flights a day (using MA6, ATR72)
Pakse-Siem Reap
: from 3 flights a week to 1 flight a day (using MA6 and ATR72)
With these new flights listed above - it would a good itinerary to do Indochina Trip with Laos + Vietnam + Cambodia by starting the trip in Vientiane, then fly to Luang Prabang and then enter Vietnam from Hanoi and work your way down to Ho Chi Minh City with the final end in Siem Reap before flying out to Bangkok at the end. There are many ways of routing a perfect itinerary using these new flights depending on where you would like to go. It is best to check out exact flight details and days of operation once again before planning your trip. If you need any help or idea from us - we will be more than happy to assist!
July 8th, 2006
Laos has launched a new bi-weekly magazine that will be distributed free of charge to visitors arriving at Wattay International Airport in the capital city of Vientiane. The magazine is called “M+” which is short for “Mahason”, the full-colour magazine offers information on restaurants, culture, tourist destinations, home and living, health and fitness, technology and sports.
Source: Bangkok Post - July 2006.
Anyone has seen and read the magazines are very much welcomed to share your thoughts about this complimentary magazines here please!
July 8th, 2006
Bangkok Post today (July 08 2006) reporting that Thailand’s 3 budget airlines; Thai Air Asia, Nok Air and One-Two-Go have urged the government to reschedule the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport beyond September 28 as they dont believe it will be ready! All 3 airlines have asked the Transport Ministry in a letter to be realistic about setting a new deadline “The opening date (Sep 28) is too rushed. It will be beset with a lot of problems if the government insists on opening the airport prematurely on that day.” said Nok Air’s executive VP of marketing. “The government would only open itself to criticism from the public and could face further embarassment if glitches accompany the airport’s opening. The general public still do not have a clue as to whether there will be public transport to the site. Worse still, many simply dont know how to get there.” he said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents almost all of the world’s airlines, warned recently that Suvarnabhumi Airport should begin commercial operations only when it is operationally ready.
International carriers are also on record of being equally sceptical about the Sep 28 opening date.
Despite serious doubts expressed by the industry, the Transport Ministry and Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) remain committed to the Sep 28 opening.
Well - we will keep posting on further news of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport once it becomes available. Keep your eyes opened!
July 8th, 2006
