Archive for August, 2007
As of September 07 2007, Air Bagan is launching its first international flight to Singapore. The schedules are as follows:
Routing : From Yangon to Singpore From Singapore to Yangon
Days of operation: Daily Daily
Flight number : W9# 777 W9# 778
Aircraft : A-310 A-310
Timings : 1100-1500 hrs. (local time) 1610-1720 hrs. (local time)
The airline is also introducing its first international flight to and from Siem Reap, Cambodia as of October -1 2007.
Routing : From Yangon to Siem Reap From Siem Reap to Yangon
Days of operation: Sun/Tue/Fri Sun/Tue/Fri
Flight number : W9# 717 W9# 718
Aircraft : F-100 F-100
Timings : 1015-1235 hrs. (local time) 1325-1445 hrs. (local time)
For more information on the updated flight schedules and airfares, please visit the airline’s website on:
http://www.airbagan.com
August 31st, 2007
As of September 15 2007, One-Two-Go will resume operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport to serve Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai as there is significant demand for passengers connecting to international flights. The carrier plans about 10 flights a day.
“We want to facilitate passengers, who continue their trip on onward flights to other countries. Also, non-connecting passengers can choose either of the Bangkok airorts for their convenience.”, said Mr. Udom Tantiprasongchai, the airline’s CEO.
The airline will also up its frequency on several routes operating out of Don Muang Airport. Flights to Phuket will be increased from 5 to 6 and from 2 to 3 for Chiang Rai.
Meanwhile, according to Mr. Udom Tantiprasongchai, One-Two-Go should be able to launch its first international services by November 2007. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Phnom Penh are in thei initial line up with its sister carrier, Orient Thai, expanding the network to Chengdu, Guangzhou and Kathmandu this September. All destinations will be served with daily flights, except Nepal, which will have 3 weekly flights.
Domestic plans include new operations to Trang and Pitsanuloke, which are waiting for the Department of Civil Aviation approval.
For more information, please check on its website:
http://www.fly12go.com
Source: TTR Weekly
August 31st, 2007
Tan Son Nhat Airport will soon officially open a new terminal to serve international airlines operating into and out of Ho Chi Minh City. Airport authorities began a one-week test in the new terminal on August 14 for check-in formalities by Mandarin Airlines, Tiger Airways, Shenzen Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines and Uni Air. 
If the test run goes smoothly, all 35 international airlines flying into and out of the airport will use the new facility after September 02 2007. The older terminal will serve only domestic flights.
With the additional terminal, the time required to check-in will be comparable to other international airports in Southeast Asia. The new terminal equipment meets international standards and includes 10 luggage conveyor belts, 8 sky bridges, 20 escalators, 18 elevators, 8 moving walkways, 10 sets of automatic doors, 43 X-ray machines, flight information boards and security equipment.
The four-storey terminal also has specialized retail areas, and will offer services such as the Internet, online ticket sales, entertainment areas, and health and beauty care. The new terminal, which covers 100,000 square meters, will accommodate 8 to 10 million international passengers per annum. The second phase of the new terminal, to be completed by 2010, will increase capacity to 15 million passengers a year.
Construction on the terminal began August 2004. The Japan Airport Consulting Company holds the design and construction contracts, which it sub-contracted out to a consortium of four Japanese companies: KTOM - Kajima Corporation, Taisei Corporation, Obayashi Corporation and Maeda Corporation - who constructed the terminal and installed the equipment. Tan Son Nhat Airport now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the international flight arrivals and departures in the country.
Controlled by SAA, Tan Son Nhat Airport has undergone various expansion projects to keep up with demand. In 2002 the Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam put forward a construction plan for a new international terminal. The project was to be financed by a special Japan Government Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 3.4 trillion VND (260 million USD). SAA said by 2015 a new international airport, which will be built in Long Thanh district, Dong Nai province, some 40 kms. from downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, will supersede Tan Son Nhat, which would then only handle domestic flights.
Source: VNA
August 31st, 2007
Japan’s All Nippon Airways plans to increase the number of flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo by one each week as of October 01 2007. On this occasion, the airline will reduce US$50/round-trip ticket of one-month validity, departing from October 01-15 2007.
The airfare for a round ticket on Nippon Airways, with 30-day validity, between Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo is US$ 830.00 at present, with four flights each week.
All Nippon Airways opened its first representative office in Vietnam in 1996. One year later, it joined hands with Vietnam Airlines to connect Narita and Hanoi.
In April 2001, the airline launched the HCM City-Tokyo route with two flights per week.
Source: VNE
August 31st, 2007
About 2.46 million international tourists visited Vietnam during the first 7 months this year, a jump of 16.2% compared to the same period in 2006, according to the country’s General Statistics Office. These rapidly rising figures have not been met with an expansion in the hotel room inventory. The resulting shortage of accommodation has lead to increases in room rates, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Indications are room rates will continue to increase next year (our note: from 10% up to 50% for some hotels or some period!). Hoteliers suggested this upward movement in rates would taper off in another 2-3 years when more rooms came online.
In Ho Chi Minh City, 6000 “high-end rooms” would be added by 2010. It now has 3599 five-star rooms, 1281 four-star rooms, 1671 three-star rooms and 3394 two-star rooms.
The Hanoi Department of Tourism estimated the city needed 26,000 new hotel rooms, three-star and above, to house the two million international tourists expected by 2010.
The above information is from TTG Asia magazine (August 2007).
So if you plan to travel to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi before these additional rooms are ready – our advices are:
1). We strongly recommended that you book the hotels as early as you can. The sooner you book, the better chance you can get the rooms at the hotels you want. From our experiences, if you can book 2 or 3 months in advance, there will be MUCH more chance to get the hotels confirmed!
BUT – if you plan to travel during the holiday time (such as Christmas/New Year or Chinese New Year period) – we STRONGLY recommend you book as early as 5-6 months ahead of the traveling dates!
2). Be flexible with the hotels to stay. As you know we always try our best to accommodate you at the hotels you request but in case that they are really full, we will have to secure you the alternative choices instead.
3). Be flexible with your traveling dates as because of the problems in getting the rooms confirmed – you might have to adjust your plan such as reduce the number of nights in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and spend more time outside of these two cities if necessary.
We very much hope that this information will be useful for those of you who are currently planning to travel to Vietnam soon.
August 30th, 2007
Please kindly be informed tthat according to the new Vietnamese government’s regulation, all cyclo tours are NOT allowed to enter the Old Quarter area as of May 2007 onwards. Of course, there are other areas which is equally interesting!
August 29th, 2007
The Yangon’s Mingaladon International Airport has recently opened the new terminal boosting capacity of 2.7 million passengers per year with the bigger runway to accommodate the Boeing 747. Its current capacity now is 5 air crafts and 1800 passengers per hour.
August 29th, 2007
