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Keno Omar

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Posts posted by Keno Omar

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I must say that what surprised me the most is JNB, I always imagined that there's enough premium load on this sector.

     

    It's amazing how KUL-KHI-DXB on ailing A330 managed to survive the axe this long against the mighty EK.

     

    FCO could be made to work again if a joint service with QF ever to materialize someday. My theory is that FCO managed to survive all these while mainly due to SkyTeam membership ambitions.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    I flew MAD-EZE and SCL-MAD last Dec. I knew there wouldn't be PTV on the A340 so I had to entertain myself with my iPod. The vegetarian option was abysmal - mind you I'm not a fussy eater. Booked it via Expedia UK but had to change dates afterwards, no issues there.

     

    I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose to fly with Iberia. This ain't Skytrax 5 star airline, so don't expect anything extraordinary.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    @Azizul: I've been wondering about visa arrangements for Malaysians flown to Jeddah. At first I thought their stay in Jeddah is considered akin to transiting without clearing immigration, but doesn't seem like it if it's only for 7 days max. Would have been less pressing if they are transiting through other visa-free places like Cyprus, but I doubt we have any kind of facilities there...

     

    @Stryker: I suppose there's not much difference between government spending on this evacuation mission and the aid to flood victims of Johor for example - both are to help fellow Malaysians in need. God bless to all involved in this mission!

  12. Posted · Report reply

    My travel/aviation resolutions for 2010:

     

    1. To travel during long weekends from LUX to at least 2 European countries that I have not been to. Top priority includes Malta (Air Malta from FRA/BRU) and Finland (Ryanair from HHN).

     

    2. To return to KUL in Aug/Sep for Raya. Ideally I prefer it to be on KLM but would most likely end up with MAS SuperSaver KUL-FRA. It would be great to finally give A380 a try on CDG-DXB-KUL, but I hate connecting at midpoint when flying Europe-KUL, so I guess my first A380 experience would have to wait a bit more.

     

    3. To travel longhaul during Christmas break, currently eyeing on Antarctica as first choice. Preferrably on a SkyTeam airline, i.e. Air Europa or Air France CDG/MAD-EZE, connecting to LAN or Aerolineas AEP/EZE-USH, then cruise/sailing to the 7th continent. This is by far my most ambitious travel resolution to date, so wish me luck!

     

    Point 1 accomplished, two short breaks in Malta and Tuscany.

     

    Point 2 accomplished, went home for raya on EK CDG-DXB-KUL, inbound on A380 - my first.

     

    Point 3 accomplished, finally conquered my 6th (South America) and 7th (Antarctica) continents.

     

     

    New airlines flown in 2010 = 9 = Air Malta, Kenya Airways, Rwandair, Air Excel Tanzania, LAN, LAN Argentina, Aerolineas Argentinas, Iberia & Firefly

     

    New countries visited in 2010 = 6 = Malta, Tanzania, Rwanda, Argentina, Chile & Antarctica*

    (*) not strictly a country since nobody owns it

     

     

    For 2011, I'm eyeing on Jordan, The Himalayas & Ecuador.

  14. Posted · Edited by Keno Omar · Report reply

    MATTA deputy president, as quoted from The Star:

     

    Some corporate clients ask several companies for quotations because it is free and, at the end, only one receives the deal. This is not fair to us. So with this fee they will think twice before doing this. We are educating them, he added.

    How can deterring potential corporate clients be good for business?

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has issued a guideline to its members to start charging at least RM 30 of 'consultation fees' for each enquiry or request for quotation from customers (further enquires and amendmends would cost more). In the days when the relevance of traditional travel agents against do-it-yourself online portals is constantly being questioned, I see that this action would help to speed up the process even more.

     

    The travel industry is in no way not alone in offering free advice and quotations, in the hope that they are converted into actual sales - it's all part of doing business. The travel agency that I used to plan my upcoming trip even offered a call-me-back option, I only had to leave my phone number in their website. In the UK, some insurance companies offer free gifts just for enquiring, in order to encourage potential customers to contact them.

     

    What is your take on this? It would also be interesting to hear from those in the industry.

     

     

    Full media release here: http://www.matta.org.my/news/view.cfm?id=820547C6-188B-76AA-0065624D9CB5224E

     

    AGENCY CONSULTATION FEE PRESS RELEASE

     

    Over the years airline’s commissions have declined, hotel’s internet booking have increased and the bottom line of travel agents continues to be a major factor in determining the survival of travel agencies. Moreover, travel agents have been rendering “free” service on behalf of 3rd parties like airlines, airports, insurance companies and so on in collecting fees on their behalf like, fuel surcharge fees, airport tax, and travel insurance. Travel agents need to be one step ahead of their competitors. They must be aware of what are the current trends in the industry, not only in Malaysia but also worldwide to not only stay afloat but to stay ahead. Expectations from the consumers have changed over the years from being price driven to one of quality service. Consumers expect travel agents to be professional, and to be able to deliver what they sell. In order to that, travel agents need to be professional and to be able to provide expert advice, valuable time and above all quality and reliable service.

     

    BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

     

    Agency Consultation Fees have been implemented in major countries successfully over the years. It has led to an increase in the level and quality of service in those countries. It is important to charge clients who require assistance to plan and construct detailed & elaborate tour itineraries as these take time and expertise of the travel agents. Travel agents are “experts” in the field of planning vacations but they have been giving this invaluable expertise away for free all these years. Agents worldwide have chosen to move to a “fees-for-all” type model to be prepared for what they see as the inevitable future of the industry. Others have done it in order to pay for substantially better service levels rather than attempting to compete based on price and high volume. MATTA believes that we are professionals dispensing professional knowledge and information and that expertise that we possess is worth a “fee”.

     

    WHY DO CUSTOMERS USE THE SERVICES OF TRAVEL AGENTS?

     

    It is because of the personal attention, quality service, expert advice and time factor. These are the main reasons given for making the choice to use an agent. We believe that to keep these 4 critical competitive factors in place, we need to implement a fee structure. Service is the key! Extra time and personal attention is critical. Consulting, advice and the skills related to providing them are essential. All of these things are costly but very, very important and perhaps the most significant reasons to for the implementation of a sound and comprehensive fees strategy.

     

    IMPLEMENTATION DATE:

     

    Agency Consultation Fee guideline shall be implemented beginning the 1st of January 2011. As this is a guideline, Travel agents & Tour operators are free to impose a charge that they feel reflects their level of service. If an agent does not want to impose any Consultation Fee, then they are within their rights to do so. MATTA is of the opinion that to be in line with international standards and to increase the level and quality of service, Agency Consultation Fee is the way forward. Customers are now more aware of their rights and if they pay for the service then the customer would expect that service to be of high quality. It will also allow the Travel agents and tour operators to provide a higher level of quality service instead of looking for quantity to survive in business.

     

    AGENCY CONSULTATION FEE STRUCTURE GUIDELINE

     

    FIT AGENCY CONSULTATION FEE

     

    Domestic Inquires

    From MYR 30.00 per inquiry / quotation

     

    International Inquires

    From MYR 30.00 per inquiry / quotation

     

    Note :

    The fees will be absorbed as part of the payment if the client decides to purchase from your agency, if not then agency fees is applicable. One free revision (on the same quotation) will be entertained. But each extra revision will be charged accordingly based on per request / per quote basis.

     

    CORPORATE / INCENTIVE / MICE AGENCY CONSULTATION FEES

     

    Domestic / International

    From MYR 200 per quotation (for first 3 quotation )

     

    Domestic / International

    From MYR 500 per quotation (for 4th quotation onwards)

     

  17. Posted · Edited by Keno Omar · Report reply

    While most people could understand that flights do get delayed or diverted beyond the airline's control, it's the manner that the airline handles the situation that often pisses them the most.

     

    My Ryanair flight from Venice to Stansted in 2003 was diverted to Gatwick due to a fire at the airport (can't recall the details). The plane was parked at Gatwick tarmac for 2 hours before we were cleared to take off again. I would have appreciated if Ryanair could the very, very least do another round of food sales - I wasn't expecting miracles that they would hand out free food. I doubt that they have ran out of food or drinks by then, since I didn't see many people buying food during the first round. Instead, the flight attendants were almost nowhere to be seen, rather than attending to our needs.

     

    I truly despise Ryanair, but I still fly with them though :pardon:

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Surprised that most of us here like or OK about the livery. Everyone at A.Net hates it.

    I hate it. Looks cheap.

     

    The old 'Malaysia' is more iconic than having to spell it out with in 2 distinct colours. If they really must, add 'Airlines' but keep the old blue with red corners. The red swishes are not easy to the eyes - I would have liked to see more soothing blue with a hint on red highlights. Less is more!!

     

    If there's enough people whining about the new livery then maybe, just maybe there'll do a 180 on this a la the recent GAP new logo fiasco :pardon:

  19. Posted · Report reply

    I'm no expert in the exact hukum hakam, so I opt for a practical approach instead of being technical about it. The last time I flew on KUL-LHR morning flight during Ramadan, I break fast mid-air based on the number of fasting hours, i.e. until Malaysian local time of around 19:30, although it was still daytime at that point (possibly near Ukraine). Otherwise, I would have had to fast for close to 20 hours if I were to wait for sunset in London. Ramadan is all about abstaining from food and other desires within a reasonable/normal amount of hours, and since time is 'distorted' when flying longhaul, I don't see why it has to be restricted by the exact time of sunset.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Azizul: be careful with the Timaticweb database, KLM/Delta also use the same system in their websites. Few months back, I checked our visa requirement to Senegal to join my friend visiting his family there, apparently based on this database we do not need visas for stay not exceeding 3 months, but I found no such information in Senegalese embassy websites. We checked directly with the embassy in Paris and indeed Malaysians need a pre-arrival visa, even visa-on-arrival would not be possible. I ended up cancelling the trip since I could not get time off work just to travel to the nearest embassy before the trip (there's hardly any non-EU embassy where I live).

     

    Another friend of my flew from Paris to Bangui in Central African Republic for work. He did not arrange a pre-arrival visa, since a company representative there has made special arrangements with an immigration officer for a visa-on-arrival (not sure if was legit or not). His flight was badly delayed and only got into Bangui at 1am, so by then the immigration officer has gone home. No surprise, he could not get pass immigration, and was kindly "deported" back to Paris on the same flight.

     

    Use this website with caution and always double check with the embassy website or call. You wouldn't want to end up in a foreign country without the right papers, since not all country would grant visa-on-arrival.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Another interesting read: http://industry.bnet.com/travel/10005764/volcanopalypse-ironically-icelandair-outperforms-other-european-carriers/

     

    Volcanic Surprise: Icelandair Made Crisis Management Look Easy

    By Brett Snyder | Apr 27, 2010

     

    icelandair-300x185.jpg

     

    And you thought the volcano situation was over and done with, right? Not quite. The aftermath of the Icelandic eruption will continue for a long time, and we’re starting to see a strong division between carriers. The strong are getting more creative while the weak are looking for handouts. The most interesting to me has been the case of Icelandair, which worked wonders over the last couple weeks.

     

    In terms of creativity, Icelandair has been the most impressive. When airports throughout Europe were closed, Iceland’s main airport in Keflavik remained open. From there, Icelandair operated a strategic mission every day. One day, Trondheim airport in way northern Norway opened, so they sent the fleet over there with several flights. Another day, they thought Heathrow would open so they scheduled the flights. When it didn’t, they sent the planes to Edinburgh instead. I would say that Icelandair probably served its passengers better than anyone.

     

    But after the volcano threat died down in Europe, shifting winds actually shut Keflavik for a few days. Uh oh, that’s the end of their work, right? Not so fast. Instead of just calling it quits, Icelandair opened a makeshift hub in Glasgow. Flights from the US went to Glasgow, where passengers could then connect to other parts of Europe. They even sent flights from Akureyri on the other side of Iceland to Glasgow so people could get to their destinations, if they were willing to endure a bus ride from Reykjavik.

     

    The whole time this was happening, Icelandair made masterful use of Twitter and kept Icelandair.com up to date for all stranded travelers. For some people from the US who weren’t able to get to their destination in Europe, Icelandair provided a first night’s hotel and meals in Iceland.

     

    Of course, it’s a lot easier for little Icelandair and its fleet of fewer than 20 airplanes to have this kind of flexibility than a behemoth like Air France/KLM, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Air France operated a few flights out of Toulouse and Marseilles while British Airways tried to run a handful in Glasgow, but really, none of those efforts were even close to what Icelandair was able to accomplish.

     

    People may resent Iceland and its unruly volcano right now, but they should have a lot of love for Icelandair.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    LUXEMBOURG - Luxembourg airport closed until at least 1600 GMT Sunday.

     

    KLM has received permission to start flying CARGO flights to the Far-East, eff this evening... :pardon:

    Officially LUX is closed until noon Monday the earliest, but I saw a Cargolux 747 taking off around 1800 Sunday local time (surely enough, many heads were turned), the only one so far all weekend.

     

    Why would cargo flights be given special clearance?

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