reyneo

Hmm... except for TianJin, all the other destinations are definitely A320-able. From SIN (which is even further than KUL): Taipei (3K A320) Kaoshiung (MI A320) Chengdu (MI A320) Chongqing (MI A320) No point sending a 330.. it just means a higher base cost and more seats to fill to break even 3K's LCC monopoly in TPE will come to an end, meaning they will surely lower their prices on their TPE flights (which are currently only SLIGHTLY lower than CI) to compete...

TF is a VERY VERY good publicist!

I'm not sure where Biz times gets its 'source' from, but since no names came up, I doubt its credibility somewhat... In any case, if, and that is IF, this does happen, with the exception of the terminal use and names, if things at MH remain as they are, then I fail to see how different firefly will be from MAS... they both serve food/drinks for free (MAS has Snake boxes and FY has Muffins and Juice) they both have Y and J classes they (currently, both) have no IFE (for short haul flights) they (will) both use 737s... (MH may still end up with some 734s, if FY takes some of its 738) Although if this does go through, it could allow MAS to 'upgrade' itself back up to become SQ/CX's standards while letting FY compete with AK.

A flock of birds taking out BOTH engines sounds almost impossible! Thank goodness everyone got out safely...

Sorry, but what is "rakyat'? When I saw the post on AK's website, I thought it was a name in place of KLIA East @ Labu... And yes, a good spin can do a lot to change the public's perception (which is VERY important) of things. Just like how KE and OZ 'spun' a story to block TR's korean venture and made the public go against the Incheon Govt and TR's JV from forming the now cancelled LCC. If AK does its PR right (and if MAHB doesn't do much publicity for its case), AK will be able to convince the public to agree with them. And actually, if AK does eventually own Labu, it won't be the first airline to own its own airport. Remember Bangkok Airways and USM Airport?

Okay guys, got some (not so good) news here... 1) Config is out for the MAS B737-800: -J Class will have 4 rows x (2x2) seats = 16 seats -Y Class will be 3x3 config with a total of 25 rows and 136 book-able seats* (first row to have seats C/D missing, exit rows 15&16 to have A/F missing, last 2 rows to have missing/un-bookable seats) * based on normal 3x3 cabin layout with 25 rows, it should have 144 seats built in, but some seats are shown as unavailable. I don't have a seat map, but based on the above info, I'm guessing seat pitch is actually slightly lesser than the standard. 2) MAS has quietly cancelled Darwin! As of 9 Jan, KUL-DRW, originally scheduled to start on 16 Jun has ben cancelled. 3) Routes to be introduced for B738 to be changed to: Kuala Lumpur - Bangalore from 21JUN09 MH192/193 Day 3567 (21JUN09 - ) Day 2 remains with A330 Kuala Lumpur - Denpasar MH853/852 Day x2 (30MAR09 - 29MAY09) MH853/852 Daily (30MAY09 - ) Kuala Lumpur - Hanoi MH752/753 Day 1 (01JUN09 - ) Kuala Lumpur - Ho Chi Minh MH750/751 Day x156 (29MAR09 - ) MH758/759 Day 2 (31MAR09 -) Kuala Lumpur - Kunming All 4 weekly from 29MAR09 Kuala Lumpur - Shamshabad MH198/199, Day 257 (16JUN09 - ) The above schedule has been updated as of 9 Jan 09. I'm guessing that the previous introduction schedule has been replaced with this one instead. ------------------------------- All info taken from airlineroutes which gets its info from Amadeus.

actually, i think they shouldnt charge for choosing regular seats when booking online... I mean look at Jetstar, free online seat selection, makes it so much easier. Seriously, if no one selects the seats, AK won't get money, and pax still be assigned seats at check-in anyway. They should only charge for choosing maybe the first 3 or 4 rows and exit rows to replace 'express boarding'.

I agree... whichever way it goes, the LCCT will become a much more pleasant experience for pax. Although I am a bit doubtful about Labu Airport opening by March 2011, I mean to even make that deadline, they must start construction really soon and they can't do that because: 1) No funding... nobody has stepped up to offer to finance the construction of the airport (I hope sime does) 2) They haven't tested the soil and suitability of the location yet... (you need that for the runway and taxiways IIRC) 3) I haven't seen any blueprints of any kind, not even rough plans yet... (i could be wrong) But ya, I'm actually rooting for AK to build Labu because I really believe they would do better, as Tony said "controlling their own fate". If AK doesn't have to pay for the use of facilities and can collect rent for ALOT ALOT of shops and eateries at the airport, not only would pax pay less (or no) airport tax, AK would also earn quite abit from the rentals! A 3 way WIN-WIN-WIN situation for AK (collect rent), Pax (more shops to eat/buy) and the Shops (LCCT has ALOT of pax)! Furthurmore, if (thats a IF), AK does extend the komuter from Labu station, it would make the airport more 'cheaply accesible' (sorry, but ERL is very expensive for the budget traveller and RM9 Buses take a LONG time), not to mention the fact that its nearer to KL means we won't have to spend so much time on the road. If the travelling time from KL city to Labu is 30 mins as promised and cost only RM9/10, then I would definitely prefer flying there over KLIA!

if that were the case, the contractor responsible is either going to jail or getting fined, or the company that built the LCCT might get their permits suspended or something. This would be a serious oversight on the contractors part! Not to over exaggerate this but, imagine if the fire was very serious and the LCCT was very big, some people might not have been aware of the fire until its too late... Anyway, which part of the LCCT was on fire? Was it serious? Like permanent damage or anything critical that might make operations not able to go back to normal tomorrow? Pictures anyone?

Australian, Japanese Cities To Be First For New A330 Operations 30 December 2008 Singapore Airlines will introduce its new Airbus A330-300 regional aircraft on routes to Australian and Japanese cities, progressively from end March 2009. The first of 19 new A330-300s will be delivered to Singapore Airlines by Airbus in mid-January. Initially, the aircraft will be used to complete pilot conversion, and thereafter, operate some short sectors between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore and Jakarta, during late February and March. Its full entry into commercial service will occur on 30 March 2009, and to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the commencement of Singapore Airlines flights between the two cities, the first route will be between Singapore and Brisbane. From April, services between Singapore and Perth will be progressively converted from the existing B777 operations to A330; conversion will be completed in May. The daily flight between Adelaide and Singapore will be converted by June. Also in June, following delivery of the eighth aircraft, the A330 will debut on Japan routes, with the daily service to Nagoya to be converted from B777 operations. By March 2010, the daily B777 service to Osaka will be replaced with the A330. The A330-300 twin-engine wide-body aircraft will be configured with 285 seats in two classes – Business and Economy. A new Business Class seat, especially designed for regional and medium-haul flights, as well as other cabin product features, will be unveiled when the aircraft is delivered in January. The Business Class cabin will consist of 30 seats, in a 2-2-2 configuration (distinct from the existing B777 on these routes, which is in a 2-3-2 layout). Economy will feature 255 seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration. All seats will feature the new KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines award-winning inflight entertainment system. The deployment of the A330-300 is shown below: http://www.singaporeair.com/mediacentre/pa...!1398209029 EDIT: The SQ330 seat map has surfaced! http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/Util/showP...ntName=A330-300

IIRC, SQ took the compensation boeing provided as a result of the 787 delays (and not the 380s) to lease the 330s, which explains why they are the 'stop gap' solution for routes that will be flown with the 787s. SQ intends to fly the 787 for medium haul routes (they didnt say to where, but there were lots of rumors) which the 333s can do.

OMG! the first full liverly shot of the SQ 330!

You have a point there... I noticed the best way to get from DRW to Europe with through fares would be Qantas via Perth/Adelaide... which is a long way off. GA serves DPS, but like SIN and SGN with JQ, no through tickets. But given that neither Thai nor MI/SQ serve northen Australia to feed their European Ops, I'm guessing its not high yielding or loading... so I still have my doubts about this route lasting very long...

MAS's 738 are scheduled to enter into service from 29 March 09 (though it may have changed, especially with the strike and all). Here are the flights that the new 738s will fly. Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok MH784/785 Day 146 (30MAR09 - 29MAY09) MH784/785 Day x27 (30MAY09 - ) MH788/789 Day 5 Kuala Lumpur - Singapore MH601/604 Day 5 (03APR09 - ) Kuala Lumpur - Denpasar MH853/852 Day 146 (30MAR09 - 29MAY09) MH853/852 Day x27 (30MAY09 - ) Kuala Lumpur - Hanoi MH752/753 Day 1 (01JUN09 - ) Kuala Lumpur - Ho Chi Minh MH750/751 Day x156 (29MAR09 - ) MH758/759 Day 2 (31MAR09 -) Kuala Lumpur - Kunming All 4 weekly from 29MAR09 Kuala Lumpur - Shamshabad All 4 weekly from 16JUN09, replacing 3 weekly A330-200 The 738s will also usher in a new destination for MAS from 16 June 09, the northen tip of Australia will be connected to KL on 3x weekly 738. MH137 KUL1020 - 1645DRW 738 x135 MH136 DRW1745 - 2105KUL 738 x135 Honestly I don't think this is such a good idea... seriously, who flies to/from Darwin as a final destination? Besides, the 2x daily JQ flights to SIN and daily flights to SGN would probably take most of the holidaying ex-DRW pax away from KUL... unless of course AK does the route, then they might give JQ a run for their money. Premium pax ex-DRW is virtually non existent and when price-conscious tourist compare MH and JQ prices, you know which one they'll pick.

AirAsia X looking at some 25 A350s or 787s, plus more A340s By Victoria Moores Malaysia's AirAsia X is evaluating an order for around 25 Boeing 787s or Airbus A350 XWBs as it seeks additional Airbus A340s to boost its widebody fleet in the interim. The long-haul budget carrier has recently taken delivery of the first of 25 A330-300s it has on order, and early next year will introduce an ex-Air Canada A340-300 on lease from Orix Aviation. This aircraft will be used to launch services between Kuala Lumpur and London Stansted in March. Speaking during an event in London to promote the new Stansted service, AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes revealed that while additional A340s were under consideration in the near term, the airline ultimately aims to acquire a large fleet of A350s or Boeing 787s. "We are looking at about 25. Seeing as we are so Airbus-driven, it is more likely to be the A350 than the 787," he says, adding: "The timeline as to when we do this depends on the manufacturers, but we are in active discussions." Fernandes says that more immediate plans call for two more A340s "as soon as possible".

Argh! No more 99GBP STN-KUL seats! It now costs at least 200pounds! Has MAS responded at all?

One single flight was given permission to take off! Thai protesters say airlines must ask for landing permission Posted: 26 November 2008 1145 hrs BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protesters said Wednesday that they completely controlled Bangkok's international airport and that airlines must seek their direct permission to use the facility. "The PAD has completely taken control of Suvarnabhumi Airport so any airline that wants to take off or land must seek permission from us directly," said Chaiwat Sinswuwong, one of the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy. "We have allowed one flight for the Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage) to take off, but not others," he added. - AFP/yt

Unlikely. Don Muang was hit by protesters earlier today (before BKK) because thats where the temporary govt office is. So I'd imagine it to be even worst than BKK...

So far none to KUL... the only international flight that has been reported to be diverted is the BA10 you mentioned to SIN. (for good reason, i believe they'll be able to transfer all LHR-bound pax to the BA/QF SIN-LHR flights as opposed to KUL where they can do nothing but wait.) BA9 operating in the other direction (LHR-BKK-SYD) has been cancelled for today. AY93 from HEL canceled for today. SQ632 (SIN-BKK-NRT) is still stuck at BKK. All scheduled flights ex-BKK have been delayed indefinitely since about 9+/10pm. All flights into BKK that have not already departed since then would have either been cancelled or delayed indefinitely as well. This ensures that the amount of flights that are already en-route are kept to a minimal. The airport has stopped all out-bound flights since about 10pm while still allowing flights to land until about 15 mins ago where the airport has shut down completely! Thai authorities are diverting flights already reaching Thailand to Chiang Mai and Phuket. (Ouch! I can't imagine having to sleep in the cold hard dirty floors of these airports!)

Yup, there is a press conference in London tmr where TF is expected to announce details of the KL-London route. Someone from A.net reported that a bus has been painted in a D7 ad with TF and a stewardess... Interesting times indeed!

Lion Air inks MoU for up to 20 ATR 72-500s By Victoria Moores Indonesian carrier Lion Air is poised to take up to 20 ATR 72-500s for its Wings Air subsidiary after signing a memorandum of understanding with ATR. As expected, Lion Air has inked a deal covering 10 ATR 72-500s plus 10 options. The proposed deal, which Lion Air president director Rusdi Kirana outlined to ATI earlier this month, was inked during the Indodefence air show in Jakarta. Kirana says: "The reason we want these aircraft is for our feeder service to support our Boeing 737-900ER operations. With our brand new fleet of ATR 72-500s, we will be able to develop a strong low-cost network, feeding Lion Air's major hubs." He adds that ATR's large support network, which includes a centre in Singapore, was an important factor in the selection. ATR values the total contract at around $380 million and says deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to begin next year. It adds: "These aircraft will be the first new ATR 72-500s to fly the Indonesian skies." The manufacturer's CEO, Stephane Mayer, says: "Today's deal with Lion Air is very important for us in order to increase our presence in the expanding Indonesian market and continue the growth of our large fleet in southeast Asia, which has become a real booming market in the last three years." Lion Air operates 37 aircraft. Its network includes domestic flights within Indonesia, as well as international links with Singapore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City.

I found 3 more here: http://www.hflight.net/forum/m-1226222681/s-0/ door on the right side of the plane (the side that is usually never opened) cool air ticket for TLS-KUL!!! anyone want to guess what this is? the pictures are from a thai person/team... So far none of the pictures show the recline of the economy seats... at first i thought that this was 'reclining', but it appears to just be the head rest being lowered only...

AirAsia plans flights to Uzbekistan AIRASIA is looking into the possibility of flying to Uzbekistan following a request by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi . The prime minister said AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes was receptive to the idea and assured him that he would make an immediate appraisal of the proposal. Uzbekistan Airways flies twice a week between Tashkent and Kuala Lumpur on a code-sharing basis with Malaysia Airlines. Fernandes said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday: "We are more than 70 per cent sure of going to Uzbekistan. We will make a trip there and if we can get the right rates such as airport charges, we will definitely operate flights." Abdullah said the proposal to increase the frequency of flights between the countries was raised during his meeting with Uzbek President Islam Karimov. He said having more flights would benefit both countries, especially in tourism. Abdullah was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Karimov, during which both leaders witnessed the signing of three memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the areas of science and technology, higher education and development of human capital in the oil and gas industry. Abdullah is leading a delegation which includes ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Ser Shafie Apdal and Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Hassan Marican. The Malaysian delegation, including the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, left yesterday for Samarkand, a popular tourist destination. In Kuala Lumpur, long-haul budget airline AirAsia X said it was studying the possibility of mounting flights to Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, as early as next year. "We've been looking at (operating) new routes. We have looked at countries in Central Asia such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and will make a trip to Uzbekistan, probably in January, to meet officials there and explore possibilities for new routes," Fernandes told the New Straits Times yesterday. "We think Uzbekistan has enormous tourism potential and people there will have a chance to come to Southeast Asia. "We are proud the government has asked us (to establish the air link). "It shows the importance of AirAsia to the economy and that the country now has a choice (besides Malaysia Airlines)." Fernandes also said the airline was "serious" about mounting flights to Uzbekistan but had been held back by a lack of aircraft. AirAsia X has ordered 25 A330-300s planes from Airbus. It recently took delivery of its first plane, with the second one arriving next month. Four planes will be delivered next year. The airline has begun operations to Australia's Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne, as well as Hangzhou in China. It is scheduled to begin flights to London in March, and also plans to operate flights to Japan and the Middle East. ----------------------------------------------- sounds serious... and more like fernandez wanting to fly there than being forced to. 4 a330s next year, 1 for Japan, 1 for Tianjin, 1 for India, 1 for uzberk? Even then, they could probably squeeze in one more destination somewhere... anyone planning an exotic holiday to central asia?

If AK does fly to Kazakhstan, then who knows, we might see a surge of travelers from Almaty coming to KL because of cheap flights... (the country isn't as poor or run down as borat showed it to be)

These are/were for the 747 but I doubt MAS is going to change the cabin interior for this aged plane anymore... The concepts were dated 2002, so I don't know if these will still be implemented or if they've been already rejected. Anyone knows when was the last time MAS updated their first/biz product? This company also designed SQ's current First and Biz Class seats... theres also a video here: http://www.jpadesign.com/