Naim

I see the matter as a tribal conflict, not a religious one. See, for e.g. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/History-Abraham.htm And I don't understand why Malaysian Muslims are so emotional about it, sometimes even more than the Arab Muslims themselves. .naim

This will never end. Why did the Palestinians do the kidnapping? Because the Israelis did A. Why? Because the Palestinians did B. Why? Because the Israelis did C. Why? Because the Palestinians did D. Why? ... ad infinitum ... till the era of Abraham and his two wives who spawned the Arabs and the Jews. I think we better stop here lah. .ny

Since when do the Israelis care? Latest news is they are blockading Lebanon, air & sea. And if the Iranians proceed with their nuclear plans, I bet the Israelis will fly all the way to bomb out the facilities. .ny

Several minutes flying time only maaa... no sweat for the Israelis. .ny

This about says it all. .ny +++ The Star Thursday July 13, 2006 AirAsia's shares dive KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Southeast Asia's top budget carrier AirAsia fell to their lowest in 1 1/2 years Thursday after the government stuck to its decision to allow rival Malaysia Airlines offer discounts on domestic routes. AirAsia's shares fell 4.3 percent to 1.32 ringgit (US$0.36, euro0.30) by noon Thursday - the lowest since November 2004 when its shares debuted on the stock exchange. The stock has declined by a total 10.8 percent since Monday. In contrast, Malaysia Airlines' shares rose 0.4 percent at noon Thursday to 2.86 ringgit (US$0.79, euro0.66). It has gained a total 2.1 percent since Monday. ... http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...5106&sec=nation

Not really, Beirut airport is prolly just 120km from the Israeli border. .ny

Aziz Bakar should have kept his mouth shut. .ny +++ July 13, 2006 13:13 PM AirAsia Not Getting Fair Treatment, Says Director KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) -- Low cost carrier AirAsia Bhd has not been given a fair treatment in the current discussions over the removal of the minimum floor price imposed on Malaysia Airlines, its director Aziz Bakar said here Thursday. "It is not fair for the MPs (Members of Parliament) to bash AirAsia and say that its management are gangsters," he said referring to yesterday's debate in Parliament on AirAsia. AirAsia has been playing a similar role to Malaysia Airlines in promoting Malaysian heritage and culture and enhanced relationship between West and East Malaysia, he said. "You should know. Are we gangsters? We are friendly people. We allow people to travel at a rate of as low as RM1.99 and at times (where) possible, we also give out free tickets," he told reporters at a function. AirAsia was disappointed with the government's reversal of an earlier decision to impose a minimum floor price on MAS for its 22 domestic routes from Aug 1, as part of a route rationalisation exercise aimed at allowing AirAsia to take over the bulk of the local routes. Its chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes had claimed such a move would lead to unfair competition. Under the earlier agreement on Feb 27 between AirAsia and MAS, the latter was not allowed to sell its tickets below certain prices. -- BERNAMA

A bit outdated this site, especially the schedules, but still useful: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/ptasingkl.htm .ny

And the minister lobs the hot potato back at Tony F... .ny +++ The Edge Daily Lifting of MAS floor price stands, says Chan By Giam Say Khoon The Cabinet’s decision to lift the floor price of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and allow the national carrier to resume three of its domestic flight routes will stand regardless of what was discussed earlier, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said. The decision to remove the floor price under the new domestic aviation policy was made two weeks ago after considering consumers’ interest, he told reporters after chairing the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya on July 12. “The decision by the Cabinet did not violate the rationalisation process of the airlines as both carriers (MAS and AirAsia) do not have a floor price. So why is it an uneven playing field?” he asked. However, Chan said the government is willing to listen to opinions from any party. Asked under what consideration the floor price for MAS was lifted, the minister said: “I do not want to have an open debate with anyone but the government made the decision so that MAS can also offer discounted rate to the handicapped, retirees and senior citizens.” Chan also refuted a claim by AirAsia that it was not formally informed by the government on the decision. He said the government had not only informed AirAsia but also welcomed the low-cost carrier to give its opinion. He said the government never subsidised MAS operations but the airline was appointed by Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB) to manage domestic flights. “So whatever profit or loss was the responsibility of PMB,” he added. “However, after Aug 1, PMB will hand over the domestic sector to MAS and the airline has to bear all the profit and loss responsibilities,” he said. Chan said the decision to remove the floor price was made not just to benefit the people but also the country and aviation industry. He said all the government wanted to see was for MAS and AirAsia to grow healthily. http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.js...0b6400-39d3d6bd

Now the politicians get into the act. It's gonna be nasty. .ny +++ July 12, 2006 21:56 PM AirAsia Scoffed At For Oppositing MAS' Supersaver KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- Law makers Wednesday hit out at AirAsia for vehemently opposing Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) decision to offer tickets at discounted price on its domestic routes through its "Supersaver" programme. "What's wrong for MAS to give discounted price to senior citizens, students and the disabled?," asked Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan). He urged the government to ignore the "whims" of the budget carrier which was more interested in making huge profits rather then being socially responsible. "AirAsia is already reaping millions of ringgit in profits in the short period of its existence. Why is it still unhappy?," he said. Datuk Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin) also expressed displeasure at AirAsia and defended MAS, saying: "In doing business, its prudent for MAS to offer discounted price especially during off peak season to attract passengers." Baharum Mohamed (BN-Sekijang) said the cheap fares advertised by the budget airlines were "just gimmicks". "AirAsia always say their cheap fares are sold out even during its cheap fare promotion period. It does not make sense as it are supposed to be a budget airlines," he said. Another MP Datuk Idris Harun (BN-Tangga Batu) scoffed at AirAsia, saying the airline never sticked to its schedule. "I was stranded for eight hours at Labuan Airport recently because AirAsia flight was delayed. When I asked the ground staff, they told me that the aircraft experienced mechanical problem," he said. AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Datuk Tony Fernandes had said the government was being unfair when it allowed MAS to scrap its floor price. The government said the move, which will spark price war and benefit consumers, did not violate MAS' rationalisation programme. MAS' floor price was originally spelled out in the new aviation policy which will take effect on August 1. -- BERNAMA

Try this one: http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S17479.html?cat=5 .ny

It's okay, that's the nature of life. The same no. of ppl die needlessly on Malaysian roads in just 10 days. .ny

NY Times After Deadly Crash in Russia, a Spate of Incidents By C. J. CHIVERS Published: July 10, 2006 MOSCOW, July 10 — Three Russian passenger airplanes were forced to make emergency landings after suffering mishaps or malfunctions today, one day after a Russian passenger jet crashed on landing at an airport in Siberia and burst into flames. No one died in any of the incidents today, although three people were injured and taken to a hospital when their plane, a Tu-134 carrying the chief of staff of the Russian navy among others, overran a runway at a naval base in the Crimea region of Ukraine and caught fire. One of the two engines on the Soviet-era plane malfunctioned at takeoff, according to Captain Igor Dygalo, a navy spokesman. The cause was not clear; one theory was that a foreign object, perhaps a bird, was sucked into the engine. An Airbus A-310 operated by a Russian airline, S7, made an emergency landing at another airfield in Ukraine after experience engine trouble. And a Tu-154 operated by Urals Airlines on a flight from the Russian Far East to Yekaterinburg landed in Irkutsk after one of its engines broke down. The incidents underscored the lingering dangers of air travel in Russia, where the safety records of passenger air carriers, while generally better than in the late 1990’s, are still far behind their Western counterparts. Elements of the emergency landings also carried eerie echoes of the crash in Irkutsk on Sunday of another A-310 operated by S7, in which 124 people died and 4 others were missing, their remains presumably unrecognizable in the charred hulk of the plane. That crash is under investigation, and there was no immediate insight into why the plane, carrying more than 200 people in all, went out of control and veered off the runway. Dozens of people from that crash remain hospitalized. Russian officials said today that several of the most gravely injured were being flown to Moscow to be treated for severe burns. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/world/eu...artner=homepage

One implication: AIRASIA DOWNGRADED TO 'SELL'; TARGET PRICE 1.25 RGT - OSK Updated : 10-07-2006 Media : AFX Story By : Ishun Ahmad via www.biznewsdb.com KUALA LUMPUR (XFN-ASIA) - OSK Securities said it is downgrading its recommendation on AirAsia Bhd to a "sell", based the negative earning implications of the government's decision to allow Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to compete in the low-cost arena. It did not say what its previous call had been. "The reintroduction of competitive pricing and the introduction of competition to Tawau and Sandakan has a direct bearing on both earnings and sentiment of AirAsia," the brokerage said. In placing a lower target price of 1.25 rgt for the stock, the brokerage cut its forecasts for AirAsia's net profit in the year to June 2007 by 12.8 pct and by 17.7 pct in the following year. ... The brokerage said it expects AirAsia to struggle to raise its yields given the competition. "The introduction of competition to KL-Tawau and KL-Sandakan are a blow to AirAsia as competition is introduced where it did not exist previously. As for the removal of the floor price, AirAsia will still have to compete on pricing with MAS particularly during the low season," OSK added. http://www.biznewsdb.com/english/newspage/...ulan=07&kw=wwqq

Yeah, Da Man did not look too pleased on TV just now. === And he has this to say: July 10, 2006 18:44 PM AirAsia Surprised Over Floor Price Removal Statement By MAS KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Bhd is surprised over Malaysian Airline System Bhd's (MAS) statement that the floor price imposed on the national carrier has been removed. AirAsia's chief executive officer, Datuk Tony Fernandes, said that "as far as we are aware, there is no change in any status. AirAsia has not been informed of any changes in the floor price." MAS said Sunday the government has removed the floor price under the new domestic aviation policy following a decision by the Cabinet recently. Besides this, the government has given MAS the opportunity to fly to three additional routes (Johor Baharu-Kuching, Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan). "We are aware MAS made a representation to the Cabinet two weeks ago. Of course, the Cabinet has to hear two sides of the story," Fernandes told a press conference here Monday. He said AirAsia has requested a meeting with the Cabinet and believed it would take place next week. He said AirAsia's stand was clear that the floor price was a key fundamental in the whole domestic route rationalisation because there was no level playing field right now. "There are many things that we think need to level out. If they are levelled out we have absolutely no issue on the floor price," he said. Giving an example, Fernandes said MAS would get potentially up to RM1 billion to restructure its operations which has nothing to do with domestic rationalisation "because MAS is virtually keeping its domestic routes intact." "The restructuring across the whole airline is being paid for by the government... to be given that kind of cash where AirAsia does not get that cash... it is not fair... there is no... some protection for AirAsia," he said. Fernandes also claimed the distribution of route rights was unequal. "AirAsia does not get the right to operate to Singapore from KL, from Penang, from Sabah and Sarawak. We have got no right to fly to Vietnam. We can't get rights because foreign workers can only go by MAS." he said. On interlining with MAS, Fernandes said if MAS didn't want to work with AirAsia, "that is fine and no problem with AirAsia." "We have made a representation to the government to say they can take back those five routes... we will not be involved in interlining," he said. Fernandes said AirAsia was willing to let go that routes and that would not affect its bottomline. "By all means, take it back. If it is so critical to your (MAS) business, take it back," he said, referring to reports the national carrier would fly to three more domestic routes. According to him, MAS never operated that routes until AirAsia operated them. "In our view, we have credible solutions for interlining but we are tired of all these... press talk," he said. Asked whether domestic rationalisation has failed, Fernandes said, "it has not failed... it has not even started. It is supposed to start August 1." "If MAS has the will... interlining will have made KL the stronger hub. If you want to make things difficult, you can make things difficult," he added. He noted that what AirAsia's proposals on interlining have been accepted by most airlines in the world. "In fact two foreign airlines are now talking to us... Big airlines who believed that we can add a lot of values to their international networks. They didn't approach (earlier) us because they thought we are doing with MAS. "But now they have seen we are not doing with MAS... they want to do with us. They are quite happy the way we are suggesting," he said. Fernandes said if AirAsia and MAS were to fully cooperate on the routes from day one, "we can fly many people to KL and then they can take MAS around the world to wherever routes MAS have left." "It is a waste. Hopefully, we can bring more traffic which MAS could have compete with Singapore Airlines in building more international destinations. "Life is too short. If you want the system that we believed is outdated... then we work with someone else," he said. Fernandes noted that discussions on the rationalisation were not something that were done overnight, they took hours and months and it was a decision that all parties agreed to, including MAS. "It would be a fair and workable solution for all parties concerned with Malaysia ending up with two strong airlines in a competitive market place "so that we will not cannibalise each other." -- BERNAMA

See http://www.ktmb.com.my/article.asp?id=46 Better still, take train ride KL-Ipoh to see for yourself. .ny

Yes, this is good. As regards the former Eastern bloc, I visited communist East Berlin in the mid-80s, crossing at Checkpoint Charlie from West Berlin. That was one memorable experience . Then a trip to Poland in early 90s - landed in Warsaw and took train to Krakow. Was in Moscow twice in the early 90s too. I bet things are very very different now. :-) Sorry, a bit off-topic. .ny

The Edge Daily 10/7/06 Supersavers return Malaysia Airlines System Bhd (MAS) can now re-introduce its Supersaver fares as the government has removed the floor pricing imposed on MAS under the new domestic aviation policy. In addition, the government has also reinstated to MAS three key domestic routes — Johor Bahru (JB)-Kuching, Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and KL-Sandakan. MAS said on July 9 that the Cabinet had recently decided to review the domestic aviation policy and it was informed of the revision through the Transport Ministry. The decision to allow MAS to decide the domestic fare takes effect on Aug 1 this year. MAS managing director/chief executive officer Idris Jala described the review as “timely as we are taking back the profit and loss (P&L) of the domestic operations from Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB)”. “The government does not pay any subsidy to MAS for the domestic business after Aug 1,” he added. Under the new domestic aviation policy, Idris said MAS would have a free hand to restructure its domestic operations to make it profitable, as outlined in its Business Turnaround Plan (BTP) announced on Feb 27, 2006. “We can now exercise full control over our customer value proposition, frequencies, fleet, capacity and pricing to best serve the needs of our passengers as well as improve our yields on this segment of our operations,” he added. With the revision, MAS said it would be able to provide appropriate discounts to its passengers when it makes commercial sense to do so. During lean periods each year when air travel is typically low, MAS said that it is important for the national carrier, like all other global airlines, to “have the opportunity to implement tactical and discounted prices to encourage more air travel, as it had done prior to being asked to discontinue its Supersaver fares”. As for the JB-Kuching, KL-Tawau and KL-Sandakan routes, MAS said the three routes were reinstated as these routes have high international traffic and/or high business class passengers. This will increase its domestic routes to 22. “This would provide a genuine choice for customers to choose to fly either via Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia,” MAS said. It was recently reported that the Johor and Sarawak state governments had appealed to the Federal Government to allow MAS to fly the JB-Kuching route. AirAsia Bhd’s chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes had said on July 7 that the budget airline was willing to give up the JB-Kuching and Kota Kinabalu-Miri routes if MAS wanted them back. Fernandes said if having AirAsia flying those routes was going to cause interlining problems, then MAS could have these routes back. Meanwhile, in the same statement issued on Sunday, MAS executive director and chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin Raja Abdul Aziz rebutted a statement by AirAsia that MAS received a RM1 billion subsidy from the government. “Let me make it very clear that under the new domestic aviation policy, Malaysia Airlines does not receive any subsidy or any other form of assistance from the government for any part of the domestic business,” he said. Tengku Azmil added that PMB was paying compensation of RM650 million to MAS in line with the contractual terms of the domestic agreement under the Widespread Asset Unbundling (WAU) Agreement. “This is not a subsidy but a one-off contractual obligation. We are using the funds to restructure the business as this has become necessary as a consequence of terminating the (WAU) agreement,” he said. http://www.theedgedaily.com/

Maybe high time to visit Sibu again. :-) .ny +++ July 10, 2006 12:41 PM Sibu Airport Can Now Accommodate Airbus SIBU, July 10 (Bernama) -- With the lengthening of its runway completed recently, the Sibu Airport can now accommodate bigger aircraft like the Airbus A320 series instead of just the Boeing 737. The first airbus, an AirAsia flight AK 5260 from Kuala Lumpur with more than 100 passengers and piloted by Capt Fritzland and Capt Hashim, landed there at 9.05am Monday. It returned to Kuala Lumpur with some 170 out of its maximun capacity for 180 passengers about half an hour later. On hand to welcome the inaugural flight were AirAsia Sibu station manager S. Shanmugamnathan, Sibu Municipal Council deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng Kiong Ann and other invited guests. Ngieng described the occasion as very historical and important as it ushered in a new era of the town becoming the air travel hub for more than 800,000 people in the state's central zone comprising the Sibu, Kapit, Sarikei and Mukah divisions. Shanmugamnathan meanwhile told reporters that AirAsia had an overall plan to gradually phase out its Boeing 737 aircraft with the bigger and more economical Airbus. He said Sibu was the latest town in the state to be served by its Airbus besides Kuching, Miri and Bintulu on their Kuala Lumpur routes. He said the Sibu/Kuala Lumpur Airbus flight would leave here at 9.25am daily and added that the company was now operating three other flights daily by Boeing 737. From July 25, AirAsia would also begin its first daily Boeing flight from here to Kuching which would leave at 10.35am and add another one from Aug 1 which would leave at 9.45pm. Shanmugmanathan said AirAsia was prepared to increase the number of such flights depending on the demand. -- BERNAMA

Looks like a dedicated site for Flight 778 (Рейс 778). I wonder who set it up. .ny

Cursory reading for today. .ny +++ Brake fault could cause Siberia airbus crash - source 17:56 09/ 07/ 2006 MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - According to preliminary data, a fault of the brake hydraulic system caused a Siberia airbus crash Sunday, claiming the lives of more than 100 people, a source in the investigative commission said. "The data available to the commission indicate that after landing the aircraft's brake system failed, causing the failure of the system's other mechanisms. As a result, the aircraft became uncontrollable after landing," the source said. An Airbus 310-300, owned by Novosibirsk-based S7, formerly Sibir, was making a routine flight from Moscow to the city of Irkutsk, about 3,000 miles east of the capital and the home airport for popular tourist destination Lake Baikal. The airliner veered off the runway on landing and burst into flames after hitting a concrete wall. The source said the exact reason for the tragedy would be established after the plane's flight recorders were deciphered. According to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, there were 204 people on board the airbus, including 193 passengers and eight crewmembers, and three more people were taken on board "off the list." The ministry said 122 people had died in the air crash, while 70 people were alive, of whom 58 were being treated in the hospital. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060709/51089349.html === Pilot in Siberian air crash said landed before runway overshoot 10:50 09/ 07/ 2006 MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti)-The pilot in an air crash that claimed more than 100 lives Sunday told air traffic controllers that he had landed and then contact with him was lost, Russia's transportation minister said. "The plane landed and the crew told the controller that the landing was over," Igor Levitin told the Vesti news channel. The Airbus A-310 then veered off the runway at Irkutsk airport and hit a concrete wall before bursting into flames. Emergency services said that 120 people had been killed and 53 passengers who were rescued from the retail section were being treated in the hospital. Prosecutors said they were considering a technical fault as one of the main versions in the crash. Irkutsk, 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) east of Moscow, is the main airport for holidaymakers heading for Lake Baikal, a popular destination for Russians in the summer. Levitin, who has been appointed the head of a government commission into the tragedy, said the runway was wet after rain, but an official from the Emergency Situations Ministry said the landing gear may have caught fire as the plane landed. On May 3, an Armenian A-320 crashed in the Black Sea killing all 113 people on board. In 2001, a Russian-made airliner crashed near Irkutsk with the loss of all 145 passengers and crew. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060709/51083883.html === from www.flightglobal.com ... The identity of the aircraft has been confirmed as a French-registered Airbus A310-300, believed to be owned by Airbus Financial Services. Airbus itself says the aircraft is F-OGYP (s/n 442), which was built in June 1987 and, according to Flight’s ACAS database, has accumulated more than 59,000 hours in more than 12,000 flights. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4152 turbofans. The aircraft was operating Sibir flight number 778 from Moscow Domodedovo when it landed at Irkutsk at about 07:50 in showery, overcast weather. It is not confirmed which end of the airport’s single runway 12/30 was in use in the light winds, but the final location of the crashed aircraft appears to be near the terminal buildings at the western end of the airport. Russian television pictures are being carried by the BBC here. At 2,765m (9,070ft), the runway is comfortably long enough for an A310 and it is unclear what caused it to go off the end. Survivors’ accounts on Russian television indicate that there was no warning and that the aircraft may have briefly accelerated after touch-down. This is unconfirmed. ... === Here are some facts about Sibir Airlines: * COMPANY: Sibir was set up in 1992 based on Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot's Siberian branch. It grew quickly by buying other regional airlines. It recently changed its name to S7 in a rebranding, but is still widely known by its old name. Sibir, Russia's No. 2 airline after state-controlled Aeroflot, is based in Novosibirsk. It uses Moscow's Domodedovo airport as one of its main hubs. * SAFETY RECORD: In October 2001, a Sibir Tu-154 en route to Novosibirsk from Tel Aviv crashed into the Black Sea after being accidentally hit by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile, killing all 78 people on board. In August 2004, a Sibir Tu-154 en route from Moscow to Sochi was blown up in mid-air by a Chechen suicide bomber, crashing near Rostov-on-Don and killing all 46 people on board. * FLEET: Sibir has a fleet of 65 aircraft, of which 6 are Airbus A-310s and 10 Boeing 737-500s and the rest Soviet-era planes. The company expects to add 14 Boeing 737s to its fleet by the end of 2008. * RESULTS: Sibir flew 4.2 million passengers in 2005, an increase of 12.3 percent from 2004. That put it second behind Aeroflot, which flew 6.7 million passengers. (Sources: Company statements, Avia.ru, Wikipedia) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09542735.htm +++

Great news! Bring back the Supersavers. .ny +++ The Star Monday July 10, 2006 Discounted MAS fares stay By WONG SAI WAN KUALA LUMPUR: Domestic travellers, particularly the disabled and senior citizens, will continue to get discounted domestic fares on Malaysia Airlines. The discounted domestic fares on the national carrier due to be discontinued from Aug 1 will go on following a Cabinet decision two weeks ago. The Cabinet also ordered the national carrier to fly on three more domestic routes – Johor Baru-Kuching, Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan as part of its new aviation policy. This development is good news for travellers in general as it would mean an open competition between MAS and AirAsia, thus causing fare prices to drop, although the low-cost carrier is unhappy about the decision. The Government reversed an earlier decision to impose a minimum floor price on MAS for its 22 domestic routes from that date as part of the rationalisation of the domestic routes to allow AirAsia to take over the bulk of the local flights. Previously, under the Feb 27 agreement between the two airlines, MAS was not allowed to sell its tickets below certain prices and the national carrier even announced that it was withdrawing all its special discounted fares from Aug 1 including the popular supersavers as well as the disabled and senior citizen discounts. If the decision had stayed, the disabled, senior citizens, members of the security forces and students would have to pay full fare to travel within the country if they chose to fly by MAS. These special groups used to enjoy a 50% discount of the normal fare. The supersavers fare also gives out a similar discount but was only available during lean periods when air travel was low. It is reliably learnt that these discounts will now be maintained with this latest decision. In a statement issued yesterday, the national carrier said it had received a letter from the Transport Ministry informing it of the latest decision. “The additional three routes are re-instated because all these routes have high international traffic and/or high business class passengers. “Recently, it was reported in the media that Johor and Sarawak had appealed to the Federal Government to allow MAS to fly the JB-Kuching route. This would provide a genuine choice for customers to choose to fly either via MAS or AirAsia,” the airline said. MAS managing director/CEO Idris Jala welcomed the latest move by the Government, as it would give MAS a greater flexibility in fixing its domestic prices. However, the latest decision will not sit well with AirAsia, which sees the floor price as a means of keeping the competition fair between the two airlines. Last Friday, AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes said the floor price needed to be maintained as MAS received a RM1bil subsidy from the Government and the funding made it an unfair competition if MAS did not adhere to a minimum floor price. In response to the budget airline’s claim, MAS executive director and chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin said the national carrier did not get any subsidy from the Government. “Let me make it very clear that under the new domestic aviation policy, MAS does not receive any subsidy or any other form of assistance from the Government for any part of the domestic business. “Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd is paying compensation of RM650mil to MAS in line with the contractual terms of the domestic agreement under the Widespread Asset Unbundling Agreement. This is not a subsidy but a one-off contractual obligation. We are using the funds to restructure the business, as this has become necessary as a consequence of terminating the agreement.” http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?f...0743&sec=nation

Not a great record for Sibir. This is the 4th major incident in less than 5 years! See: http://aviation-safety.net/database/operat...ne.php?var=5354 .ny

I think it's A310. Even CNN reported it as A390. .ny 150 reported killed in Siberian jet crash Moscow (dpa) - A Russian passenger jet carrying 200 people crash landed Sunday in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing more than 150 passengers and crew, Russian media reported. The jet, an Airbus A310, overshot the runway, struck a building and caught fire at 7:50 am Sunday (22:50 GMT Saturday). "Forty-three people were hospitalized with various burn injuries and the rest died, according to initial information," a source in the local prosecutor's office told the Interfax news agency. Transport police gave the same number. Survivors got out of the wreckage through the back of the jet, while the front part of the fuselage was completely destroyed. Firefighters took three hours to extinguish the flames. The jet, belonging to the Russian airline Sibir, had 192 passengers and an eight-member crew. The flight originated in Moscow. +++ CNN '150 dead' in Russian jet crash Sunday, July 9, 2006 Posted: 0323 GMT (1123 HKT) Smoke billows from the airport where the jet crashed. MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An Airbus A-390 jet carrying 200 people left the runway early Sunday at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia, crashed through a concrete barrier and caught fire as it crashed into buildings, according to the Interfax news agency. About 150 people were killed, while at least 40 people were hospitalized with burns. Emergency workers were trying to evacuate people from the plane, but authorities said the fire was under control. ===

Russian airliner crashes in Siberia, officials say Plane with 200 aboard bursts into flames after landing, 150 feared killed BREAKING NEWS Updated: 11:19 p.m. ET July 8, 2006 MOSCOW - More than 150 people died early Sunday when an aircraft crashed in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting a preliminary toll from the regional prosecutor's office. The report said that the dead were believed to include the eight crew onboard the plane, which was carrying 200 people. The Sibir Airbus A-390 crashed on landing and burst into flames, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said earlier. “The aircraft veered off the runway on landing. It was traveling at a terrific speed,” Andrianova said. Andrianova said 43 people had been hospitalized and another 10 managed to escape. Most of the other passengers were feared dead, she said. The aircraft was on a flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, near Lake Baikal. It took five emergency services more than two hours to extinguish the flames, Andrianova said. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13773633/