Naim

If you have MYR130mil to spare, take a look at this: http://www.nst.com.my/Weekly/PropertyTimes...100416/Article/ More firesale here: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_...s.php?id=174639 .ny

Yeah, Pieter, what's with this Flying Dutchman thingy? I've seen the Flying Irishman, tho'. .ny

There's a whole load of MAS news in today's Bizweek pullout of The Star. Click underlined titles below to read full stories. Can Malaysia Airlines turnaround? People have been waiting to hear this for a long time,” said Idris Jala of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS)'s turnaround plan, looking up at rows upon rows of analysts and media representatives poised with vulture-like intent. A heavy load for Jala Excerpts from an interview BizWeek's editor Anita Gabriel had with Malaysia Airlines Idris Jala on efforts to turnaround MAS. The MAS plan MAS' cash balance as of December 2005 stood at RM1.18bil. In order to prevent it reaching critical levels, which could potentially happen as soon as April 2006, a number of survival measures have been identified. Are they impressed with MAS' plans? Some comments from analysts on the MAS revamp plan.

In ancient times, I used to work at Hicom Bhd at the time Air Asia was born (I still remember the Boeing and Airbus salesfolks, plus others, making a beeline to our office). The former PM wanted the name Pacific Eagle for the new airline, but was not available for some reason. In fact the ori logo has the eagle motif. So Air Asia was instead adopted. .ny

Can't really compare WiFi with cellphone. Their modulation schemes and frequencies are different, and these have major implications on interference with avionics. GSM phones, for e.g., emit intense bursts of radio signals. Place one next to your TV, say, and you can see its effect on the TV audio and video. So in a plane, what if there's a mission-critical cable snaking its way next to you? And as I said before, I'll only fly with an airline with no ppl babbling into their gadgets. Heck, in Japanese trains they don't even allow you to make luv to your cellphone except at designted areas, such as the enclosed space between coaches. That's how important they view individual's privacy. So calls can wait till I land. .ny

Thanks Pieter, will explore that because I'm on LH program. I enrolled when I used Austrian/Lauda years back. Now that's a logo I like! .ny

Yup, full name was Qantas Empire Airways, with first logo: They had the majestic kangaroo right from day 1. .ny

Hahaha...thanks guys, and now what does QANTAS stand for? .ny ps: Sorry for this digression, but can't resist.

Thanks for tip, Keith. See how it goes. I got stuck with Star Alliance because I used SQ and UA for my US outings. My next trip is to the Gulf states early April, and I'm using a mix of MH/EK/QR - none of them allied to The Star . Man, my DXB-KWI-DOH-DXB economy tickets cost a bomb too - pricier than my KUL-DXB return on MH. .ny

Btw, what does 'KLM' stand for and what does it mean in English? .ny

Senators are members of the Dewan Negara. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewan_Negara And the news: Senators Club Members Disagree MAS Sell Building To Recuperate December 21, 2005 20:01 PM read on here: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/printable.php?id=172250 .ny

You mean this one? Interesting that they still keep the old CCCP-era logo at the bottom left. I remember spotting their noisy, smokey IL-62 over Subang Jaya when approaching Subang in the old days. .ny

I think Da Best is Briyani Gam Johor. .ny

This report sounds funny. See the 2 sentences above. Sentence 1 says, GPS receivers are the culprits, but sentence 2 says GPS receivers are the victims. So I checked the original source here: http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/3069 and found that sentence 1 is misleading. It should have read: "Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found the effects of mobile transmissions of on devices such as Global Positioning System receivers were worse than previously thought, after monitoring transmissions on a number of short-haul US flights. But anyway, I hate ppl yakking into their cellphones anywhere so the last thing I want is them yakking into theirs at 35,000 ft! So pls keep the cellphones off planes, thanks. Sorry, I'm a Luddite. .ny Pls read original story here: http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/3069 .ny

Nice pics, Denny. What about this one? I've actually flown in this plane last year, to BKI. .ny

Yes, I agree. I really hate seeing them meddling in MAS mgmt right now - just let Idris & gang do the job lah. Remember the bunch of senators who demanded that the MAS bldg not be sold off? These ppl are virtually clueless about running businesses. .ny

Yes the Swissair case was truly an accident waiting to happen. I hope they have improved the safety of cables used. Btw what's the latest on the wayward 722 (MH124) which got into problems near Perth on 1/8/05? To recap, see http://www.malaccahashhouseharriers.com/midair.htm .ny

Dang ... and I've been piling my mileages with Star Alliance! .ny

Sorry, I missed your msg, fairul. TPK seems like any towkay lah. He was already sitting in his 6am KL-bound MH plane when the accident happened. The whole lot had to disembark. He said the airport was getting too small already. Anyway after the chat he went to the VIP lounge and reappeared with Alfred Jabu on a walkabout apologizing to the stranded passengers about the delay. Pics below: .ny

A great site for fans of airline logos: http://www.aerosite.net/content/section/4/41/ Apologies if it has been posted here before. Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, I always find these logos somewhat intriguing. Btw, what's your favourite logo(s)? .ny

Same sentiment as Penang's CM. I think if a place is attractive enough for visitors, lack of direct flights would not deter them from getting there. .ny +++ March 02, 2006 21:09 PM Sarawak Says More Time Needed To Prove MAS Flights Profitable KUCHING, March 2 (Bernama) -- National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) should have given more time to Sarawak to prove that its three international flights via Kuching are profitable before scrapping them, Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh said Thursday. He said Sarawak was disappointed that MAS had decided to cut its international flights from Sydney and Frankfurt and to Perth via Kuching under the airline's turnaround plan announced last Monday. "It is like the chicken and egg situation now. The state government had invested a lot to promote the state aggressively abroad after the introduction of the flights a few years back. The time frame is not enough. "It's regrettable that MAS has cancelled these routes. MAS should have given more time to prove that these international routes will profit the carrier in future although it will take some time. I hope MAS will reconsider," he said to Bernama. The financially ailing national carrier decided to cut all flights via secondary hubs -- London-Langkawi-KLIA, London-Penang-KLIA, Sydney-Kuching-KLIA, KLIA-Kuching-Perth and Frankfurt-KLIA-Kuching -- under the turnaround plan. Wong, who is also Second Finance Minister, said the Kuching-Perth route, which was introduced three years ago, had been popular. "I hope this route will be reinstated as soon as possible," he said, adding that the flights from Sydney and Frankfurt had not been too successful from the beginning. "I admit that these two routes (Sydney and Frankfurt) were not that popular but we need more time to swing the promotional activities," he said. -- BERNAMA

Sounds interesting, but call me a Luddite if you wish, I'm not too crazy about new technologies. Which is kinda funny because I'm in the technology business myself. .ny +++ March 02, 2006 16:22 PM Airbus To Introduce Advanced A350 Cockpit KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Airbus will introduce a new state-of-art cockpit on the A350, embracing the latest in flight deck technology through the incorporation of A380 innovations and all new functions. In a statement here Thursday, the company said that the application of the latest technologies and improved ergonomics, would provide increased cockpit interactivity, improve safety and efficiency, and reduce pilot workload while maintaining commonality with Airbus' fly-by-wire family of aircraft. The A350 cockpit's features include the A380 Interactive Displays, a multi-functional display screen which will play a key role as a user-friendly interface, with more intuitive arrangement of functions accessible via menus, which will simplify flight management for pilots and give greater flexibility. There is also a new electronic interface for system status, which enables a more fluid, more intuitive and dynamic interaction between pilot and system and allows better management of abnormal situations without the need for paper. In addition, the aircrafft will also provide full class lll Electronic Flight Bag functionality via two large Onboard Information terminal screens and keyboards. The A350 cockpit will also offer all-new advanced technologies namely, Brake-to Vacate which optimises runway occupancy time, reduces consumption, saves on wear of tyres and brakes and increases passenger comfort. -- BERNAMA

It gets interesting here if one catches "Perdana 1" or "Perdana 2" in the air. .ny

Oooo...the A320. I caught The Red Devils last week. See some pics here: http://ny6.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_ny6_archive.html Scroll to the bottom of page. .naim Yes, and if you travel to the US, you better get used to ma'am-ing the ladies, esp. the ones at immigration, security and check-in counters. .naim

Pieter, I notice you have an upcoming trip to HELL HEL. I was last there in the mid-90s. They still have the terminal with the wooden floor? I thought that was quaint. .naim