Robin

If TG sold off its A345s, can TG still provide direct flight from BKK-LAX-BKK?

I got the picture! Looks like front gear gone!

When did TF get his 'Datuk Seri '?

I wonder A346 is a right choice? fuel consumption high. It is not a cost effective deal for LCC like Air Asia.

I am also got MAS CIMB credit card to help me to collect more enrich points. Pls don't worry about membership fee. It will waived everytime. Some banks even inform me the membership fee will be waived for the following year.

It should be something like industrial Air fresher which also provide to hotel.

LOS ANGELES, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Dec 14, 2007 -- Malaysia Airlines, one of only five carriers in the world with a five star ranking, is offering a complimentary first class upgrade to business class travelers flying to Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and other destinations in Southeast and South Asia. Effective immediately, full-fare business passengers may upgrade to first class, subject to seat availability, on long-haul flights originating in Los Angeles. Tickets are valid for one year from date of outbound travel. First class travel aboard Malaysia Airlines is the ultimate in luxury and hospitality. Newly designed cabins feature high tech seats with a massage feature and convert to comfortable, flat-bed sleeping pods. A large wooden dining table and buddy seat, allows passengers to dine together. Dining is á la carte and served whenever the passenger desires. An array of ethnic and continental menu items is available and a must-try is the airline's award-winning signature dish, grilled satay with a spicy peanut sauce. Fine china and Italian glassware, and an extensive wine and spirits offering, make dining a pleasure. Modern in-flight entertainment features audio and video on demand, with 350 options viewed on a 15-inch LCD touch screen. Mood lighting in the cabin, automatic window shades and an extra large lavatory with full-length mirror are just some of the features available for first-class passengers. Business First tickets may be purchased by calling the Malaysia Airlines Premiere Desk at 888-627-8477 or through a travel agent. For more details log onto http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/main_US.aspx Sample roundtrip fares for Business First tickets from Los Angeles (LAX): $4,730 Business Class Taipei $6,800 Business Class Kuala Lumpur or Singapore Details: Offer is good anytime, based on availability. Valid only on Malaysia Airlines flights and applies on sectors where there are first and business class cabins (long-haul sectors). Unlimited stopovers are allowed on route, where applicable. Children and infant discounts apply. Can be used for one-way or round-trip journeys. Travel must originate from Los Angeles. Commissionable to travel agents at five percent. Booking class is "A." Other restrictions may apply. About Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines, one of only five 5 star airlines in the world, is the leading passenger carrier in Southeast Asia, with destinations across six continents. Recognized for its exemplary inflight service, Skytrax Research has ranked Malaysia Airlines as the world's best cabin staff for three consecutive years, best regional airline, best economy class, best signature dish, best airline lounge, best business class and overall best airline. Malaysia Airlines offers daily flights from Los Angeles and three per week from New York/Newark to Kuala Lumpur. http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/main_US.aspx For the most current information, visit our online pressroom: www.MalaysiaAirlinesMedia.com NOTE: This is a new web address for the North America pressroom. The pressroom on the Malaysia Airlines website is the worldwide pressroom and not specific to North American news. Contact: Media Contacts: The Phelps Group 310-752-4400 Judy Lynes, ext. 124 Email Contact Kristen Bergevin, ext. 181 Email Contact

Thanks for your information. I ends up cannot enjoy the Golden lounge. Try to get some 'refund' for not providing the services;)

Thanks Seng Lim. I keep asking the information from MAS office, no one provide me the tel no like you.

I don't know someone has posted this topic before? Anyway, I would like find out whether Golden Lounge allowed passengers to stay overnight? I mean not sleeping there! Just have meal, meeting, working & resting due to my next flight is 4am in the morning. FYI, I will arrive KLIA around 11pm+. Hope someone can give me some ideas!

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysia Airlines flight to Seoul made an emergency landing at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam after smoke was detected in the cargo compartment. The Airbus Flight MH66, which took off at 1.10am, was diverted to Vietnam as a precaution after the smoke was detected by the aircraft's warning mechanism, said MAS in a statement. “The Airbus A330-300 aircraft landed safely in Ho Chi Minh City at 3.11am today (yesterday),” the statement said, adding that initial ground inspections at the airport could not establish the cause of the problem yet. MAS operations director Datuk Tajuden Abu Bakar said: “The aircraft is equipped to isolate and suppress any smoke coming from the cargo hold but the captain decided to land immediately at the nearest alternative airport in the interest of passenger safety. “We apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience caused from this disruption but we wish to reassure that we will not operate any aircraft unless we are certain there is no issue on passenger safety.” He said the scheduled flight MH75 from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur was rerouted to Ho Chih Minh City to bring back all 108 passengers of MH66 to KL International Airport (KLIA) at 2.42pm. One of the passengers, Raja Azhar Idris, 55, said he sensed something amiss when he boarded the plane. He said he alerted the air stewardesses but was told that “everything is fine.” He added that the passengers did not panic when it was announced that the plane would be diverted to Vietnam.

KUCHING: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is planning to gradually replace its entire fleet of aircraft, and the exercise is expected to cost between RM20 billion and RM30 billion. In announcing this to more than 400 staff at the airline’s annual dinner at a local hotel here Tuesday, its managing director Datuk Seri Idris Jala said the move was necessary in view of the growing competition and rising operational costs. “We have already placed orders for 15 new aircraft - ATRs to replace the existing Fokkers and these new French-made aircraft will have 74-seater capacity and we will gradually over time change our fleet. “We will also be replacing the twin otters with a newer version and over time we will replace them. By the end of this year and into the new year we should finalise our programme to change and modernise our fleet,” he said. He said the company also had plans to reduce total costs by RM1 billion every year. Idris said MAS had successfully pulled through a very hard time last year and now it was having a very healthy cash balance, with RM4.6 billion as at Nov 12, this year. “We all had to go through a very difficult time because we had to do a lot of hard things last year and this year. This year I believe that with our good results so far and as long as we keep going as we are, we should probably get the highest profit we would ever make in 60 years,” he said, much to the applause of the staff. Although this year was a very good year for MAS, Idris warned that it was going to be very tough next year and in 2009 in view of growing competition from competitors and rising operating costs especially the steep increase in aviation fuel which had shot up to a new height recently. He said MAS would have to contend with its competitors who would bring in 400 new aircraft next year and another 400 new aircraft by 2009. “For a long time the people of Sarawak and Sabah had always been complaining about MAS, MAS this no good, that no good, rural air service no good and MAS making losses flying rural routes and after another airlines took over the rural air service, they did a really poor job. “For a very very long time you had done a very good job, but it was just not appreciated by the people,” he said, adding that now that the people were realising that an alternative airline was not necessarily better, they were beginning to appreciate MAS’ services. Earlier in his speech, MAS Sarawak area manager Shauqi Ahmad said to date Sarawak region had contributed about 4.5 per cent of total Malaysia-Asian revenue and 1.95 per cent of MAS’ sales worldwide. “Our contribution to the entire system will become most significant with the activation of MasWings’ services which will produce a multiplier effect because of our advantages due to our good interconnectivity,” he added. He said during his two-and-a-half years of service in Sarawak, he had witnessed significant improvement in the staff’s work ethics and behaviour and their efforts towards making MAS a profitable airline. He was glad to note that although the introduction of MASWings meant more tasks for the staff, they were still able to carry out their duties diligently and efficiently.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ATR in Toulouse, France, for the purchase of 10 ATR 72 500s and an option for five more worth a total of US$285mil. The purchase was in response to the Government’s request that MASWings, a subsidiary of MAS set up to service the air routes of Sabah and Sarawak, expand its services to the two states. MAS executive director and chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin and ATR chief executive officer Stephane Mayer signed the MoU. MASWings is expected to take delivery of the first five aircraft in 2009 and the next batch in 2010. ATR is a joint venture between EADS and Alenia Aeronautica. The ATR 72 500 is a turboprop six-blade propeller aircraft. “The new aircraft will enable MASWings to expand its capacity by 150%. “This will allow MASWings to meet the future demand in air travel within Sabah and Sarawak and connect more customers worldwide to the two states, which are ideal destinations for business and vacation,” Tengku Azmil said in a joint media release with ATR. He added that with the fleet expansion, MASWings would progressively add new frequencies in addition to expanding its services to more destinations in Sabah and Sarawak. MASWings, which started operating in both states on Oct 1 this year, currently has four Fokker F50 and four Twin Otter aircraft. Meanwhile, OSK Investment Bank senior analyst Chris Eng said the acquisition of the aircraft for MASWings would not impact the country’s flagship airline negatively, as the Government footed the bill. “It just shows that it is keen on maintaining a good level of service,” he said. Eng added that the MoU signed between MAS and ATR in July for the purchase of 10 ATR 72 500s with an option to purchase another 10 for MAS’ low-cost carrier, Firefly, was another step in showing that it was serious in expanding the Firefly fleet. Firefly was launched in April this year in Penang and recently started operations in Subang. It currently has a fleet of two Fokker F50 aircraft.

Like my company, we also do a lot of customer survey. But we always conclude that the result should be +/-30%. We have to think our customer in what kind of situation they fill the survey form too!

SINGAPORE, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- AirAsia Bhd hopes to start operating the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air route next month with a one-way ticket at RM150 including taxes. "Everyone was asking when we are going to start. People are excited that they can travel at a price they can afford. I'm hoping to start in December," AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said. Last week, Malaysia government announced it would allow AirAsia a limited access of two off-peak flights a day on the lucrative route now dominated by Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. "Two flights a day, that's what we've been given. But we hope to fly from other points in Malaysia to Singapore as well ... from Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching," he told reporters at the 4th Annual Asia Pacific and Middle East Aviation Outlook Summit here Thursday. He hoped that Singapore would also open up the route as it would benefit both countries. "We hope this would be the start for more liberalisation. But whatever happens, no one can stop the ball rolling now. The ball is on top of the hill and it's going down, just like when we started with one domestic route," he said. Fernandes also said that AirAsia planned to exercise 25 out of its 50 options to buy Airbus A320 aircraft. "I believe KL-Singapore route can do 20 flights a day. It's a huge market," he said, adding that it would not matter if AirAsia was given off-peak flights. "We have never been a peak airline," he said. The budget carrier already has 150 firm orders for the A320. -- BERNAMA

"If it works, we intend to implement it in routes less than three hours flight in the network," said Idris, stressing that currently the meal box is on trial period and therefore are open to changes. " So the mealbox is going to implement on the flight hours less than 3 hours??

MD says new transformation plan for MAS will be unveiled next year PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aims to shift gear next year to become more nimble to deal with competition going forward. Managing director Datuk Seri Idris Jala said MAS would introduce a new business transformation plan early next year that would provide a pathway for it to transform itself in the next five years. ¡°We were talking a lot about business turnaround plan before. Now we plan to transform from what we are today into a five-star airline at low-cost carrier cost,¡± he told reporters after welcoming the first Firefly flight at Terminal 3 Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport from Penang yesterday. Idris, who is also chairman of Firefly, said MAS would make sure its services were superior and attractive and, at the same time, lower the cost. ¡°We will not behave like a low-cost carrier. We will always provide superior products and services to customers but we will drive down our costs so that we will then be able to offer highly-competitive rates to passengers,¡± he said. Firefly, operated by FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, is a wholly owned subsidiary of MAS. It started operations from its home base in Penang in April. On another note, Idris said MAS was still in talks on the purchase of six Airbus A380 aircraft. MAS, he said, was waiting for progress to be made in the talks. ¡°We are still in discussions,¡± Idris said when asked about the impact of the Airbus A380, the world's largest aircraft, which made its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney on Oct 25. ¡°We expect a lot more competition and I don't think the competition will end with the A380. We are continuously innovating, looking for ways with new routes and aircraft in the competitive arena,¡± he told reporters here yesterday. In July last year, Idris said Airbus Industrie would have to pay compensation for the delay in delivering the A380. He hoped the issue would be settled by year's end. ¨C Bernama

MIRI: Rural flight fares have skyrocketed with ticketing agents imposing a compulsory service fee of RM40 for a return trip to all rural sectors in Sabah and Sarawak. Because of this, the total fare of an air-trip in rural Sarawak has shot up by as much as 50%, putting rural folk in a quandary. There are about a million people living in rural regions in Sarawak, most of whom depend on flights for quick travel. A Star check revealed that MASWings, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, had not increased its fares. It was the ticketing agents who imposed the compulsory service charge for all sectors, regardless of urban or rural. Previously, the one-way charge of RM20 was imposed only for passengers plying urban routes. In rural Sabah and Sarawak, MAS and MASWings do not have branches in interior areas and are represented by tour and ticketing agents. Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Gracie Geikie, when contacted, confirmed that the Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agents (Matta) had imposed mandatory extra charges. ¡°Previously, these charges were only imposed on passengers plying urban routes such as Kuching, Miri and Sibu. ¡°Many rural folk travel by air as it is the only means of transportation for them to get out to towns and cities for food supply, health checks, schooling and to sell their products. These extra charges are a setback to them,¡± she said, appealing to Matta to revoke the charge for the rural sector. Ba¡¯Kelalan assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining said the Miri-Ba¡¯Kelalan flight fare was now priced at RM114 one-way compared to only RM46 two years ago. Matta president Ngiam Foon, when contacted in Kuala Lumpur, said he would discuss the issue with the Sarawak Matta chapter.

Thanks for your informative report + pic

Boeing to delay first 787 deliveries by 6 months CHICAGO (AP) - Boeing Co. has long promised that its 787 Dreamliner will fly faster and farther than any other medium-sized jet, use 20 percent less fuel and offer increased cabin comfort. Now the first all-new American commercial jetliner in more than a decade also will be at least six months late. Acknowledging that early problems assembling the first 787 have disrupted its schedule, the aerospace company said Wednesday it is delaying initial deliveries of the ballyhooed aircraft by six months. Instead of next May, the first deliveries are now targeted for late November or December 2008. The first test flight, already pushed back once from the initial target of early this fall, now is not anticipated until around the end of the first quarter of 2008. The delay highlights inherent problems in building new airplanes and could slow the momentum Boeing built up after years of lagging behind European rival Airbus, which itself stumbled in introducing its superjumbo A380 two years behind schedule. Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney expressed disappointment over the delays but said the problems relate to the company's supply chain, not to any structural or design problems. "We are very confident in the design of this airplane,'' he said on a conference call. "It'll be a 25- to 30-year success - one of the fundamentally new things in aviation.'' The 787, Boeing's first newly designed jet since airlines started flying the 777 in 1995, will be the world's first large commercial airplane made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, which are lighter, more durable and less prone to corrosion than more traditional aluminum. Boeing has said it will be cheaper to maintain and offer better fuel efficiency and more passenger comforts than comparable planes flying today. But the company said its effort has been shadowed by difficulty getting the right parts from its suppliers on time as well as shortages of fasteners and other small parts that hold large sections of the plane together. Boeing said the postponement will not materially affect its earnings or guidance for next year but will cause it to push back an estimated 30 to 35 deliveries of 787s from next year to 2009. The delay also will cost Boeing undisclosed penalty pay to customers. Company executives said an aggressive production schedule will enable them to keep close to the longer-term plan, with 109 deliveries still expected by the end of '09 compared to the original target of 112. McNerney had publicly voiced confidence as recently as four weeks ago that the airplane maker would be able to deliver the first 787 on time next May to Japan's All Nippon Airways Co. But his pronouncement was greeted skeptically within the industry since the company already had altered its timeframe. On Sept. 5, Boeing formally pushed back the first test flight to mid-November or mid-December. That would have left the company just five to six months before the first delivery, or about half the time it took to test the 777 a decade ago. In August, when the company first acknowledged problems meeting the original test-flight schedule, it cited software and systems integration activities as contributing to the holdup. Scott Carson, head of the company's Seattle-based commercial airplanes unit, said those problems no longer are a key issue. Carson said the difficult structural work on the first airplane is nearing completion and the plane came off its jacks Sunday. Work on the second 787 to come down the line, called a static test airplane, will move ahead as work on the first plane accelerates, he said. "The issue really driving today's decision is the traveled work and parts availability on airplane No. 1,'' Carson said, referring to the work suppliers are supposed to do at their plants but that Boeing has been doing in-house. "It has simply proved to be more difficult than we anticipated to complete the structural work on the airplane out of sequence in our Everett factory.'' Airbus still has not recovered from its own problems introducing the A380. The lengthy delays, due largely to wiring problems, wiped billions of dollars off its parent company's profit forecasts for the coming years and sent many orders to Boeing. The announcement Wednesday is not likely to cause such turmoil for a highly anticipated plane that has 710 orders from 50 customers and is sold out through late 2013. Airbus' planned A350 mid-sized wide-body aircraft isn't due to hit the market before 2013. But analysts cautioned another delay would be more troubling. "Just because the delivery date has been changed, customers are not going to be canceling,'' said Morningstar analyst Brian Nelson. "It's not as difficult to build as the A380. ... If things extend beyond the six-month delay and we start getting closer to a year, then I start getting worried.'' Robert Stallard of Bank of America Equity Research said Wall Street had been expecting a delay, albeit a shorter one. "While this is obviously not a good news day for Boeing, we believe that few investors had recently been placing much hope in the firm meeting first delivery in May 2008,'' he said in a research note. "This announcement will, therefore, remove some uncertainty in investors' minds, and it allows management the chance to reassert its credibility and aim for a revised date.'' All Nippon Airways issued a statement expressing its disappointment. "We regret that delivery of the 787 will be delayed and we hope to keep the impact of the delay to a minimum,'' spokesman Damion Martin said. Boeing shares, which had moved higher before the late-morning announcement, quickly tumbled and shed $2.77, or 2.7 percent, to $98.68 by day's end in heavy trading.

MFM is a big market for Malaysian. A lot of Malaysian working in Macau & Mainland China.

what is the coverage of regional flight? 4 hours and below?? If yes, HK, Guangzhou, Taipei all included!!

Another one is the Flight supervisor

same like MAS