Travellers between SG and MY ditch buses for planes

[Naim 6]

As expected, but there's another major reason - it's safer by air than by road.

 

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Travellers to Malaysia ditch buses for planes

SINGAPORE, July 27 — Businessman Andy Bhasin has dumped buses for airplanes.

 

“I don't think I will ever take the bus again,” declared the 45-year-old who zips between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur once every two months.

 

Andy and thousands others like him are reaping the benefits of what some would say is a revolution in air travel — the combination of liberalisation of Singapore-Malaysia air links, and the boom in the low-cost carrier segment.

 

You can now fly more cheaply, more frequently and to more destinations than ever before. The changes are most apparent to frequent travellers between Singapore and KL.

 

Before budget airlines entered the market on Feb 1 last year, travellers were paying over S$400 (RM960) for the return 45-minute sector, which had been dominated for more than three decades by Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

 

Fares have since tumbled to as low as S$60, including taxes and other charges.

 

From just one destination and 56 to-and-fro flights a week, Jetstar Asia, Tiger Airways, AirAsia and Firefly (a subsidiary of MAS) now operate more than 450 flights between Singapore and nine points in Malaysia: KL, Subang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan.

 

Coming up in the next few months: Miri, Tawau, Malacca, Kota Baru and Alor Star.

 

Before the skies opened, Changi was connected to just five cities in Malaysia.

 

With all the extra flights, the number of weekly flights between the two countries has more than doubled from 334 in December 2007 to about 760.

 

The Singapore-KL sector, served by 11 airlines, is the busiest out of Changi Airport, with 498 flights both ways a week.

 

This far outstrips the 360 weekly flights between Singapore and Jakarta, and 262 serving the Singapore-Bangkok market.

 

Apart from competition pulling fares down, the economic crunch, which has hit demand for air travel, is also forcing airlines to slash charges to lure travellers.

 

With Singapore-Malaysia air fares costing about the same as a bus ticket, it does not make sense to hit the road, said Eric Lau, 32, a teacher. “Now I fly all the time,” said the Malaysian, whose home is in Alor Star. “A bus just takes too long. Singapore to Kedah is 12 hours and to Penang, it is 10 hours.”

 

Low-cost carriers may have snatched some business away from cross-border coach companies like Transtar, who say business has dropped by about 20 per cent to 25 per cent, but the pie has also grown with more first-time travellers taking to the skies and people making more trips.

 

Despite the economic downturn that has hurt the air travel industry, data obtained from Changi Airport Group show that passenger traffic between Singapore and Malaysia hit about 270,000 in May.

 

This is a jump of about 25 per cent compared to the same period last year.

 

Singapore is Malaysia's top tourist-generating market, contributing about half of total arrivals, said Tourism Malaysia's acting director-general Amirrudin Abu. Between January and June, the country received more than six million visitors from Singapore.

 

Liberalisation of the air links has been good for the tourism sector and is expected to boost business even further going forward, Amirrudin said.

 

It is not just KL that has benefited. Travel to the other destinations such as Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Malacca will also get a boost, he added.

 

With more air links between the two countries, the Singapore Tourism Board's regional office in KL has also been stepping up its marketing efforts in Malaysia, said its executive director for communications, HR and organisational development, Muhammad Rostam Umar.

 

This is especially so in newly linked or soon-to-be-linked destinations such as Ipoh and Kuantan.

 

While liberalisation has been great for tourism and the flying public, the competition as well as the general business slowdown has hit both SIA and MAS where it hurts. Loads and yields have dropped.

 

SIA spokesman Nicholas Ionides said: “The challenge is not only to retain market share but also to grow the market.”

 

Both airlines are fighting back with aggressive promotions and deals to lure travellers. MAS which recently ended a S$49 one-way Singapore-KL promotion, is now in the thick of an eight-week marketing campaign in Singapore.

 

SIA's regional arm SilkAir is offering round-trip tickets for S$166.

 

With the price gap still hard to bridge, low-cost carriers are finding the economic crunch on their side. Companies have cut travel budgets and executives are downgrading from business to economy class, or from full-service to low-cost airlines.

 

Eric Ang, a chief operating officer in an electronics firm who flies to KL once a month, is one of them.

 

Once a regular on SIA flights, he said: “I am now a convert to budget flights.”

 

While full-service airlines may offer a higher level of service, comfort is not an issue for such a short flight, he said.

 

To cater to the growing demand for budget flights, American Express recently added AirAsia to its list of partner carriers — its first such tie-up with a low-cost carrier. It means people can pay for AirAsia flights using their Amex cards.

 

Peter Kapoor, Amex's regional vice-president of merchant services, said: “Within our customer base, there are corporations that find budget carriers relevant, given the current economic recession and the recent opening up of more shuttle flights between Singapore and Malaysia.”

 

AirAsia's regional commercial head Kathleen Tan said that in the first month alone, there were 30,000 transactions by Amex members. “I've seen general managers, managing directors and other top business executives on our flights. Our extensive Asean network with hubs in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand is attractive for companies because it makes travel within the region very convenient.”

 

Jetstar Asia and Tiger Airways are also serving an increasing number of corporate customers.

 

To tap into the business market, Jetstar has tailored its product to suit companies' needs. For example, it lets corporate fliers pay for flights monthly instead of by the trip, and offers a complimentary itinerary change not offered to other fliers. In just a year, the airline has grown its base of corporate clients from just 25 to almost 400.

 

So, at a time when full-service airlines are cutting capacity to cope with falling demand, the low-cost carriers are making plans for even more flights.

 

Tiger Airways, which has 56 aircraft on order for delivery from now until 2016, is already in discussions with several airports in Malaysia to start new services, spokesman Matt Hobbs said, without naming the airports.

 

Jetstar Asia, which is 49 per cent owned by Australia's Qantas, will add a second daily flight to Penang from October, said its spokesman, adding: “Singapore-Malaysia is a vital market not just for Jetstar Asia but for the broader Jetstar and Qantas network.”

 

Qantas has benefited from Jetstar's entry to the lucrative Malaysian market. A traveller needs just one ticket to fly, say from Sydney to Singapore on Qantas, and Singapore-KL on Jetstar Asia. The spokesman said: “The interline agreement is now opening up the Malaysian market to the broader Qantas network which currently does not have direct access into this market and represents an enormous opportunity which we are only just beginning to take advantage of.”

 

AirAsia's Tan said: “The Singapore-Malaysia market is huge and there is still so much potential for further growth and expansion. Low-cost carriers are just starting to scratch the surface.”

 

For avid traveller Lim Hui Ling, who works in a statutory board, the more flights the better. The 27-year-old, who travels to Malaysia frequently, said: “Now I can visit my friends in KL over the weekend, without taking six hours to go up and six hours to come down.

 

“I can go places I did not think of going to previously. For example, Firefly can connect me to Redang via Terengganu. Before, when there were only buses, it was very restrictive. Travelling to Malaysia has become so much more convenient.” — The Straits Times

 

http://www.malaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/33418-travellers-to-malaysia-ditch-buses-for-planes

 

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Crossing the region’s skies freely

 

SINGAPORE, July 27 — The impressive traffic growth that has come with the liberalisation of the Singapore-Malaysia air sector demonstrates the potential for a similar outcome throughout Asean, said Singapore's Transport Ministry (MOT).

 

Following eight years of consecutive decline, traffic on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route grew 12 per cent last year, compared to the year before.

 

In December 2008 — one month after low-cost carriers started flying between Singapore and Sabah/Sarawak — air traffic between Singapore and Kuching doubled, compared to the same month in 2007.

 

The Singapore-Kota Kinabalu route grew 153 per cent during the same time, said MOT's spokesman, adding: “The benefits of Singapore-Malaysia air services liberalisation are resoundingly clear.”

 

The expansion of air links between the two countries is part of a wider initiative towards Asean-wide free skies.

 

Last year, transport ministers of the 10 member states agreed on a long-term road map that will see the creation of an Asean Single Aviation Market by 2015.

 

When that happens, all carriers of member states will be able to criss-cross the region's skies without any restrictions.

 

Despite the agreement, sceptics say it will be tough to realise the goal.

 

For Singapore, the position is very clear. The MOT spokesman said: “Singapore has always adopted a pro-liberalisation aviation policy. This is because increased air links will increase the flow of tourists, investments and trade to the benefit of both Singapore and its partner's economy.” — The Straits Times

Edited July 27, 2009 by Naim

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Obviously. Who wants to spend almost an entire day on a bus that's driven at ludicrous speed when you can fly and spend more time at your destination doing the things you want to do. And it's less tiring to go by air...

[jjfirdaus 0]

Obviously. Who wants to spend almost an entire day on a bus that's driven at ludicrous speed when you can fly and spend more time at your destination doing the things you want to do. And it's less tiring to go by air...

 

Totally agreed....Just spent a boring 6 hours bus ride from KL to SIN and another 6 hours back to KL to watched Liverpool in action yesterday. Should ditch the bus and took the plane......

Edited July 27, 2009 by jjfirdaus

[flee 5]

I think the actual flight time between SIN and KUL is only 15 mins. The reason the flight takes 1 hour is due to air traffic control procedures, aircraft ascending and descending. If you are on a long distance flight that overflies SIN, you will notice the plane will begin descending about 5-10 mins after it it passes SIN.

 

I think that for door-to-door, KUL-SIN journey times are not that much different - just that flying apparently feels faster because we forget to include the time for ground transportation and hanging around at the airport. It is the boredom on a bus that make things seem so long... And yes, the CIQ too!

[Ryan Soh 3]

I think the actual flight time between SIN and KUL is only 15 mins. The reason the flight takes 1 hour is due to air traffic control procedures, aircraft ascending and descending. If you are on a long distance flight that overflies SIN, you will notice the plane will begin descending about 5-10 mins after it it passes SIN.

 

I think that for door-to-door, KUL-SIN journey times are not that much different - just that flying apparently feels faster because we forget to include the time for ground transportation and hanging around at the airport. It is the boredom on a bus that make things seem so long... And yes, the CIQ too!

That is why when I am going to KL, I drive. It takes the same amount of time (maybe even less... Tuas to Sungei Besi only 3h 15min) if I were to fly. I do not have to go thru the hassle of looking for transport in KLIA to town and I have a car at my disposal zipping about KL.

[jysim 0]

If the KL-Singapore High Speed Rail become a reality, the scenario would change to 'travellers between SG and MY ditch planes for trains'.

 

Distance between KL and Singapore is actually merely an hour by high-speed train, almost the same via plane.

That's what's happening in Taiwan: after the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) became established and offers reliable services at prices comparable to the local airlines, we see the gradual demise of FarEastern Aviation (FAT), and major shrinkage of TPE-KHH traffic.

A bullet or high speed train would allow passengers to purchase a flat-rate ticket, even at 15 mins before departure. Passengers would enjoy the freedom of departing anytime as long as there's empty seats, and arrive in the railway station, more commonly situated in the city center, instead of some far-flung estate some government chose as their airport (think KLIA).

 

Hope the train becomes a reality one day.

[BC Tam 2]

Anyone want to take a guess as to how soon some or all these airlines start to pool resources and offer some sort of shuttle service akin to the MH/SQ arrangement recently terminated ?

Well, in the harsh reality of free market competition, it could prove beneficial to sleep with the enemy

[flee 5]

Anyone want to take a guess as to how soon some or all these airlines start to pool resources and offer some sort of shuttle service akin to the MH/SQ arrangement recently terminated ?

Well, in the harsh reality of free market competition, it could prove beneficial to sleep with the enemy

MH/SQ/MI have a code share agreement. That is why they don't do so many flights on their own nowadays.

[BC Tam 2]

From my very limited experience, the convenience and flexibility of the MH/SQ shuttle service outshines codeshare flights

Having said that, what I had to pay for the shuttle service back then would probably be comparable to a king's ransom compared to some of the offers available nowadays

[flee 5]

From my very limited experience, the convenience and flexibility of the MH/SQ shuttle service outshines codeshare flights

Having said that, what I had to pay for the shuttle service back then would probably be comparable to a king's ransom compared to some of the offers available nowadays

Yes, I was contemplating booking return AK flights for RM 95 during the Singapore Air Show next year!

[KK Lee 5]

It is proven again, trade liberalization offer consumers with more choice and lower price, and increase the overall trade volume, .

 

With current inclination of the gomen, high speed train between SIN and KUL is unlikely.

 

Until AK can see eye to eye with MH, code share or shutter service between SIN and KUL is unlikely.

 

Edited July 27, 2009 by KK Lee

[flee 5]

It is proven again, trade liberalization offer consumers with more choice and lower price, and increase the overall trade volume, .

 

With current inclination of the gomen, high speed train between SIN and KUL is unlikely.

 

Until AK can see eye to eye with MH, code share or shutter service between SIN and KUL is unlikely.

 

Agree that the KUL-SIN HST will not be with us anytime soon, simply because it will mean the death of the Plusway! It will be like the Eurostar killing off coach and air travel between London and Paris. However, it is far greener to use a train for this short sector compared to flying.