S V Choong 4 Report post Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) so why many bruneian not thinking to migrate to somewhere else? p/s: i have been to Brunei actually Why would they think of going elsewhere, when their home is really comfortable? When you can get your tuition fees sponsored by the government, why move anywhere else. Why would they need to think when they can receive free handouts just within a click? As many have pointed out above. In long term, that is not sustainable. Oil reserves doesn't last forever and if they don't realise this sooner, they will find life really hard during the transition. Neither can the Arabs be afford to live their current extravagant lifestyle when sh!t hits the fan blades. Edited October 18, 2012 by S V Choong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zeqa 1 Report post Posted October 18, 2012 You know there is some Bruneian working aboard at the oil & gas industry in Qatar, Oman, Holland etc., Pilot at Etihad, Cabin crew at Emirates(5 that i know of).but not many. Most Bruneians young family still live under the roof of their parents so even their salary is small, Their money goes to paying car loan, food etc. House expenses are paid usually by parents. they are still in the comfort zone. Also many young degree/master graduate are not encouraged to worked overseas as the Brunei govt wanted most of them to contribute to the nation. But sadly some graduates have to wait sometimes 3 years to get a position. Also many Brunei Chinese migrate to Canada & Australia over the years. one thing about Brunei- we are lucky to have free health care we pay ($1 for service fee),Free education until form 6- If you do well you get a scholarship until master course, cheaper road tax, No salary tax. This is why we are in the comfort zone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) No- You're saying the facts. & many tourist blogs say the same thing about Brunei. e.g here.. http://flashpackatfo...nei-its-boring/ It's a dead town. Nothing to do which is true.I can't deny it. Around 7pm If you drive around BSB. It's really dead .No shops open, few stall that sells, coffee & nasi katok opens. This is the one reason why RBA is not making money. Ozie only use RBA to London & their fares are super cheap I heard. Also good effort by the govt to promote tourism in other country but no effort at all to make infrastructure or invest to cater the tourist eg. Public transportation, taxi, attractive places etc. etc.. What we offer our neighbours can offer better. e.g. Miri, KK etc. We to reliance on Oil and Gas & most Bruneians are in the comfort zone. isnt the heart of Brunei in Gadong n Kiulap. bandar is very quiet no doubt about that. if only jerudong park was still operating n managed properly it would attract tourists, i remember the days tour bus from sarawak,sabah was a usual sight in jerudong park carpark, but now that's just history There are traffic jams there though not to KL's standards. The high salary thingy is a perception. Things are not exactly cheap there, but in addition to lack of choices, that's why many flock to Miri, Limbang etc to spend, and to KK, KL etc. Also, many Bruneiains like to spend beyond their means, just to "keep up with the Joneses". Getting personal loans just to spend preparing for Hari raya is not unheard of. The financial system was feeling the strain of such poor habits and some tightening had to be done not too long ago to avoid pitfalls. traffic jams especially on bonus days,hari raya shopping! have to agree that things arent so cheap like before,keeps on rising. not to mention the current exchange rate of around B$1=2.48 attracts people to shop in miri,limbang,kk,kl Well to be honest- Most Bruneians who works at Government sector & Shell co.(O & G) is the most secure.But they spend beyond their means( having 2-3 Mercedes C class, BMW 3 series, big SUV Prado, Pajero cars etc, go to vacation, expensive furniture) which leads to bankruptcy etc. There are also many Bruneians salary working at other small private co. is very small( BND 300-800) but good enough for daily living. They survive on cheap food is that is: 1) Indomee 2) $1 Nasi katok. 3) Cheap vegetable like Pakis, Lembiding, beans sprout. That's why for them going sometimes going to a cinema is a luxury & many need those $1 pirated DVDs, that dominates the Brunei market for years( RIM malaysia is already intervening many DVDs shops & forces many DVD shops close down in Brunei)- Not many Bruneians want to buy 30$ original DVD. Most cars in Brunei roads are the bread & butter cars like the ( Toyota Vios, Daihatsu Srion, Swift, many China & korean made cars). It's very rare to see Ferrari, RR,Porsche, Lamborghini on Brunei roads. To say everybody is rich & good life- bear in mind Poverty does exists in Brunei. It's a very sensitive subject but luckily Brunei govt is donating money to the family. Crime? We do have crime but it's not reported to the media. somehow recently more crime news are on the papers You know there is some Bruneian working aboard at the oil & gas industry in Qatar, Oman, Holland etc., Pilot at Etihad, Cabin crew at Emirates(5 that i know of).but not many. Most Bruneians young family still live under the roof of their parents so even their salary is small, Their money goes to paying car loan, food etc. House expenses are paid usually by parents. they are still in the comfort zone. Also many young degree/master graduate are not encouraged to worked overseas as the Brunei govt wanted most of them to contribute to the nation. But sadly some graduates have to wait sometimes 3 years to get a position. Also many Brunei Chinese migrate to Canada & Australia over the years. one thing about Brunei- we are lucky to have free health care we pay ($1 for service fee),Free education until form 6- If you do well you get a scholarship until master course, cheaper road tax, No salary tax. This is why we are in the comfort zone. foreigners living in brunei are quite lucky too although healthcare is not $1 for foreigners, at least its like around $20 at most including medicine (not that i get sick always) I really appreciate the subsidized Form 6 education,saved a lot having not to buy any textbooks yeah so people living in brunei are in a comfort zone Edited October 20, 2012 by Teo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S V Choong 4 Report post Posted October 20, 2012 I use to hear that Chinese Bruneian were not given Bruneian citizenship and access to those subsidies. Is that still the case? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) I use to hear that Chinese Bruneian were not given Bruneian citizenship and access to those subsidies. Is that still the case? hmm if you are talking about purple IC (Permanent Residents) holders who are mainly chinese that had lived in brunei before its independence, well maybe since there are still quite a lot of chinese PR i think PR still get to enjoy the $1 healthcare and free schooling, but if you have any serious disease that need overseas treatment, the govt wont pay for it if you are PR going back to the topics of RBA.i think they are starting some marketing campaign for their new rebranding 'Redefined Journey Little things are the most treasured' here is the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/redefinedjourney Edited October 20, 2012 by Teo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) Royal Brunei has added another A320-232 into her fleet. A320-232 cn 3071 ex Qatar Airways, first flew on 2007. 12 Business, 132 Economy. Will carry rego V8-RBV. On its way for delivery DOH-BKK-BWN 22nd till 23rd March 2013. Edited March 23, 2013 by JuliusWong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zeqa 1 Report post Posted March 29, 2013 yep heard it from a bruneian who worked at qatar airways. http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/0/4/2227409.jpg http://www.airliners.net/photo/Qatar-Airways/Airbus-A320-232/2227409/L/&sid=8b652a842b84b18b5fb4faaf6756bfab http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/search.php?manufacturer=Airbus&type=A320&fleet=383&fleetStatus=1 two Bruneians pilots flew the plane from Doha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2013 http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2013/06/06/flag-carrier-acquire-10-aircraft-rb-seeks-info-airbus-boeing-bombardier BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Thursday, June 6, 2013 RB seeks info from Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer FLAG carrier Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) is looking to acquire up to 10 "next generation narrowbodyaircraft" to replace its fleet of A320 aircraft starting late 2015, a report published on the Centre for Aviation (CAPA) website states.According to CAPA, RB deputy chairman Dermot Mannion said on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual general meeting in Cape Town that the national carrier has issued a request for information to Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer, and will require the aircraft to be delivered starting late 2015.CAPA is a provider of aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services."(The carrier) currently operates a fleet of four A320s and two A319s, all of which have leases expiring in the final quarter of 2015 or the first quarter of 2016," said the online report.It added that RB is considering replacing these six aircraft with the Airbus A319/A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, Bombardier CSeries or Embraer E190."Mannion says RB also seeks up to four additional aircraft to support expected growth of its short-haul network," stated the report.Sources from the national carrier could not provide additional information on the plans for the aircraft acquisition as of press time.Last February, the national carrier confirmed that it would be pushing through with a plan to acquire Boeing 787 Dreamliners in October this year.Following the global grounding of the aircraft on battery troubles, RB said in a statement that the national air carrier was "being updated regularly by Boeing concerning the recent technical issues affecting the B787 Dreamliner"."We remain confident that Boeing's internal analysis and monitoring process will identify and resolve such issues prior to our first expected B787 Dreamliner delivery in October 2013," the statement read."RB would like to reassure all our passengers that the safety of our operations is and will remain at all times the main focus of our attention."The Dreamliner has since been allowed to take to the skies after the US Federal Aviation Administration formally approved its battery fix.In March this year, RB made changes in its flight timing to complement earlier announced modifications to the London and Melbourne flight schedules and "provide better connectivity to many destinations".The additional changes relate to the Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu and Manila routes.For Brunei customers travelling to Manila and Bangkok, the return flights have been rescheduled from early morning to more convenient times in the afternoon and evening.The new timings also provide customers from London and Melbourne with a shorter transit time in Brunei to these onward destinations. There has also been some slight seasonal timing adjustments to Jakarta flights. Debbie Too The Brunei Times Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted June 7, 2013 The new timings also provide customers from London and Melbourne with a shorter transit time in Brunei to these onward destinations True, apparently LHR-BKI now has a four hour transit in BWN Much more humane compared to the 7-8 hours we endured previously Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S V Choong 4 Report post Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) True, apparently LHR-BKI now has a four hour transit in BWN Much more humane compared to the 7-8 hours we endured previously MEL to KUL/HKG/BKI requires overnight at BWN too! Not that I mind visiting BWN again! Will definitely try HKG-BWN-BKI in the future, especially when they start utilising the 787! Edited June 7, 2013 by S V Choong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
H C Chai 4 Report post Posted June 7, 2013 It would be great to see RBA operating the Embraer! Perhaps with the smaller planes they can afford to resume some of the Asean/BIMP-EAGA destinations! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Isaac 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2013 True, apparently LHR-BKI now has a four hour transit in BWN Much more humane compared to the 7-8 hours we endured previously Actually the transit time is much shorter at only 1 hour 30 minutes if you are flying out from BKI to LHR on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And from LHR to BKI, the transit time is only 1 hour 35 minutes if you are flying out on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. MEL to KUL/HKG/BKI requires overnight at BWN too! Not that I mind visiting BWN again! Will definitely try HKG-BWN-BKI in the future, especially when they start utilising the 787! No overnight stay required in BWN if you are flying out from BKI to MEL on 12.456.. And on 12345.7 if you are flying out from MEL to BKI. These flight schedule changes came into effect late last year. Looked into BI's MEL flight from BKI last year and they were offering very affordable fare to MEL at around RM1.8k all-in Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S V Choong 4 Report post Posted June 7, 2013 Actually the transit time is much shorter at only 1 hour 30 minutes if you are flying out from BKI to LHR on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And from LHR to BKI, the transit time is only 1 hour 35 minutes if you are flying out on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. No overnight stay required in BWN if you are flying out from BKI to MEL on 12.456.. And on 12345.7 if you are flying out from MEL to BKI. These flight schedule changes came into effect late last year. Looked into BI's MEL flight from BKI last year and they were offering very affordable fare to MEL at around RM1.8k all-in Hehe... may be the fare which I paid did not allow me to fly direct into BKI. Well, it is worth stopping by as Brunei is much cleaner than Malaysia and garden and landscaping seemed to be pretty well-kept Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zeqa 1 Report post Posted June 13, 2013 Flew from BWN to DBX yesterday .Flight was full & we were upgraded to business class because we paid the full economy fare(Not the cheap online deal etc). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted June 13, 2013 Rumour mill: RB's B787-8M6 first flight will be on 11th October 2013, BWN-SIN. Don't quote me on this, got this from a friend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2013 Dreamliner to be used for regional routes: RB official DEBBIE TOO BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Saturday, June 15, 2013 FLAG carrier Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) is looking to strengthen its regional routes and plans to use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner it has acquired for these destinations initially, an official of the airline said. In an interview, Maswadi Hj Mohsin, chief officer of Group Services at RB, said that the carrier was eyeing new routes in Southeast Asia, other parts of Australia, Middle Asia, and "probably India", among other markets. Maswadi also said that the Dreamliner would to ply regional routes "for the first few months" following its delivery. The routes, however, have not been finalised, he added. The airline earlier said that the Dreamliner, which is designed to seat 210 to 290 passengers, would be arriving in October this year. It had earlier planned for an August 2013 arrival for the plane, which had been grounded worldwide earlier this year due technical issues. Brunei's national carrier last month beefed up its flights to Kuala Lumpur to twice daily, indicating that it saw potential in servicing demands to and from its neighbouring country. This increase to 14 flights weekly comes shortly after the recent announcement of an increase to 11 weekly flights effective March 30. The boost in flights was aimed to "better serve the strong flow of business and leisure traffic in both directions on this route". RB flights to Kuala Lumpur would continue to be jointly marketed with Malaysia Airlines through a joint code share agreement. Maswadi said during the interview that Kuala Lumpur was "improving". "It has always been an improving market, and there has always been demand for it," he said. He also said that RB's attractive flight times to the Malaysian capital gave it an edge over competitors. "We do see the potential for us to improve, and we want to be able to provide better service." Maswadi also divulged potential link ups with other national carriers in the region, noting that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport ) is giving Singapore's Changi Airport competition and is improving "as a hub in South East Asia". "We see the potential to work with other airlines such as Malaysia Airlines for example, to link up with other airlines especially to Europe," he said. Asked about how the national carrier's rebranding has affected its operations and public perception,Maswadi said that there isn't a significant change, but that they are still educating the public on their rebranding. "People accepted that it is a very modern look, and personally I think this is how most airlines would look like in the future," he said. The Brunei Times Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ikman Ikreza 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2013 Royal Brunei (RBA) now has codeshare agreements with MASwings. http://instagram.com/p/bFfbofybz2/# Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ikman Ikreza 0 Report post Posted June 28, 2013 From Royal Brunei official instagram. RB delightfuly announces that we have just signed an agreement with #MASwings for codeshare flights; Bandar Seri Begawan to Kota Kinabalu return, and Bandar Seri Begawan to Kuching return. http://instagram.com/p/bFn2p0Sb_z/# Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted June 28, 2013 Less frequencies overall for BKI-BWN and expect fares to rise for this sector now that MH no longer services the route. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CH Teo 0 Report post Posted June 29, 2013 http://www.eunited.com.my/?q=node/35392 This piece seems an exclusive one, only in Chinese... In a nutshell, it reads Brunei will be having it's first LCC named "Darussalam Air" by this year end! Wanders if true enough or not... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alif A. F. 0 Report post Posted June 29, 2013 http://www.eunited.com.my/?q=node/35392 This piece seems an exclusive one, only in Chinese... In a nutshell, it reads Brunei will be having it's first LCC named "Darussalam Air" by this year end! Wanders if true enough or not... I try google translate it, and from what I can understand (from the translation) is that the LCC will focus on hajj/umrah travellers. Reminds me the other day, when I walked around the BKI T1 in the morning, I saw lots of people at BI check-in area wearing outfits as if they were bound for umrah (in fact they did bound for umrah). So, BI sent their B772 to pick these passengers with brief stop at BWN before continuing on using the same plane to JED. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted June 29, 2013 It sounds like a virtual airline, which just leases the spare capacity of BI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CH Teo 0 Report post Posted June 29, 2013 http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2013/06/29/budget-airline-serve-umrah-pilgrims OK, finally got something from Brunei Times in English... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted July 2, 2013 It sounds like a virtual airline, which just leases the spare capacity of BI. Front page headline news here today - Darussalam Air expected to be operational Q1 2014 operating A380 and have "initial investment" of RM6,400,000,000 Sounds like another bottomless pit ala RBA in the making, no ?! Incidentally, amongst other ventures quoted RM63,300,000,000 Trans-Borneo railway RM3,200,000,000 Trans-Borneo bus service Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted July 2, 2013 Front page headline news here today - Darussalam Air expected to be operational Q1 2014 operating A380 and have "initial investment" of RM6,400,000,000 Sounds like another bottomless pit ala RBA in the making, no ?! Incidentally, amongst other ventures quoted RM63,300,000,000 Trans-Borneo railway RM3,200,000,000 Trans-Borneo bus service Sounds like crap journalism. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
