Edwin P K 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2007 Patriotism is already out of the window - even if my company always use MH, simply because it is the easiest for us to travel from point A to point B. This is good and healthy for MH, will definitely see them buck up! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandeep G 1 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 (edited) Patriotism is already out of the window - even if my company always use MH, simply because it is the easiest for us to travel from point A to point B. This is good and healthy for MH, will definitely see them buck up! Certainly hope so, more so for the sake of the thousands of Malaysians employed by MAS that go to work everyday and work with what they have to the best of their ability! BUT! On another note, I wonder how this will affect Malaysia improving yields ex-KUL, and hence the attractiveness of KLIA as a destination for big name carriers like BA, QF (Albeit, we'll definately see JQ start KUL ops by July IMHO) AF, even some US airlines.... MAS joiing an alliance would solve this, but I think more MH metal will be used as the operating economies for MAS are better to compete with AirAsia X and any other low cost long haul or regional that sets up shop here or flys here. Any news on Asthmatic Ai....... oops beg your pardon, Asmara Air? Edited January 11, 2007 by Sandeep G Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seng Lim 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 (Albeit, we'll definately see JQ start KUL ops by July IMHO) Really? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandeep G 1 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Really? MEL-KUL. They are just short of aircraft. Apparently, they would rather deploy the aircraft to KUL than Hawaii.. but they have to go with Hawaii now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seng Lim 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Thanks for the info, hopefully they could make it to KUL by end of this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seth K 3 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 (edited) MEL-KUL. Thought so, how big is the market from Oz to Hawaii? Some pax from Nz perhaps... Edited January 11, 2007 by Seth K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kee Hooi Yen 0 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Thought so, how big is the market from Oz to Hawaii? Some pax from Nz perhaps... Hawaiian Airlines flies 3x weekly Honolulu-SYD with B763. Heard about JQ on MEL-KUL. Does it mean demand for MEL-KUL is bigger than SYD-KUL ? Wonder when they will do SYD-KUL.... Would like to see another competitor on SYD-KUL after OS left Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandeep G 1 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Hawaiian Airlines flies 3x weekly Honolulu-SYD with B763. Heard about JQ on MEL-KUL. Does it mean demand for MEL-KUL is bigger than SYD-KUL ? Wonder when they will do SYD-KUL.... Would like to see another competitor on SYD-KUL after OS left Student market is huge and I think MEL is JQ base. Keith T would have a better idea, but IIRC, Victoria has more investments by Malaysians than NSW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith T 2 Report post Posted January 11, 2007 Student market is huge and I think MEL is JQ base. Keith T would have a better idea, but IIRC, Victoria has more investments by Malaysians than NSW. Huge student market, definitely. The SQ flights are usually chokers during the academic breaks. A lot of demand from Malaysia. Not sure about investments but when I've time I'd look it up at work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Ong 1 Report post Posted January 12, 2007 Heard about JQ on MEL-KUL. Does it mean demand for MEL-KUL is bigger than SYD-KUL ? Wonder when they will do SYD-KUL.... Would like to see another competitor on SYD-KUL after OS left Let's hope so... I never saw a JQ plane in real-life before, I only see them in pics Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seng Lim 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 An interesting interview with TF by Bernama AirAsia X All Set To Repeat AirAsia's Phenomenal Success January 24, 2007 18:48 PM LONDON, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- AirAsia X, the world's newest long-haul budget airline, is all set to repeat the phenomenal success of AirAsia which within five years has become the region's largest low-cost carrier. AirAsia X founder Datuk Tony Fernandes, who is also the group chief executive officer of AirAsia, said here Wednesday that the new airline was acquiring 20 planes initially with its first flight to Britain expected in July. In an interview with Bernama here, the award-winning CEO said after taking AirAsia to such heights, he was now very excited about his new venture which he would market just as aggressively. Fernandes launched his brainchild in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 5 as a tie-up between AirAsia and Fly Asian Express (FAX), eyeing destinations in Europe, India, China and Australia. He said over the past few days, he had been looking at all the airports in Britain to fix AirAsia X's first destination and the response from the airport authorities had nothing been short of phenomenal. "The response to AirAsia X has been huge. Lots of people in Europe now want to come to Malaysia," he said. The last few days of touring Britain's airports has given Fernandes the idea of which one would give his new airline the best deal so that it can do what it is famous for -- offering the lowest fares to its passengers. Fares from Britain to Malaysia are expected to be priced at around 100 pounds sterling (RM700). Stanstead, one hour from here, has a very good infrastructure including being a transport hub. He is also looking at three other airports -- Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin and all have their own strengths. "Things are progressing well. In the first week of February, we'll commence the purchase of our new planes." Fernandes said further afield, he had also received proposals from nine other airports across Europe, including Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, as we'll as in Spain and Scandinavia. "All have expressed tremendous interest in having AirAsia X fly to their destinations. "So we have created a company, we create something here. We are very excited about it and hopefully by the next month or two we can start announcing sales to start selling," he said. Not only that, a measure of the waves Fernandes has already created within just three weeks of AirAsia X's launch is seen from a deluge of e-mails he has been getting from Europe not from potential passengers but from investors. "So many people in Europe have e-mailed me wanting to invest in AirAsia X. I think it's a good branding for Malaysia," he said in his customary humble way. As for Britain, its first destination in Europe, Fernandes said he hoped to mount daily flights to the country with the deal to purchase two planes due to be wrapped up soon. What is AirAsia X's key selling point? "Of course the cheap fares but there is also another thing. What people are finding out in relation to (budget airline) Oasis in Hong Kong is that when you arrive in Kuala Lumpur (KL), you have AirAsia, so you can go anywhere in South East Asia. "So many people said to me that they don't have to go to Spain for a holiday. They can come to KL, they can go to Kota Kinabalu, Bali, Langkawi..all that is available from Kuala Lumpur. "So that is a big attraction to Europeans arriving in KL but you can get across to all of South East Asia". Fernandes was also asked if his more established rival Malaysia Airlines (MAS) would mind AirAsia X's impending foray into long-haul flights from Kuala Lumpur where both airlines are based. His response: "Just like AirAsia, let's make it very clear, since AirAsia has come on, MAS has done better". And he added: "The Prime Minister's vision was to have two national champions, we've got two national champions and two airlines that are making money. MAS had always said that they couldn't make money on domestic flights but now with AirAsia, they could. "So I think it's good for Malaysia, good for MAS, both of us being successful. It's good if we are successful in branding, then more people who don't want to fly AirAsia will fly MAS... so money that is being spent here to promote Malaysia won't all go to AirAsia X. In this way, MAS obviously stands to benefit as well because there are people who want to fly on the premium airline. Fernandes also has set his sight on destinations in Eastern Europe, describing Prague, Warsaw and Moscow as "that's the new world and very interesting". AirAsia's "Now Everyone Can Fly" branding is a success story even beyond what Fernandes could have imagined. What is in store for AirAsia X? "I don't think it would be any different from AirAsia. We started with four destinations, we've 70 now in five years. "We'll be aggressive, we are very proud of that. Who knows? When we first started with just one plane, who would have said that we would have 200 A320's," he said with a hearty laugh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 I just hope they give proper attention to maintenance and crew welfare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 "Fernandes said further afield, he had also received proposals from nine other airports across Europe, including Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, as we'll as in Spain and Scandinavia." Surprisingly, it shows FRA and not DUS/CGN, the latter having a far bigger population-catchment area (Ruhr-area + BeNeLux)...can understand BER, as lot's of Poles and Czechs do travel from BER airports lately... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jessnor Arif 1 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 Surprisingly, it shows FRA and not DUS/CGN... Probably Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) not FRA. I wonder if they willing to pay FRA airport taxes, why are they reluctant to pay KUL Satelite Terminal. For LCC it would be best if they fly to DUS or CGN as Uncle Pieter had suggest. They will suffer if they fly to FRA or HHN. Due FRA is a Bussiness & Financial Centre for Germany which i don't think Bussiness people will use their flight since there are LH, MH, SQ, QF, EK,EY. HHN is even worse. Situated 120km from Frankfurt (read:In the middle of nowhere) with a very bad land connections. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 Probably Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) not FRA. Good luck. I've been there; it is near Frankfurt as Ipoh is near KL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamizi Hj Tamby 1 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 "Fernandes said further afield, he had also received proposals from nine other airports across Europe, including Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, as we'll as in Spain and Scandinavia." Surprisingly, it shows FRA and not DUS/CGN, the latter having a far bigger population-catchment area (Ruhr-area + BeNeLux)...can understand BER, as lot's of Poles and Czechs do travel from BER airports lately... Hmm...FRA Still remember MH operates KCH-KUL-FRA.Hope KCH-FRA will be reinstated by AirAsia X Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kandiah k 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2007 Good nes for AAX !!! Lets hope they succeed with total support form all parties !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seng Lim 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2007 Some updated news on today: KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Fly Asian Xpress' (FAX) AirAsia X is still finalising details on the planes to be used for the long-haul destinations. AirAsia X founder, Datuk Tony Fernandes, who is also the group chief executive officer of AirAsia Bhd, said the company was still finalising the details. "Once we have finalised them we will start selling the tickets. We know all our routes," he told reporters after a signing ceremony between UK's largest information technology firm, LogicaCMG, and online no-frills financial services group, Tune Money.Com, here Wednesday. Fernandes is the founder of Tune Money. He said AirAsia X's management team was only "days away" from signing an agreement on the type of aircraft to buy. He, however, did not elaborate. He said the earliest AirAsia X could get the aircraft would be September 2008. "Till then we will probably need to lease between two or three planes. Chances are we will be leasing the same type of aircraft that we are buying," he said. AirAsia X's network will cover destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur. It will offer daily point-to-point frequencies to popular destinations in China, India, Europe and Australia. Fernandes said the outlook for AirAsia X was good given that it has received tremendous support from the government. "The response from Europe has been phenomenal (as well). We have airports from all over the world writing to us," he said. AirAsia X is expected to start operating from July 2007. On offer by FAX for AirAsia to acquire a 20 percent stake with an option to buy another 10 percent later, he said the board would make the necessary announcement soon. FAX is 50 percent owned by Fernandes, while the other two shareholders are Kamarudin Meranun, deputy chief executive officer of AirAsia and Raja Mohd Azmi, CEO of FAX, who own 30 percent and 20 percent respectively. FAX operates rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak. -- BERNAMA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Imran K. 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2007 EK to other major EU countries, wherever available I see Imran smiling. Ear to ear bro...ear to ear Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick R. 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2007 BIG RED bus ..hopefully Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alif A. F. 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 AirAsia X to announce aircraft choice next month February 12 2007 AIRASIA X will announce its choice of 20 aircraft worth some US$4 billion (US$1 = RM3.49) next month for its service to Britain and China, a senior official said yesterday. "An evaluation to pick either Airbus 330-300 or Boeing 777-200 for the new long-haul carrier AirAsia X has been completed and an announcement will be made in March," Raja Mohamad Azmi, chief executive officer of Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) said. He did not elaborate. AirAsia X, a new long- haul, low-cost carrier was unveiled in early January and is expected to carry half a million passengers in its first year of operation. The airline will be operated by FAX, which currently operates rural air services on Borneo island. Airline officials familiar with the purchase plan said price and availability of aircraft are among the major factors in deciding the winner. Raja Azmi said the new service will take off in August with inaugural flights to Britain and China being launched simultaneously. "We will initially lease three aircraft - either the Boeing 777-200 or the Airbus 330-300 to begin the service," he said. It also has plans to fly to India and Australia. Raja Azmi, who is also a shareholder of leading low-cost carrier AirAsia, said the new aircraft would come into service in the third quarter of next year. - AFP Guess they don't have any plan for B773ER eh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seth K 3 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 Isn't it so pbvious they gonna go for 333 <_> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Y. J. Foo 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 Isn't it so pbvious they gonna go for 333 <_> Probably AK wants to get a better price for 333 from Airbus by using 772 as a weapon... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I. Wong 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 Can A330-300 flies non-stop from KL to UK? I think A330-200 would be more suitable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teoh Z Yao 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I think it is just obvious, as Seth said, that it will be the A330, and I remember someone mentioned an insider informed of the ab choice of a/c. I have a question. For those who think it will be the A330, what makes you think so? I'm just curious. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
