SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will begin direct air services between Singapore and Darwin, Australia on 26 March 2012, subject to regulatory approvals.
The capital city of the Northern Territory will be the airline’s first destination in Australia since it began operations in 1984, when it was known as Tradewinds.
Flights will be operated four times a week, departing on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with next-day return flights, according to the following schedule:
- MI802 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun Singapore 1930hrs Darwin 0145hrs + 1
- MI801 Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat Darwin 0230hrs Singapore 0530hrs
The new services will be operated with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins. Customers will be provided with a full service experience, including inflight meals, baggage allowance of 30kg and 20kg for Business and Economy class respectively, as well as through check-in if they are connecting to or from another SilkAir or Singapore Airlines point via Singapore.
With the launch of Darwin, the number of destinations in SilkAir’s route network will increase to 39 in 12 countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on December 14th, 2011
Bangkok has retained the No. 1 spot as Worlds Best City in Travel + Leisure’s magazine’s 16th annual World’s Best Awards readers’ poll for the second year. Elsewhere, Bali is No. 1 island in Asia, and the second favorite in the world. Meanwhile, hotels in the region that placed on the list of Top 100 Hotels Overall include the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Devi in Chiang Mai, La Résidence Phou Vou in Luang Prabang, Laos, and The Peninsula Bangkok (ranked Nos. 7, 16 and 40, respectively), among others.
The Best International Airline as voted by readers across the globe is Singapore Airlines, with Thai Airways International coming in at No. 9. Australia and New Zealand also performed well, with the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand bagging 11th place on the list of Top 100 Hotels Overall. Meanwhile, Discovery Shores in the Philippines was named best spa in Asia. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on July 8th, 2011
Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have released findings from their latest Travel Intentions survey. The 2010 survey shows Australia and Japan have cemented their status as the most sought-after holiday destinations for the next two years, with 40% of the 6,714-respondents surveyed in this year’s research saying they would consider travelling to Australia or Japan in the next two years.
The survey asked respondents from 13-key Asia Pacific travel source markets (Australia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mainland China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States) about past and future travel plans.
The survey indicated that most travellers prefer organising their own trips by booking their own airlines and accommodation. However, travellers from Mainland China, which is fast becoming a major generator of tourism revenues for the region, still prefer packaged group tours. Travellers from Australia tend to take the longest breaks – nearly one quarter intend to spend more than 20-nights whereas the average traveller is happy with three-to-five nights. Australia was the favourite destination for vacationers from New Zealand, UK, US, and Japan, while Japan won out with travellers from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Said Greg Duffell, chief executive officer, PATA: “One of the most heartening features from this year’s report is the relatively wide spread of Asia Pacific destinations under consideration by the 13-source markets studied, including the long-haul sources of the UK and the USA.”
Originally published by http://www.pata.org
Posted on August 26th, 2010
Qatar Airways is celebrating the launch of scheduled services to Australia following the airline’s inaugural flight into Melbourne on 6 December 2009 night.
The new Doha – Melbourne route signals the beginning of Qatar Airways’ operations to Australia, and adds another continent to the airline’s rapidly expanding global network. Melbourne becomes the award-winning airline’s 85th destination and fourth new route of 2009. The carrier plans to launch flights to Sydney next year.
On board the maiden flight QR030 from Doha was the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, who led a high-profile delegation, including the Australian Ambassador to the UAE and Qatar, His Excellency Doug Trappett, international media and senior company executives.
Qatar Airways is operating its newest aircraft – a Boeing 777-200LR delivered less than four weeks ago – on the route, flying initially three-times-a-week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Doha-based airline takes delivery of another Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft direct from Boeing’s Seattle manufacturing base this month and will use the aircraft on the Melbourne route, stepping up frequency to daily from 1 January 2010.
Victorian Government Minister of Tourism and Major Events, The Honourable Tim Holding provided an official welcome for Qatar Airways at the State Government Offices in Melbourne, where a joint press conference was held this morning. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on December 8th, 2009
On 12 November 2009 night the winners of the fifth AsiaSpa Awards, presented by AsiaSpa magazine, the region’s most recognised spa and wellness publication, were announced and honoured at a glittering evening in Hong Kong. Celebrating the best in innovation and quality in spas around the region, the 27 categories voted on by 28 independent judges were won by spas, spa personalities, associations and resorts that have set the benchmarks for quality and service in the region.
It was a night of glitz and glamour as Asia’s spa community came together to celebrate its finest. Themed “La Belle Epoque”, the event saw guests dressed to the nines in their most elegant 1920s fashion. Women dressed in their finest feathers, jewels and silky dresses, while the men came in fedoras, vests and suits.
The big winners of the night included Thailand which won for “Destination Spa of the Year” for Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket as well as “Asian Spa Capital of the Year”. Green T. House in Beijing also won for “Day Spa of the Year” as well as “Spa Design of the Year”. “Spa Event of the Year” went to the Global Spa Summit held at Interlaken, Switzerland. In the first year for the category “Best Children’s Spa Menu of the Year”, the Ice Cream Spa at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island emerged as the category’s debut winner. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on November 19th, 2009
Sydney-Melbourne Touring has appointed Klick Communications to deliver a PR and social media campaign that illuminates the variety of experiences unique to the Sydney-Melbourne Touring routes; the Sydney Melbourne Coastal Drive, the Sydney Melbourne Heritage Drive and Great Alpine Road.
Sydney-Melbourne Touring Chairman Ken Hore says, “Klick’s tourism experience and passion for new media bring a fresh new approach to our business that has been highly anticipated. The key objective for the next twelve months is to reinvigorate the concept of the ‘road-trip’ holiday and generate excitement for this kind of travel between Sydney and Melbourne.”
Klick Director Kim McKay says, “We are so excited to be working with Sydney-Melbourne Touring on this campaign. The underlying insight for us is that if you’re rushing from Point A to Point B, you’re missing the point. Who doesn’t feel like that sometimes? What we are going to communicate is that it’s not about what money can and can’t buy – it’s about reclaiming your time and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”
The campaign will launch with a social media campaign that will be rolled out over the next 10 months, kicking off with American social media producer Scotty Iseri, the star of Scotty Got an Office Job, making two episodes featuring the Sydney-Melbourne Touring driving routes this week. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on November 9th, 2009
The DestinAsian-Asia’s Travel Magazine, The parent company of several subsidiaries operating in the media and publishing sectors, based in Jakarta – Indonesia. They checked and selected 39 hotels to join their annual roundup of Asia-Pacific’s most notable debuts. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on October 29th, 2009
The inaugural Singapore Airlines A380 service bound for Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria, took off from Singapore Changi Airport last evening and touched down at Melbourne Airport early this morning.
With 453 customers on board the 471-seat double-decker aircraft, SQ227 departed Singapore at 2100hrs and arrived in Melbourne at around 0545hrs this morning, 25 minutes ahead of schedule. The A380 will embark on its return journey with over 450 customers on board, departing Melbourne at 1550hrs and touching down in Singapore at 2140hrs.
Melbourne is the second Australian city and sixth city in Singapore Airlines’ network to receive the A380. Singapore Airlines currently operates 21 weekly flights between Singapore and Melbourne, including the daily A380 service. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on October 1st, 2009
Australia’s new international airline V Australia today announced Phuket and Johannesburg as its next two destinations along with a strengthened focus on Melbourne just six months after launch. Four new V Australia routes to commence from December onwards include:
- Brisbane to Phuket, Thailand direct twice weekly from 22 November 2009
- Melbourne to Phuket, Thailand direct flights 1 a week from 3 December 2009
- Melbourne to Los Angeles, USA direct flights twice weekly from 1 December 2009
- Melbourne to Johannesburg, South Africa direct flights from 13 March 2010
The airline has also lodged an application with the International Air Services Commission for permission and slots to operate flights between Australia and Fiji.
To celebrate the extra destinations of Phuket and Johannesburg, special launch fares go on sale from 2.00pm today on the airline’s website starting from $399 one way to Phuket and $1899 return to Johannesburg from Melbourne. Special launch fares for International Business Class are also available from $1499 one way to Phuket and $5999 return to Johannesburg. International Premium Economy fares are available from $899 one way to Phuket and $2999 return to Johannesburg. All fares are fully inclusive of taxes and surcharges. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on August 19th, 2009
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