Airline News - Asia / Pacific

Airguide Online, July 21, 2008

7/21/2008

General Tours World Traveler, Singapore Airlines

General Tours World Traveler, in partnership with Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board, introduced nine Affordable Luxury tours to Singapore and South Asia. Each trip begins with three nights at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore with private-car sightseeing. Then, with Singapore Airlines, clients can travel on to Indochina, India, and China. After Singapore, travelers can immerse in the timeless rhythms and exotic traditions of close-by Indochina, with five unique Affordable Luxury trips to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Five-star hotels, like the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi or the landmark Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, are complemented by in-depth excursions in the intimate company of never more than 20 guests. This sightseeing is designed for a more leisurely and enriching experience than typical escorted tours including, for example, an overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay and two unhurried days of guided exploration through the ruins of Angkor. 7/17/2008

Air China

Air China and China Eastern Airlines carried fewer passengers in June than a year earlier as heightened airport security checks ahead of the Olympic Games and a devastating earthquake discouraged air travel. The decline in traffic at two of China's three major airlines extended a drop in May linked to the earthquake in southwest China, which curbed tourist travel to scenic Sichuan province and led to the cancellation of conferences and other events. 7/16/2008

Air India

Air India terrorist bombings, Inderjit Singh Reyat's release on bail, after 20 years in custody. The long-suffering families of those who died in the attack feel he should not released. Their renewed anguish and heartbreak were made even worse by the courts' initial refusal to disclose a smidgen of detail about why Mr. Reyat was suddenly set free while awaiting trial on perjury, or even the conditions of his release. As public outrage grew, authorities finally relented late Friday afternoon. We now have Appeal Court Judge Anne Rowles' full decision, a tardy but welcome exception to the publication bans automatically slapped on so many bail proceedings. But her reasons provide cold comfort to the families and for those who remain aghast that so little punishment has been meted out in the world's deadliest pre-9/11 case of aviation terrorism. According to Judge Rowles, perjury is simply perjury, a charge that rarely results in a lengthy jail term. No extra weight should be given to the fact the accusation stems from Mr. Reyat's evasive testimony during the trial of accused Air India bombers Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were subsequently acquitted. 7/14/2008

Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways said the "first stage of its redeployment of services driven by the continuing rise in fuel prices" will comprise four new weekly Hong Kong-Dubai-Bahrain frequencies and a new four-times-weekly HKG-Riyadh beginning Oct. 1. On Sept. 16 it will reduce HKG-Vancouver to 17 weekly flights from 21 and discontinue its thrice-weekly HKG-Anchorage-Toronto, replacing it with daily HKG-YYZ. With the start of the winter schedule, flights to Auckland will increase to 14-times-weekly from 10. 7/14/2008

ZZ

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