A friend of mine has just purchased a round trip ticket with Malaysia airlines for travel between Thailand and Australia via Malaysia for a fraction over $US500. This trip of 7 804 km (4,849 miles) normally sits at around $1100 to $1200. A good deal is around $700. Such is the desire to get people onto their planes, that Malaysia Airlines is discounting heavily. The discounts are designed to match arch rival Air Asia and attract passengers “scared off” Malaysia Airlines after the disappearance of Flight 370 on 8th March. The appearance of a Skytrax…
Unique Yangon (Rangoon)
When I was a child, Rangoon was one of the exotic cities of the world talked about in books and poems: mysterious, adventurous and colourful. I have long wanted to see the place for myself. Verdict Regular readers will know, I rate every city I visit. My Overall Rating: 68% Ranking out of my top 200 Cities: 155th place which gives it a similar ranking to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Richmond, Virginia in the USA. The Economist Ranking: not ranked Why it should be visited: Stunning architecture, easy to get around, brilliant museums, great art, food and culture scene Negatives: Expensive hotels…
Bangkok Airways ad declares love
This Bangkok Airways ad brought a smile on my face in parts and made me laugh loudly in others! To the background of the 80’s song “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You“, the ad shows in a slightly satirical sense, real-life experiences of air crews as they deal with a range of “interesting passengers“. The airline says they are attempting to show both Thai passengers and “farang” (foreigner) that their “exceptional service” comes from a “deep personal attitude“. Some people have labelled the ad “genius” and others “embarrassing“. Check it out and see what you…
Air KBZ to Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
One thing I didn’t want to do was fly internally in Myanmar! The fledgling airline industry does not have a great safety record. After our long train trip from Mandalay to Bagan, we realised, however that a ten hour train trip from Bagan to Yangon would take too much time out of our schedule so I reluctantly agreed to fly! Booking: 7/10 The country has seven local airlines registered: Air Bagan; Air KBZ, Air Mandalay, Asian Wings, Golden Myanmar Airlines; Myanmar Airways International and Yangon Airways. Our first choice was Asian Wings because they are 49 per cent owned by Japan’s ANA. Unfortunately,…
Know anything about Lyft
Has anyone used Lyft? Lyft is a smartphone app that seems to match drivers with people looking for rides in several key cities across the USA. When the ride ends, the app automatically charges payment from the passenger’s saved credit card. Lyft also provide drivers with additional excess insurance, including a $1M liability insurance. The company says: “Passengers and drivers rate each other. If you rate someone 3 stars or below, you’ll never be matched with them again.” I am curious to know if it works. I also could not see pricing on the website. Any information or…
Etihad unveils flying hotel!
I am most envious of those who got to fly to Abu Dhabi to see the launch of flag-carrier Etihad’s A380 last week! The feature that has grabbed the world is the creation of “The Residence”. This announcement of these features have trumped Korea’s on board duty free shop and Emirate’s First Class showers! The 11 square metre (125 sq ft) Residence will be located at the front of the Upper deck and consists of three rooms: a living room, bedroom with double bed, and private bathroom with shower. Both living room and bedroom feature…
Will Business Class only Odyssey survive?
In Homer’s ancient tale The Odyssey, there are a few themes. One of them is about hospitality and the other is about Perseverance. London City-based startup Odyssey Airlines is attempting a model that has failed many times, despite its predecessors offering the best in hospitality. Odyssey hopes to be a business only carrier that makes it through! Odyssey has raised five million dollars through Crowdcube, a crowdfunding platform and other funding sources. The airline plans to launch flights in 2016 from London City to an unspecified airport in New York. Once the carrier is up…
Breathtaking Bagan
Bagan is one of the musts on the Myanmar tourist trail. Almost all tourists make the trek by air, train bus and even car to this spot 715km (431 miles) northwest of Yangon. The area is sited on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady (or Irrawaddy) River. This river slices Burma into two. You can travel to Bagan from Mandalay using this river on an express boat (which takex 10 hours) or an equally long train ride, a very rough bus or car ride (8 to 9 hours). Trains, cars and buses will take you south to Yangon (13…
Prince flies Economy
There have been many news reports of Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, flying Coach after attending a wedding in Memphis. He carried his own hand luggage onto the Dallas bound flight. The Prince was accompanied by his four bodyguards. He ordered a water on the flight. Why didn’t American Airlines upgrade William Windsor and a bodyguard? Or did he ask the airline not to? People were certainly impressed by the prince’s choice. eg US television reporter Eli Ross tweeted: “I am still amazed #Prince William flies COACH. That’s pretty humble/awesome. Who knew?”
Inappropriate Words?
The tourists stood gazing at the Bagan, Myanmar sunset. The ball of fiery orange turned more and more red as it slid down the sky. The colours reflected on the stone and wood temples and pagodas that spread across the plains. The gold on the roofs sparkled in the light. Faintly a star started to emerge. The hairs on the backs of the watchers tingled at the sensations: colour, noise and smells of this ancient, magical, holy place. All were entranced. Well almost all. The young Australian tourist turned to her companion and loudly screeched…
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