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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Avianca Brazil Join Star Alliance July 22

Avianca Brazil will join the Star Alliance network July 22, Star CEO Mark Schwab has confirmed at a press briefing in Warsaw.

“We have been working on an [airline] solution in Brazil for some time now,” said Schwab, adding that Avianca Brazil has fulfilled all membership requirements.

Avianca Brazil operates to 24 airports in Brazil, CEO Jose Efromovich said. The carrier offers 210 daily flights within Brazil from its hubs at São Paulo, Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Salvador.

“Currently we operate a fleet of 41 aircraft, including one Airbus A330F. Our last Fokker 100 will leave the fleet in August, and then we will become an all Airbus operator,” Efromovich told ATW. The fleet includes Airbus A318/319/320s. After the Fokker 100s leave the fleet, the average age of the fleet will be reduced to four years.

Avianca Brazil carried more than 7 million passengers in 2014 and expects the number to rise to 8.6 million this year. “In 2014, we had a load factor of 84% with a market share in Brazil of about 9.8%,” Efromovich said, adding the carrier has concentrated on increasing frequencies to current destinations instead of extending the network in recent years.

Avianca Brazil is 100% owned by the Synergy Group. Avianca Colombia was its mentor for the joining process.

Star Alliance may need an additional carrier in Brazil after TAM left the alliance for oneworld last year.

“We are a talking to a second carrier in Brazil,” Schwab said without giving details, although industry analysts speculate that talks with Azul could be possible.

Star Alliance currently offers 1,321 destinations and 18,500 daily flights (excluding Avianca Brazil).

What Is Coming In September 2015?

From one of my spies, there will be something brewing. Yes routes are cut and frequencies are reduced, but some of the equipment (Aircrafts) changes are temporary but some are permanent.

Most are cancelled mid August. Time to repaint some aircraft and refurbish the 330s in time for a September relaunch. Recaro or Zodiac? Well, I will update more once I have more details. Plus, It seems that during the school holiday Nov-Dec 15 period, the 388s have been lined by to do charters KUL-JED and KUL-MED. That's about 20hrs roundtrip. Stay tune.

Below are some changes made this coming Aug. 

Malaysia Airlines this week adjusted its inventory, which sees further downsizing to its operation. Majority of these changes will begin from August 2015.

Kuala Lumpur – Brisbane
eff 09AUG15 1 daily service cancelled, currently operated by A330-300

Kuala Lumpur – Guangzhou 
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 2 to 1 daily, MH380/381 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh 
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 4 to 3 daily, MH760/761 cancelled (Except 31AUG15)

Kuala Lumpur – Hong Kong
eff 01AUG15 MH072/073 operated by Boeing 737-800, replacing 777-200ER (Overall 4 daily 737-800)
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 4 to 3 daily, MH448/449 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Male 
eff 23AUG15 1 daily service cancelled, currently operated by 737-800
Kuala Lumpur – Manila 
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 5 to 4 daily, MH708/709 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Perth 
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 12 to 7 weekly, MH127/126 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Siem Reap 
eff 17AUG15 Service reduce from 7 to 5 weekly, Day 14 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Taipei Taoyuan 
eff 15AUG15 Service reduce from 2 to 1 daily, MH408/409 cancelled

Kuala Lumpur – Yangon 
eff 18AUG15 Service reduce from 14 to 11 weekly


Link: Airline Route

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Down Memory Lane

Walking down memory lane sometimes could be beautiful, but sometimes things can get ugly. At a certain point in my earlier years, there were these people that molded me in what I am today. But the way wasn't always sweet and easy. There are a lot of things that happened due to what I've done. At some point, it was just a mere distant memory.

But sometimes, when you were simply having too much free time. You switched on your Facebook and look back to some of the people that you once walked together with in the past. Some memories put a smile on you, some memories just brings up that sick feeling under your skin. There were so much things that went on and on in your head, and at a certain point, you just feel like you are out of breath. 

I can't even recognize the person I once was. I lived under the skin of a mere fraction of my imagination. I do not even know how to love a human being. I did so many wrongs I wished some of them I never even had done it in the first place. I became the person I hated, and I was so afraid of losing the one person I use to want. The fear, drives me over the edge. I really hated myself for what I've done hurting those I use to care for. 

It is way past the point for an apology, or forgiveness. We eventually just move forward no matter how much we didn't want to. Yet today, I stand in a very happy place. I am not complete, but those imperfections made us what we are. No pretense, no more lies, and there isn't even the need to impress the other. We are just being ourselves. 

I do not miss the old days, but I really felt awful to have done the things that I've done. Life always has its way of bringing us to a place where we deserve. Everything I have now, I wouldn't wanna jeapordize any part of it. I've paid my dues and its time to let go of that baggage. I love you, and it would be all that matters to me right now. 


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

New Malaysia Airlines On It's Way

Malaysia Airlines’ new CEO Christoph Mueller is wasting no time getting his beleaguered airline back on track. The airline is “bankrupt”. A third of its workforce is to be made redundant. Its fleet is to be trimmed and routes abandoned. Its operations are to be transferred to a new holding company.

Today, it has a new shareholder, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah, replacing the government. Its staff have new contracts. New management is in place. Shortly, the company will transfer its Air Operator’s Certificate from the old MAS to the new MAS, and it has already applied to IATA to transfer its MH airline code. Additionally, new cabins are to be installed in the widebody fleet it keeps.

At a press conference today, Mueller outlined how he expects the MAS phoenix to rise from the ashes of a significant period of ineffectual management, on top of which came the MH370 and MH17 disasters.

“In aviation terms, MAS as we know it is leaving its cruising altitude and preparing itself for a safe landing,” Mueller said. “We are technically bankrupt, and that decline started before the tragic events of 2014.” 

The airline will be looking at its route network and ensuring it operates the right aircraft on the right services. Despite having put its Airbus A380 fleet on the market, Mueller expects to fly these aircraft on the Kuala Lumpur-London route, although it is clear that the 12h35m eastbound and 13h30m westbound flight timings mean that additional shorter routes (perhaps to and from Australia) will be needed if the aircraft is to be profitable. MAS will keep its fairly middle-of-the-road first class cabin on these routes, at least to begin with.

The Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 fleets that form the backbone of MAS longhaul operations have been in need of an upgrade for some time, especially in business class. That’s coming, with the current angled lie-flat seats due to be replaced by beds that Mueller promises will be a significant improvement and “above the industry standard”. That would have to be a fully flat bed with direct aisle access at least, and likely an outward herringbone of some sort.

Malaysia-business-class
Malaysia Airlines’ cabin interiors
Look also for the relatively generous pitch in economy class to either be reduced or more heavily featured in advertising. Given the success of Singapore Airlines, it would seem that there is a niche for premium carriers with firm cost control and keen pricing in southeast Asia.

Overall, costs need to come down by 20 percent. Part of that will come from a slash in vendors: MAS currently has 20,000 vendors, and Mueller reckons that the figure needs to be reduced to 2,000 or 2,500.

Staff costs are also a significant proportion of this restructuring. Mueller noted that airlines are “queueing” to take MAS pilots, but it’s uncertain how many of the other 6,000 members of staff will also be snapped up. While Mueller noted that he doesn’t expect all of the 14,000 job offers the new MAS has made to be taken up — for reasons including the fact that staff may already have been made offers with other airlines — MAS is a critical part of the Malaysian economy. The airline’s revenues last year consisted of 0.7 percent of the entire country’s GDP.

A significant amount of work will be needed for MAS’ IT systems to enable these changes. Mueller “identified significant skill gaps” in the existing systems, and it seems clear that a large proportion of the cost savings Mueller expects will come from backend and head office systems. Consolidation from its current 12 headquarters buildings to one at Kuala Lumpur International Airport will be a good start on that. As part of the cost reduction, operations will shortly be transferred to a new holding company, which Mueller likened to the US process of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The rest of the initial work should be completed by September, Mueller said. His end goal? “To end up finally with a profitability that is sustainable”, and not before time.

As Warwick Business School Professor Loizos Heracleous put it, agreeing with Mueller’s assessment: “As a legacy state owned carrier, Malaysia Airlines has had some constraints in terms of optimising routes, staffing levels and general operatioanl efficiency. The tragic events of last year only hastened restructuring actions that sorely needed and should have been taken a long time ago.”


Sheraton Pulls Out In Langkawi

Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort will discontinue its affiliation with Starwood Hotels & Resorts when its management agreement ends on June 1.

The property will be renamed Century Four Points Resort, and be managed and operated by Century Four Points Resort, said its acting general manager - group of hotels, Peter Athan.

Owned by Mashyur Mutiara, the resort has been linked to Starwood Hotels & Resorts since it took on the Sheraton name in 1991.

Athan said that he would stay on with the property and there would be no changes to top and middle management staff going forward, while all confirmed bookings will be honoured.

Describing the property, Yap Sook Ling, managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said: “It is a lovely property. The set-up and layout is very nice and we don’t have issues with the service. However, the rooms need to be renovated.”

Another inbound travel consultant, Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues, agreed that the hotel needs a facelift if it were to maintain its five-star rank and compete in the international marketplace.

He said: “It will also make it easier for travel consultants to market the hotel if it is up to the standard of a five-star hotel.”

But asked if there were any plans to renovate the hotel, Athan replied: “Not at the moment.”

 

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