Northstar

AIRLINES www.travelweeklyweb.com Jetstar Japan announces destinations and earlier start for July 2012 take-off TOKYO – Jetstar Japan is to begin its domestic services within Japan ahead of schedule on July 3 (subject to approval) fl ying initially to fi ve major Japanese cities – Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa The airline will be serviced by an initial fl eet of three new A320 aircraft. Tokyo (Narita) has been confi rmed as Jetstar Japan's first base, with the airline now on track to be the fi rst low cost carrier to fl y domestically from the capital. Fares and schedules will be announced soon. Jetstar Group CEO Bruce Buchanan said Jetstar's history as the fi rst low cost carrier to fl y to Japan was accelerating launch preparations. "Serving the Japanese customer for the past five years with international services gives us a clear advantage in rolling out a domestic network," Buchanan said. "The Jetstar brand is a known quantity in this market and that awareness is helping us put together a strong, hard-working local team. "We've built up a lot of trust with Japanese consumers who know that when we say every day low fares, we mean it." The Jetstar Group's status as the largest low cost carrier brand by revenue in the Asia Pacifi c means the Japanese domestic network will be supported by almost 60 other destinations, including Singapore, China, Vietnam and Australia. Since the start of 2012, the Jetstar Group has announced 36 additional weekly international flights, or more than 6,000 extra seats, to-and- from Japan. Jetstar Japan CEO Miyuki Suzuki said the carrier was preparing for strong customer demand when fares to its fi rst fi ve destinations go on sale. "In a country that's never had a true low fares domestic network, the ability to travel for an average of 50 per cent less will open up new places and opportunities." Suzuki said the reaction from Japanese people wanting to join the Jetstar team was extremely positive, with almost 9,000 expressions of interest received for cabin crew positions. "The great response we've had from potential crew and the positive discussions we're having with local airports has allowed us to bring our fi rst fl ight forward by several months." Tiger Airways launches Singapore-Kochi service SINGAPORE – Tiger Airways, Singapore's leading low-cost carrier has began bookings for its services to Kochi, which begin on April 27. The airline will fl y to Kochi, Kerala four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The addition of Kochi makes it the fifth destination in India that Tiger Airways fl y to from Singapore. Stewart Adams, managing director of Tiger Airways Singapore, said: "India is an important market for Tiger Airways, and this further increase to the number of routes flown to this region demonstrates Tiger's commitment to extending its paw print and growing its presence. Singapore is India's largest trade and investment partner in AS EAN, and the launch of our Kochi route will further increase acce s s i b ili t y for lei sure and business travellers whilst encouraging bilateral connectivity within ASEAN." Tiger Airways, together with its associated airlines, operates a fl eet of 32 Airbus A320 aircraft and is committed to increasing its fl eet size to 68 by December 2015..The airline operates fl ights to 33 destinations across 13 countries and territories in Asia-Pacifi c from Singapore and Australia. Tiger Airways has won several awards, including Low Cost Airline of the Year 2010. Winners of the 2012 Air Transport World Award SINGAPORE – Malaysia-based AirAsia, which paved the way for low-cost air travel in the region was the inaugural winner of a new category, Value Airline at Air Transport World's 38th Airline Industry Achievement Awards held in Singapore last week. Air New Zealand won top spot as the Airline of the Year (TWA's Feb 14 issue). It rose to the top tier for its "market position, product innovation, yield and social media to make the airline an industry trendsetter". Air New Zealand was also noted for its "commitment to operating a very young and highly fuel-effi cient fl eet". It has won the Airline of the Year award twice within three years. www.travelweeklyweb.com Also awarded were QantasLink (Regional Airline of the Year); All Nippon Airways (Airline Technology Leadership); Etihad Airways (Passenger Service); Transaero Airlines (Airline Market Leadership); and Alaska Airlines (Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service) and former IATA DG Giovanni Bisignani (Decade of Excellence). ANA received The Airline Technology Leadership award for its role in the development and design of the Boeing 787, for which it is the launch customer. Etihad Airways topped the Passenger Service award for excellent customer service product and offering of a premium service across all cabins. Transaero Airlines obtained The Airline Market Leadership award Airlines for its sustained growth that has made it Russia's second largest carrier. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines receives the Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service Award for its numerous environmental and corporate-giving initiatives through charities such as the Make- A-Wish Foundation, Angel Flight West, Special Olympics, and Shriners Hospitals for Children. A new award – Decade of Excellence – to recognise an individual was given to former IATA DG Giovanni Bisignani, who crafted some of the greatest changes seen in the industry, such as introducing the IATA Operational Safety Audit. 21 FEBRUARY 2012 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 3

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