TRAVEL BLOG
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Tiger Airways Flight Review - Singapore to Melbourne
Flight: Tiger Airways TR 702 Date: 27 Feb 2008
Flight: Tiger Airways TT 7567 Date: 28 Feb 2008
Tiger Airways is a low cost airline based in Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. Tiger Airways began operations in 2004 and has since set up Tiger Airways Australia in Melbourne and plan to launch Incheon Tiger Airways based in Seoul in 2009.
Tiger Airways at Singapore Airport
Tiger Airways fly from Singapore to Melbourne via Darwin. The flight is with Tiger Airways and Tiger Airways Australia on separate aircraft. Unlike other low cost airlines Tiger facilitate the booking of these separate flight segments in the one booking.
Go to Flight Combo on the Tiger Airways website and you can book two segments in one go. It is important to note that this is two separate flights so your bags are not checked through to the final destination.
Another good feature of the Tiger Airways booking procedure is that you can pick your seat when you book your flight. Oh how I loath the mad scramble for a seat that occurs on low cost airline flights with unallocated seats.
Singapore to Darwin
The entire Tiger Airways fleet consists of Airbus A320 aircraft, thus Tiger only fly within a five-hour radius around Singapore. The flight time from Singapore to Darwin is approximately 4 hours 20 minutes.
As Tiger Airways is a bare minimum no frills airline the onus is on you to keep yourself entertained. There is no TV entertainment and no complimentary meal and drink service.
Tiger Airways Uniform
Darwin Airport
In Darwin you must claim your bags and clear Australian customs. Then you must check in again for the Tiger Airways Australia flight from Darwin to Melbourne. Darwin Airport is small enough to make this a simple transfer and there is about 2 hours between the Singapore arrival and the Melbourne departure.
With a population of just over 110,000 people Darwin is a small capital city, even by Australian standards. When you look at a map though of Australia and Southeast Asia Darwin is well situated to be a major hub of air traffic between Australia and Asia. Jetstar have floated this idea recently with a plan to make Darwin a springboard into Asia, and I will revisit this idea in another post.
Time to spare at a laptop bench - Darwin Airport
Darwin to Melbourne
The second leg of this flight is with Tiger Airways Australia. Flight time from Darwin to Melbourne is just over 4 hours, leaving Darwin at 2.20am and arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine at 8am. I always forget what a big and empty continent Australia is. Asia seems so far away and exotic to us Aussies. Exotic certainly, but Darwin is much closer to many Asian cities than most other Australian capitals.
Like the flight from Singapore this is a no frills service. Drinks and snacks are available to purchase. Here is a price sample (in Australian Dollars):
Muffins $3
Pot Noodles $4
Coke(250ml) $2.5
Coffee $3
Beer (VB/Hahn) $6
At the moment Tiger Airways Australia only operate in and out of their Melbourne base. They are scouting around for new Australian hubs which should be known sometime in 2008.
Tiger Airways - Proudly Calling Melbourne Home
Flight: Tiger Airways TT 7567 Date: 28 Feb 2008
Tiger Airways is a low cost airline based in Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. Tiger Airways began operations in 2004 and has since set up Tiger Airways Australia in Melbourne and plan to launch Incheon Tiger Airways based in Seoul in 2009.
Tiger Airways at Singapore Airport
Tiger Airways fly from Singapore to Melbourne via Darwin. The flight is with Tiger Airways and Tiger Airways Australia on separate aircraft. Unlike other low cost airlines Tiger facilitate the booking of these separate flight segments in the one booking.
Go to Flight Combo on the Tiger Airways website and you can book two segments in one go. It is important to note that this is two separate flights so your bags are not checked through to the final destination.
Another good feature of the Tiger Airways booking procedure is that you can pick your seat when you book your flight. Oh how I loath the mad scramble for a seat that occurs on low cost airline flights with unallocated seats.
Singapore to Darwin
The entire Tiger Airways fleet consists of Airbus A320 aircraft, thus Tiger only fly within a five-hour radius around Singapore. The flight time from Singapore to Darwin is approximately 4 hours 20 minutes.
As Tiger Airways is a bare minimum no frills airline the onus is on you to keep yourself entertained. There is no TV entertainment and no complimentary meal and drink service.
Tiger Airways Uniform
Darwin Airport
In Darwin you must claim your bags and clear Australian customs. Then you must check in again for the Tiger Airways Australia flight from Darwin to Melbourne. Darwin Airport is small enough to make this a simple transfer and there is about 2 hours between the Singapore arrival and the Melbourne departure.
With a population of just over 110,000 people Darwin is a small capital city, even by Australian standards. When you look at a map though of Australia and Southeast Asia Darwin is well situated to be a major hub of air traffic between Australia and Asia. Jetstar have floated this idea recently with a plan to make Darwin a springboard into Asia, and I will revisit this idea in another post.
Time to spare at a laptop bench - Darwin Airport
Darwin to Melbourne
The second leg of this flight is with Tiger Airways Australia. Flight time from Darwin to Melbourne is just over 4 hours, leaving Darwin at 2.20am and arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine at 8am. I always forget what a big and empty continent Australia is. Asia seems so far away and exotic to us Aussies. Exotic certainly, but Darwin is much closer to many Asian cities than most other Australian capitals.
Like the flight from Singapore this is a no frills service. Drinks and snacks are available to purchase. Here is a price sample (in Australian Dollars):
Muffins $3
Pot Noodles $4
Coke(250ml) $2.5
Coffee $3
Beer (VB/Hahn) $6
At the moment Tiger Airways Australia only operate in and out of their Melbourne base. They are scouting around for new Australian hubs which should be known sometime in 2008.
Tiger Airways - Proudly Calling Melbourne Home
Labels: airlines, australia, darwin, flight-review, melbourne, singapore, tiger-airways
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Bangkok Airways Flight Review - Samui to Singapore
Flight: Bangkok Airways PG 961 Date: 24 Feb 2008
Bangkok Airways is a Thai airline based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Bangkok Airways operates flights in Thailand as well as to destinations in Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.
Bangkok Airways at Koh Samui
My flight was from Samui, Thailand to Singapore for a flight of just under two hours.
Bangkok Airways is not a low cost airline as they serve food, and they are not a full service airline as there is no inflight entertainment. They call themselves a boutique airline, which is probably a good way to split the difference.
Seating is assigned and Bangkok Airways serve meals on all flights.
Bangkok Airways Inflight Meal
Bangkok Airways is a Thai airline based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Bangkok Airways operates flights in Thailand as well as to destinations in Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.
Bangkok Airways at Koh Samui
My flight was from Samui, Thailand to Singapore for a flight of just under two hours.
Bangkok Airways is not a low cost airline as they serve food, and they are not a full service airline as there is no inflight entertainment. They call themselves a boutique airline, which is probably a good way to split the difference.
Seating is assigned and Bangkok Airways serve meals on all flights.
Bangkok Airways Inflight Meal
Labels: bangkok-airways, flight-review, koh-samui, singapore, thailand
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Friday, February 08, 2008
Jetstar Flight Review - Melbourne to Bangkok
Flight: Jetstar JQ 29 Date: 27 Jan 2008
Jetstar is the low cost airline brand of Qantas. They operate flights from Australia to popular destinations in Asia as well as New Zealand and Hawaii.
Jetstar at Melbourne Airport
As Jetstar is a low cost airline it doesn't have the usual frills of a full service airline such as free food and drink and personal entertainment units.
If you are used to flying long haul flights with full service airlines like Qantas or Thai Airways then flying with a low cost is a step down in the travel experience. What you need to remember is that you are paying for the service of a cheaper flight.
Before you Fly
If you want extra frills onboard you can pre-purchase the following items online when you buy your ticket:
- Buy before you fly and drink free $30 (2 meals and unlimited drink)
- Blanket and amenity pack $7
- Video on demand with headsets $10
If you want to save money on the flight come prepared before you fly. Have a big meal before you go and bring some snacks and you wont need to buy anything onboard.
Onboard
If you didn't pre-purchase you can buy onboard. A selection of prices include:
- Cadbury Chocolate $3
- Sandwiches $6
- Light meal $10
- Full meal $15
- Beer (375m) $6
- Coffee $3
For entertainment there are video screens onboard that show TV programs and a movie during the flight for free. If you want your own personal video screen with movies on demand then you can still rent it onboard if you didn't pre-order it online.
Jetstar is the low cost airline brand of Qantas. They operate flights from Australia to popular destinations in Asia as well as New Zealand and Hawaii.
Jetstar at Melbourne Airport
As Jetstar is a low cost airline it doesn't have the usual frills of a full service airline such as free food and drink and personal entertainment units.
If you are used to flying long haul flights with full service airlines like Qantas or Thai Airways then flying with a low cost is a step down in the travel experience. What you need to remember is that you are paying for the service of a cheaper flight.
Before you Fly
If you want extra frills onboard you can pre-purchase the following items online when you buy your ticket:
- Buy before you fly and drink free $30 (2 meals and unlimited drink)
- Blanket and amenity pack $7
- Video on demand with headsets $10
If you want to save money on the flight come prepared before you fly. Have a big meal before you go and bring some snacks and you wont need to buy anything onboard.
Onboard
If you didn't pre-purchase you can buy onboard. A selection of prices include:
- Cadbury Chocolate $3
- Sandwiches $6
- Light meal $10
- Full meal $15
- Beer (375m) $6
- Coffee $3
For entertainment there are video screens onboard that show TV programs and a movie during the flight for free. If you want your own personal video screen with movies on demand then you can still rent it onboard if you didn't pre-order it online.
Labels: airlines, bangkok, flight-review, jetstar, melbourne
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Monday, December 10, 2007
Viva Macau Flight Review - Macau to Sydney
Flight: Viva Macau ZG 9501 Date: 8 Dec 2007
Viva Macau is a low cost airline based in Macau. They currently fly 3 times a week to Sydney.
Viva Macau offer a no frills long haul service so you need to come prepared before you fly, as you will not be fed and entertained like you would on a full service airline.
What they do offer is one of the cheapest flights you will find from Sydney to East Asia. I picked up a sale seat for $199 (one-way) plus taxes, bringing the total to $320 Australian Dollars. I bought this online about one month before flying.
Aircraft
Viva Macau use a Boeing 767 for this route. The seating arrangement is 2-3-2 across.
Entertainment
Viva Macau show movies on a projector screen. There are no personal screens. They show an English and Hong Kong film during the flight. Bring your own headphones, otherwise you will need to purchase one.
Food and Drink
There is no inflight meal service so make sure you have a big meal at the airport or bring enough food. The only hot meal available to purchase was pot noodles. Drinks have to be bought as well.
Currencies accepted include Macau Pataca, Hong Kong, US and Austalian Dollars.
Here is a list of items available for purchase onboard, in Hong Kong Dollars
Blanket 40 HKD
Neck Pillow 20 HKD
Headphones 20 HKD
Coffee 10 HKD
Coke (can) 20 HKD
Heineken (can) 30 HKD
Pot Noodles 30 HKD
Viva Macau is a low cost airline based in Macau. They currently fly 3 times a week to Sydney.
Viva Macau offer a no frills long haul service so you need to come prepared before you fly, as you will not be fed and entertained like you would on a full service airline.
What they do offer is one of the cheapest flights you will find from Sydney to East Asia. I picked up a sale seat for $199 (one-way) plus taxes, bringing the total to $320 Australian Dollars. I bought this online about one month before flying.
Aircraft
Viva Macau use a Boeing 767 for this route. The seating arrangement is 2-3-2 across.
Entertainment
Viva Macau show movies on a projector screen. There are no personal screens. They show an English and Hong Kong film during the flight. Bring your own headphones, otherwise you will need to purchase one.
Food and Drink
There is no inflight meal service so make sure you have a big meal at the airport or bring enough food. The only hot meal available to purchase was pot noodles. Drinks have to be bought as well.
Currencies accepted include Macau Pataca, Hong Kong, US and Austalian Dollars.
Here is a list of items available for purchase onboard, in Hong Kong Dollars
Blanket 40 HKD
Neck Pillow 20 HKD
Headphones 20 HKD
Coffee 10 HKD
Coke (can) 20 HKD
Heineken (can) 30 HKD
Pot Noodles 30 HKD
Labels: airlines, flight-review, macau, sydney, viva-macau
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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