AIRASIA launched today in Singapore its Big loyalty programme, which will also be introduced in China, India and the Philippines at a later date.

This programme, which was first rolled out in 2011 in Malaysia, allows travellers to accumulate loyalty points which are redeemable for free flights and other add-ons like baggage. It has also been rolled out in Indonesia and Thailand.

In Singapore, the LCC has partnered local companies DBS Bank and StarHub, giving customers from both brands the opportunity to convert their reward points to Big points.

AirAsia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said the programme had 700,000 members to date, and he is aiming to “rapidly grow” this number to one million within the next few years.

“As the first low cost airline in this region to offer a loyalty programme, this is a great way for us to differentiate ourselves from the other airlines,” he added.

While AirAsia continues to be aggressive in its consumer-direct strategy, Fernandes said the airline is also starting to grow its business from the trade.

For example, it launched last year a new travel booking tool, Amadeus LCC Smart, allowing travel consultants to book AirAsia content within the Amadeus GDS (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 1, 2012).

“Doors are open to all travel agencies and we are open to do business with any of them. For instance, we have 4,000 travel agencies with us in Indonesia today,” he said.

Fernandes said: “We may look at a loyalty scheme for travel (consultants) at a later time but for now Big is more consumer-driven, and obviously (agencies) can benefit from more people flying with us.”

RESORTS World Sentosa’s Marine Life Park will launch its dolphin interaction programmes on September 30, with a range of experiences catering to those who want to view the animals on dry land as well as the more adventurous who want to explore their habitats underwater.

Participants can wade with dolphins in waist-deep waters as part of the 90-minute Dolphin Discovery, while their accompanying friends and family can opt for Dolphin Observer, where they will be able to observe the interactions with lagoon-side seating.

Touted as the first in Asia, Dolphin Trek is an 80-minute underwater programme that gives guests the opportunity to trek on the lagoon floor while breathing freely through an underwater helmet.

A fourth programme, Dolphin Adventure, will also start before year-end. It will take swimmers to the depths of the lagoon, allowing for even more up-close interactions with the mammals.

The first three programmes are suitable for non-swimmers. Prices for adults range from S$68 (US$55) for the Dolphin Observer to S$248 for the Dolphin Trek. Children and seniors can avail of a separate pricing. All dolphin interaction programmes include one-day admission to Adventure Cove Waterpark and a set meal at The Bay Restaurant.

THE Formula One (F1) SingTel Singapore Grand Prix continues to draw significant attention worldwide, with air bookings and flight searches showing strong improvements from the previous year.

According to findings released by Amadeus and ForwardKeys, bookings for the F1 period made until September 1, 2013 surged 12.6 per cent this year, a sharp improvement from 2012, which saw arrivals dip by 1.9 per cent from 2011.

Australia takes the top spot on the podium as the biggest source country with 17 per cent of total bookings this year, followed by the UK (eight per cent) and Indonesia (six per cent).

Driven by the Mid-Autumn Festival public holidays in Hong Kong and South Korea, Hong Kong visitors rose 37 per cent in bookings over 2012 to account for eight per cent of total bookings, taking over pole position from London as the top source city for F1 arrivals this year. While London holds on to its second placing with seven per cent of total bookings, Seoul climbed a staggering 241 per cent to reach the top three spots with six per cent of total bookings.

In addition, results show the biggest growth (29 per cent) in arrivals on Wednesday (September 18), three days before the first qualifying race, suggesting that the F1 weekend is starting earlier than before as tourists look to enjoy more of Singapore beyond the night race.

Angel Gallego, president of Amadeus Asia Pacific, said: “Travel providers will do well to take note of changing traveller behaviours, such as the increasing propensity for travellers to book last minute, to fully leverage the opportunities present.”

Overall, flight searches to Singapore for the F1 weekend are also up 10 per cent on the weekend of the event last year, according to Skyscanner data, comparing September 20-24, 2012 with September 19-23, 2013.

If comparing searches for flights to Singapore for the week of September 19-23 versus September 12-16, Hong Kong took up the prime spot with a dramatic 128 per cent increase in flight searches to Singapore, according to Skyscanner data.

Following closely behind on the grid is Taiwan, which posted an 80 per cent growth. The remainder of the top five were from farther afield, with the UAE and Australia doubling in searches, while Canada made the fifth spot with a rise of 26 per cent.

Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia also saw flight searches to Singapore increase for the F1 period.

ROYAL Brunei Airlines (RBA) will deploy its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners on services to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur – albeit for a limited period – making it the first airline in South-east Asia to induct the game-changing Dreamliner into its fleet.

Following the delivery of its first Dreamliner in late September, RBA will deploy it on the Singapore route from October 19, beginning with 12 weekly services and increasing to twice-daily from October 30 to November 30. On the Kuala Lumpur route, the Dreamliner will operate 11 weekly services for the entire month of November.

From December 1, the Dreamliner will be placed on the airline’s Banda Seri Begawan-Dubai-London route.

RBA has a total of five Dreamliners on order and these will sport a two-class configuration, with 18 seats in Business Class in a 2-2-2 layout and 236 seats in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout.

The new Dreamliners will replace the B777-200ERs, which are currently operated on RBA’s longhaul services. The airline currently has a fleet of four Airbus A320s and two A319s on operating leases, which will expire in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

The flag carrier has also issued a request proposal for the replacement of its fleet of regional narrow-body aircraft starting late 2015, marking the final piece in its transformation that began with a new corporate identity.

THAILAND-based TCC Hotels Group and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) have signed an agreement for Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sathorn, which will add to the fast-growing Holiday Inn Express brand in the country.

In addition to Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, which is slated to open in 2014, Thailand also boasts Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Siam (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 20, 2012) and Holiday Inn Express Phuket Patong Beach Central (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 19, 2013).

The newly-built 184-room Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sathorn will feature a meeting room, a fitness centre and the Great Room for guests to enjoy complimentary breakfasts.

Located in Bangkok’s business and diplomatic district of Sathorn and within walking distance to the Chongnonsri BTS station, the hotel will provide travellers with ease of access to nearby attractions such as Asiatique The Riverfront and the night markets of Patpong.

Soammaphat Traisorat, CEO of TCC Land, said: “Sathorn attracts a large number of business travellers due to its proximity to financial establishments. It will make for a perfect location for both business and leisure travellers who are looking for comfort, convenience and value.”

Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sathorn marks the first Holiday Inn Express owned by TCC Hotels Group, which also owns five IHG properties across the region, including InterContinental Singapore, InterContinental Adelaide in Australia, ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe in Japan, and the Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre and Holiday Inn Kunming City Centre in China.

A COMPANY from Henan, central China has ordered its first three helicopters with the intention to launch VIP transport services to serve the country’s burgeoning demand for such flights.

European helicopter maker Eurocopter said Henan New Continental Business Aviation of China will buy two of its deluxe EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style, which will be the first of their type when delivered in mid-2014.

The twin-engine vehicle’s interior will mimick the luxury fittings of Mercedes Benz cars, being the product of a joint project with the German carmarker. Only four such helicopters have been produced so far, and all for the US and European markets.

According to Eurocopter, the “versatile and easily transformable cabin” of the EC145 enables it to perform a wide range of operations, from executive transportation to leisure and sports trips.

But the first helicopter to be handed over that will enable Henan to “commence its chartering business” will be an AS350 B3e, to be ready by end-2013.

Zhou Suiji, chairman of the Zhengzhou City-based company, said: “While VIP helicopter transportation in China is relatively young, the customers’ needs are maturing rapidly.”

Eurocopter, comprised of French, German and Spanish entities, is a 100 per cent subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, which also includes Airbus.

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) yesterday announced the resumption of flights to London in November, two months after the European Union struck the country’s flag carrier off its aviation blacklist (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 11, 2013).

“London will be the first European destination for Philippine Airlines since it was discontinued in 1998,” said PAL president, Ramon S Ang. “We expect a heavy influx of foreign tourists due to rising awareness of the Philippines and the country’s rich tourist attractions.”

PAL’s new 13-hour flights from Manila to London will begin November 4 using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, flying five times a week on a morning schedule and landing at Heathrow Airport.

PAL also announced it would next work on launching routes to Paris, Rome and Amsterdam, with priority on the latter two.

Arnold Gonzales, sales and PR manager for the Department of Tourism office in Frankfurt, said the sentiment of Europe’s travel consultants selling the Philippines was “one of jubilation” since the lifting of the EU ban.

PAL’s announcements of the new routes were received with some skepticism, especially as it came on the heels of its recent reduction of services to other destinations, including the cancellation of its four-times-weekly service to Perth earlier this month, just three months into its launch.

Steven Slicer, market and product development specialist at New Horizons Holidays in Perth, Australia, wishes PAL had given the route a chance.

“It takes time to put together the contracting, develop the product and print the brochures and advertisements,” he said.

PAL has also reduced services to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Dubai planned for launch in 4Q2013, and cancelled the thrice-weekly service to Jeddah planned for February 2014.