Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
New Zealand Implements Mandatory Testing for Travelers
NEW ZEALAND ANNOUNCED on Tuesday that nearly all travelers entering the country must undergo a coronavirus test upon arrival.
"Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants,
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Coronavirus Australia live news: Queensland records two new cases of UK strain, six cases now linked to hotel quarantine cluster
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says health authorities are concerned about a cluster of coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine.
The remaining 129 guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels
Travelers boarding international flights to the US will need proof of negative COVID-19 test, CDC says
Travelers flying into the United States from international destinations will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flight.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced
Coronavirus updates: Feds expand vaccine eligibility to speed up rollout; negative test required to fly into US; Rep. Jayapal infected
Travelers flying into the United States from international destinations will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flight, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could issue the order as soon as Tuesday, and the new testing requirement reportedly goes into effect Jan. 26, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.
'Strict' Australian Open hotel quarantine program kicks off this week
Some 1200 tennis players and support staff will start arriving in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open this week.
The Pullman at Albert Park, the Grand Hyatt and the View hotel on St Kilda Road have been confirmed
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Cap on international arrivals to Australia has been slashed. So what does it mean for those still overseas?
Under recent changes to the rules around international arrivals, the number of flights returning to Australia has been reduced.
Until next month, the number of international arrivals into New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia will be halved
Coronavirus Updates
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Western Australia reinstates hard border with Queensland
Western Australia will reinstate its hard border controls with Queensland at midnight tonight.
Premier Mark McGowan announced the decision today following a National Cabinet meeting discussing
Raft of new rules for domestic and international travel in response to UK strain of coronavirus
Anyone coming into Australia must first return a negative coronavirus test before departure, and masks will be mandatory on all flights going forward.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced
Rail line death sees thousands of Sydney commuters stranded
Train platforms across Sydney are packed this evening after a crucial line cancelled services during peak hour.
A death at Lidcombe left thousands of commuters standing shoulder to shoulder as they waited to get home.
Sydney travellers banned from Queensland until at least end of January
Travellers from Greater Sydney won't be able to enter Queensland until at least the end of January. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the current ban would be reviewed at the end of the month. "I know this is very disappointing for people during this time,
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
What It’s Like To Bike On The Deadliest Bike Path On Earth
If you were on vacation, would you want to spend your time biking “The Death Road?” Believe it or not, this is a real place in Bolivia and it is also on the top of many people’s travel bucket list. This is one of the most adventurous trips you can take,
Perfect Weekend Getaways For Couples
Life can get really hectic, between keeping on top of your job, making sure the laundry is done, trying to drink enough water every day, getting a workout in every once in a while, and trying to see your friends, things really can get very crazy.
WA to shut border to Victorian travellers from midnight following COVID-19 outbreak
From 12.01am on January 1, only exempt Victorian travellers will be allowed into WA, while returning residents will be required to self-isolate for two weeks and be tested on day 11.
“We don’t want them to get caught out, so they will
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the river mouth, and some 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane.
The 2006 census recorded the Rockhampton Statistical Subdivision to have a population of 74,530 people. Rockhampton hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the central part of the state.
Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which lends itself to tourism activities all year round and an abundance of outdoor activities. Popular attractions include Riverbank Parklands, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Fitzroy River; the Capricorn Coast, the coastal strip between Yeppoon and Emu Park and Great Keppel Island, a large neighbouring island off the Capricorn Coast, the vast majority of which is national park.
History
The European history of the area began in 1853, when the area that would become Rockhampton was visited by the Archer brothers Charles and William, who were seeking grazing lands. They were acting on information from earlier expeditions by Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell, who had explored the area in 1844 and 1846 and noted suitable land for grazing then.
In January 1854, the New South Wales Government proclaimed two new districts: Port Curtis and Leichhardt (roughly today's Fitzroy Region), and settlement began in earnest in 1855.
The Fitzroy River provided a convenient waterway for shipping of supplies for those who followed them, and a settlement grew on the riverbanks just downstream of a bar of rocks which prevented further upstream navigation from the coast. These rocks were incorporated with the traditional English term for a village, and the name "Rockhampton" was born around 1856, though was not proclaimed officially until 25 October 1858. The town was surveyd at this time and the first sales of building allotments were held that year.
Small amounts of gold were found at Canoona, to the north of the site of Rockhampton, in 1859. Miners rushed to the new field, using the site of Rockhampton on the Fitzroy River as the nearest navigable port. The Canoona field proved to be very disappointing and thousands of would-be gold seekers were left stranded at Rockhampton. Although many returned south, others stayed, adding to the infant town's population. By 1861 the town boasted a regular newspaper, banks, court house and School of Arts. Direct shipments of imported goods and migrants from the United Kingdom began to be received during the 1860s. During the 1860s and 1870s Rockhampton developed as the main port for the developing Central Queensland hinterland; the main export at that time being wool.
In the 1880s and 1890s, sea ports were established on the coast, adjacent to the mouth of the Fitzroy River. Broadmount was on the northern side and Port Alma on the south. Railways were subsequently constructed to carry goods to the wharves at these locations, the railway to Broadmount opening on 1 January 1898 and the line to Port Alma opened on 16 October 1911. Maintenance on the Broadmount line ceased in August, 1929. The following month, the wharf caught fire and the line was effectively closed in July, 1930. The line to Port Alma closed on 15 October 1986.
The significant gold deposit at Mount Morgan to the southwest was discovered in the 1880s, and Rockhampton became the main port through which the wealth of Mount Morgan gold was channelled. Due to the wealth of Mount Morgan, Rockhampton weathered the severe economic depression of the 1890s and many of the town's substantial brick and stone public buildings date from this period. The historic streetscape of Quay Street still displays a number of substantial historic buildings, built when Rockhampton was envisaged as being capital of a state of North Queensland. Most prominent of these is the sandstone Customs House (1900), which today houses an information centre. Other important nineteenth century buildings include the Post Office (1892), the Supreme Court House (1888), and St Joseph's Cathedral (1892).
The City of Rockhampton was proclaimed in 1902. The rail connection south to Brisbane was completed in 1903, but it was not until 1921 that the northern connection to Mackay was finally completed. A railway west from Rockhampton was started in 1867 and by 1892 had reached the terminus at Longreach, 700 kilometres away. This further strengthened Rockhampton's role as the port for the whole of Central Queensland.
Quay Street, Rockhampton in 1912, taken from the Riverbank. The old Fitzroy River Bridge can be seen in the background.
A passenger tramway began operating on 16 June 1909, making Rockhampton the only provincial city in Queensland to have a street tramway. Purrey steam trams ran on a number of routes throughout South Rockhampton, totalling 10 kilometres of track. The discomfort of passengers riding in steam trams in a tropical climate in part led to their demise in 1939, replaced by a bus network run by the City Council.
During the Second World War, a US army base was established outside the city; it hosted up to 70,000 servicemen en route to action in the Pacific Ocean and New Guinea.
The Fitzroy River Barrage was commissioned in 1971. The barrage has a capacity of 81,300 megalitres and holds back a lake 60 kilometres long. The barrage was funded by the City Council to provide a reliable source of water to the city, and to effectively drought proof Rockhampton.
In 2003, Rockhampton was the centre of significant national media interest after local teenager Natasha Ryan was found in her boyfriend, Scott Black's North Rockhampton home after being missing for five years. Ryan had been presumed to be murdered.
Geography
Rockhampton lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland. A sculpture originally marking the latitude was later moved into town to be more accessible to tourists. Although the Tropic of Capricorn is represented on maps as a "dotted line" that lies at 23° 26' 22", there is actually a bio-geographical overlap of Tropical and Temperate zones more than 500 km wide; Rockhampton is roughly at its centre on the East Coast of Australia.
The city is located on the banks of the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres from the river mouth. The Berserker Range lies on the eastern side of the city, with the Athelstane Range to the west, leaving the city in what many refer to as a hole. The coastal area to the east of the city is known as the Capricorn Coast, with the rapidly growing town of Yeppoon its major centre.
Governance
Rockhampton is governed by the Rockhampton Regional Council. The Council consists of a mayor and ten councillors. The Mayor is elected by the public, and the Councillors are elected from ten single-member divisions (or wards) using an optional preferential voting system. Elections are held every four years. Brad Carter is the current mayor, having won the mayoral election in March 2008, for his first term.
The Rockhampton Regional Council local government area consists of four former local government areas. The first was the original City of Rockhampton, consisting of the Rockhampton City region as listed above. The second was the Shire of Livingstone (comprising of the Capricorn Coast and Byfield). The third area was the Shire of Fitzroy, (comprising Gracemere and smaller surrounding towns), and the fourth area was the Shire of Mount Morgan, (comprising the town of Mount Morgan.)
Before the time of the 2008 amalgamation, Rockhampton City had a population of approximately 74,530, Livingstone Shire approximately 28,266, Fitzroy Shire approximately 11,357, and Mount Morgan Shire approximately 2,925 people.
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland (a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional Council southern boundary, and south to Gladstone. The region is also known as Capricornia. As this is an unofficial area, the boundary lines remain unclear causing some dispute over Mackay Regional Council as part of Capricornia and Central Queensland, or part of the Tropical North of Queensland. Residents of Mackay Regional Council can sometimes receive official mail from both Townsville and Rockhampton due to this regional dispute.
Economically, Central Queensland is an important centre of primary industries. Even so, Central Queensland includes the Bowen Basin which is rich in high quality coking coal, the Port of Gladstone produces 40% of the state's export earnings, the Fitzroy River is the second-largest river system in Australia and commands significant water resources such as Fairbairn Dam. Gladstone has a significant aluminium smelter, Rockhampton is the undisputed beef capital of Australia, and the region produces approximately 50% of the state's electricity.
Communities
For this purpose the area of Central Queensland was restricted to the areas encircled by the Dawson Highway between Gladstone and Springsure; the Gregory Highway between Springsure and Clermont, and the Peak Downs Highway between Clermont and enters North Queensland via Mackay - extended right to the eastern coastline.
Major cities in the region are Emerald, Gladstone and Rockhampton. Some communities on the Capricorn Coast include Byfield, Yeppoon, Great Keppel Island, Emu Park and Cawarral.
Citrus canker outbreak
In 2004, an orchard on Evergreen farm was the site of the first detection of citrus canker in Central Queensland. A significant part of the citrus growing industry was devastated when a total of 6,000 acres (24 km2) of crop had to be destroyed so the disease would not spread across the country. In 2005 several fresh outbreaks were reported so the eradication expanded to include private backyard trees. The outbreak's cause has not been fully explained despite a federal inquiry. In 2009 authorities from the Government of Queensland declared the eradication program complete.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island.
With a population recorded as 3,891,000 in 2010, the island is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. In the 2000 census about 92.29% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Bali, despite being a tourist haven for decades, has seen a surge in tourist numbers in recent years.
History
Bali was inhabited by about 2000 BC by Austronesian peoples who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.
In ancient Bali, nine Hindu sects existed, namely Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Waisnawa, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora and Ganapatya. Each sect revered a specific deity as its personal Godhead.
Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, beginning around the 1st century AD.
The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the complex irrigation system subak was developed to grow rice. Some religious and cultural traditions still in existence today can be traced back to this period. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. When the empire declined, there was an exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests, and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.
The first European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1585 when a Portuguese ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung. In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali and, with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the stage was set for colonial control two and a half centuries later when Dutch control expanded across the Indonesian archipelago throughout the second half of the nineteenth century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various distrustful Balinese realms against each other. In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.
The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders. In the Dutch intervention in Bali (1908), a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung. Afterwards the Dutch governors were able to exercise administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.
In the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature", and western tourism first developed on the island.
Geography
The island of Bali lies 3.2 km (2 mi) east of Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. Bali and Java are separated by the Bali Strait. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km (95 mi) wide and spans approximately 112 km (69 mi) north to south; its land area is 5,632 km².
Bali's central mountains include several peaks over 3,000 metres in elevation. The highest is Mount Agung (3,142 m), known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano. Mountains range from centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Bali's volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad, steadily descending area where most of Bali's large rice crop is grown. The northern side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.
The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for significant tourism.
The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 491,500(2002). Bali's second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area; and Ubud, which is north of Denpasar, and is known as the island's cultural centre.
Ecology
Bali lies just to the west of the Wallace Line, and thus has a fauna which is Asian in character, with very little Australasian influence, and has more in common with Java than with Lombok.
An exception is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, a member of a primarily Australasian family. There are around 280 species of birds, including the critically endangered Bali Starling, which is endemic. Others Include Barn Swallow, Black-naped Oriole, Black Racket-tailed Treepie, Crested Serpent-eagle, Crested Treeswift, Dollarbird, Java Sparrow, Lesser Adjutant, Long-tailed Shrike, Milky Stork, Pacific Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Sacred Kingfisher, Sea Eagle, Woodswallow, Savanna Nightjar, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-vented Bulbul, White Heron, Great Egret.
Until the early 20th century, Bali was home to several large mammals: the wild Banteng, Leopard and an endemic subspecies of Tiger, the Bali Tiger. The Banteng still occurs in its domestic form, while leopards are found only in neighboring Java, and the Bali Tiger is extinct. The last definite record of a Tiger on Bali dates from 1937, when one was shot, though the subspecies may have survived until the 1940s or 1950s.
Squirrels are quite commonly encountered, less often the Asian Palm Civet, which is also kept in coffee farms to produce Kopi Luwak. Bats are well represented, perhaps the most famous place to encounter them remaining the Goa Lawah (Temple of the Bats) where they are worshipped by the locals and also constitute a tourist attraction. They also occur in other cave temples, for instance at Gangga Beach.
Two species of monkey occur. The Crab-eating Macaque, known locally as “kera”, is quite common around human settlements and temples, where it becomes accustomed to being fed by humans, particularly in any of the three “monkey forest” temples, such as the popular one in the Ubud area. They are also quite often kept as pets by locals. The second monkey, far rarer and more elusive is the Silver Leaf Monkey known locally as “lutung”. They occur in few places apart from the Bali Barat National Park. Other, rarer mammals include the Leopard Cat, Sunda Pangolin and Black Giant Squirrel.
Snakes include the King Cobra and Reticulated Python. The Water Monitor can grow to an impressive size and move surprisingly quickly.
Environment
Some of the worst erosion has occurred in Lebih Beach, where up to 7 meters of land is lost every year. Decades ago, this beach was used for holy pilgrimages with more than 10,000 people, but they have now moved to Masceti Beach.
From ranked third in previous review, in 2010 Bali got score 99.65 of Indonesia's environmental quality index and the highest of all the 33 provinces. The score measured 3 water quality parameters: the level of total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).
Economy
Three decades ago, the Balinese economy was largely agriculture-based in terms of both output and employment. Tourism is now the largest single industry; and as a result, Bali is one of Indonesia’s wealthiest regions. About 80% of Bali's economy depends on tourism. The economy, however, suffered significantly as a result of the terrorist bombings 2002 and 2005. The tourism industry is slowly recovering once again.
Agriculture
Although tourism produces the GDP's largest output, agriculture is still the island’s biggest employer; most notably rice cultivation. Crops grown in smaller amounts include fruit, vegetables, Coffea arabica and other cash and subsistence crops. Fishing also provides a significant number of jobs. Bali is also famous for its artisans who produce a vast array of handicrafts, including batik and ikat cloth and clothing, wooden carvings, stone carvings, painted art and silverware. Notably, individual villages typically adopt a single product, such as wind chimes or wooden furniture.
The Arabica coffee production region is the highland region of Kintamani near Mount Batur. Generally, Balinese coffee is processed using the wet method. This results in a sweet, soft coffee with good consistency. Typical flavors include lemon and other citrus notes. Many coffee farmers in Kintamani are members of a traditional farming system called Subak Abian, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of "Tri Hita Karana”. According to this philosophy, the three causes of happiness are good relations with God, other people and the environment. The Subak Abian system is ideally suited to the production of fair trade and organic coffee production. Arabica coffee from Kintamani is the first product in Indonesia to request a Geographical Indication.
Tourism
The tourism industry is primarily focused in the south, while significant in the other parts of the island as well. The main tourist locations are the town of Kuta (with its beach), and its outer suburbs of Legian and Seminyak (which were once independent townships), the east coast town of Sanur (once the only tourist hub), in the center of the island Ubud, to the south of the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Jimbaran, and the newer development of Nusa Dua and Pecatu.
The American government lifted its travel warnings in 2008. As of 2009, the Australian government still rates it at a 4 danger level (the same as several countries in central Africa) on a scale of 5.
An offshoot of tourism is the growing real estate industry. Bali real estate has been rapidly developing in the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Oberoi. Most recently, high-end 5 star projects are under development on the Bukit peninsula, on the south side of the island. Million dollar villas are being developed along the cliff sides of south Bali, commanding panoramic ocean views. Foreign and domestic (many Jakarta individuals and companies are fairly active) investment into other areas of the island also continues to grow. Land prices, despite the worldwide economic crisis, have remained stable.
In the last half of 2008, Indonesia's currency had dropped approximately 30% against the US dollar, providing many overseas visitors value for their currencies. Visitor arrivals for 2009 were forecast to drop 8% (which would be higher than 2007 levels), due to the worldwide economic crisis which has also affected the global tourist industry, but not due to any travel warnings.
Bali's tourism economy survived the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005, and the tourism industry has in fact slowly recovered and surpassed its pre-terrorist bombing levels; the longterm trend has been a steady increase of visitor arrivals. At 2010, Bali received 2.57 million foreign tourists. It is surpassed the target of 2.0-2.3 million tourists. The average occupancy of starred hotels achieved 65 percent (last year 60.8 percent), so still capable for accommodates tourists for next some years without any addition of new rooms/hotels, although at the peak season some of them are fully booked.
Bali received the Best Island award from Travel and Leisure in 2010. The award was presented in the show "World's Best Awards 2010" in New York, on 21 July. Hotel Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran also received an award in the category of "World Best Hotel Spas in Asia 2010". The award was based on a survey of travel magazine Travel + Leisure readers between 15 December 2009 through 31 March 2010, and was judged on several criteria. Thermes Marins Bali, Ayana Resort and Spa, (formerly The Ritz-Carlton) got score 95.6 scored out of a maximum 100 of satisfaction index with spa facilities and services as #1 Spa in the world by Conde Naste's Traveller Magazine for 2010 by their readers poll.
Transportation
The Ngurah Rai International Airport is located near Jimbaran, on the isthmus at the southernmost part of the island. Lt.Col. Wisnu Airfield is found in north-west Bali.
Suspicious package found at consulate in Bali
Bomb squad was called to the offices in Denpasar at about 2.30pm local time (4.30pm AEST) today after a man who had visited the building earlier in the day left behind a small bag.
Police closed the road outside the building for 30 minutes while the bag was removed to another location for further examination.
The bomb squad was still examining the bag and had yet to confirm if it contained explosive material.
The head of the Bali Police Mobile Brigade, Ramdani Hidayat, said security at the consulate alerted authorities after the man, described as a "foreign citizen", began acting in a suspicious manner.
"The people who were in the consulate at the time continued working," he said.
He added that people who needed access to the consulate were invited to get advice by telephone because police had closed the street outside.
Police said the bomb squad and a sniffer dog were called to the scene and the package was removed for analysis.
The package had been left at the gate earlier in the day by a man identifying himself as an Australian teacher, police said.
"He was asking where to dispose of chemical waste. I explained to him that there's no such place for such disposal here," security guard Irwan Saputra said.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tiger Airways
Tiger Airways Singapore Pte Ltd, operating as Tiger Airways Singapore, is a low cost airline which commenced services on 25 March 2005. It is a subsidiary of Tiger Airways Holdings, a Singapore-based company, which is owned partially by Singapore Airlines. Incorporated in September 2003, it is currently the largest low-cost airline operating out of Singapore in terms of passengers carried. In 2006, the airline flew 1.2 million passengers, a growth of 75% from the previous year.
The airline was the first to operate from the Budget Terminal in Changi Airport in order to achieve operating-cost savings and its cost structure is modelled after Ryanair. Despite regional competition, the airline has reiterated its current intention to remain focused on flying within a five-hour radius from its Singaporean base. To overcome regulatory hurdles in the region, the airline attempts to buy into regional carriers to expand into a pan-Asian carrier.
Flights to India started in October 2007, and expansion to Malaysia was started in 2008. Former plans to establish new hubs at Incheon, Korea have been suspended.
Incheon Tiger Airways
On 5 November 2007, Tiger Airways announced that it would be starting a Korean-based budget airline. Incheon Tiger Airways was to have been a joint venture between Tiger Aviation and Incheon Metropolitan City, flying to destinations in Japan, China, Mongolia and the Russian Far East. The airline was to be based in South Korea's Incheon Airport and planned to begin services by 2009; however, the project was abandoned in December 2008.
Thai Tiger Airways
Tiger Airways and Thai Airways International will form an airline based in Thailand, where Thai Airways International and Tiger Airways will own 51% and 39% respectively of the newly formed airline, while RyanThai will hold the remaining 10%. Operations are expected to begin in the 1st quarter of 2011.
Tiger Activity in Philippines
In December 2010, Tiger enter the Philippines market by proxy, without setting up an airlines in Philippines. Instead, Tiger goes into partnership with South East Asian Airlines(SEAir), whereby Tiger will lease aircraft to SEAir, and SEAir will operate the aircraft in SEAir's livery, using SEAir's pilot and cabin crew. Seats on the flight operated by SEAir using aircraft leased from Tiger will be sold and marketed by Tiger for SEAir. This Tiger/SEAir partnership began with international flight departing from Clark to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau; it was then expanded to domestic flight from Manila(NAIA) to Cebu and Davao. These flight will only show up on Tiger's website route-map. Shortly after SEAir and Tiger launch the partnership, Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Zest Airways, and Air Philippines send a letter of protest to the Department of Transportation and Communication. They claim the partnership between SEAir and Tiger is illegal and requested the authorities to stop flights operating under the partnership.
Tiger Activity in Indonesia
Tiger Airways ventured into Indonesia market by buying 33% shares of the troubled Mandala Airlines. The new Mandala Airlines will fly Indonesia domestic destination, as well as international destination within 5 hours radius.
Corporate management
Tiger Airways is wholly owned by Tiger Airways Holdings Limited, a holding company set up in 2007 to manage both Tiger Airways and start-up Australian subsidiary Tiger Airways Australia. Tiger Airways' original founding shareholders were Singapore Airlines (49%), Bill Franke's Indigo Partners (24%); Tony Ryan's Irelandia Investments (16%) and Temasek Holdings (11%). Tiger Airways Holdings Limited is listed on SGX since 2010.
History
The airline was incorporated on 12 December 2003 and began ticket sales on 31 August 2004. The airline flew into a period of relative difficulty for the aviation industry with rising oil prices and intense competition from other airlines. The airline held off imposing fuel surcharges as its competitors had done.
With Singapore Airlines having a stake in the airline, the airline occasionally fills in the gap when SIA drops its services from certain destinations. Macau, once served by SIA before being taken up by its subsidiary, SilkAir, in 2002, terminated all flights completely by the end of 2004. Three months later, the route was taken over by Tiger Airways with flights commencing 25 March 2005. A similar pattern can be observed in Krabi, where SilkAir suspended services in February 2005 in the wake of the effects of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Tiger Airways resumed direct services to the location from 7 October 2005.
In late July 2005, it was announced that the airline would commence flights from Macau to Manila (Clark) on 30 October 2005, a much-heralded move as it may signal the establishment of a secondary base besides Singapore, allowing the airline to expand and diversify risks.
On 21 September 2005 the company produced a report card on its first year of operations, with a total of over 500,000 passengers carried, 5000 scheduled flights flown, and a flight completion rate of 98.7 per cent. 94 per cent of flight departures and 90 per cent of arrivals took place according to schedule. It acquired four aircraft and launched a total of nine routes – of which four are flown exclusively by the airline – during the year.
The airline expected to increase its fleet to nine Airbus A320 aircraft by end 2006, and to carry up to three million passengers a year by then. It also hoped to add six more routes during the year, primarily to destinations in China and India, with flights to Southern China having commenced April. The airline also announced its switch from Singapore Airport Terminal Services to Swissport for ground handling when it becomes the first airline to operate at the newly opened Budget Terminal in Changi Airport on 26 March 2006.
Tiger Airways became the first Singaporean low-cost carrier to receive operating permits from the Chinese aviation authorities to fly to the southern Chinese cities of Haikou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in an announcement on 21 February 2006. Ticket sales to these destinations commenced 24 February 2006, with the first flight to Shenzhen taking place on 15 April, to Haikou from 26 April and to Guangzhou from 27 April 2006. The airline has since indicated that the routes were highly popular, with increased flights to Haikou and Guangzhou less than three months since their launch.
Tiger Airways Australia
Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, operating as Tiger Airways Australia, is an ultra-low cost airline which commenced services in the Australian domestic airline market on 23 November 2007. It is a subsidiary of Tiger Airways Holdings, a Singapore-based company, which is owned partially by Singapore Airlines. The airline is based in Melbourne, Victoria, with its main base at Melbourne Airport. The airline's secondary base, Adelaide Airport, commenced operations on 1 March 2009. A smaller "virtual base" was opened in Sydney on 29 October 2009.Tiger also opened a third operational base at Melbourne's Avalon Airport, in November 2010.
History
Australian government policy and legislation currently permits airlines that are 100% foreign-owned to operate domestic airline services within the country. The change in regulations originally applied only to New Zealand-owned airlines in 1996, but were later relaxed, resulting in the establishment of Virgin Australia. Australian international airlines are still subject to ownership rules limiting foreign ownership to 49%.
The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board gave approval for Tiger Airways to establish its wholly owned Australian subsidiary in March 2007 and did not place any special conditions on its approval.Subsequently on 16 March 2007, Tiger Airways Australia Pty. Ltd. was incorporated in the Northern Territory, although the company itself is based in Melbourne, with Melbourne Airport being the airline's major hub. A$10 million and five aircraft were committed to start the subsidiary. The airline's business model is based on that of sister airline Tiger Airways, which attempts to increase the total market size (number of passengers), control operating costs of the airline, and maximise the number of sectors served by its aircraft. One way it planned to keep costs low was by avoiding expensive airports.
Tiger undertook the final stage of Australian regulatory procedures on 20 November 2007, performing two proving flights from Melbourne, to the Sunshine Coast and Launceston respectively. Each carried officials from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as well as Tiger crew. Tiger successfully completed these flights, and received their Air Operator's Certificate on Thursday 22 November, becoming one of only two Australian airlines to earn the certificate on their first attempt, following OzJet.
The aircraft used by Tiger Airways Australia have the same livery as their Singapore sister company. The airline projected initial traffic of 2 million passengers annually.
Tiger Airways Australia's first scheduled flight was TT 7402, departing Melbourne for the Gold Coast, on 23 November 2007 at 7:30am. The first flight to Mackay took off just minutes later.
On 31 May 2008, it was announced that passengers would now be charged a fee for check-in luggage. It is a A$10 (for 15KG) fee at booking but if paid at check-in, it increases to A$20.
It was announced on 3 April 2009 that Tiger intended to launch into the Melbourne-Sydney market, the third busiest passenger route in the world, signalling an end to its operational policy of avoiding expensive airports.
On 18 July the same year, it was announced that Tiger would be increasing its Melbourne-Sydney flights by up to nine flights a day in each direction, and doubling the capacity on the Adelaide-Sydney Route. This is all part of expansion plans arising from new aircraft arriving from 4 October 2009.
On 5 November 2009 Tiger Airways announced the intention to launch into the Brisbane market with services to Melbourne, Adelaide and Rockhampton. Tiger celebrated these routes for A$2 during their Second Birthday sale, along with all Tasmanian routes, and the popular Melbourne to Sydney route.
Tiger Australia announced in February 2010 that the airline is now profitable. On 27 March 2010 Tiger Airways announced it would return to the Melbourne-Darwin route, with six flights weekly from 18 June. 1 June 2010 marked the departure of former MD Shelley Roberts, and the arrival of her successor Crawford Rix. "As far as I am concerned, on-time performance is going to be a big area that we will be focusing on," said Rix in a media interview.
On 1 July 2010, Tiger became the second airline in the world apart from Irish shareholder Ryanair, to introduce a fee to check in. The A$10 fee applies to those passengers who don't opt for the web check-in service. By October 2010, the charge has since risen to A$20.
On 16 July 2010, Tiger Airways announced its intentions to cease all flying from Launceston Airport as of 2 August 2010. The Adelaide-Hobart route is also to be suspended. Communications manager Vanessa Regan says the cuts are due to seasonal demand.
On 16 September 2010, Tiger commenced services to Cairns, operating a late night daily service from its Tullamarine base.
On 21 October 2010, Tiger announced that it was adding two Airbus A320 aircraft to the Melbourne base in the new year, bringing its Victorian fleet to a total of ten aircraft, in line with the deal struck with the State government.
Competitors' reactions
The arrival of Tiger Airways Australia in the market resulted in varied responses from its primary competitors, mainly Qantas (and its subsidiary Jetstar Airways) and Virgin Australia. Jetstar, in particular, has been particularly vocal, with its chief executive Alan Joyce quoted as saying "Tiger and what they have done have come across as a joke, and will probably continue that way". He further claimed that Tiger was losing over SGD$60 million over the past two years of operations out of Singapore.
Air fares began to drop, as special offers and other promotions were launched, such as Jetstar's announcement that it will "double the difference of any competitor's fare that is cheaper than its own fares". This was soon followed by a bonus system to entice its customers to stay with the airline. Jetstar immediately matched Tiger's Melbourne to Darwin fare upon announcement.
Tiger Airways Australia had previously been quoted as planning to offer "single digit" one-way fares when it began service. The announcement of AU$79.99 flights from Melbourne to Darwin was met with criticism from Jetstar.
When Tiger released its first route, Melbourne — Darwin, at a price of AU$79.99, Jetstar immediately undercut the price, offering sale fares at AU$79 on the same route over the same period. Similarly, when Tiger released its second route, Melbourne — Gold Coast, at a price of AU$49.95, Jetstar again undercut the price, offering AU$39 fares on the route over the same period. In response to Tiger's announcement of Melbourne — Launceston flights, priced at AU$39.95, Jetstar offered AU$29 flights over the same period, save a holiday blackout.
Virgin Australia, however, has yet to respond to Tiger in any significant way. Virgin Australia considered the possibility of establishing a low-cost offshoot to fend off Tiger Airways, but instead decided to focus the funds on its new trans-Pacific carrier V Australia and on increasing their business travel share by introducing a Premium Economy service.
Melbourne Airport announced plans to cut usage fees soon after Tiger's announcement of a hub there, in a bid to increase its share of low-cost traffic Tiger's mention of New Zealand as a potential market has also raised concerns in that country.
Just days before the launch of Tiger Airways Australia, Jetstar offered 5,000 seats on 21 November 2007 for the price of five cents, inclusive of taxes, on seven domestic routes, costing the airline $25.00 per seat. Jetstar claims that the sale has nothing to do with the Tiger launch, while at the same time referring to them as "competitive". The airline's spokesman, Simon Westaway, was quoted as saying that they "are a good airline in their own right. We are not going head to head. We respect them for the competitor that they are going to be".
On 23 November 2007, the airline publicly slammed Qantas for being unable to provide ground handling services to the airline at Alice Springs, forcing it to delay its launch to the city by three months to 1 March 2008. The airline had promised to pay any cost to Qantas, but services were still denied. Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti responded by saying "assisting competitors is not part of my job description".Tiger Airways Australia CEO, Tony Davis reminded Qantas that Tiger's parent, Singapore Airlines, provides ground servicing at Singapore Changi Airport for both Qantas and Jetstar, and it wasn't unreasonable for Qantas to provide Tiger the ground staff at Alice Springs Airport.
Tiger Airways cabin crew on their own
TIGER Airways' selling tickets in the hope the ban grounding it from Australian routes is lifted this weekend has brought a warning from the consumer watchdog.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel said selling a ticket without mentioning the uncertainty about whether the service could be provided ''would be potentially misleading by omission''.
Mr Samuel said it was not illegal to sell tickets for flights that may never take off but the company was responsible for ensuring customers understood there was some question about future flights.
The onus would be on the company to say 'you need to be aware that there is a possibility that we will not be able to fly you in accordance with the schedule'. It's no use relying on the small print to say that.''
A spokeswoman for the airline, Vanessa Regan, said last night its Facebook page had been updated with a message that ''all affected passengers of the Tiger Airways Australia domestic suspension will be automatically refunded back to the original form of payment''.
Ms Regan acknowledged it was difficult to get through to the company on the telephone but urged people to use the ''online customer service portal'' on the website.
Neither Tiger Airways nor Altara returned calls from the Herald Sun.
Australian Federation of Air Pilots executive director Terry O'Connell defended the ability of Tiger pilots.
"The Tiger pilot group has some very experienced pilots. We've received no complaints from any of the pilots about (safety)," Mr O'Connell said.
"We would expect that if there were any issues emerging, that we would be advised."
Tiger said it was meeting with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to address the safety concerns.
"Our goal is to resume our services as quickly as possible whilst restoring the confidence of both CASA and the Australian public at large that safety underpins our operations at all times," Tiger said in a statement.
"Affected passengers will be automatically refunded back to the original form of payment as soon as possible. They do not need to do anything at this time."
CASA has grounded all Tiger Airways Australia's domestic flights until Friday, affecting about 35,000 travellers.
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