Thursday, March 19, 2009

Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways (traditional Chinese: 國泰航空; simplified Chinese: 国泰航空; pinyin: Guótài Hángkōng, SEHK: 0293) is the flag carrier of Hong Kong. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 115 destinations worldwide.

Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. Cathay was also named "Airline of the Year" in 2003 and 2005 by Skytrax and in 2006 by Air Transport World and OAG. Cathay Pacific is accredited by the IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) for safety practices. It is also a member of the oneworld alliance. The company is managed by the Swire Group.

Passengers from worldwide can also book all  flights online via http://www.cathaypacific.com. It is the airline's official website.
Batavia Air
Batavia Air (PT. Metro Batavia) is an airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It operates domestic flights to around 30 destinations and international services to China and Malaysia. Its main base is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta.
The airline was established in 2002 and started operations in January 2002. It was originally known as Metro Batavia and started operating using wet-leased Fokker F27 aircraft from Sempati. It launched scheduled services from Jakarta to Pontianak in January 2002. It is wholly owned by PT Metro Batavia.
Batavia Air operates the following services (at June 2008):
Domestic scheduled destinations: Ambon, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Batam, Bengkulu, Denpasar Bali, Jakarta, Jambi, Jayapura, Kendari. Kupang, Manado, Manokwari, Mataram/Ampenan, Medan, Padang, Palangkaraya, Palembang, Palu, Pangkalpinang, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Semarang, Samarinda, Surabaya, Tanjung Pandan, Tarakan, Ujung Pandang, Ternate and Yogyakarta.
International scheduled destinations: Guangzhou and Kuching.

Passengers from worldwide can book all domestic flights online via http://www.batavia-air.co.id. It is the airline's official website.

Garuda Indonesia Airlines

PT (Persero) Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia. It is named after the mythical bird Garuda. In Indian Vedic tradition, Garuda is the carrier of the Hindu god Vishnu; a representation of Garuda appears in the coat of arms of Indonesia. The airline is based in Jakarta at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, with hubs at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Polonia International Airport, Medan, Sepinggan International Airport, Balikpapan, and Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore. The airline flies to a number of destinations in South-East,East Asia, the Middle East and Australia. It also previously flew to several destinations in Europe and North America. However, as of June 2008, Garuda, along with all Indonesian airlines, is banned from flying to the EU. Garuda Indonesia is listed as a 3-star airline by Skytrax, and is also listed among Skytrax's Quality Approved Airlines. It is wholly owned by the Indonesian Government and employs 6,285 staff (as of March 2007).

Garuda Indonesia is a full-service airline, in contrast with the 'no frills' low-cost carrier. The class configuration is divided into executive (business) and economy class. The airline lacks products often associated with the top international airlines, such as personal TV screens in all classes and business class seats which convert into beds. However, the introduction of such products may become viable in the coming years due to the recent restructuring and consolidation of the airline, which has delivered good profits in the first half of 2007.

Garuda currently operates flights to a total of 43 destinations (23 domestic, 20 international) throughout East Asia, South Asia, and South East Asia, Australia and the Middle East, with Australia and Japan being vital tourism markets.
In August 2009, Garuda Indonesia will accept delivery of the first of 50 Boeing B737-800NG (Next Generation) aircraft to meet future demands of the ever-changing travel marketplace. In 2011, Garuda Indonesia will take delivery of the first of 10 Boeing B777-300 ER (Extended Range) aircraft, which can fly 365 passengers (typical three class seating) 14,685 kilometers nonstop.
A 24-hour call center is available for local customer access and is a means of booking flights since the airline's website does not handle bookings for international flights. However, passengers from worldwide can also book all domestic flights online via http://www.garuda-indonesia.com. It is the airline's official website. The e-ticket system (using paperless or electronic tickets) has been introduced on all domestic flights and flights to Singapore originating from Jakarta. This system computerizes the ticketing method, in which a traditional paper ticket is no longer required. 


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Lion Air
Lion Air is Indonesia’s largest private carrier and Asia’s first hybrid carrier which offers both economy- and business-class seating, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It operates scheduled passenger services on an extensive domestic network from Jakarta to 40 destinations with 210 daily flights (as of May 2008). Lion Air also flies to Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Its full name is PT Lion Mentari Airlines. Its main base is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. The airline is on the List of air carriers banned in the European Union.
The airline was established in October 1999 and started operations on June 30, 2000, when it began scheduled passenger services between Jakarta and Pontianak using a leased Boeing 737-200. It is wholly owned by Rusdi Kirana and family. The airline is also planning to become an IATA member, therefore accompanying Garuda Indonesia.
From 2007 until 2012, 144 Boeing 737-900ERs will be delivered from the total 178 aircraft ordered to strengthen Lion Air's fleet. The 737-900ER is the newest member of Next Generation 737 family with the most advanced single-aisle commercial aircraft in the world. All other aircraft, including the Boeing 737 Classics family and the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing MD-80 family, are being phased out to give space for their new aircraft. There is a plan to buy the Airbus A320-200 aircraft as well.
Passengers from worldwide can book all domestic flights online via http://www.lionair.co.id. It is the airline's official website.