Firefly to spread wings to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu

FIREFLY, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), will fly to Sarawak and Sabah from Jan 15 next year to facilitate MAS in terms of flight connectivity, particularly for the European market.

Flyfirefly Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Eddy Leong said the airline would begin operating on the East Malaysian route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a new fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

“We believe the code-sharing with MAS will give us a competitive edge over other low-cost carriers,” he said when revealing Firefly’s expansion plan to the media in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yesterday.

He said that Sarawak and Sabah provided good revenue in terms of cargo as well.

From Jan 15, Firefly will fly twice daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. From Jan 24, it will fly four times daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and thrice daily from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

It plans to increase the frequency from time to time while it adds more aircraft to its fleet.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Firefly to spread wings to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu
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Mysteries of the deep: Turtle tomb of Sipadan island

Divers explore the turtle tomb, while warning signs
are posted at the entrance of the cave

Turtle bones litter the sandy bottom of the cave,
claiming at least one life a year

A turtle resting just outside the entrance of the tomb

The scattered turtle bones are an eerie and grim reminder of
what would happen if divers were to lose their way

Scattered turtle bones on the cavern floor.
Turtles that get lost here hardly return to the surface

Photos courtesy of and Copyright to
Mohammad Abdullah and Brunei Press Sdn Bhd.

By Mohammad Abdullah

An unforgettable experience is a dive through the mysterious cave system of the turtle tomb, just off Sipadan island. A labyrinth of passageways runs through the reefs, 20m below the surface.

It's not for the faint of heart, as there are plenty of dead ends along the way to the tomb 200m from the entrance where turtle skulls and bones litter the bottom.

Warning signs indicate the dangers beyond the entrance and those going into the cave need to be fully equipped for cave exploration at the risk of getting lost in silts are real and imminent. The cavern, better known as the turtle tomb or graveyard, was just recently reopened after a recent fatality claiming the life of a diver.

The cave itself is one of the most beautiful coral caves that can be found anywhere in the world. Unlike the limestone caves, there are no stalagmite formations and the colours on the walls indicate the different water levels over time.

The white sandy bottom and bright colour ceiling enhanced the light of the flashlights used to navigate the caves. The shelves of the caves are homes to flashlight fishes, moray eels, spiny cave lobsters, shrimps and large snappers that often take advantage of a divers light to catch their prey.

A narrow passageway leads to the actual tomb itself where so many turtles have found their last resting place. Because the cave is particularly long, turtles and dolphins have ventured in and have lost their way. Without air, they eventually perish and add to the skeletal monuments in the cave.

The turtle tomb consists of several interconnected parts, with the cavern being the easily accessible part while the actual tomb is far inside and can only be attempted with an experience guide using full cave diving equipment.

The skeletons and the darkness give the cavern an eerie sight. On the entrance to the cavern, skull and cross bones signs warn divers of the dangers that loom in the cavern. Skeletons of dolphins and marlins can also be found in the caves.

The caverns can silt up very quickly reducing visibility and only those properly trained should consider entering. Taking pictures in the cavern is also a problem. One must move very slowly in order to not disturb the waters, or else the fine white sand would rise up and silt up the cavern, making it not only difficult to take pictures but also dangerous for divers because of the low visibility.

The mouth of the cavern is almost constantly 'guarded' by thousands of big-eye trevally, greeting divers as they enter the cavern. They also offer a beautiful end to the dive as divers exit the cave, swirling above in a kaleidoscope of colours.

Divers who want to explore the cavern must have at the very least two full air tanks and strong flash lights. They must also be highly trained and be accompanied by experienced cave divers or instructors who are familiar with the cave system.

Divers have a strong sense of curiosity where exploring and discovery is part of the attraction, though sometimes an overzealous curiosity can be fatal. One would have to remember their diving training, and should never dive without a dive buddy. The turtle tomb has claimed many lives, even divers that have panicked or lost their way in the catacombs of the cavern. Though the turtle tomb still remains a great fascination for divers and marine mammals alike, the alluring yet dangerous tomb will continue to attract visitors, as well as claim the lives of marine creatures.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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Bandar Seri Begawan marks 40th anniversary

By Hj Mohd Daud Abd Rahman

The capital city of Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan is 40 years old. On October 4, 1970 was a historic date for all Bruneians when Brunei Town was renamed Bandar Seri Begawan.

The declaration was made midnight by Pegiran Setia Negara Pegiran Haji Mohd Yusof Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahim, the chief minister at that time, as a tribute to the late Paduka Begawan Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien at Padang Besar Bandar Brunei, which is now known as Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien.

To commemorate the historical event, a monument was erected in the heart of the city - facing the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, the Royal Brunei Airlines Plaza and the current Islamic Bank of TAIB.

For the past 40 years, Bandar Seri Begawan still continues to see developmental progress especially on the fields of business, infrastructure, commercial, tourism, education as well as international relations.

Some old colonial-styled buildings were given a facelift especially the government facilities.

Modern road system as the main transpotation linking Bandar Seri Begawan to the other three districts continues to be upgraded from time to time.

Over the years, Bandar Seri Begawan have seen many developments such as the Brunei International Airport, the Muara deep-water Port and Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

While the existence of mosques and prayer halls especially the Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque as well as hospitals and health centres like the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital - to name a few - were built after renaming Brunei Town to Bandar Seri Begawan.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Sunday
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MAS Global sales offer great deals for all travelers

The Malaysia Airlines Global Sales is back with great offers to domestic and international destinations from Nov 8 to 15.

Promising to offer something for everyone, the sale will kick off with a pre-sale for Enrich members on Nov 7. Pre-sale tickets are only available at Malaysia Airlines tickets offices and call centre.

In a statement today, Malaysia Airlines Executive Vice President Datuk Bernard Francis said the Global Sale this time round covered all travel segments ranging from business to economy passengers.

“For the first time, the sale also includes destinations some of our code share partners fly to. This is an excellent opportunity for travelers to take advantage of our vast network connections to travel around the world.

“At the same time, we are rewarding our Enrich members with an exclusive preview a day earlier than the general public,” he said.

Business class passengers can enjoy fares from RM799 to Bangkok, Hanoi and Manila, RM999 to Taipei and Xiamen, RM3, 999 to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and RM2,199 to both Dubai and Jeddah.

Travel to London and Paris on business class from RM5, 999 and RM7,999 to Los Angeles and Buenos Aires.

“If you are looking for a getaway closer to home, look out for business class offers from RM299 to Penang and Langkawi, RM519 to Kuching and RM639 to Kota Kinabalu,” Malaysia Airlines said.

Those travelling on Economy class can fly to Asian destinations such as Jakarta and Bandung from only RM199 and RM339 to Bali, while fares from RM349 to Hong Kong, RM599 to Maldives and RM889 to Tokyo.

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New 787s to give Royal Brunei Airlines more muscle

By Danial Norjidi

Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) is set to spread its wings even further when five Boeing Dreamliner 787s join its fleet in 2012.

This was confirmed by Mr Robert Yang, the Chief Executive Officer of RBA (top photo), in an interview with the Weekend Bulletin, on the sidelines of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) 54th Assembly of Presidents at The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

"We have, on order, five 787s, and we hope to welcome them sometime in 2012," he said, adding that this was in line with the airline's strategy to expand prudently and at the same time sustain an effective corporation. "We are on track."

According to earlier reports, RBA had planned to welcome its Boeing Dreamliner 787s in the Sultanate by 2009. However, it failed to materialise due to a number of reasons such as shortage of parts and difficulty in bringing together fuselage and wing structures from Japan, Italy and US.

Speaking during yesterday's media forum, Mr Riaz Moiz, the Executive Vice President of Commercial & Planning at RBA, disclosed that the airline was continuously looking at possible options (destinations) around a "seven-hour radius around Brunei".

According to him, destinations around North Asia that have "always been under consideration" include Tokyo, Taipei and Incheon.

On RBA's fleet expansion, he noted that RBA was currently operating with a 10-aircraft fleet and that the new 787 aircraft would "be more for replacements". He added that the airline was finalised the exact dates when the planes would be coming to the Sultanate.

Commenting on the AAPA 54th Assembly, Mr Yang said: "It's gone great... The airlines have seen some growth and we're optimistic about the coming months and next year. We're now much stronger now and able to tackle all the industry issues as mentioned during the press conference."

"RBA is a strong supporter of AAPA, and it's been an honour to chair it this year," he added.

Meanwhile, at the conclusion of the AAPA 54th Assembly of Presidents yesterday, the Association's Director General, Andrew Herdman, warned that the "post-recessionary airline world still presents a minefield full of regulatory threats to the industry's long term interests".

The need to face up to such major industry challenges is reflected in a series of "strong resolutions" that were adopted by the members of the AAPA upon of the conclusion of the Assembly yesterday.

"Governments in Europe and the US, as well as others here in the Asia Pacific region, continue to bombard airlines with well-intentioned, but often ill-conceived, policies that are actually counter productive to every effort that airlines make to improve efficiency, value for money and overall passenger service experience," Herdman said.

The Association's Director General stressed that governments need to rethink unwarranted and ineffective policies on environment, taxation, as well as passenger services.

"Looking to the long term, the prevailing shift of influence and commercial dynamism towards Asia should result in carriers from the region playing an increasingly important role in shaping the future of the global air transport industry," he added. "Beyond achieving further commercial success, the region's airlines are committed to concerted action and taking leadership on global regulatory issues."

The resolutions that resulted from the AAPA Assembly yesterday fell into five categories, namely 'Safety', 'Security', 'Environment', 'Taxation' and 'Passenger Services'.

Under the resolution on safety, the AAPA calls on governments "to properly resource and support their regulatory authorities with the aim of achieving full ICAO compliance", while at the same time "positively considering the creation of a cooperative Asia Pacific regional body to provide enhanced safety oversight and guidance to national airworthiness authorities."

On security, the AAPA said: "Whilst always remaining vigilant to terrorist threats, regulatory agencies often react too quickly to incidents by issuing nationally focused aviation security requirements that are costly yet ineffective in achieving improvements to global security."

Increasingly complex, onerous and inconsistent aviation security procedures reportedly continue to frustrate the travelling public.

On environment, the AAPA resolution called on governments to actively support efforts through ICAO to develop a global framework and agreed principles to be applied to the implementation of market based measures, and to refrain from introducing duplicative measures, including the imposition of arbitrary taxes under the guise of green initiatives.

On taxation, the Association called on governments to carefully consider the overall economic effects of putting further financial strain on the travelling public and the air transport industry. It added that the governments should refrain from the introduction of unjustified, discriminatory and arbitrary tax increases that are counterproductive to the shared goals of increased societal mobility and global trade growth.

On passenger services, the AAPA's resolution called on governments "to refrain from introducing legislation that would act as a disincentive to airlines to compete freely on customer service standards and also ensure that mandated regulations related to passenger processing and treatment are designed from the outset to be practical, cost-effective, efficient and sustainable".

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend
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