Signs of Hope – Airline Roundup

(7/14/2003)

Following the extended drought in the tourism business brought on by terror attacks and SARS panics, a number of lead indicators suggest that world travelers are again finding their feet and starting to travel.

• Garuda Indonesia has resumed flight services to Asian destinations suspended during the SARS crisis. Cancelled services have been reinstated between Surabaya and Singapore; Bali and Singapore; Medan and Singapore; Bali and Osaka; Jakarta and Shanghai, Jakarta and Guangzhou; and Denpasar and Nagoya.

• Garuda Indonesia routes on which the frequency of flight were reduced are now back to pre-crisis levels, including services between Jakarta and Singapore; Jakarta and Hong Kong; Bali – Jakarta – Tokyo; and Bali and Seoul.

• Singapore Airlines is increasing flight frequencies to a number of international destinations, including Madrid, Auckland, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

• Cathay Pacific Airlines has confirmed that all routes reduced or suspended during the SARS crisis will be completely resumed by September 2003. Flights between Hong Kong and Taipei operate 8 times a day from July 01, 2003, scheduled to increase to twelve times a day from August 01, 2003.

• Merpati Nusantara Airlines is operating 7 flights daily between Bali and Lombok, having reduced the number of daily services to 4 during the SARS crisis.

• Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air have also increased their flight frequencies to Lombok from Surabaya and Jakarta.

• U.S. Carrier United Airlines is resuming their suspended trans-Pacific services, offering four flights a week between Chicago and Hong Kong; three times a week from Chicago to Beijing; and daily service from San Francisco to Hong Kong.

• Dutch airline KLM is increasing its services to Asia to meet demand, going from four to six flights a week between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur.

• Vietnam Airlines have resumed their suspended flights while announcing a number of new international destinations, including Paris and Frankfurt.

• Bali-based airline Air Paradise International is reporting excellent loads on its Australian routes and will add new aircraft and routes with flights in July to Jakarta and Seoul.