Congratulations to AirAsia X!

From Mainichi Daily News


Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X launched a service connecting Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo on Thursday, becoming the first foreign low-cost carrier to serve Haneda airport in the Japanese capital after it reopened for full-fledged international services in October. The inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur arrived at Haneda on Thursday evening. The carrier will operate three flights per week -- Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday -- on the route, using its Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 377 seats. 

AirAsia X is a game changer in Japan! Congratulations! 


For more on AirAsia X or to reserve tickets go to their website here.


Thanks to News on Japan!

AirAsia X Announces ¥14,000 ($169) Flights From Japan to Kuala Lumpur!

Wow! I think I've gone to heaven! AirAsia X, a Malaysian based airlines, is starting service from Tokyo's Haneda airport on Thursday, December 9th, 2010 and flying to Kuala Lumpur direct for the incredibly low price of ¥14,000! That's about $169 USD!

That's an incredible deal!

At ¥14,000 yen, the flights on these beautiful AirAsia X planes will about 1/3 that of the next nearest competitor that charges over ¥40,000 per person! Heck, that extra ¥26,000 yen in your pocket will pay for two nights at some of the best hotels in Malaysia!

The Nikkei reports:

AirAsia X to launch KL - Tokyo Haneda flights

KUALA LUMPUR (Nikkei)--Budget Malaysian carrier AirAsia Bhd said Tuesday that it plans to launch its first flights serving Japan by the end of the year, selling one-way tickets between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo for as low as 14,000 yen.

Operated by AirAsia X, AirAsia's long-distance airline, the flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Tokyo's Haneda airport will begin at a pace of three per week. But the company aims to ramp up to seven flights as soon as possible, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes told The Nikkei.

The flights are expected to use Airbus SAS' A330 aircraft. The Japanese government has already allotted landing and takeoff slots to AirAsia X at Haneda.

At present, the cheapest round-trip airfares for Japan-Malaysia flights sell for more than 40,000 yen. Saying that the one-way fare for its flights will likely cost less than a cab ride from Tokyo to Narita International Airport, Fernandes expressed his confidence in the service's success.Read more: 

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100413D13JFA04.htm 

Alright!!!! I know where I am taking my family on vacation next year! We are going to Malaysia and we are flying AirAsia X!

Also! There is a rumor going around that Air Asia will be running some cool promotions on Tokyo area FM radio stations where you can win tickets (hotel too?) to go on vacation to Malaysia on AirAsia X! Stay tuned to this blog for more information as - as always - I will be the first to announce that information so you have a better chance to win!

Kuala Lumpur

Thank God for AirAsia X!

DON'T FORGET THAT AIRASIA X FIRST FLIGHT FROM HANEDA STARTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010! RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE RIGHT NOW!

予約：http://www.airasia.com/jp/ja/

ENGLISH: http://www.airasia.com/jp/en/

AirAsia X online booking is here: http://www.airasia.com/my/en/home.html

Direct hotel online booking: http://www.malaysia-hotels.net/

Direct hotel online booking: http://www.hoteltravel.com/malaysia/hotels.htm

More Low Cost Airlines Enter Japan's Market for Betterment of Everyone

More new Low Cost Carrier's (LCC) are entering Japan to the betterment of the Japanese consumer. This time a new airlines from Malaysia, AirAsia Bhd, is about to begin services.

From Nikkei Newspapers:
Five overseas budget airlines already operate regular flights to Japan, but with AirAsia Bhd to join the fray, price competition on international routes is sure to take off.

Established in 2001, the Malaysian airline is a trailblazing low-cost carrier. It has grown at breakneck speed over 10 years and now operates 132 routes covering such markets as Great Britain, South Korea, China and Australia.

Japan had been on the airline's radar for a few years, but hefty airport usage fees and limited landing spots at Narita and other airports remained stumbling blocks.

From October, Haneda airport will begin midnight flights for major overseas carriers and this has opened up available slots for other airlines to get into Narita and the LCC are taking advantage of this situation. This is especially good for businessmen as companies are getting very careful about travel expenses in a more competitive market.

Business travelers are also expected to opt for low-cost carriers as companies pare back operating expenses. With Japanese airlines caught up in the web as well, price competition is likely to soar.

All of this is to the better for business and the public at large. Hopefully these LCC can start to get even the majors involved in the price cutting and competition for better services at lower cost.


Original Nikkei article.

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Keywords: Low Cost Carrier, LCC, AirAsia, Narita, Haneda

All Nippon Airways Announces Daily Flights to LA from Haneda Airport

I had just blogged about what a kick butt company All Nippon Airways (ANA) is and then, two days later, they send me some information by e-mail asking me to promote their new service to Los Angeles from Haneda airport. (Besides other flights to America, Europe and Canada - check their webpage!)

See? I told you that this was a world class operation. They even keep up on the Internet chatter about their company and ask me to write about their service. That's the sign of an aggressive company that's going places in this new economy.

I'm flattered that they would check my blog and I'm flattered that they would send me information and ask me to write about it... OK, I will write about it.

Starting October 31 All Nippon Airways is proud to announce direct daily service to Los Angeles (LAX) from Tokyo's very convenient Haneda airport - just thirty minutes from downtown Tokyo! No more having to waste 3 or 4 hours getting to Narita! A person could work their regular day, have a late, relaxing dinner, then pop off to Haneda for a relaxing night trip to LA. What could be easier?

The flights depart from Haneda at 0:05 (5 minutes past midnight) and arrive in LA at 17:55 (5:55 pm the previous calendar day).

From Los Angeles, the flights depart at 0:55 (55 minutes past midnight) and arrive back in Haneda at 5:00 (5:00 am the following day).

For more information, see the ANA website:

ANA webpage in English: http://www.ana.co.jp/asw/index.jsp?type=de

10月31日からの羽田からロサンゼルスのフライトですが、

　羽田　0：05発　⇒　ロサンゼルス　17：55（前日）

　ロサンゼルス　0：55発　⇒　羽田　5：00着（翌日）

　です。

　

　また成田　17：05発　⇒　ロサンゼルス　10：45着

　　　ロサンゼルス　12：35発　⇒　16：25着（翌日）

　の便と合わせて成田・羽田トータルで2便になります。

ホームページ：http://www.ana.co.jp
国内線予約：0570-029-222  国際線予約：0570-029-333

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Keywords: Mike Rogers, All Nippon Airways, ANA, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Los Angeles, Haneda, Narita, Marketing Japan

Travelers Do Not Prefer Japan's Airports

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers 


I wrote before about Japan's coming financial disaster and how Japan is missing out due to inept policies by the Japanese government and indecisiveness by Japanese business... Then, when they finally do decide what action to take, it is often the wrong one.

Japan is now is seriously bad shape. 15.7% of the people are now below the poverty line. The Nikkei 225 has lost nearly 1,000 points in the last three months (will be much worse, you'll see). Now those fools in the government want to spend more money and get us more public debt - our debt is already 190% of GDP! The only country with a higher debt problem is Zimbabwe (I am not making that up).

Now, Japan has fallen to #3 after China and there is no good news on the horizon. I must say that I no longer see any Japanese companies with the zeitgeist or gumption (or even desire) to want to be top of the world anymore.

Today, Japanese companies are taking too long to make important decisions, and then, when they finally do, it's the wrong ones.

The only companies in the world who are now inspiring young people are Google and Apple.  It wasn't that long ago that Toyota and Sony were inspiring today's young people. Remember?

Now, here comes some more bad news... This, after 40 years of government infighting and incompetence and indecision concerning Narita and Haneda airport and their bungling of the entire affair. Now, it seems that international passengers are preferring to fly into Inchon, South Korea rather than Japan. 

Inchon? That isn't even convenient to Seoul! Read on.  

The government's civil aviation administration has been criticized for failing to make a clear-cut distinction between the roles of Narita and Haneda airports, while other airports are financially strapped due to cuts in flights and deteriorating government finances. ..

Incheon Airport has strengthened its position as an Asian hub to such a degree that travelers flying from local Japanese airports often prefer to use the South Korean airport to transit to other cities rather than use Narita and Haneda airports.


....Incheon can hardly be regarded as convenient, considering it is 50 kilometers from Seoul. So why is it so popular?

"During the four hours we have to wait before boarding our flight, my wife can surf the Internet free of charge and I can play with my son at the airport's kids room..."This airport has plenty of facilities, so I prefer flights via Incheon [to those using Japanese airports]."

Sure, it makes sense to me. I live in Japan and I hate going to Narita. Narita is a good 1.5 ~ 2 hour trip from Tokyo. It was a government boondoogle to build that mistake of an airport in the 1970's. Today, Haneda (which is 15 minutes from Tokyo) can handle most of our International flights, but NO! Now, just like every other government in the world, the government  cannot admit their mistakes and have to keep a messed up project going to save face.


Yes, they save face and get kick backs... The people get the raw deal, lose money and have to pay for it with increased taxes.

Original article from Yomiuri Newspaper: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T100822001711.htm


Keywords: Haneda, narita, Marketing Japan, Mike Rogers, Inchon, Seoul, airport