The 45 Places to Go in 2012 by New York Times.

International Consolidated Airlines and Easyjet fell by about 5%, with Air France KLM down 4.5%.

Flights in, to and from Scotland have been cancelled as ash from the Grimsvotn volcano continues to head towards the UK.

One year ago, Icelandic ash caused huge disruption to flights in Europe.

That was caused by the country’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
Airport closure

British Airways, KLM, Glasgow-based Loganair and Eastern Airways have all cancelled flights on Tuesday, as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) warned that further disruption cannot be ruled out.

Icelandic air traffic control has already created a no-fly zone around the Grimsvotn and cancelled all domestic flights. The country’s main international airport, Keflavik airport near the capital Reykjavik, has been closed.

However, the UK’s Met Office, which runs Europe’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said the latest eruption would not necessarily lead to airspace closures further afield.

Shares in Ryanair were also hit, falling 6.2%, but this was in part due to the budget airline’s warning that it faced a tough winter ahead because of rising fuel costs.

This overshadowed the group’s reported 23% rise in profit of 374m euros ($525m; £325m) for the year to March.

Shares in German carrier Lufthansa fell 3.5%.

1. “In tough times we have to discount — creatively.”

For the hotel industry, 2009 was the worst year since the Great Depression, and last year was only slightly better. At its low, the average daily room rate was $97, down from $107 in 2008, and occupancy rates fell below 55 percent. “This recession has been so traumatic across the board for all types of hotels,” says Robert Mandelbaum, research director at Colliers PKF Hospitality Research. In turn, hotels have slashed staff and cut corners. Michael Aschoff, a retired compliance officer from Tampa, Fla., stays in hotels 30 to 50 nights a year and has noticed they’ve stopped replacing soap and providing body wash and mouthwash. “They have really cut back on little amenities,” he says.

But hotels are holding the line on rates, says Travis Rank, director of worldwide sales at Best Western International. Instead, some hotels offer free parking, gift cards or other perks, like a free extra night for customers who book a certain number of nights in a row. Check hotel websites to find these deals — which are likely to be available until 2012, when the industry is expected to recover.

2. “Book with us to get an upgrade.”

When you book your room through a third-party site like Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE – News) or Travelocity, the hotel typically pays a commission — up to 30 percent. Through their own sites, hotels will usually match the best rates and may offer specials, and many will let you change your reservation without penalty if you’ve cut out the middleman.

What’s more, book directly with the hotel and your “chances of getting an upgrade are vastly improved,” says Rank. Hotels also like to save perks for their loyalty-program members. Chris Jones, the general manager of Hotel Indigo in San Diego, says he gives upgrades to about 35 percent of customers, with priority going to loyalty-card holders. “The hospitality industry is all about relationships,” says Fredrik Korallus, executive vice president for global revenue generation at Carlson Hotels. “If you want something, it never hurts to ask.”

3. “We can be sneaky about our best deals.”

Since most hotels are franchises, individual owners offer the best deals. They’re promoted online, via e-mail newsletters and, more recently, through social networking sites like Facebook and Foursquare. Hotel Indigo had 500 followers on Twitter before it even opened, and Jones says last fall he offered $185 rooms to followers for $99 — and booked 45 rooms in two hours. Robert A. Rauch, a managing partner at a San Diego Hilton, says he offers time-sensitive deals and restaurant or spa specials online. Hotels also offer discounts through partners like Visa (NYSE: V – News) or American Express (NYSE: AXP – News), but since hotels aren’t always enthusiastic about those, “sometimes it takes some effort” to find them, says Matthew Stone, a professor of travel and tourism at Prince George’s Community College in Washington, D.C.

4. “Your room won’t really look like this.”

There are plenty of places to find reviews of hotels, from newspapers and magazines to websites with traveler reviews. But when you want to see what the room or the pool looks like, you often have to trust the hotel — which may not be trustworthy, says Eli Seidman, founder of travel site Oyster.com. There, Seidman posts a hotel’s image next to one taken by his own photographers to show readers how deceiving hotel marketing can be. “It’s pretty bad, in varying degrees, across the whole industry,” says Seidman. And when it comes to the description of the room, “the square footage is complete nonsense,” he says.

Most hotels are not out to actively deceive customers. “We want to ensure that the images are accurate,” says Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. But, he adds, “we have no specific written guidelines.”

5. “Kiss your credit card data goodbye.”

Hotels have become a favorite target for credit card data thieves. According to digital-security firm Trustwave, 38 percent of the credit card hacking cases it worked on in 2009 were in the hospitality industry — far more than any other industry the company works with. Hackers (usually organized crime outfits) access a hotel’s network by guessing the administrator password, then place malware on the network, which then transmits guest’s card numbers back to them. They can also steal other info about you — home address, phone number, license plate number — to aid in identity theft. Nicholas J. Percoco, director of Spider Labs, a unit of Trustwave, says he had his own card data stolen and used just minutes after he checked into a hotel last year. “It can happen really quickly,” he says.

“This has become a priority in the industry,” says Wagoner. “We are putting a lot of effort and energy toward data security.” His company, like others, has basic requirements in place that franchisees are expected to follow. Visa has also worked with the industry to improve its data security. And things are getting better: Percoco says the hospitality industry fell to become the second most targeted industry in 2010.

6. “We need locals as much as travelers.”

With fewer people traveling, hotels that have bars, restaurants, spas and golf courses have been forced to look closer to home for help making up lost revenue. At the San Diego Hilton, Rauch says, 60 percent of the revenue from the spa and 70 percent from the bar come from locals. “Hotels need to learn to become the hub of the community,” he says. Korallus says the majority of customers at the FireLake restaurant in the Minneapolis Radisson are locals, and Carlson Hotels is launching two new restaurants designed to attract more local business. Wyndham hotels that usually cater to business travelers have likewise sought to lure locals by offering discounted weekend rates. Indeed, much of the industry has worked to boost revenue this way, says Mandelbaum. And while it has helped, it has not made up for all the lost room revenue in the short term.

7. “We’ll happily waive that fee.”

These days airlines have found a way to charge for just about everything, but it’s a different story for hotels, which have been losing revenue from once reliable sources. At one time, people paid exorbitant fees to use the room phone; now everyone has a cell phone. Revenue from pay-per-view movies is down significantly now that people bring movies with them on their laptops. Looking to add revenue, hotels have upped staples like parking charges (up to $40 a day) and the mysterious “resort fee” that some vacationers have seen tacked on to their bills (as much as $30). “Hotels are desperate to leverage up these fees,” says Rauch.

The good news: Hotels are pretty open to negotiating or even waiving some of these fees, says Stone. Unlike the airlines, where just a few companies control the industry, the hotel business is made up of more individual owners who are desperate for loyal customers and who are competing against other hotels that may not charge these fees. Bottom line: If you don’t like a fee, ask about it.

8. “We can’t do much about bedbugs.”

Hotels are a perfect environment for bedbugs — lots of turnover and lots of beds. And it has become a big issue for the industry. According to the National Pest Management Association, 67 percent of the pest-control companies it surveyed have received calls to treat hotels and motels. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing hotels can do to prevent travelers from bringing them in, since bedbugs are tiny and can hitch a ride on clothes or luggage. “The key is to find it and treat it as quickly as possible,” Jones says.

Travelers can use BedBugRegistry.com or the iPhone app Bed Bug Alert to search for infested hotels but should take these sources with a grain of salt — the cases haven’t been verified and, even if true, may have been treated already. Your best bet: On arrival, check the corners of the mattress for bedbugs or the telltale brown spots they leave.

9. “We obsess over online comments.”

Traveler-review sites have become a powerful force in the hotel industry. Too many bad reviews and business may start to slide — a fact those in the industry know all too well. “We highly recommend that hotel managers keep up with what is being said about them online, and not only respond but rectify any issue the customer might have had,” says Wyndham’s Wagoner.

For consumers, these reviews are bringing changes for the better. Korallus says some of his hotels have begun opening their gyms an hour earlier, thanks to online comments. And Jones says he brings online comments into staff meetings: “The more feedback, the better.”

10. “You can make a killing on points.”

A few years ago, Dave Weinberg, a Maryland-based consultant who travels a lot for work, became a platinum member of Intercontinental Hotel’s Priority Club Rewards program — without spending much time at the hotel. He signed up for the branded credit card, then benefited from generous point offers. “All hotels are trying to lure in travelers with extra point offers,” he says.

“This is the longest period of sustained hotel promotions we’ve ever seen,” says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com. Hotels are offering double and triple points to those who stay with them. As hotel points rack up, Winship says, travelers might think about swapping hotel points for airline miles, since airlines are raising prices while hotel rates are likely to remain low in many markets. “The way things are going, airline miles have more real value,” Winship says.

Demand growth outstripped capacity increases of 4.4 percent for passengers and about double that for cargo, the International Air Transport Association said.

“After the biggest demand decline in the history of aviation in 2009, people started to travel and do business again in 2010,” said outgoing IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani. “Airlines ended the year slightly ahead of early 2008 volumes, but with a pathetic 2.7 percent profit margin. The challenge is to turn the demand for mobility into sustainable profits.”

North American carriers saw passenger demand increase by 7.4 percent in 2010 — almost double the increase in capacity last year — leading to significantly higher profits.

European airlines had increased passenger demand of 5.1 percent — again double the capacity increase. Europe was hardest hit by the harsh December weather though, which slowed demand growth for the continent to 3.3 percent that month compared to November.

Carriers in the Asia-Pacific region — led by China and India — recorded 9 percent year-on-year growth in passenger demand in 2010.

Geneva-based IATA, which represents some 230 major international airlines, said the coming months would be marked by oil price uncertainty. An earlier forecast of $9.1 billion industry profits in 2011 was based on an oil price of $84 a barrel.

With turmoil in the Middle East driving prices higher, Bisignani warned that airline profitability could be squeezed. “For every dollar increase in the average price of a barrel of oil over the year, airlines face the difficult task of recovering an additional $1.6 billion in costs,” he said.

Via Yahoo! News

To celebrate the occasion, Dato’ Eddy Leong performed a symbolic flag-raising to mark Firefly’s presence in KLIA and this was witnessed by Dato’ Azmi Murad, Senior General Manager, Operations Services of Malaysia Airports.

Firefly's first customer at its Airport Ticketing Office in KLIA. (From left: Angelina Corrina Fernandez, Firefly head or Marketing & Communications and Pn.Hamidah)

According to Firefly’s Managing Director, Dato’ Eddy Leong, opening a ticketing counter at KLIA was a natural progression from the decision to base its new Boeing 737-800 operations at the award-winning airport. “Firefly’s operations in KLIA will focus on offering unbeatable value at lowest fares. We will beat our competitors hands down with our low fares.

“This is made possible with our decision to use the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a capacity of 189 seats, which has allowed us to achieve one of the lowest cost of available seat per kilometre (CASK) among our competitors. We also have the advantage of leveraging on our parent company Malaysia Airlines’ infrastructure such as maintenance engineers and ground handling operations to keep costs low.

“The value passengers get in return besides low fares is also a pleasant experience and comforts such as aerobridge services and the convenience of an Express Rail Service – that we’re offering these benefits at fares as low as ours is indicative of our commitment to deliver value to our passengers. You don’t have to cross the tarmac under the hot sun to board our planes.”

Firefly will begin its operations on January 15, 2011 from the Main Terminal Building of KLIA to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu twice daily, and from January 24, 2011, four times daily and three times daily respectively. One of the key features of the B737-800 operations is that passengers can enjoy even greater savings with the Standard and Premium sets of services that let passengers buy several add-on services at low prices.

For example, the Standard set comprises an in-flight-meal, bottle of mineral water, 15+5kg of checked baggage allowance and Preferred Seat selection, and costs RM38 only, which is 40 percent lower than if the add-on services were bought individually.

Dato’ Azmi Murad said: “Malaysia Airports is pleased with Firefly’s decision to base its Jets operations at the Main Terminal Building, KLIA which will contribute to the growth of KLIA as a transit hub and enhance the connectivity offered. We look forward to working with Firefly to further improve the passenger traffic and bring in more tourists as it’s one of the key drivers of the Malaysian economy.”

Located within the departure hall, opposite Check-in Island C to D, Firefly’s new airport ticketing counter opens from 8.30am to 5.30pm and, sells tickets to all Firefly routes, add-on products such as in-flight meals, check-in baggage allowances and Standard and Premium sets of services. The opening hours will be revised to 5.30am to 10pm from 15 January 2011 onwards.

To date, Firefly has 21 airport ticketing offices and projects to open another six airport ticketing offices in 2011. The latest all-in fare promotion for the East Malaysian routes is RM59 one way for the travel period of 17 January to 15 May, 2011. Booking period will end on 16 January, 2011.

Two Royal Thai Air Force C130 aircraft left the Subang air force base near here around 5.03pm and were expected to arrive at their destination in two-and-a-half hours.

Pramualrat Phimpahu, 45, waiting to be carried into an ambulance at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital to be taken to the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang

Also onboard were 28 family members of the victims, and one passenger who was hurt in the accident. Three others were sent back earlier by ambulance.

Earlier, in Ipoh, Thai Embassy officials arrived at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital mortuary at 8am to make arrangements to send home bodies of the Thai tourists killed in the bus crash along the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road.

Buddhist monks, Thai Embassy officials and family members kneeled and offered prayers before 25 coffins draped in white cloth which were arranged in two neat rows outside the mortuary.

Areena Songserm, 19, inside an ambulance which will take her Bukit Kayu Hitam where she will be received by Haadyai Hospital officers. With her is her mother Senah Songserm.

Joss sticks and yellow chrysanthemums were also offered to the deceased.

The coffins were then loaded onto a 25-tonne trailer to be transported to the Subang air force base.

An additional van had to be used as the trailer could not fit all 25 bodies.

Both vehicles, together with other vehicles ferrying embassy officials and family members, left the mortuary at 12.15pm.

Haadyai Hospital consultant Choowit Jiranivatanont said four patients in stable condition were also discharged from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

Crash survivors Areena Songserm, 20, Rungnapa Klungsuwan, 53, Suchanchira Chaiaueai, 41, were transported to the Bukit Kayu Hitam border before being sent to the Hattyai Hospital.

Minmita Theenakun, 29, (second from right) being consoled by a family member at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital where she claimed the bodies of her parents Phuwadit and Thanathon Tanasak Theenakun.

They left the hospital at 11.27am in two ambulances, escorted by a van with Thai embassy officials.

Another survivor, Pramualarat Phimpahu, 45, was taken to Subang air force base to be flown to Bangkok.

Thai Ambassador to Malaysia Thana Duangratana thanked the Malaysian government for its assistance.

Two police outriders and two police MPVs escorted the trailer with the bodies to Shah Alam.

In August, two months before it took delivery of its new next-generation 737-800 single-aisle planes, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) also said it had chosen to designate Kota Kinabalu as its second hub for connecting its passengers to Japan and other cities in Asia.

And as recently as Tuesday, Firefly said it will operate its newly leased fleet of 737-800s from the KL International Airport in Sepang to Kota Kinabalu as well as Kuching in Sarawak. Suddenly, Kota Kinabalu seems to be very much on the airlines’ radar.

But was it suddenly?

It is understood that AirAsia and MAS discovered the lucrativeness of the market as early as four years ago when they underwent the domestic air routes rationalisation plan, a confusing period which saw AirAsia taking over, ever so briefly, from the national carrier’s operations in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Nexus Resort Karambunai

A study was also commissioned by MAS, which led to it placing an order for the next-generation 737-800s. Still, it had to wait until this month for the first such aircraft to be delivered.

To understand why Kota Kinabalu is so important to these airlines, start with the fact that tourist numbers to the state have been steadily growing. Last year, arrival numbers totalled 2.25 million – an increase of 80 per cent over 2003 when 1.25 million tourist arrivals were recorded.

Holiday makers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia continued to top the foreign arrivals list last year along with the UK and the US.

They like its pristine beaches, rainforests and diverse native culture. It is also home to the highest mountain in Southeast Asia and boasts beautiful resorts like Nexus Resort Karambunai, Sutera Harbour, and Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru and Rasa Ria Resort in Tuaran.

Sutera Harbour Resort

Additionally, Sabah has a sizeable Chinese-speaking resident population which helps in attracting tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Of course, it also helps to have an aggressive and proactive tourism body like Sabah Tourism Board, which constantly comes up with aggressive promotional efforts and attractive packages to entice tourists.

Kota Kinabalu is also uniquely positioned: the capital is less than three hours by flight away from most of the Asean capitals and just over five hours’ flight time to regional capitals such as Tokyo, Seoul and Perth.

Thus, it makes sense for AirAsia, MAS and Firefly to focus on Kota Kinabalu to bolster their fortunes, analysts said, adding new flights and competing to launch new services from the capital to major cities in the region.

But has MAS and Firefly lost out on a big economic opportunity for coming into the market later? Analysts think that it is no big deal. They believe the market there is big enough for all.

As for AirAsia, its chief Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has shrugged off concerns over the oncoming competition from MAS and Firefly and stressed that it is the world leader when it comes to low cost.

One thing’s for sure, as competition hots up on Kota Kinabalu routes, the traveller with more choices and better prices is perhaps the biggest winner. The three airlines’ aggressive expansion at Kota Kinabalu means more access for Kota Kinabalu-originating passengers to their entire network, particularly to eastern cities such as in Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea.

The state will be far more interconnected, leading to better and more affordable products, creating rising prosperity and higher living standards among its people.

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 codeshare partners fly to. This is an excellent opportunity for travellers 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 Asean 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.

“Take advantage of the lower Euro by planning your European getaway with fares from RM1,599 to London, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome and RM1,699 to Amsterdam,” it said.

For the first time, travellers can enjoy discounted fares to Malaysia Airlines’ codeshare destinations under its partnerships with British Midlands (bmi), Alitalia and KLM.

“Fancy a trip to Old Trafford stadium? Fares are now available from RM1,899 to Manchester via London with bmi.

“Explore Barcelona, Madrid and Athens via Frankfurt from only RM1,999 with Alitalia. Check out Brussels at RM2,099 and Oslo at RM2,199 via Amsterdam with KLM,” it said.

“With flexible travelling periods from 8 December 2010 to 30 September 2011 as well as competitive fares, it’s the perfect time to plan your holiday in advance,” Bernard said.

Fares quoted are for one way travel. Tickets are available at Malaysia Airlines’ ticket offices, call centre, selected travel agents and online at www.malaysiaairlines.com. — Bernama

* Duration: November 12 to 27, 2010
* Host City: Guangzhou
* Co-Host Cities: Shanwei, Dongguan and Foshan.
* Participation: 45 Asian nations will join this event in 42 different sports.

The photo taken on Oct. 29, 2010 shows the ariel view of the stadium of University Town in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. It will host the football and rugby match of the 16th Asian Games. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

The Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games, or the XVI Asiad, as it is also known, will most likely follow the impressive pattern set by the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, i.e., the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games will most likely be a spectacular event. The event, which takes place later this fall (November 12th-27th), will also be the last of its kind, since the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), under whose auspices the Asiad is held, has decided to restructure the event, such that it will no longer be on the sweeping scale that it has developed into in recent years.

Given that the current host is China and given that the XVI Asiad marks the end of an era, as it were, the Chinese hosts are most likely to make the XVI Asiad a sports celebration to remember, so if you are a diehard sports enthusiast, the place to be during the latter half of November of this year is decidedly Guangzhou!

Quick Info:

Ticketing Information

Visa Information

Embassy of Asian Countries Information

Consulate Information

Custom Clearace Guide

Medal Tally for Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games

The 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition opens on November 6, 2010, and runs through April 11, 2011. It’ll take place on a series of sites in the Yuanshan area of Taipei City, Taiwan, that will be linked by shuttle buses during the expo: Yuanshan Park, the Taipei Fine Arts Park, Xinsheng Park and Da-jia Riverside Park.

Featuring a theme of “Rivers, Flowers, New Horizons”, the Expo will include 14 exhibition halls, each with its own unique style, spread across an area of 91.8 hectares. The show is authorized by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).

Ticket rates can be viewed here:
http://ticket.2010taipeiexpo.tw/English/ticket04.php

Tickets can be purchased online here too:
http://www.ticket.com.tw/dm-en9835.asp

For hotels nearby the Expo, you can check out the selections from SinoTour.com:
http://sinotour.com/tourguide/2010taipeiexpo/expo-dome.asp

Here are some beautiful pictures snapped by photographer Marc Gerritsen.