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Malaysian hospitals get set to woo Singaporeans

Natalya — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:22:09 +0000

05:55 AM Feb 27, 2010

SINGAPORE – With Singaporeans able to tap on their Medisave from next month to pay for treatment at 12 Malaysian hospitals, some of the latter are taking steps to lure medical tourists across the Causeway.

Gleneagles Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, for one, has tied up with travel agents and airlines. They plan to offer seamless travel between cities as well as medical care made cheaper from savings on the exchange rate.

For example: It cost Singaporean Mr Tan Chu Eng, 47, half what he would have had to pay here, to get an angiogram done at a private hospital in KL recently.

Said hospital chief executive Amir Firdaus: “We do not have a two-tier policy. It is one policy, one price for anybody who walks into Gleneagles.”

A single room costs less than $100, or US$70 ($98.60) a night. But if money is not an issue, the hospital offers a presidential suite complete with butler service for under US$1,000 a night.

The chief executive of Malaysia’s Firefly airlines, Mr Eddy Leong, said: “Flying is a hassle, security, baggage and so on. We try to make it a bit more seamless. If you need to, we can arrange the ambulance to go straight to the airport.”

From March 1, Singaporeans can use their Medisave funds to pay for hospitalisation and day surgeries at one of the accredited hospitals in Malaysia. To do so, they must first obtain a referral from accredited institutions in Singapore. Melissa Goh

Xtra Xtra flights for CNY

Natalya — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:03:41 +0000

Chinese New Year is here again!

Festive season is always a joyous time for family and friends to gather as Malaysians are very family-orientated people. We wish to bring our friends, not only the Chinese back to their hometown to celebrate with their loved ones.

Thus, Firefly has added an additional flight from IPOH to SINGAPORE and SUBANG to ALOR SETAR especially during this holiday. The flights added for IPOH to SINGAPORE are on January 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 21 while SUBANG to ALOR SETAR on January 13 only.

Hurry up! Tickets are on sale now on our website at www.fireflyz.com.my

Ipoh (IPH) – Singapore (SIN)

Flight No	Origin	Destination	Depart	Arrive
FY6302	Singapore	Ipoh	10:05	11:35
FY6301	Ipoh	Singapore	12:00	13:30

Subang – Alor Setar

Flight No	Origin	Destination	Depart	Arrive
FY6020	Subang	Alor Setar	7:00	8:10
FY6021	Alor Setar	Subang	8:30	9:40

Thank you!

Firefly Increases 5th Frequency Subang – Singapore Flight

Natalya — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:12:39 +0000

Subang, 14 Jan 2010 – Firefly is picking up its new year’s pace from where it left last year by increasing the frequency of flights from Subang to Singapore to cater to the current high demand on that route.   The new 5th frequency flight is now open for sale and the service will commence from 28 March 2010, Firefly said in a statement today.  To celebrate the added frequency, Firefly is offering a promotional fare from Subang to Singapore, from as low as RM100.

The current promotion also covers flights to all destinations from as low as RM50 and RM100 for domestic and international travels respectively. The special fare offer runs from now until Jan 21 for the travel period from Jan 21 to Oct 30 2010.   Promotional seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, and made exclusively online via www.fireflyz.com.  “High loads and strong demand for this route have encouraged us to add our fifth frequency flight,” said Firefly’s head of Marketing and Communications, Angelina Fernandez.   Firefly anticipates to carry 1.3 million passengers by the year end.

Angelina emphasized that, “Firefly currently operates four daily flights to Singapore. We began our inaugural Singapore-Subang route with three flights daily effective July 1 in 2009, and subsequently a fourth frequency was added on July 12. This additional flight into Singapore further strengthens Firefly’s stronghold on commuters travelling for business and leisure on this route. Moreover, the high demand is an indication that travel has picked up significantly, and we are extremely pleased to be able to provide customers with more convenience and travel options.”

She further stressed the benefits of flying with Firefly whereby passengers have the convenience of flying from Skypark Subang, a city airport where their check-in process is completely hassle-free. Additionally, Firefly offers at no extra cost added values such as 20 kg of free check-in baggage allowance, assigned seating, and in-flight complimentary refreshment with snacks.

Flight schedule on Subang/Singapore/Subang route:

Origin	Destination	Flight Number	Depart	Arrive
Subang (SZB)	Singapore (SIN)	FY 3501	7:55	9:05
Singapore (SIN)	Subang (SZB)	FY 3502	10:50	12:00
Subang (SZB)	Singapore (SIN)	FY 3505	9:20	10:30
Singapore (SIN)	Subang (SZB)	FY 3506	13:00	14:10
**Subang (SZB)	Singapore (SIN)	FY 3511 (NEW)	12:45	13:55
**Singapore (SIN)	Subang (SZB)	FY 3510 (NEW)	16:40	17:50
Subang (SZB)	Singapore (SIN)	FY 3515	14:50	16:00
Singapore (SIN)	Subang (SZB)	FY 3516	18:50	20:00
Subang (SZB)	Singapore (SIN)	FY 3525	21:05	22:15
Singapore (SIN)	Subang (SZB)	FY 3526	22:35	23:45

**5th frequency flight Singapore/Subang/Singapore effective 28th March 2010

In for a quickie?

Natalya — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:08:41 +0000

Saturday, August 15, 2009

It used to be one of the most lucrative routes when it was a joint monopoly of Malaysia and Singapore Airlines.

Now with Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route is opened to various airlines, it’s an all-out war to grab a slice of the cake.

Saw these two Firefly’s advertisements courtesy of someone in Malaysian Wing.

“Explore the backyard of Malaysia”

Yup, Kuala Lumpur is our backyard..haha.

“In for a quickie”

Cameron Highlands @ Equatorial Hotel

Natalya — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:52:35 +0000

Learn how tea leaves are picked at the BOH tea plantation, have a bite of the sweet and fresh hand-picked strawberry or visit the butterfly, cactus, orchid and rose garden, all at Cameron Highlands.

Fantastic idea on what to do at Cameron Highlands but have no idea where to stay at Cameron?Why not stay at the Equatorial Hotel Cameron Highlands?

The Tudor styled Equatorial Hotel Cameron Highlands is nestled atop a hill at 1,628 metres above sea level, overlooking a magnificent view of lush green valleys, thriving farms, rolling hills and mountains.

Rooms are sizeable and simple decorated with comfortable facilities and services. The hotel offers homely comforts with the quality and convenience of international standards.

So, take a break, feel the cold and breath in the refreshing air of Cameron Highlands now!

Thank you!

Opportunity comes knocking

Natalya — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:59:51 +0000

By: Hemananthani Sivanandam (Mon, 24 Aug 2009)

`We didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon of enticing
people with low fares. Instead, we capitalised on the
convenience factor since our hub is in Subang. That is
indeed a good pull for us.” – Eddy Leong

IT IS often said that the Chinese word for “crisis” comprises two characters which mean “risk” and “opportunity”.

For Eddy Leong, managing director of Firefly, there is indeed truth in the cliche that when times are bad, opportunity presents itself.

Firefly which touts itself as a “community airline” and not a low-cost carrier, has to a degree been able to capitalise on the bad times with its unique service offerings.

Although the market outlook for the aviation industry in general has been grim, the financial downturn actually presented an opportunity for Firefly, Leong said.

“People who used to travel on full service airlines now come to us because we offer the best of both worlds.

“We are a mid-sized carrier but we provide the frills that full-service airlines offer and low-cost carriers don’t … and we are affordably priced,” he said, adding that many low-cost carriers lure passengers with cheap fares, but have hidden costs built in.

“We didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon of enticing people with low fares. Instead, we capitalised on the convenience factor since our hub is in Subang. That is indeed a good pull for us.

“Our strategy has been to utilise that selling point and, at the same time, provide passengers with other benefits for their convenience.

“In short, we let our passengers experience a hassle-free and more convenient flying experience.”

“So, while other airlines entice passengers with low fares, we charm passengers with our services,” Leong quipped.

He said that although Firefly is a latecomer to the airline industry in Malaysia, it has learnt from its counterparts.

“When we started in 2007, people said the industry here at that time was saturated. But because we knew that, we chose the right aircraft and learnt to pick the best of both worlds of full-service and low-cost model airlines.”

The airline switched from Fokker planes to 72-seater ATR turbo prop models this year.

“We actually gain by being a carrier with small aircraft because it is very economical. During bad times, we will not bleed to death because our trip cost is very low,” Leong said.

Firefly has seven ATR aircraft and operates on 12 domestic and 14 regional routes. Therein lies another “secret” to its success.

Leong said Firefly also focuses on secondary routes that other airlines “neglect”.

“This has become a good value proposition for us because there is high demand for these secondary routes, as nobody else can operate feasibly or safely on these routes.”

For example, he said, Firefly’s latest Ipoh-Singapore route, which was introduced in mid-July, has been soaking up demand.

“We have been more than 95% booked on these flights.”

Asked how the airline manages to operate extensively with such a small fleet, Leong said the key was “quick transit”.

“Our transit time is only 15-20 minutes before flying off. When we first flew to Singapore, we had to teach our Singaporean ground handlers (how to work fast) … and initially, even they couldn’t believe it could be done.”

And to keep itself relevant, Firefly carries out daily surveys to find out what its customers want and expect of the airline. Every day, cabin crew members randomly pick passengers and give them survey forms.

“We find that our passengers are mostly young professionals who are intelligent and well-connected, so we spread our presence when it comes to the advertising channels,” said Leong.

Although the airline has never been aggressive in advertising, it has been consistent and purposeful in terms of the ads it puts up. About 8% of Firefly’s revenue is allocated for advertising, Leong said.

“We consider ourselves a community based airline, so our advertisements are never flashy. We don’t harp on low fares. Our advertisements have been more on destination marketing and our services.”

Firefly’s main advertising medium is still newspapers, but the company is branching out into other media.

It has started allocating a good portion of its advertising budget to include alternative media.

“We are now involved in blogs, and even Facebook,” Leong said.

Firefly expects to carry 1.3 million passengers this year.

Firefly To Have 7 Flights Weekly For Ipoh-Singapore Route

Natalya — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:55:25 +0000

August 21, 2009 17:27 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) — Firefly Airlines will further expand its Ipoh-Singapore service by offering daily flights between the two cities from beginning next month. Currently operating four times weekly, the move will increase the flight frequency between the two cities to seven flights weekly. “We are confident that these new flights will serve to stimulate more travel and growth prospects between Ipoh and Singapore,” Angelina Fernandez, head of marketing and communications for Firefly, said in a statement on Friday. Firefly is offering an all inclusive one-way ticket for RM88 for the route and the travelling time is about one hour and 20 minutes.

– BERNAMA

Firefly Review – Episode 4: Destination Singapore

Natalya — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:44:30 +0000

Looks like Azuan had another post about Singapore. Let’s check it out!

Posted by azuan in :: All Posts ::, Featured Articles, Firefly Airline, Travel on 07 12th, 2009 | 10 responses

“Singapore offers experiences that are captivating beyond words”.At least that’s what written on the cover of my Singapore Guide Book. Some people call it great tourism branding but I just call it one heck of a good country to visit. I love KL, I love Malaysia but if I need a good weekend breakaway far from work and other daily stuff, I would choose Singapore definitely!

The only thing I hate about my many trips to Singapore is the traveling. I used to travel by bus and I’ve tried those executive/VIP express busses and it’s comfortable but the journey takes approximately 5 hours. That’s 10-hours for a return trip wasted being on the road out of 48-hours of weekend. And one way fare is RM90 in average!

(An old photo of me… don’t laugh!)

So when airlines start to offer low fares for flights to Singapore I was excited to have more options to spend my weekend in Singapore. Just recently Firefly has joined the fun and begins its flights to Singapore from Subang which offers me the best way to maximize my weekend in Singapore.

Yes!! no more 5-hours bus ride to Singapore or 1-hour drive to LCCT/KLIA. It’s only 15 minutes drive from Shah Alam to Subang and after a short 70 minutes flight, I’ll be in Singapore! And thanks to a well-planned schedule for Firefly Subang-Singapore flights, I can now leave Subang very early on Saturday (07:50am) and come back very late on Sunday (10:35pm) to maximize my weekend in Singapore and still get back on time for work on Monday.

I’m already planning my next 2D1N weekend breakaway trip to Singapore and here is the itinerary. Feel free to use it the next time you Firefly to Singapore

Note: Some of the photos used below are very ‘classic’ photos of mine. I know I look funny when I was younger (some say I still look funny now! Hehe), but try not to laugh too hard.

SINGAPORE 2 Days 1 Night Weekend Break! By AzuanZahdi.com

Day 1: Saturday

0600: Wake up early, grab your backpack and make way to Subang SkyPark.

0630: Check in at Subang SkyPark; enjoy a cup of coffee at Starbucks which opens early.

07:50: Enjoy a comfortable ride with Firefly’s ATR72-500. Start your day with a choice of juice/coffee/tea with free muffin!

09:05: Arrive in Singapore and breeze through the comfortable and efficient Budget Teminal Changi. Clear through immigration and customs within 20 minutes.

09:30: Board the free shuttle where you can shuttle conveniently between the terminal and Changi Airport Terminal 2 where you may access the MRT trains and public buses at Terminal 2 to connect to the city. Alternatively just get a taxi!

10:30: Take the MRT to Bugis Station. Visit the Arab Street or Kampong Glam area famous for its mosque, kampong style buildings and Zam Zam Murtabak! Have your brunch here. Try Murtabak, Briyani and Tulang!

12:30 : Make your way by MRT to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station and take a 5-mins walk to National Museum of Singapore. Enjoy the beautiful collection of arts and history relevant to Singapore. A good place to chill out under the hot midday sun.

14:00 : Check-in to any hotel that suits your budget, take a nice shower and a short rest. There are many hotels available in Singapore. One of it being the Grand Mecure Hotel

15:00: Enjoy the nice views of Esplanade and Merlion Statue, two nice icons of Singapore.

16:00 Chill out at Singapore Flyer. Get into the 30-minute ride and enjoy the view of Singapore!

18:00 Time to do some shopping, famous for its cheap electronics, visit Sim Lim Square or Funan IT Mall. Make sure you visit various forums on the Internet prior to the visit to get the right price for you to bargain!

20:00 Enjoy the evening with a visit to Clarke Quay, enjoy the nice boat ride, dinner and unwind at any of the clubs for a great Saturday Night Fun!

23:00 Make your way to Little India and enjoy Mustafa Shopping Center. You can stay as long as you like as it’s a 24-hour shopping center and enjoy a variety of Indian food for supper!

Day 2

0900 – As early as possible, take the cable car to the Sentosa Island. It’s a nice way to reach Sentosa as you get to enjoy the thrill and view from up above

1000 – Beat the crowd and get yourself queue up for these 4D attractions:

1100 – Enjoy my personal favorite activity in Singapore – The Luge! Once is never enough!

12:00 Once you’re at Siloso Beach after the Luge ride, enjoy the beautiful and clean man-made beach. A good place to have lunch as well.

13:00 Take a walk around the beach area, discover the Southern most point of Asia and walked through this nice bridge to get a good view of Sentosa

14:00 Leave Sentoasa and head straight to Orhard Road. It goes without saying. Shop till you drop! Have late lunch at any of the shopping malls there.

18:00 Take a break from shopping and enjoy this delicious ice-cream wafer.

19:00 Leave Orchard Road and head towards Newton Food Centre, enjoy a variety of local food. I highly recommend TULANG!

20:00 Make your way to Changi Budget Terminal via taxi to catch your flight. Don’t worry about excess baggage as Firefly allows 20KG of free check-in bags. That’s more than enough for most people! Even if you exceed the limit, the charges are competitive so do not worry too much

21:00 Have your dinner at the Departure Hall of Budget Terminal. Lots of good choices

22:35: Leave Singapore with lots of fun, memories, photos and shopping bags! Ready for a trip back to work ~~or to the clinic for MC~~ the next day

******

Firefly is offering flight to Singapore via Subang started on July 1. Believe it or not, it’s only RM88 to Singapore for JULY ONLY! So, hurry up and grab those tickets now! Now you can spend your weekend shopping at the Great Singapore Sale 2009 affordably!

Firefly Ipoh-Singapore Flights Can Boost Perak Tourism, Economy

Natalya — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:32:30 +0000

July 15, 2009 21:51 PM

SINGAPORE, July 15 (Bernama) — The Ipoh-Singapore route serviced by local community airline Firefly Sdn Bhd can help boost tourism, investment and the economy in Perak.

State Health, Local Government, Consumer Affairs and Public Transportation Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said Firefly would operate daily flights for the route soon due to overwhelming response from the public since the service began last Sunday.

“We are happy with the response to the Ipoh-Singapore route served by Firefly. We understand that 85 per cent of the tickets have been booked for flights until November,” he told reporters after leading a delegation on a state government technical working visit to Singapore.

Also in the delegation were state Education, Higher Education, Science and Technology Committee chairman Mohamad Zahir Abdul Khalid and the Menteri Besar’s advisor on Indian community affairs Datuk S. Veerasingam.

Dr Mah said the flight tickets for the first two months since the service began were fully booked.

He said the service would bring in more tourists to Perak from Singapore as it would take them only one hour and 20 minutes to reach Ipoh compared to more than five hours by road.

Dr Mah said with the good response, the state government hoped that more airlines would operate at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport for routes from Ipoh and also for cargo service.

“The state government is confident of drawing more tourists to the state than the three million recorded last year and more investment, especially from Singapore, with the new service by Firefly.

“The state government will also negotiate with other airlines to reintroduce flights to a number of destinations like Medan and Padang in Indonesia and Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand,” he said.

During their three-day visit which ended yesterday, the delegation attended briefings and had discussions and dialogues with the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority and Land Transport Authority, and met with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, S.Iswaran.

“This has been a meaningful and productive visit as we learned from Singapore’s experience in developing the island republic, including the policies and plans,” Dr Mah said.

He said in the economic sector, 18 per cent (RM540 million) of the RM3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) last year that went to Perak came from Singapore investors.

Investors could benefit from such economic sectors as the metal and shoe industries and products for the ICT industry, he said.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Md Hussin Nayan, said the Ipoh-Singapore air route operated by Firefly should provide a good opportunity for Perak to diversify activities in the tourism and economic sectors.

“We are proud and happy that airlines like Firefly, MAS, AirAsia and Singapore Airlines are increasing flights from or to major towns in Malaysia. With this, we hope the relevant authorities would provide better facilities for tourists and investors coming to Malaysia,” he said.

Perak hopes to attract more Singaporeans with air service

Natalya — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:28:12 +0000

Thursday, 16 July 2009

by Sylvia Looi

SINGAPORE: The Perak Government hopes to attract 20% of Singapore tourists to the state following the introduction of Firefly’s Ipoh-Singapore service.

Perak state executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board’s records showed that 11.43 million Singaporeans visited Malaysia last year.

He said the four times weekly flights have been fully booked for the next two months while flights for November were 85% booked.

Urging Singapore investors to grab the opportunity to invest in the state following the introduction of the air service, Dr Mah said the time needed to travel between Ipoh and Singapore had now been shortened considerably.

“The Firefly flights augur well with the state’s plans to attract more investors,” he said after hosting a dinner here on Monday evening for invited guests.

Dr Mah had led a delegation of state dignitaries and newsmen to visit the island republic following the introduction of the air service.

Singaporeans contributed 18% of the RM3bil in investments received by the state.

Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Md Hussin Nayan, who was present, welcomed the service as it would provide an opportunity for Singaporeans and Ipoh folks to visit each other.

He also urged tourism players in Perak to provide better services to tourists.

During the delegation’s three-day visit, dialogues were held with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Land Transport Authority, Preservation of Monuments Board and Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister S. Iswaran.