Fly Bangkok-singapore For A Mere B900

[george]

Fly Bangkok-Singapore for a mere B900

But don't overlook the fact that it is 'via Johor Bahru'; and how about a second airport on the resort island of Samui?

Air Asia is telling us we will soon be able to travel to Singapore for approximately 900 baht one-way. Of course, the small print via Johor Bahru gets the airline off the hook as far as consumer protection rules go, but to my mind, if you banner-headline a service to Singapore then you should expect that your customers will ask you to deliver the service to that territory. In this case, a service terminating across the border in Malaysia technically short-changes the customer.

Of course, they can land at Johor Bahru airport, pass through the Malaysian immigration and custom checkpoints and hail a Malaysian taxi for the short trip to the Causeway. Exiting Malaysia and queuing at the Singapore checkpoint on the Causeway is hassle-free except on public holidays when traffic jams back up along Johor Bahru's ring road. A taxi transfer or even the roundabout ride on the MRT will bring you to an Orchard Road hotel within an hour, as long as it is not raining. Then it is more reasonable to pray for an umbrella to appear than a taxi.

Add the transfer cost from Johor Bahru to Singapore and the low-cost marvel at 900 baht almost doubles. Fine if you have all day to spare transferring from Bangkok to Singapore via scenic Johor Bahru, but if time is a factor, then the 3,500 baht roundtrip fare on a variety of "high-cost" airlines that fly daily to Singapore becomes the week's bargain.

There is an alternative _ stay in Johor Bahru and shop till you drop at a fraction of the cost of Singapore. That's the Malaysian sales pitch, but we might wonder why it wasn't given a run-out by the Air Asia pundits.

- It was almost akin to the magic of the Lord of the Rings when the minister of transport suggested he could build a second airport on Samui for as little as 600 million baht. He should have rubbed the ring another time so we could get a better view of the island. As for the blurred image from last week's statement, we might assume that there are huge parcels of land going for a song or the government intends to build the airport on stilts over a shallow stretch of water on the mainland side of the island.

Whatever, can we take a ministry seriously that flies this New Year balloon over our heads _ a second airport for Samui? That would even outshine Bangkok, which is struggling with the notion that it will have to do something worthwhile with Don Muang Airport in 2005.

I suppose the key to the magic ring in this tale is the hint that Bangkok Airways has arbitrarily set its landing rights at mythical heights for all but its own aircraft.

Could this be a not so subtle hint to Bangkok Airways' Dr Prasert Prasartthong-Osoth to revise his landing fees or face the consequences: "We will build our own airport." I didnt actually see the good doctor chuckling over his New Year turkey, but he probably proffered a smile after mulling over the ministry's promises or were they wild threats? No doubt, Samui's monkeys will learn to fly, circle and land on this island before a second airport materialises, unless Shin Corp happens to have the deeds for a few thousand rai of land tucked away in the chauffer's car boot.

- When the dust settles on hotel management change, do customers really notice a difference? I failed to discover even a nuance of change after the Inter-Continental took over the two President properties from Le Meridien last year. Well, perhaps just a hint or two; staff wore new badges and there were a few more black-suited expatriates hovering around the lobby to justify their packages.

So nothing surprising when January 1 passed and the engineers at the Hilton in the Park unveiled the new signage _ Nailert Park Bangkok _ in bold script with a small print identifying the property as a Raffles International Hotel.

Friends who dine at this garden style hotel every week didn't notice a change in pace or direction either, other than to note there were more than the usual quota of black suits, a hallmark tradition of Raffles management.

This was also true of the Raffles properties in neighbouring Cambodia where executives were seen doubling up as maids and waiters during the festive season. A business traveller reported that he had called the Raffles in Siem Reap late last month only to be told the hotel was "overbooked".

He discovered later they really meant overworked. During the festive season apparently the local staff at both the Raffles in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh decided it was time to settle that thorny issue of who gets the service charge.

They dropped tools and watched the expatriate executives fold back the bed sheets, serve tables and clean the bathrooms. It took a couple of days to sort out the mess and explain to the labour union the quaint customs that surround the 10% charge in Asia. It is really an insurance scheme that covers a multitude of sins breakage, stolen items wear and tear and absence without permission.

- Hoteliers love to wax eloquent on the value and quality of their food and beverage even to heaping praise on the lowly lunchtime sandwich. They would be quite offended if we told them it was time for a change. Well it is over 30 years since the Vietnam War brought the US army to these shores for a seven-day R&R, but hotel menus are considered incomplete without a BLT or club sandwich.

An interesting trend is the growing number of the city's top hoteliers who you see sneaking into the local subway for a sandwich, some even ordering take-away for good measure.

They must know something about hotel catering that has escaped our attention or perhaps hotel owners have replaced the policy on in-house dining to a user-pays version. My New Year's resolution is to follow the trail of the F&B managers to the fast food outlets.

--Source: Don Ross

Readers can e-mail Don Ross at [email protected]