SINGAPORE : Asia's newest budget carrier, Jetstar Asia, says it
will fly to seven destinations from Singapore when it starts
operations next month.
The airline will initially have flights to Shanghai, Hong Kong,
Taipei, Manila, Pattaya, Jakarta, and Surabaya.
It plans to open up more routes early next year.
Jetstar did not give any price details, or say exactly when it will
start flying in December.
Those details, it says, will be out in the next two weeks.
Jetstar had said previously that it wants to differentiate itself
by flying further than its competitors in this region to make up
for its late entry into the market.
Two other Singapore-based budget airlines, Valuair and Tiger
Airways, now fly to a number of Asia-Pacific cities, including
Bangkok, Hong Kong, Perth and Jakarta -- but not to mainland China,
Taiwan or the Philippines.
The Malaysian no-frills carrier, AirAsia, also flies between
Bangkok and Singapore but is not based in the city-state.
Jetstar is 49 percent owned by Australia's Qantas Airways.
Its other stakeholders are Singapore investment firm, Temasek
Holdings, and two Singapore businessmen. - CNA