BA expands flight service as competitors scale down<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): British Airways has increased the frequency of
\nflights to Indonesia at a time when many of its competitors have
\ncut services in response to falling tourist bookings as a result
\nof bad publicity surrounding forest fires and the economic
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n
The airline's country manager Claire Hatton said that British
\nAirways began operating a regular Friday flight yesterday, in
\naddition to five flights already serving the Jakarta-London via
\nKuala Lumpur route on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
\nand Thursdays.<\/p>\n
\"We are optimistic that inbound passengers will increase in
\nthe short term, because tourist bookings from Europe will start
\ncoming in,\" Hatton said at a media briefing.<\/p>\n
She said bookings for June had already increased by 30 percent
\non last year as the result of tour packages to Indonesia being
\noffered by the airline.<\/p>\n
British Airways is offering special tour packages to Bali,
\nincluding flights and overnight accommodation for European
\ntravelers.<\/p>\n
British Airways will fly passengers to Jakarta and Garuda will
\ntake them on to Denpasar, Bali.<\/p>\n
Hatton said the packages had been successful in Europe:
\n\"Indonesia is a very attractive market for European travelers.\"<\/p>\n
However, she admitted that the economic turmoil, which
\nresulted in a 70 percent fall in the rupiah's value against the
\nU.S. dollar, had also cut the number of outbound passengers from
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Outbound passengers have decreased by 25 percent to 30 percent
\nsince last October, while inbound passengers have increased by 30
\npercent, she said.<\/p>\n
She declined to reveal the number of passengers her airline
\nwas currently carrying, saying it was \"competitively sensitive\"
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
Domestic airlines such as Garuda have reduced both domestic
\nand international flights due to low load factors.<\/p>\n
The director of accommodation and tourism facilities in the
\ntourism directorate general, Thamrin Bachri, said yesterday that
\nmany foreign airlines had pulled out of Indonesia, or cut their
\noperations because of low load factors.<\/p>\n
In March, 39 foreign airlines operated 438 flights in
\nIndonesia. In the same month last year, 42 companies operated 482
\nflights, Thamrin said.<\/p>\n
Airline seat capacity in Indonesia dropped from 6.8 million
\nseats last year to 6.4 million seats in March, he said.<\/p>\n
The three airlines which had ceased flying to Indonesia were
\nMyanmar Air, Turkish Air and Air Mauritius, he said.<\/p>\n
Lufthansa, KLM, Air New Zealand and Korean Air have stopped
\nserving Bali and now only fly to Jakarta, he added.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, The Netherlands and
\nGermany were now being targeted as Indonesia's main tourism
\nmarkets, he added.<\/p>\n
Thamrin said 60 percent of 5.17 million foreign visitors
\narrived in the country by air last year.<\/p>\n
Tourist numbers last year dropped from 5.34 million in 1996.
\nThe number of tourists entering the country by air dropped by 2.3
\npercent to 3.13 million, down from 3.21 million in 1996.<\/p>\n
The currency crisis hitting Indonesia's large Asian tourism
\nmarket, natural disasters and several plane crashes contributed
\nto last year's decrease in tourist numbers. (das)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ba-expands-flight-service-as-competitors-scale-down-1447893297",
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