We have just been informed that from 3rd December 2010, Yangon Airways has had all of its scheduled services temporarily suspended, the suspension being enforced by the Aircraft Operator Certificate Authority, with the suspension in place until further notice.All bookings made through Exotissimo have already been transferred to either Air Mandalay or Air Bagan, with details being communicated from our Myanmar office to our partners and directly to any clients currently travelling in Myanmar.

Qatar Airways is spreading it’s wings in Vietnam by launching scheduled flights to Hanoi as well as increasing it’s frequency to Ho Chi Minh City nearly tripling the airline’s number of services in and out of the country. The Hanoi flights go via Bangkok and Doha, and the Ho Chi Minh service flies direct from Doha.
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways said, “Qatar Airways appreciates the support provided by the Vietnamese government in allowing us to almost triple the number of flights we operate to the country. The bilateral relationship between Qatar and Vietnam has grown significantly in recent years and this route development is one of the results of this growing friendship. Vietnam has long been an attractive leisure destination and with the country’s economic strength continuing to build, we are also seeing more business travel in and out of the country.

Private LCC launched in VN: Air Mekong took to the skies in Vietnam beginning of October. Although a low cost carrier the airline plans to open routes to more remote areas including flights from Hanoi to both Phu Quoc and Con Dao Islands. Air Mekong will use four three-year-old Bombardier CRJ-900s configured with 10 Deluxe-class and 80 Economy-class seats for 26 daily flights.

New Ho Chi Minh City – Yangon flights: Vietnam Airlines will launch a four-weekly direct flight between Yangon and Ho Chi Minh City from October 31. The airline will also increase the frequency of its Yangon-Hanoi service, launched earlier this year, from four to five flights a week. The airlines currently plans to use Airbus A320 to boost capacity on the

Yangon-Hanoi service. It currently uses a 79-seat Fokker 70 aircraft on the route.
Lao Airlines to resume HCMC Services: Lao Airlines will resume a three weekly service on the Vientiane-Pakse-Ho Cho Minh City route from mid October. In 2002, the airline served Ho Chi Minh City via Phnom Penh, but suspended the service later that year. The three-weekly service from Vientiane will make a brief stop in Pakse giving the southern Lao town 13 flights a week from Vientiane up from 10 flights a week. The new services are scheduled to depart Vientiane on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 0700 and from Pakse to Ho Chi Minh City at 0915. The flight returns to Pakse at 1145.

We are happy to announce that Exo has been named as the official Mekong Sessions travel partner for the Leonard Cohen Live in Phnom Penh benefit concert and all upcoming concerts.
In cooperation with the Mekong Sessions, Exotissimo Travel will, in the very near future, be offering special Leonard Cohen concert and tour packages for fans eager to experience the concert of a lifetime in the Kingdom of Wonder. Leonard Cohen fans travelling from anywhere around the world can purchase tickets, flights, accommodation and tours in a single package designed to ensure first time visitors, Southeast Asia lovers or expatriates maximise their enjoyment of this momentous event.

Due to the increase in demand from the Asian and European markets wanting to visit Borobudur, Garuda Airlines has created a new flight schedule from Denpasar to Jogjakarta. Moving flights from noon to an early morning ensures travelers more time at the magnificent Borobudur temple, with the added option of a full-day tour of the city. The flight will arrive in Jogjakarta at 07:25 AM offering ample opportunity to get better acquainted with the rich cultural and architectural wonders of this Javanese city.

Spend more time on the beach with the launch of Vietnam Airlines Ho Chi Minh- Can Tho route.

At the end of March Vietnam Airlines launched five weekly flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, as well Can Tho to the tropical island of Phu Quoc (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday).The Can Tho flights offer an excellent alternative to the normal 5-hour drive to and from Ho Chi Minh City. To showcase this new route Exotissimo has launched a new module 6-Night package ‘Mekong to the Beach’.

Flights to far north rescheduled for Fridays and Sundays
Due to a planned extension to the Putao Airport, the weekly scheduled flights to Putao are now on Fridays and Sundays rather than Fridays and Tuesdays. This new schedule went into effect on 9 March and will continue until further notice. Air Bagan is the only airline flying to this remote destination but as an alternative, Exotissimo can arrange private planes for the journey.
Perched on the edge of the Himalayan Mountains, Putao is a favorite destination for nature lovers and adventurers. Exotissimo offers a range of luxury and adventure tours for travelers wishing to go to Putao.

SGA Airlines is now offering flights between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Pai and Nan at affordable prices of less than 2000 THB per person for a one-way ticket. Flights are operated on 12-seater Cessna 208B Grand Caravan planes which come with large side-windows. Each flight lasts around 50 minutes and can be included into any Northern Thailand itinerary. Besides offering a faster mode of travel between two cities, a scenic flight also makes a fantastic and exciting experience, especially for those traveling with children. Please contact thailand@exotissimo.com for more information, route schedules and pricing details.

Vietnam Airlines has increased the number of flights on several international routes. The airline added an extra flight per week to Paris and Frankfurt and launched direct flights to Copenhagen for Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hanoi. For Asian routes, the flight frequency from HCMC to Bangkok has doubled to a total of 14 flights per week. From this November, AirAsia is introducing direct daily flights from Phuket to HCMC.

Bangkok Airways (PG) flight services between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap will be suspended with effect from 25 October 2009 and the last flights will be operated on 24 October 2009. The Cambodian government has not renewed the airline’s permit following the founding of the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (K6).

Exotissimo Cambodia is rescheduling all flight bookings to Cambodia Angkor Air, which offers 4-5 daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on an ATR72-500 propeller aircraft, the same type of aircraft operated by Bangkok Airways on this route. The safety standards and services provided by Cambodia Angkor Air are of a similar standard to those of Bangkok Airways. For more information, contact cambodia@exotissimo.com.