Tigerair launches international flights for the first time and adds more domestic flights to Sydney, Cairns and Adelaide routes

Tigerair Australia announced it will launch three new international routes, with services between Bali and Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth commencing from 23 March 2016.* The three new services which go on sale at 10am (AEST) on August 7, represent the first international flights to be flown by Tigerair Australia and deliver over 6,500 additional seats weekly to the Tigerair Australia network. At the same time, the airline announces additional domestic services between Sydney and Adelaide and Sydney and Cairns, which also go on sale on August 7 from 10am (AEST), providing over 10,000 additional domestic seats to the schedule each month from early December. Tigerair Australia CEO Rob Sharp said the airline is pleased to be announcing more domestic services in response to consumer demand and providing new international services for the first time to one of Australia’s favourite leisure and tourism destinations. “Today is a major milestone for Tigerair Australia, as we are thrilled to be spreading our wings and bringing lower airfares to more Australians,\" Mr Sharp said. “Bali is a year-round leisure and family favourite destination, visited by more than one million Australians last year. Tigerair Australia flights mean it will become even more accessible for those looking an affordable and relaxing tropical getaway any time of year.\" “We are excited to have Bali as our first international destination given it is so popular with Australians.\" “We have already significantly enhanced our on time performance and our customer satisfaction is at an all-time high, and we look forward to bringing our customers great in-flight entertainment, delicious meal options and our friendly customer service on these new routes.” “I am confident the new international and domestic services announced today will be well received by Australians. Every network development we announce is the result of a thorough network and demand review.\" Tigerair Australia will use three Boeing 737-800 aircraft from the Virgin Australia Group to facilitate the airline’s first short haul international services. The aircraft will be reconfigured and rebranded in the Tigerair livery before the airline’s new international services launch in March 2016. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft will provide a mix of free and paid wireless inflight entertainment for use on passenger’s own devices for the international services. Passengers will be able to purchase (or pre-purchase) food and beverages from Tigerair’s extensive inflight menu and purchase extra luggage over and above the 7kg free carry-on luggage allowance if required. The new services will feature all economy seating for up to 180 passengers, with five rows of extra legroom seating (18 seats at the front of the cabin and 12 seats in exit rows) that can be purchased in advance of travel for extra comfort. A brand new Airbus A320 aircraft will join the existing fleet of 13 A320 aircraft and will be based in Sydney ahead of commencing operation in early September 2015. Delivered straight from the Airbus factory in Hamburg, the new A320 will be the first in the Tigerair Australia fleet to feature “sharklets” on the wingtips, one of the latest aerodynamic design features from the aircraft manufacturer. *Flights Between Australia and Denpasar are operated by Virgin Australia International providing a Tigerair Australia service and are subject to regulatory approvals. sourced:traveldailynews.asia