Temporary Low Cost Travel Cafe

[Konangrit]

Viva Macau will launch twice weekly flights to Tokyo from December 15, and four times weekly flights to Ho Chi Minh City from December 19th. There's a special 888MOP (before tax etc) promotion running until December 15 for return flights booked for travel from Macau to both new destinations for travel before March 30. It works out around $205 return to Tokyo after tax etc, which is pretty good.

Unfortunately one way works out at $233, which is more expensive than the return promotion, and flights from Tokyo don't qualify for the promotional price either,coming to $240 o/w, or $477 return. Viva Macau's new routes don't seem to represent the same value as their original routes, which is a shame.

Anyway, for those wanting a cheap return to Tokyo this promotion offers a great option.

London - Tokyo via Hong Kong/Macau return = £398 ($821)

(London - Hong Kong with Oasis Hong Kong: £297, Macau - Tokyo £99 with Viva Macau)

Singapore - Tokyo via Macau return = US$321

(Singapore - Macau with Tiger Airways SG$174 ($120), Macau - Tokyo $205 with Viva Macau)

Other options are Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur - Macau with AirAsia, and Manila - Macau with Tiger Airways or Cebu Pacific.

[Konangrit]

Tokyo's no longer available as a booking option with Viva Macau. I notice "Muan" MWX is now an option, but not yet bookable. Muan is in South Korea.

Viva Macau are constantly chopping and changing their routes with absolutely no explanation whatsoever. They often have routes which can't be booked no matter what dates you put in, and they cancel others after just a few weeks. They also bizarrely have a totally separate site for flights to Sydney than the other flights. They must have the most disorganised web presence of any international LCC in Asia.

[attitudetravel]

I agree that the whole thing with having a separate website for flights to Sydney is a bit weird. I can only conclude (in the absence of any official explanation) that it's some sort of franchise agreement (possibly to get around the lack of open skies treaties) - but it ought to be technically possible to have separate aviation service providers operating Viva Macau flights and have everything looking seamless on the passenger end.

As for the flights to Japan, I gather these were being operated temporarily only on a charter basis rather than on a full scheduled basis and that's why for the period when they were available they could only be booked through travel agents.

I've been travelling up and down the Arabian Sea coast of India for the last month (Kerala, Karnataka and Goa) but I'm flying from Cochin in Kerala to Singapore this Saturday, after which point I will be able to get all the Asian Low Cost Airline Guides up to date for Spring 2008.

In the meantime, if you have some specific questions you would like me to put to Andrew Pyne, regarding Viva Macau's apparent total lack of organisation at present, please add them to the Singapore: 5th Asia Pacific Low Cost Airlines Congress 2008 thread.

Thanks!
_________________
Alan Lansdowne
Editor, attitudetravel.com

[kalbahamut]

Is "Muan" = Busan? Busan appears on their route map but not in their pull-down menu. But, at any rate, even Muan doesn't seem to have any flights available. frustrating.

[Konangrit]

Viva Macau now operate the Tokyo route as a charter flight. It may be possible to book a flight by contacting one of the travel agents here.