I rode the Tiger to meet the Merlion
October 2, 2005 | 12:00am
I never thought that one day I would be riding the Tiger to see the Merlion up close. But that’s getting ahead of my story.
We were off bright and early on a Tuesday morning to catch our flight to Singapore in Clark Field, Pampanga. There, our plane – Tiger Airways, Singapore’s low-fare airline (fares start at $59) – awaited. When we boarded our plane, we were welcomed by a very friendly crew and, yes, a cozy cabin that looked and smelled clean and new. I knew we were in for a roaring good time in the Lion City.
You can almost hear the figures roar: Fast becoming the airline of choice among budget-savvy travelers, Tiger Airways has flown more than 500,000 passengers in just one year of operations.
Undoubtedly, Tiger has earned its stripes. And that’s just the beginning. It is launching nine new routes and increasing its fleet (now four) to a total of nine A320 aircraft by the end of 2006, enabling it to fly as many as three million passengers a year.
Frequent travelers will be happy to note that Tiger Airways has an excellent punctuality record of 94 percent of all flights leaving on time and 90 percent of all flights arriving on time.
Tiger Airways’ young (only 38) and dynamic president/CEO Tony Davis says, "These figures are way ahead of the industry average and show that even a young airline like Tiger Airways can perform way ahead of the competition. However, we are not resting on our laurels and are trying to bring these figures even closer to 100 percent."
Perfect record and just the perfect guy to steer a young airline across the vast Asean skies – now serving 10 cities (Singapore, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hatyai, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Macau, Padang, and Manila) in six countries within a four-hour flying radius of Singapore Changi Airport, where Tiger Airways is based.
Davis is no stranger to the low-fare airline sector, being founding managing director of bmibaby, the highly successful British low-fare carrier, and having logged 18 years of airline experience.
Holder of a postgraduate diploma in Business Administration, Davis knows that offering the lowest possible airfares on the market makes good business as it creates opportunities for new travelers and empowers budget-conscious people to fly more often. On the part of Tiger Airways, it is able to keep its fares as low as possible through stringent cost controls throughout its operations as well through efficient air traffic planning to maximize the number of sectors served per plane per day.
Certainly, the increasing number of tourists Tiger Airways flies to Singapore is an added boon to the Lion City’s roaring tourism industry (with tourist arrivals totalling 876,561 last July).
As guests of Tiger Airways and Singapore Tourism Board, a group of mediamen from the Philippines – this writer/photographer included – had their lion’s share of what the Lion City had to offer during a recent educational fam tour. First, we were in for a "wild" time at the Night Safari, an awesome 40-hectare park that cost more than S$60 million to build. The rainforest and hilly terrain provide a natural habitat for the rhinos, elephants, giraffes and other jungle giants who peacefully co-exist with smaller animals like the mousedeer, snakes, and birds. In the dark (remember, this is a night safari), you can’t see these animals. Thank God for Simon Corder, the lighting genius who made sure that the animal enclosures are lit up by more than 2,000 specially designed incandescent light fittings without disturbing or disrupting the animals’ nightly routines – and scaring away guests who are afraid of the dark.
Then we made a journey of faith at the Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place, where art and history from the Vatican collections were showing. There we stood in awe at the sight of over a hundred objects from the Vatican Museums and other Vatican institutions. They say it is the first time the Vatican has lent these many objects for an exhibit in Asia. Bless the Vatican for a truly moving exhibit, which runs until October 9.
What seasoned Singapore guest has not been to Sentosa Island? This prime leisure destination takes on a $3-billion redevelopment plan. Soon, tourists will see the MRT station (North-East Line at Harbour Front Mass Rapid Transit) linked to Sentosa Island via the Sentosa Express, a $140-million light rail system. This will bring visitors straight into the heart of the island in less than four minutes when it becomes operational next year. There will be three Sentosa Express stations – Sentosa, Merlion, and Palawan (sounds familiar?).
We were also off to discover another world – the Underwater World Singapore on Sentosa, a showcase of rich marine life as can be found in the region. For instance, we saw the endangered turtle species. There’s a turtle pool that’s home safe home to a number of highly-endangered species such as the hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle, green turtle, and olive ridley turtle.
Time sure flies when you’re having such a great time. Of course, our Singapore itinerary wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Jurong BirdPark, that’s a haven to 9,200 birds of 610 species. The park, all of 20 hectares, is big on many counts: To name some, world’s biggest walk-in aviary, world’s biggest variety of birds performing in a bird show, world’s biggest collection of Southeast Asia birds.
Then, too, there was our "eat-inerary." Again, seasoned Singaporean travelers will tell you that Singaporean food is one of the best in the region. We agree – with a burp! Take at look at the photos on this page – and eat your heart out!
So now you know what happens when the Tiger meets the Merlion.
