QZ8501 : Latest on the missing Air Asia flight

A glimpse of hope remains for Air Asia's missing aircraft after some experts were talking about a possible water landing.

This is an update on eTN's initial report on the missing AirAsia Indonesia plane with 162 people on board that has gone missing on its way from Surabaya to Singapore. This happened after the pilot of this flight requested to deviate from its flight path due to weather. eTN mentioned local media reports about wreckages of this plane found. It turns out these reports are wrong and were based on rumors.

There were 155 passengers on board, with 138 adults, 16 children and 1 infant. Also on board were 2 pilots and 5 cabin crew.

Nationalities of passengers and crew onboard are:
1 Singapore
1 Malaysia
3 South Korean
157 Indonesia

Search and rescue operations have been suspended for the night; they will resume tomorrow.

However search ships are not returning to ports but are continuing with limited operation during the night.

More than 12 hours after the plane went missing, there has been no confirmation search teams have found a crash site, with Malaysia's Minister of Transport Seri Liow Tiong Lai dismissing in a press conference on Sunday evening reports the plane had been located.

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement on Sunday evening the plane was last tracked around the island of Belitung, at the coordinates 03°22’15" South and 109°41’28" East.

Flight QZ8501's pilot had reportedly requested permission to increase altitude from 32,000 feet to 34,000 feet because of cloudy weather in the area. Weather maps showed storms across the region.

The plane had seven crew members and 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant, according to AirAsia's Facebook statement. The majority of those on board were Indonesian, but there were three South Koreans and one each from Singapore, United Kingdom, France and Malaysia. There were 23 no-shows, according to the flight manifest.

The captain in command had 20,537 flying hours in total and 6,100 flying hours with the airline and the first officer had 2,275 flying hours, according to AirAsia. The aircraft last underwent maintenance on Nov. 16.

Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia's acting director general of transportation, told reporters no distress signal had been sent. The plane is believed to have gone missing somewhere over the Java Sea between Tanjung Pandan on Belitung island and Pontianak, on Indonesia's part of Kalimantan island, he said.

AirAsia Indonesia is an affiliate of budget carrier AirAsia, which is based in Malaysia. AirAsia has been considered one of the safest options in the region, with reportedly no fatal accidents involving their planes.

Indonesia's overall air safety record is poor due to various incidents, with many of the country's carriers banned in the European Union.

AirAsia operates a relatively young fleet of aircraft, almost all of which are some variation of the A320 model that disappeared. It is one of the youngest and fastest growing airlines in the Southeast Asia market, with plans to expand into India.

The Airbus A320 is one of the most popular single-aisle jetliners in the world, and is in wide use in the U.S. Like its main rival, the Boeing 737, the A320 has had fatal accidents before, but none involving the loss of all passengers.

The A320 has a similar flight-deck design and aircraft systems as the larger Airbus A330. An Air France Airbus A330 crashed while flying in the vicinity of thunderstorms on June 1, 2009, northeast of Brazil, killing 228. That crash was blamed on faulty instruments and pilot error.

While there have been accidents since the A320 entered operation in 1996, it is widely regarded as one of the safest aircraft in the sky. A recent Boeing study found 0.14 fatalities per million departures for the A320 family.

A Dual national British citizen on board missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 is Chi-Man Choi, the BBC reported.

It is thought he is with his two-year-old daughter on the plane, which was flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board when it went missing in the early hours of Sunday.

The UK Foreign Office earlier confirmed a British national was on the flight and their family had been informed.

"Our thoughts are with the passengers' families," the UK Foreign Service Office said.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tweeted: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those on board Air Asia flight QZ8501."

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Jakarta said it was working with local authorities to establish further details.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted: "Our hearts and hopes are with the passengers and families of AirAsia QZ8501."

Travelore Tips: Where To Find The Cheapest Flights On Every Continent

 

Karl Baron

Outside of the U.S., there are literally thousands of airlines, some catering to multi-million dollar business travelers, others just to families, and some target the ultimate budget traveler. It’s the last one that we’re more interested in, especially for short international flights and travel during holidays and peak seasons, when airfares on traditional airlines tend to soar. Low-budget carriers usually take a no-frills approach, but then, who really needs frills on a short flight?

You probably already look to the likes of Southwest, JetBlue, and maybe even Spirit here in the States — but if you ever find yourself in need of a cheap flight anywhere else in the world, these are the names you want to know.

Africa and the Middle East
Largely void of continental airlines, let alone low-cost carriers, Africa recently welcomed the addition of FastJet to Tanzania. Overseen by the European budget airline EasyJet, two-year-old FastJet also currently operates throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Within the next year, the carrier hopes to launch ports in Angola, Ghana, and Kenya. Flights from hub Dar es Salaam to Mt. Kilimanjaro start at $85 round-trip, and newly popular flights from Johannesburg, South Africa to the hub begin at around $100.

Middle East carriers like Air Arabia and Flydubai cater to budget travelers in north African nations like Egypt. With Air Arabia, flights from Dubai to Cairo start at under $200.

Other low-cost providers include: Nouvelair, Fly540, Flynas, UP, and Jazeera Airways.

Asia & South Pacific
Asia and the South Pacific welcome the sexiest assortment of budget airlines in the world. Three-peat low-cost airline of the year champion Air Asia offers insanely cheap flights to 85 destinations around Asia, the South Pacific, and Australia. To give you a sense of how cheap we’re talking: In a recent promotion, domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur began at $14.

Four more Asia-based airline operators have placed in the top 10 of best low-cost airlines in the world. IndiGo navigates India, the Middle East, and the South Pacific. A round-trip ticket from Delhi to Mumbai, for example runs just $130. Still not convinced? Jetstar (based in Australia), Tiger Airways (Singapore), and Scoot (Singapore) also rank very well. Unlike the others, Scoot runs primarily long-haul, last-minute flights; right now, you can snag a flight from Singapore to Seoul for about $180.

Other low-cost providers include: Spring Airlines, Jeju Air, Nok Air, PAL Airlines,  and Lion Air.

Europe
Europe mastered budget airlines before that even became a thing. RyanAir offered, and continues to offer, insanely cheap flights throughout Europe — although largely at the cost of comfort, nickle-and-diming passengers for any in-flight luxury (e.g. a carry-on). Still, for those on a tight budget, RyanAir satisfies. Fall specials promote flights at $25 one-way.

Comparatively, EasyJet classes up their flights more than RyanAir but with similar low prices. In September alone, EasyJet has over eighty flights, to destinations all over Europe, starting under $50 one-way.

What if you feel like flying cross-continental? Scandinavian carrier Norwegian Airlines reduces the financial burden of flying from the U.S. to Europe, with one-way tickets from NYC to Stockholm for $166 each. (Of course, these flights don’t include checked baggage or meals, so your total costs might be higher unless you pack very lightly.)

Other low-cost providers include: SmartWings, XL Airways, Wizz Air, Icelandair, Aer Lingus, Blue Air, Vueling, Pegasus Airlines, Dobrolet Airlines, Fly Romania, and Flybe.

The Americas
Other than the cheap U.S. carriers, two major budget carriers dominate the American marketplace. Canada’s WestJet, another renown low-cost carrier of 2014, sells some of the cheapest prices at 80 destinations through Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Although peak season from Toronto to NYC is ending, we found that prices between the two cities remain convenient at $250 round-trip.

In South America, low cost carriers vary throughout each country. What’s cheap in Colombia won’t necessarily offer cheap rates in Brazil. Brazilian airline Gol tries, but few South American airlines provide the extensive, continental network of LAN, who’s currently selling flights from Miami to Bogota, Colombia for under $500.

Other low-cost providers include: Amaszonas, Azul Brazilian Airlines, AeroSantaigo, EasyFly, VivaColombia, Interjet, Volaris, and Peruvian Airlines.

Contributed by Tommy Burson

- See more at: http://blog.shermanstravel.com/2014/08/27/where-to-find-the-cheapest-flights-on-every-continent/#sthash.bQsN7bv9.dpuf

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