lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

Domestic AirlinesAlthough only one of thedomestic airlines is ownedoutright by the government(Myanma Airways), the otherfour have known or suspectedlinks. At the very least, allpay hefty government licenceand administration fees.Tay Za (see boxed text,p 26 ) owns Air Bagan; hiscompanies have been targeteddirectly by outside sanctions.Aung Ko Win, owner ofAir Kanbawza, is believed tobe a close business associateof Vice-Senior GeneralMaung Aye.We advise avoiding MyanmaAirways – its Fokkers areantiques with the worst reputationfor upkeep.Following is the contact informationfor airline offices inYangon; the regional officesare listed in the respectivedestination chapters.Air Bagan (airline codeW9; %01-513 322/422; www.airbagan.com; airline code AB;56 Shwe Taung Gyar St) Hasthe largest fleet with sixplanes.Air Kanbawza (airline codeKZ; %01-255 260; Sakura Tower,339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd)Owned by the same KanbawzaBank tycoon who ownsMyanmar Airways International,this two-plane operationstarted up in April 2011.Air Mandalay (airline code6T; %01-525 488; www.airmandalay.com; 146 Dhammazedi Rd)A Singapore-Malaysia jointventure with three planes.Asian Wings (airline codeAW; %01-516 654; www.asianTOURSwingsairways.com; 34 ShweTaung Gyar St) Rumoured tobe a subsidiary of Air Bagan,this two-plane operationstarted in January 2011.Myanma Airways (MA;airline code UB; %01-374 874,01-373 828; www.mot.gov.mm/ma; 104 Strand Rd) Governmentairline.SchedulesOne Yangon agent told us ‘inMyanmar, air routes changein the air’. They’re not joking.It’s particularly true ofMA flights, where dates anddeparture times are oftennot written on your ticket, sothe airline doesn’t have tohonour the dates and timesfor which reservations wereoriginally made. (In somecases, if officials are flyingsomewhere seats may suddenlyopen to the public.)Schedules are more reliableon the other airlines, andbetween main destinationssuch as Yangon, Mandalay,Nyaung U and Heho, duringthe high season – but it’sessential to always doublecheckdeparture times beforeleaving for the airport.TicketsTravel agents sell flight ticketsat a slightly discountedrate, so it usually makes littlesense to buy directly from theairlines. An exception to this isif you choose to use Air Mandalay.In 2011 the companybegan its Discover MyanmarPass covering the four flightson the routing Yangon–Mandalay–NyaungU–Heho–Many foreign-run companies book package tours toMyanmar. In most instances, more money will reach thelocal people if you travel on your own or arrange a driverand guide from a locally based agent. See p 30 for tipson arranging your own tour with agencies in Myanmar.Travel agents along Bangkok’s Khao San Rd offer ahost of short-term package trips to Myanmar, some ofwhich are geared more to midrange, locally run hotelsthan top-end, joint-venture hotels.Yangon. At $215 plus $28 intaxes it’s a slight saving overwhat you are likely to pay forsimilar tickets from an agent.There are plans to add Thandwe(for Ngapali Beach) tothe pass. Reservation can bemade online via the Air Mandalaywebsite with the passbeing paid for and picked upfrom the company’s office inYangon.One-way fares are half areturn fare, and can usuallybe bought a day in advance.To buy a ticket, you’ll need topay with US dollars or ForeignExchange Certificates (FECs;see p 365 ), and bring yourpassport to the travel agentor airline office. It’s sometimesdifficult to buy a ticketthat departs from a townother than the one you are in.There is no domestic departuretax.SAMPLE AIRFARESThe following table showssome one-way airfare quotesduring peak season for keyroutes in Myanmar – youmay find them for a few dollarscheaper. Fares during theoff season (roughly Marchthrough October) are about$4 or $5 cheaper.ROUTE FARE ($)Mandalay-Heho 43(Inle Lake)Mandalay-Nyaung 43U (Bagan)Nyaung U (Bagan)- 62Heho (Inle Lake)Thandwe-Sittwe71Yangon-Heho (Inle 91Lake)Yangon-Mandalay 97Yangon-Nyaung U 91(Bagan)Yangon-Sittwe107Yangon-Thandwe 78(Ngapali)373TRANSPORT AIR