Asia - Asian travel agencies

Sorry if this is the wrong place. I tried looking around but couln't find any forums that seemed more appropriate. Is there a place in FT where we keep a list of good Asian travel agencies in various countries? For example I'm looking at published fares within/between Malaysia/Singapore/Vietnam/Cambodia, and they seem high, so I'm thinking there have to be agencies where I can get good prices.

http://airfares.com.sg is reputable. Several people here have used them (including me).

Also, if you're injterested in going from SIN to places in Malaysia, it's usually cheaper to take Malaysian Air from JHB. There's a bus directly to JHB from S'pore (well, as direct as anything in Malaysia.)
Rich

[This message has been edited by rjh (edited 09-21-2002).]

Rich,

Thanks for the recommedation about airfares.com.sg. It was EXACTLY the kind of site I was looking for.
I also have a couple of questions about the MAS bus from SIN to Johor Nahru:
1.Is it free for MAS ticket holders who are
flying out of Johor Bahru?
2.Do you have to call and make a reservation
for the bus or is it just "first come,
first served" until it fills up?
3.The MAS web site shows a transit time of
about 1 hour 45 minutes from SIN to the
Johor Bahru airport. Is this reliable or
often subject to delay at peak border
crossing times?

Thanks for your help.

Mike

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dogcanyon:
Rich,

Thanks for the recommedation about airfares.com.sg. It was EXACTLY the kind of site I was looking for.
I also have a couple of questions about the MAS bus from SIN to Johor Nahru:
1.Is it free for MAS ticket holders who are
flying out of Johor Bahru?
2.Do you have to call and make a reservation
for the bus or is it just "first come,
first served" until it fills up?
3.The MAS web site shows a transit time of
about 1 hour 45 minutes from SIN to the
Johor Bahru airport. Is this reliable or
often subject to delay at peak border
crossing times?

Thanks for your help.

Mike</font>

If you get any info on this. could you please e-mail me at GUWonder@aol.com. By the way, I am going to be in Singapore from Oct. 24th to Oct. 29th and need info on getting to Johor Bahru too since a family friend lives there and I have not seen him for more than 5 years.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dogcanyon:
... I also have a couple of questions about the MAS bus from SIN to Johor Nahru:
1.Is it free for MAS ticket holders who are
flying out of Johor Bahru?
2.Do you have to call and make a reservation
for the bus or is it just "first come,
first served" until it fills up?
3.The MAS web site shows a transit time of
about 1 hour 45 minutes from SIN to the
Johor Bahru airport. Is this reliable or
often subject to delay at peak border
crossing times?
</font>


I haven't taken the bus for a while, so my information is dated. However:

1. The bus isn't free, but it's not expensive.

2. As I recall I made a reservation at the desk in the hotel in S'pore that's the terminus. The bus goes whether it's filled or not.

3. The bus departure times are scheduled to connect with specific flight, as I recall. Your transit time may vary, but I wouldn't worry about the border crossing.

Of course, bypassing SIN for JHB, you do accept some additional risk. I wouldn't depend on it for an important business trip, but if you're just travelling around, it's an easy way to trade some increased travel time to save some money.
Rich

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by GUWonder:
... need info on getting to Johor Bahru ... </font>


Take the SBS bus from the Queen Street terminal near Arab St for S$1.70. It alights at Larkin Terminal in JB. Keep your ticket as you cross the border. You catch the next #170 bus when you clear each border checkpoint.
http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/number_result.asp?busnumber=170

This is supposed to be a link to a map of the Queen Street Bus Terminal area, which is close to the Bugis MRT station.
http://streetdirectory.com/map.cgi?sizex=400&sizey =400&ismap=1&x=30740.2407407407&y=31742.7592592593&xyfile=&level=6?138,165 (http://streetdirectory.com/map.cgi?sizex=400&sizey=400&ismap=1&x=30740.2407407407&y=31742.7592592593&xyfile=&level=6?138,165)

Rich


[This message has been edited by rjh (edited 09-30-2002).]

Thanks, Rich.

Hong Kong agencies:

http://www.priceline.com.hk/eng/default.asp
http://www.travel.com.hk/
http://www.chinatravel1.com/english/index.htm

If I am understanding things correctly, I can take the #170 bus from the Queen St. Terminal to the JHB airport for approx. $1USD, and I would arrive in JHB about 2 hours after leaving the SIN terminal?

------------------
Thank you for choosing Continental Airlines, a proud member of the SkyTeam Alliance.

The ordinary bus from S'pore Queen Street terminal to JB would require another bus or taxi to the JHB airport, I believe.

This thread supplements the information above about the S'pore to JHB airport bus service:
http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum11/HTML/008838.html

Rich

Very useful sites. Thank you!

One question though - Do you have to be local in Singapore to buy through this site (airfares.com.sg) ? I was planning to be in Singapore in a few months and would like to book something out of there, but could I do this in advance from the States?

Thanks!

No, anyone/anywhere can buy from Misa. They can send the ticket by courier to an address outside of S'pore, or they can send by messenger to your hotel in S'pore when you arrive, or you can just pick up at their offices, which are currently about a 10 minute walk from the City Hall MRT (metro) stop.
Rich