Royal Brunei to fly daily non-stop from LHR effective October 28

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 26 total)

  • AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Royal Brunei is upping capacity ex-London Heathrow from October 28.

    Flights will now operate daily and the niche carrier t will drop the DXB stop when flying to Brunei.

    It means that Royal Brunei will become a more serious player for other destinations in Asia and Australasia.

    More details when available.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    Excellent airline. I’ve flown on them twice, between FRA/LHR and DXB or RUH/JED (I think). I will just say though that although I am a light drinker, after 2 weeks in Saudi, and booked back on Royal Brunei, my first sector with them, I was gasping for an ice cold frosty, settled back into my lovely leather seat, a beautiful blonde hostie greeted me by name and asked me if I wanted a drink ………… up to that point I wasn’t aware it was a ‘dry’ airline.


    nevereconomy
    Participant

    Not sure if BWN has been upgraded as it was very grim the last time I was through there. I remember RB as a nice experience for the short SIN-BWN flight, but sorry, dry flying is not for me..

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    RedBaron
    Participant

    Royal Brunei is copping a lot of blowback in Australia following the full implementation of Sharia law in Brunei today. The usual online petitions are circulating but now Virgin Australia has cancelled reciprocal staff flights on RBA. Some of the main travel retailers appear to be nervously issuing press releases stating their rather flaccid positions.

    Currently RBA only flies from Melbourne where it usually offers one of the cheapest flights to London, but with Brisbane flights due to start in June RBA’s social media accounts have gone mysteriously quiet in the last two weeks. Any thoughts on whether calls for boycotts or the (unlikely) banning of the airline from AU or the UK will have any effect?


    GivingupBA
    Participant

    [quote quote=927528] …..the full implementation of Sharia law in Brunei today…. Any thoughts on whether calls for boycotts or the (unlikely) banning of the airline from AU or the UK will have any effect?[/quote]

    I am boycotting them forthwith in light of this week’s news. I was considering flying with them with a stop in Brunei just to have a look around, as I haven’t been there. Now – no.

    8 users thanked author for this post.

    BackOfThePlane
    Participant

    I have flown with them once, a fair while back – then, the flight stopped in both DXB & SIN en-route to Brunei.

    In light of the current situation, I certainly won’t fly with them again.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    st1969
    Participant

    Given the latest news from BSB, I doubt that they will become a major player. Add to the numerous people boycotting them the fact that you won’t get a sniff of an alcoholic drink between London and Brisvegas or Melbourne, and you can just sit back and watch the number of passengers dwindling.

    Planes will be carrying people who don’t care about human rights and who don’t want an in-flight pick-me-up or calm-me-down. Not the kind of people I want to be surrounded by for hours on end….


    capetonianm
    Participant

    This is only marginally worse than what goes on in Dubai, but I don’t hear any outraged protestations from people saying they won’t travel on EK.

    At least in Brunei they are up front about it.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    nevereconomy
    Participant

    Capetonianm – I will not fly any ME carrier as all those states are much of a muchness human rights wise. Certainly never RB again – Brunei is a convenient way to Labuan, but there are other options.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Folium
    Participant

    The only other Gulf states that have the death penalty for homosexuality are Saudi and Yemen.

    Brunei’s pathetic lapse into medieval punishments is hideously hypocritical given the “exotic” lifestyle of both the Sultan and particularly his dissolute and venal brother.

    Their father was saved by the British Army from a coup attempt in 1962 and again during the confrontation with Indonesia from 1963-66.

    While Brunei remains a healthy profit centre for Royal Dutch Shell, and whose security is provided by a battalion of British Gurkha troops, contributing to the maintenance of this autocratic regime is both unnecessary and misguided.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    I totally agree with your point of view Folium… The extravagant lifestyle and what goes on behind the scenes is reminiscent of what Razak was up to in Malaysia and for that alone the announcements this week are a distraction from what is going on within the regime..

    Having said that, you aint getting the chance to stone me so we will definitely not be flying with them not now, not ever!


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    It goes beyond the airline. There is also call to boycott the hotels owned by the Sultan (where homosexual couples are more than welcome as a group part of the “Dual income no kids” group!):
    The Dorchester, London
    45 Park Lane, London
    Coworth Park, UK
    The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
    Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
    Le Meurice, Paris
    Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
    Hotel Eden, Rome
    Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan

    In today’s world, it is obvious that such a decision (that btw is NOT backed by the holly Quran) will backslash. Hard to understand the Sultan’s move…


    PeterCoultas
    Participant

    Clearly in view of current news not a good idea for “chaps together” to go there! Must admit my wife (female) & I (male) enjoyed a short stay there a couple of years back with a great supper at their cookery school restaurant… sad that this is yet another lovely place where disgusting governments make it not worth visiting… (like Iran)


    rferguson
    Participant

    BA’s timing is unfortunate with their collaboration with The Dorchester, showcasing its new First Class service.

    I’m pleased with Australia’s reaction to the hideous law. I believe gay people cannot even get a straight answer as to whether they are at risk during transit in BWN. In reality, the risks are virtually non existent. For the crime to be proven there needs to be four muslim witnesses or an admission of guilt. Nonetheless, the principle remains.

    There also seems to be a bit of corporate double standard. Virgin Australia made a big thing out of cancelling their staff travel agreement with Royal Brunei. However they have maintained their feeder services with RBA. These apply to Royal Brunei selling seats on onward VA domestic flights. So while VA were happy to cancel an agreement that generates absolutely nil revenue for them (staff travel) they couldn’t bring themselves to do the same with a commercial one.

    On balance though, this same notion of moral punishment by the west does not seem to apply to Saudi Arabia whom as others have pointed out also exercise strict Sharia law and have probably had more human rights abuses (not just gay related) than Brunei and Dubai put together.

    As an aside….when I saw the new Virgin ‘icons’ my firs thought at seeing the gay one was what the reaction would be when that jet touches down in DXB.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
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