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Andrew K

Singapore Airlines to Resume Non Stop Flights to the US

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If you apply that sort of restriction, nothing will ever get off ground in real world scenario :lol:

Seriously, guaranteed profitability ..... ?!!

 

Seriously, unless it is a bank fixed deposit. No such thing as guaranteed profitability! Business involves a good amount of risks and nothing guaranteed what-so-ever!

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Seriously, unless it is a bank fixed deposit. No such thing as guaranteed profitability! Business involves a good amount of risks and nothing guaranteed what-so-ever!

Yes, only taxes and death is guaranteed!

 

What I meant was that SQ already know the costs and risks involved and they will need to see very convincing numbers before taking the plunge again. They won't be starting the service again if profitability was touch n go and easily swung around by jet fuel price fluctuations. That is why currently available aircraft are seen by them as being "not good enough"...

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Singapore Airlines must have done their homework and concluded that there was a business case for converting those non-stop A345 flights from 2-class Biz/Prem Economy to an all Biz class service.

 

Turned out to be a disastrous decision when the financial crisis hit soon after. With only 5 airframes, unit costs were always going to be high. The A330s that came later would have mitigated some of these costs in terms of better crew utilization (mixed fleet flying, common type rating, simulators, etc) but by then, the market economics did not justify the A345 any longer.

 

If anything, it was good marketing for the Singapore Airlines brand. But ultimately, as one can imagine, a very expensive one.

 

I always felt that Singapore Airlines should have bought the B777-200LR many years back to replace the A345s. They must have had their reasons for not doing so.

 

The comments from the CEO seem to suggest that there are no suitable offerings from Boeing or Airbus at this stage. I always thought that the B777-8X would be more than capable of plying non-stop Singapore-US flights profitably. Would be interesting to know what does SIA deem as "profitable".

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Airbus Group SE’s airliner unit is working on a new variant of its A350-900 wide-body that would allow Singapore Airlines Ltd. to restore nonstop U.S. flights and regain the record for the world’s longest airline sector.


Airbus, which began deliveries of the twin-engine model last year, is working on changes to the cabin layout that would reduce the aircraft’s weight and let Singapore Airlines reach New York economically by 2018, said Kiran Rao, the planemaker’s executive vice president for strategy and marketing.


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I would imagine that this aircraft should have premium economy seating with 34" pitch. It should also have first and business class seats. That way, they carry fewer pax and they may be able to forego carrying cargo too.

 

Should be interesting to see what kind of fares they will charge in this regime of USD 40 oil....

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..... and let Singapore Airlines reach New York economically by 2018, .....

Dunno about you, but to me that sounds like a very trying flight experience however economical it may prove, considering it's still 2015 :lol:

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I would imagine that this aircraft should have premium economy seating with 34" pitch. It should also have first and business class seats. That way, they carry fewer pax and they may be able to forego carrying cargo too.

 

My guess would be a 2-class config with J and PY, like how it was before they went all-Biz in 2008.

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It would be a tough competition with CX.

 

SIN and HKG are both financial center with many banks, insurance companies, fund management, etc that have office in NYC, and these people could afford non-stop j-class ticket.

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SIA's previous non-stop fligthe flights to the US were just breakeven or just slightly above breakeven only and hardly contribute much to its profitability and just operating with 5 aircrafts. Believed the reason why SQ is trying to do these non stop flights is bec SIN and US have open air traffic rights between the 2 countries and can have as many flights as it wants - but SQ do not have such 5th freedom rights on its non-stop flights. However due to the long flights hours, it doesn't look like any real profit making routes in the near future until aircraft manufacturers can have a aircraft that can do a 19 hour flight hours for much more less fuel consumption that what is at present even given the A350s and 787 series.

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It seems like SQ is reluctant to accept the fact that they are not in good geographical position to do Asia-North America flight. CI, BR, CX, NH, OZ KE and JL are doing much better on these markets with the amount of frequency increase and new destinations established lately.

 

As a Star Alliance member, they should leverage on their partners' presence in NA market and their strength. SQ can easily get LH, NH and OZ to cover both ends for themselves, eastwards and westwards. Judging from how restricted SQ allowing their partners' FF members in ticket redemption, SQ seems to think they are 'above' all others in Star Alliance.

 

The rules of aviation has been re-written due to emergence of ME3. SQ seems to want to fight them alone and have everything (sic continents) in their plate. No wonder they are being hit left, right and center.

Edited by JuliusWong

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That's why I think it's a tough competition with CX, especially. CX is partnering with One World AA and offer seamless non-stop services and I think CX pricing is also cheaper than SQ.

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SQ does have enough pax and traffic from Indonesia and even Malaysia on its previous direct to US flights as their load factors are good and in their high 80s. It's just that any aircraft used takes on too much fuel for the 19 hours flight plus reserves and hence the actual profit margin is razor thin.

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Airbus launches new Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900

 

Enables Singapore Airlines to resume non-stop flights to the US
13 OCTOBER 2015 PRESS RELEASE
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has selected Airbus’ newly launched Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900 for non-stop flights to the US. Under an amendment to the carrier’s existing order for 63 A350-900s, seven of the aircraft will now be delivered with an Ultra-Long Range capability for flights of up to 19 hours. In addition, the carrier has placed an additional order for four A350-900s, taking its total firm orders for the A350 XWB Family to 67.
Optimised for non-stop flights to the US, the aircraft, designated A350-900ULR (Ultra-Long Range), will ‎include a modified fuel system to increase the fuel carrying capacity, an increase in Maximum Take-Off Weight, plus aerodynamic improvements, enabling service to the US West Coast, as well as to New York.
Representing a distance of some 8,700 nautical miles, the New York service will be the world’s longest commercial passenger route, with an expected flight time of up to 19 hours. Moreover, the unique flexibility offered by the A350 XWB allows operators to reconfigure their A350-900ULR to the standard long-haul A350-900 specification should they require it.
“Our customers have been asking us to re-start non-stop Singapore-US flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner,” said Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong. “This is another example of how we strive to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations by remaining at the forefront of product and service innovation in our industry. It will also further strengthen the Singapore hub by providing the fastest and most convenient air connectivity between North America and Southeast Asia.”
“We are excited to be working with Singapore Airlines to re-launch its premium non-stop service to the US,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO. “The A350 is the perfect, flexible platform for such operations, offering unrivalled operating economics for the very longest routes. And the wider and quieter cabin will provide the perfect environment for passengers to enjoy the world-famous Singapore Airlines in-flight product.”
The all-new A350 XWB entered commercial service earlier this year and features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.
To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 783 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 41 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever. Singapore Airlines is the largest customer for the A350 XWB in East Asia, with deliveries of its 67 aircraft now on order starting in the first quarter of 2016. Deliveries of the carrier’s A350-900ULR aircraft are scheduled to take place in 2018.
Notes for Editors
The A350-900ULR incorporates a number of necessary changes over the standard A350-900. These include a higher capacity fuel system within the existing fuel tanks, increasing fuel carrying capacity from 141,000 litres to 165,000 litres.
The A350-900ULR has an MTOW of 280 tonnes. The extended range capability is achieved without installation of additional fuel tanks and the aircraft can be reconfigured easily to the standard A350-900 long haul specification.
Singapore Airlines previously operated non-stop services from its home base to New York and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013 using the A340-500.

Singapore Airlines: non-stop USA flights with long-range A350

 

 

New business class to beat the long-haul blues

http://www.ausbt.com.au/airbus-confirms-ultra-long-range-a350-for-singapore-airlines

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To say that SIA is not a team-player within Star Alliance is perhaps looking at things rather narrowly. It has broad exchange of passengers with airlines such as Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, EVA Air, ANA etc. The one airline it is reluctant to forge any form of partnership with is United Airlines. Can you blame SIA for that? Fly with United and you will understand how unwilling SIA is to send passengers over to an airline whose service is so horrible and whose hardware is so ancient. While it is still possible to string together an SIA/UA itinerary via Star Alliance, there is no bilateral code-share services between these two carriers.

 

I would be pissed to hell if I were to be booked on an SQ-coded flight and arrive at the gate to see a UA aircraft performing the task. It would have been a completely different proposition had it been Continental ... whose inflight service, meals and onboard product were all up to par.

 

If SIA is branded a non-team player because of its reluctance to embrace UA, then one could similarly brand Qantas for being unwilling to embrace not just Cathay Pacific but also Qatar Airways (both oneworld members). In this case, it is less to do with parity of service and product ... but more to do with historic bad-blood (with CX) and competition with another partner (Emirates) ... as in the case of QR.

 

KC Sim

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Singapore Airlines: 'all-new' business class on long-range A350

 

Singapore Airlines' new long-range Airbus A350 jet will be fitted with a new generation of business class and possibly first class, the airline confirmed today.
Due to take wing in 2018 with non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and New York, the long-legged variant of the A359-900 – dubbed the A350-900ULR – will carry around 170 seats compared to just over 250 passengers in the standard A350-900.

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Singapore Airlines: 'all-new' business class on long-range A350

 

Singapore Airlines' new long-range Airbus A350 jet will be fitted with a new generation of business class and possibly first class, the airline confirmed today.
Due to take wing in 2018 with non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and New York, the long-legged variant of the A359-900 – dubbed the A350-900ULR – will carry around 170 seats compared to just over 250 passengers in the standard A350-900.

 

Didn't they released a seat map covering just J, Y+ and Y class. Perhaps they have multiple config for their 67 A350s. Premium heavy for more 'prestigious' routes and Y end heavy for leisure heavy.

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This one is only for their A350-900ULR - only seven aircraft.


I suspect the product will be similar to those on their five new A380s to be delivered from 2017.

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