S. Huang 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Do you think SQ will hand out nice A330 models on the official inaugural to BNE, as per what it did with the 380 on the A380 inaugurals to SYD, LHR etc? For sure, SQ will hand out gifts to passengers on any flight that has the 'inaugural' tag on it I don't think it will be an A330 model though (too expensive and not everyone appreciates it)... but I'm sure something that is useful and practical... Edited February 7, 2009 by S. Huang Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 For sure, SQ will hand out gifts to passengers on any flight that has the 'inaugural' tag on it I don't think it will be an A330 model though (too expensive and not everyone appreciates it)... but I'm sure something that is useful and practical... Well, SQ did splurge on the inaugurals to/from SYD/ LHR, given the various industry-wide firsts associated with these events. Just look at what each pax got! But the A330 inaugural is probably on a much much smaller scale as you suggested, given the economic backdrop and the only big deal about it is that it is SQ's first inaugural flight by the A330 (which a zillion other airlines already operate decades ago, and which is not the first A330 to arrive at BNE.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S. Huang 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 Well, SQ did splurge on the inaugurals to/from SYD/ LHR, given the various industry-wide firsts associated with these events. Just look at what each pax got! But the A330 inaugural is probably on a much much smaller scale as you suggested, given the economic backdrop and the only big deal about it is that it is SQ's first inaugural flight by the A330 (which a zillion other airlines already operate decades ago, and which is not the first A330 to arrive at BNE.) As you rightly said so yourself, this is the zillionth A330 on the face of the earth, unlike the A380 where it was a novelty and everyone wanted to get their hands on the that model aircraft. The A333 flight to BNE is only special to SQ as it marks the launch of their new regional J. But thanks for agreeing with me for once Cheers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC Sim 2 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 Take note that there has been a small adjustment to the A330's first flights on 16 February 2009. Its first commercial flight into KUL on 16 Feb is now SQ118 arriving at 1940hrs and departing as SQ119 at 2030hrs. Jakarta is now the first destination to receive the A330 as SQ958 / SQ959 earlier in the day. I am not aware of the reason for the slight adjustment and just wanted to sound you folks out so that you don't end up with a futile wait early that morning. KC Sim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 Take note that there has been a small adjustment to the A330's first flights on 16 February 2009. Its first commercial flight into KUL on 16 Feb is now SQ118 arriving at 1940hrs and departing as SQ119 at 2030hrs. Jakarta is now the first destination to receive the A330 as SQ958 / SQ959 earlier in the day. I am not aware of the reason for the slight adjustment and just wanted to sound you folks out so that you don't end up with a futile wait early that morning. KC Sim Thanks for the headsup. But it hasn't been reflected on SQ's website or other booking engines. So, is it on, then off, then maybe on again, at this juncture? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted February 16, 2009 9V-STA did its first commercial run to KUL this morning, as scheduled before the Jakarta run. The Y seats were very much like on the A380 whilst the new regional biz is an improvement over SQ's old regional, but I find there's more room on MH's business seats on the 772 & 744. I think MH's seats are better but then again, this is MH's long haul product vs what SQ labels as a regional product. But on routes where the new SQ 330 flies as well as MH's 772, such as BNE, PER etc, MH biz seats will be much better. But where it is versus MH A330...well, you know the verdict... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S. Huang 0 Report post Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) but I find there's more room on MH's business seats on the 772 & 744. I think MH's seats are better but then again, this is MH's long haul product vs what SQ labels as a regional product. But on routes where the new SQ 330 flies as well as MH's 772, such as BNE, PER etc, MH biz seats will be much better. But where it is versus MH A330...well, you know the verdict... I'm so envious that you managed to fly on and try first hand the new A330's regional J class... Aesthetically, SQ's new regional J looks great, and while it falls short on spaciousness as you suggested, it's afterall a regional product...Perhaps it's sometimes better to compare apples to apples. I recall a respected Malaysian member from another forum saying these very words... Even so, many will consider the seat on this regionally configured SQ B772 to be inferior to the MH B772 on this sector – but it seems it’s SQ which gets the loads. With arguably the best hard product among Far East airlines from Perth, MH should be the market leader among them. But is it? Now that SQ has upgraded their regional product to be en par with the international product on other carriers, hopefully many will consider SQ to possess the best hard product out of PER (as you highlighted), and continue to fill their aircrafts in these difficult times... Edited February 16, 2009 by S. Huang Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC Sim 2 Report post Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) I guess the strength of each airline in a given market depends on a basket of criteria - and working in SIA's favour include : - three flights out of PER each day - greater connectivity to more cities around the world - FF miles accrual that can be used on carriers belonging to Star Alliance All said, Malaysia Airlines is pretty strong in the Australian market although at one time, political relations between Malaysia and Australia worked against the airline and Malaysia as a destination. All that is (hopefully) water under the bridge. Mushrif : Hope you enjoyed your flight on the inaugural KUL-SIN A330 service by SIA. Tsen Tsan was also onboard that flight (and he actually continued on to Jakarta and back to SIN) . . . but I imagine you were both too busy inspecting the cabin and its amenities to notice one another. If you had seen a camera-toting bloke going around the cabin, that's probably Tsen Tsan Anyhow, Tsen Tsan has also mentioned that the manufacturer plate previously located just above door L1 is no longer there and the owner plate is now located on one side of the door instead of above it. KC Sim Edited February 17, 2009 by KC Sim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pieter C. 5 Report post Posted February 17, 2009 All said, Malaysia Airlines is pretty strong in the Australian market ... Thanks to the code-share with KLM ??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC Sim 2 Report post Posted February 17, 2009 Yes, the code-share with KLM certainly is a shot in the arm for Malaysia Airlines Australasian services . . . but since 1972, MAS had done its part to offer good service and attractive fares in the market. Are there other carriers that code-share on MAS services to Australia and NZ? I imagine all the Middle Eastern carriers that do not go beyond KUL to Australia/NZ would probably find MAS a most useful partner to carry their passengers to their final destinations. Out of Singapore, SIA carries passengers ex-Lufthansa and ex-Turkish Airlines (and there are certainly more) to Australia and NZ. The folks at Lufthansa once mentioned that they prefer to route Australia/NZ buond passengers through SIN rather than BKK because the former offers far greater choices. Connectivity and flexibility won the day for Changi Airport's hub aspiration. KC Sim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted February 17, 2009 I'm so envious that you managed to fly on and try first hand the new A330's regional J class... Aesthetically, SQ's new regional J looks great, and while it falls short on spaciousness as you suggested, it's afterall a regional product...Perhaps it's sometimes better to compare apples to apples. Anything for that new car smell! It only falls short on spaciousnous because I was comparing it with MH's LH C product on the 772. I did imply that it was not an apple to apple comparison .... "[...] but then again, this is MH's long haul product vs what SQ labels as a regional product." Maybe making that in bold and uppercase would have been more explicit! And then, there's that grey area of what are the limits of or definition of regional (MH 772 to PER, MH 330 to JED, SQ 773 to IST, CAI etc). (off-topic, MH C on the 772 has even more space than MH's C on the 744, despite same seats, where MH could have made the seats flat as opposed to lieflat. So, in reality & fairness, one should really compare it with what MH has on its 734s and A330s. (Anyway, it was an after-thought by MH to space out the seats even more on the 772. The initial layout was to have all the biz cabin between door 1 & 2. Then somebody in mngt complained, and the fifth row was moved after door 2. So, for a short while, MH had two new layouts, the new and the newer.) On the new SQ regional seats, one would probably need to do some acrobatics to get out from the window seat without disturbing the neighbour. But, one thing I like is that the motors were quite silent on the SQ seats. The tray tables however could do with a raised "leading" edge, to prevent the tray from sliding off the table when there's turbulence and the like - maybe SQ can improve on this small yet meaningful enhancement in future deliveries. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony 1 Report post Posted February 18, 2009 Excellent coverage, KC! Always a pleasure reading your articles and viewing the magnificent pics. Thanks for all the hard work. So this explains the A330 operating BNE-SIN sector when I tried to search for availability on Singaporeair.com... I thought I was too tired from work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
