Malaysia Singapore Airlines (MSA)

[H Azmal 0]

Found this on Youtube. Hopefully you will find this delightful.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVSj2X5SBjc

 

The video shows scenes onboard a MSA Malaysia Singapore Airlines B707 on a Boeing B707 LHR-FCO-BAH-BOM-KUL-SIN flight in first class. Also shown are Fokker F27 and B737 in full MSA livery. MSA was the predecessor of Malaysian and Singapore Airlines and renowned for it's superior inflight service.... Eventually the airlines was divided into two in 1972. The twoletter code MS was cancelled and replace by MH and SQ. The film was shot with an old 8mm camera, transferred to VHS and now uploaded. So, sorry for the quality ! Enjoy !

Edited July 24, 2010 by H Azmal

[Sung 0]

interesting

[KK Lee 5]

Qantas assisted MSA and MH in the early days.

 

[zeqa 1]

Nice vid..

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Just to clear on some info, the IATA code for MSA was ML, isn't it? MS as per the thread starter mentioned is belong to Egyptair.

 

In the video, I saw that all MSA's aircrafts were registered as 9V (which is now the registration code for aircrafts in Singapore). But some aircrafts information in MSA's wikipedia page mentioned 9M registered aircrafts instead. Can I assume the wikipedia's info is incorrect?

[Ikman Ikreza 0]

Nice video, so sweet memorable. Now miniature model left to keep it as one of part Malaysia-Singapore history.

 

[H Azmal 0]

In the video, I saw that all MSA's aircrafts were registered as 9V (which is now the registration code for aircrafts in Singapore). But some aircrafts information in MSA's wikipedia page mentioned 9M registered aircrafts instead. Can I assume the wikipedia's info is incorrect?

 

That WIkipedia Info is correct.Some MSA aircraft were 9M registered.

[aaronhiew 0]

Azmal, thx for the video & infos, really enjoyed it.

[flee 5]

In the video, I saw that all MSA's aircrafts were registered as 9V (which is now the registration code for aircrafts in Singapore). But some aircrafts information in MSA's wikipedia page mentioned 9M registered aircrafts instead. Can I assume the wikipedia's info is incorrect?

Yes, I think that the video is caught it some time warp! The background music included the "Singapore Girl" jingle which only came on SQ's commercials and marketing material after the MSA split. Yes it certainly brought back memories and I was lucky enough to fly MSA's 731 in 1969 although I never managed to get on the F-27's, Comet 4C's nor B707's.

 

When MSA split up, SQ took all the B707's and some B737s leaving MH with the remainder of the short haul aircraft.

Edited July 25, 2010 by flee

[Jim Liu 0]

MSA Network in 1972, before splitting into MAS and SIA.

 

http://airlineroute.net/2009/12/29/ml-s72/

[KC Sim 2]

Actually Francis, the split was not a matter of who grabbed what and someone got the raw deal while the other walked away with the bacon.

 

All assets - including aircraft - were valued in a manner mutually agreed by both sides. With its stated focus on regional routes, MAS took the portion of the fleet that facilitated this. It also did not see the value of the Kriscom reservation system. After all the assets were divided (or taken), the sums were completed and MAS which took less assets (again by choice) was compensated with a monetary value to restore the equilibrium.

 

Assets not wanted by both were disposed and the gains split equally.

 

Hope this corrects the often held impression here on Mwings that MAS walked away with a raw deal in the split of MSA in October 1972.

 

KC Sim

[flee 5]

KC,

 

My view is a little different - I hold the view that MSA split up because Malaysia wanted to use the airline as a VIP transport for ministers and other govt. officials. Singapore, on the other hand, is more concerned that the airline makes money and fulfils its business potential.

 

This has been proven as post split, MH was used and abused by the govt. ministers and civil servants. If you look at the UK, British Airways or Virgin always gets a govt. contract if they carry govt. ministers. Otherwise they have to use RAF transport.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

The route map for MSA in 1972 were lopsided. All international flights originates in Singapore, with only a few having stopovers in KL and Penang. Why didn't both Singapore & Malaysia had an agreement whereby international flights heading east would be either be flown out of KL or Singapore and similarly for westbound flights, with a point being demarcated to show the limit for eastbound or westbound flights?

 

MSA Network in 1972, before splitting into MAS and SIA.

 

http://airlineroute.net/2009/12/29/ml-s72/

 

Thanks for the website. A lot of interesting routes on there. Like I didn't knew MH's KUL-LAX flights once had a stopover at Tokyo. What happened that led them to route all flights to LAX to TPE?

[KC Sim 2]

Hi Francis,

 

You are probably right - being on the ground, you are more familiar with the local political forces and dynamics. However, in its final years as MSA, there were already rumblings between both sides with the Northern owner believing the airline should just consolidate and be a regional carrier while the Southerners believe that MSA should be an international network carrier. I think all these forces allude to the need for a split. But the split of assets was clinical and nothing was spared. Each and every single aircraft's net worth was individually calculated - meaning for example, each B707 was valued differently based on its age and version.

 

Hi Mohd Suhaimi Fariz,

 

To a large extent, the way the international routes radiate out of KUL or SIN was largely a function of demand and supply. Singapore was by then already very much more established on the Kangaroo Route and I would even argue that even Penang might actually at that time over-shadow KUL in importance along this route (in the same way that Rangoon - today's Yangon - was actually more important than BKK). But on routes going out to Hong Kong, Taipeh and Tokyo, flights did operate from both KUL and SIN.

 

If anyone has a copy of MSA's final timetable, it would be possible to establish the actual network at the time of the split.

 

KC Sim