SIA adds 2nd daily flight from Zurich

[Georg Burdicek 1]

According to travelinside, Singapore Airlines is offering 10 weekly flights out of Zurich by March, and is topping up to 2 daily flights (one mid-day, one evening flight) with the start of summer flight plan. Both flights shall operate with Boeing 777-300.

 

As we all know, our beloved Malaysian Airlines is pulling out of Zurich in a few weeks...

 

So how comes that SQ can fill 2 flights a day, but MH not 4 flights a week?

[Cornelis Boersma 0]

....So how comes that SQ can fill 2 flights a day, but MH not 4 flights a week?

 

MH 3 flights a week? Arriving in ZRH on Wednesday, Friday ans Sunday (Are was it upgraded last year with extra flight?)

[DavidC 0]

This speaks very loud on what MH is up to. Not sure how IJ inteprete this, but as usual, they will come up with all sorts of reason (which they cant even kid a 4 year old) for not being able to sustain, what more enhance, direct flights to zurich. Perhaps, this time around, IJ will say zurich is not their hub but the spokes that is better served by their partner airlines. On the other hand, MAHB failed on their part to make KUL a preferred connecting point. MAS and MAHB - partnership made in heaven!

 

DavidC

[Guest Michael]

Well you could be right there.

[Izanee 0]

you're right on the money david. MAHB has destroyed KUL's plans to be a regional hub - MH cannot make a potentially high yielding European route work.... even LHR is apparently a problem for MH. SQ can do twice daily ZRH (along with Swiss daily flights) ...there is clearly something wrong with the management team.

 

EVERYONE is fighting to have more flights to LHR but MH cannot make it work (despite taking up a lot of the 100 000 pax/year from BA). EK, EY and QR probably are pushing yields down.

 

If KUL is not so attractive - why is BA thinking of coming back? It must mean that they think that money can be made at some point.

 

KUL is too late to attract other airlines. We should have done that in the 80s when airlines were flying all over the world. In the late 90s/early 00s - many long haul flights by European/American carriers were chopped back due to poor yields. There has been a resurgence in flights to Asia - but now it is concentrated on India, China, Thailand, Japan.

BKK and SIN are too established. we are definitely too late. MAHB cannot be proud of attracting sri wijaya or mandala airlines or cambodian airlines. While that is a start, we need to have BA, NW, UA, NH, LX etc etc. or we will just be another shitty regional airport.

 

 

I give up - all our rantings will just go unheeded. MAHB and MAS will do as they please - typical Malaysian story - high cost, low quality and poor vision.

 

 

 

 

[KK Lee 5]

you're right on the money david. MAHB has destroyed KUL's plans to be a regional hub - MH cannot make a potentially high yielding European route work.... even LHR is apparently a problem for MH. SQ can do twice daily ZRH (along with Swiss daily flights) ...there is clearly something wrong with the management team.

 

EVERYONE is fighting to have more flights to LHR but MH cannot make it work (despite taking up a lot of the 100 000 pax/year from BA). EK, EY and QR probably are pushing yields down.

 

If KUL is not so attractive - why is BA thinking of coming back? It must mean that they think that money can be made at some point.

 

KUL is too late to attract other airlines. We should have done that in the 80s when airlines were flying all over the world. In the late 90s/early 00s - many long haul flights by European/American carriers were chopped back due to poor yields. There has been a resurgence in flights to Asia - but now it is concentrated on India, China, Thailand, Japan.

BKK and SIN are too established. we are definitely too late. MAHB cannot be proud of attracting sri wijaya or mandala airlines or cambodian airlines. While that is a start, we need to have BA, NW, UA, NH, LX etc etc. or we will just be another shitty regional airport.

I give up - all our rantings will just go unheeded. MAHB and MAS will do as they please - typical Malaysian story - high cost, low quality and poor vision.

 

I concurred with you.

 

 

 

[Azri M. 0]

I think SQ finds the pulling out of routes by MH as opportunity, the more MH cutting down and routes, the more SQ will add frequency. They anticipate the passengers to switch to SQ, and they are right!

[LeeCH 0]

More chance for me to head to Zurich-Kloten for airside spotting. Hehehe....that aside, I do not know how flight operations is going to pull this off. Already so short on man power. Now with this additional Zurich and the recently launched Moscow-Houston vv 4 times a week. Have to work really hard next year.

[Michael Chai 0]

Cheers Brother LeeCH... Fly more destinations with different time to Zurich...

[Guest Michael]

I am not sure how MAS is going to cope with this happening.

[Li Ren 2]

 

Besarnya ''malu'' MAS

[KC Sim 2]

The Singapore - Zurich route has always been a high yield route. On both end of this routing, the banking and insurance sectors are conducting prolific trade. SQ certainly is enjoying very healthy loads on this sector.

 

Swissair previously was also enjoying very good yield . . . until SWISS International Airlines came along and based on my personal experience on its A340 service, I don't think it provides the same level of service as its predecessor.

 

One of the problem for KUL and for MAS is the fact that MAS had for a long time used low-yield fares (perhaps not in Malaysia but in many of its other markets) as a marketing tool. This discouraged other airlines from coming to KUL and at the same time gave many the impression that it is a second-rate airline (wrongly so most of the time). For a high yield route such as that to Zurich, it is also very unattractive to offer anything less than a daily frequency.

 

The B773ERs and its cabin features have proven to be a strong sell in the markets they serve. It would not surprise me if SQ orders more of these.

 

KC Sim

 

 

[Izanee 0]

agreed...MH pissed off NW in the 80s when they first flew to kul - they were constantly dumping fares.

 

whatever it is...SQ and AK will take up the slack. MH can fly to koh samui and yogjakarta for all these guys care.

 

 

[BC Tam 2]

..... that aside, I do not know how flight operations is going to pull this off. Already so short on man power .....

Can always send head hunting team to MH flight operations centre ?!!

[Richard A 0]

The Singapore - Zurich route has always been a high yield route. On both end of this routing, the banking and insurance sectors are conducting prolific trade. SQ certainly is enjoying very healthy loads on this sector.

 

Well said, I'm sure it's this financial services and technology related biz travel between these two big business centres which is what's filling up the F+J seats that just isn't quite there for KUL/ZRH. Another major factor to consider in all of this is number of connections. LX=star alliance, ZRH=star alliance hub and likewise for SQ/SIN which as I see it would also help make this a popular route. Consider the sizeable catchment area (Europe, Asia, Oceania) that LX/SQ connections serve beyond their respective ZRH/SIN hubs.

 

Although I wonder if the 2nd daily ZRH by SQ means LX will exit SIN? It would make sense in my opinion given the inconvenience of the BKK stopover. I was once told that the SIN leg wasn't profitable LX so I wonder if much has changed recently.