Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) (Malay: Syarikat Penerbangan Singapura; Chinese: 新加坡航空公司; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Hángkōng Gōngsī, abbreviated 新航; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் வான்வழி) (SGX: C6L) is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets. The company also operates trans-Pacific flights, including the world's two longest non-stop commercial flights from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles on the Airbus A340-500.^[5][6]

Singapore Airlines was the launch customer of Airbus A380, currently the world's largest passenger aircraft. SIA has diversified airline-related businesses, such as aircraft handling and engineering. Its wholly owned subsidiary, SilkAir, manages regional flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements. Subsidiary Singapore Airlines Cargo operates SIA's dedicated freighter fleet, and manages the cargo-hold capacity in SIA's passenger aircraft. SIA has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic and engages the low-cost carrier sector through its stake in Tiger Airways. It ranks amongst the top 15 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometres,^[7] and 10th in the world for international passengers carried.^[8] On 15 December 2010, Singapore Airlines was announced by the International Air Transport Association as the world's second largest airline in the world by market capitalisation with a worth of 14 billion US dollars.^[9]

History

Origins

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 1 May 1947, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways. The airline's first flight was a chartered flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined aeroplane.^[10] Regular weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type.^[11] The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27.

When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airways". MAL also took over Borneo Airways. In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft, the Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon after.

Incorporation and growth

MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two entities: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines System.^[12][13][14] Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 707s and 737s, retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the existing corporate headquarters in the city, with J.Y. Pillay, former joint chief of MSA as its first chairperson. Female flight attendants continued to wear the sarong kebaya uniform, which had been first introduced in 1968. A local start-up advertising company, Batey Ads was given the right to market the airline, eventually selecting the sarong and kebaya-clad air stewardesses as an icon for the airline and calling them Singapore Girls.

SIA saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. Mr Yong Nyuk Lin, then Minister for Communications at the welcoming ceremony of the first two SIA-Boeing 747s at Paya Lebar Airport on Monday 3 September 1973 at 1600 hours was quoted thus:

In 1977, British Airways and Singapore Airlines shared a Concorde for flights between London and Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar via Bahrain. The aircraft, BA’s Concorde G-BOAD, was painted in Singapore Airlines livery on the port side and British Airways livery on the starboard side.^[16][17] The service was discontinued after three return flights because of noise complaints from the Malaysian government;^[18] it could only be reinstated on a new route bypassing Malaysian airspace in 1979. A dispute with India prevented Concorde from reaching supersonic speeds in Indian airspace, so the route was eventually declared not viable and discontinued in 1980.^[19]

The 1980s saw the new services to United States, Canada, and European cities with Madrid becoming the first Hispanic city to be served by SIA. Boeing 747-400s were introduced into the SIA fleet in 1989 and named Megatops. They were later complemented by Boeing 777s, Airbus A310s and Airbus A340s. Services were extended to southern Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The cities of Cape Town and Durban were subsequently introduced to the route network. In 2011, it extend to Sao Paulo in Brazil marking the airline's first South America destination as well as being the 10th airline to fly to all 6 inhabited continents.

Modern history

In 2004, SIA began non-stop trans-Pacific flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark, utilising the Airbus A340-500. These flights marked the first non-stop air services between Singapore and the USA. The Singapore to Newark flight holds the record for the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of about 18 hours each way. Singapore Airlines has converted its five Airbus A340-500 aircraft from a 64 Business Class/117 Premium Economy Class configuration to a 100-seat all- Business Class configuration for its routes to Newark and Los Angeles.

At a Cabinet meeting on 22 February 2006, the Government of Australia decided not to grant fifth freedom rights to Singapore Airlines on flights from Australia to the United States.^[20] Singapore Airlines had argued that transpacific flights from Australia suffered from under-capacity, leading to limited competition and relatively high air fares.^[20] The move was seen as a measure taken to protect Qantas from increased competition.^[21] SIA had encountered such protectionist measures in the past when SIA was shut out from the Toronto market after complaints from Air Canada, and was forced to stop flying Boeing 747-400s into Jakarta in the wake of protests from Garuda Indonesia when it could not use similar equipment to compete.^[22]

A380

On 29 September 2000, SIA announced an order for 25 Airbus A3XX (as the A380 was known at the time). The US$8.6 billion order comprised a firm order of 10 aircraft, with options on another 15 airframes.^[23] The order was confirmed by Singapore Airlines on 12 July 2001. In January 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to Fly the A380 – Experience the Difference in 2006", to promote itself as the first airline to take delivery of the A380-800, which was expected to take place in the second quarter of 2006.^[24] In June 2005, Airbus confirmed that due to unforeseen technical problems, initial deliveries of the Airbus A380 would be delayed by up to six months,^[25] with the first delivery now slated for November 2006. The announcement was met with fury by SIA's Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus, saying:

He further stated that SIA will be turning its attention to Boeing instead, since it would be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER before the A380. Nevertheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign. In February 2006, the first A380 in full Singapore Airlines livery was flown to Singapore, where it was displayed at Asian Aerospace 2006. On 14 June 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of its future aircraft expansion. The order consisted of 20 787-9s and rights for 20 more. This order came one day after Airbus announced that the A380 Superjumbo would be delayed by another 6 months. A third delay was announced on 3 October 2006, pushing the initial delivery of the first A380 to October 2007.^[27]

On 25 October 2007, the first commercial A380 service, SQ 380,^[28] carried 455 passengers from Singapore to Sydney, touching down in Sydney Airport at 3:24 pm local time, where it received significant attention from the media.^[29] The airline donated all revenue generated from the flight to three charities in a ceremony the next day in Sydney. SIA began regular services with the A380 on 28 October 2007. The A380 now operates daily flights to Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Zurich, Los Angeles, as an extension of the Singapore-Narita service and double daily flights to London and Sydney.^[30][31] An A380 service to Frankfurt and onwards to New York will commence on 15 January 2012.^[32]

In October 2011, Singapore Airlines announced the discontinuation of the A380 service to Melbourne on the A380 and will take effect from January 2012. The Singapore-Melbourne and Melbourne-Singapore route is currently served by a Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 respectively. Singapore Airlines plans to resume the A380 service to Melbourne in the first quarter of 2012.

Fleet cuts

On 16 February 2009 the airline announced that it would cut 17 aircraft from its operating fleet between April 2009 and March 2010, as part of a cost-saving initiative to help counter falling passenger and cargo demand, having originally planned to phase out only four aircraft. The airline stated that it could not rule out delaying deliveries on aircraft already ordered.^[33][34]

Scoot

In May 2011, Singapore Airlines announced that it will launch a low-fare airline within a year. The wholly owned subsidiary, New Aviation, has been incorporated on 17 June 2011 with an issued and paid up capital of S$1.^[35]

On 1 November 2011, it was announced that the low-cost airline will be named Scoot airlines and will begin flights from mid-2012 with a fleet of four Boeing 777-200 aircraft when it takes to the skies next year.^[36][37] The entire fleet of the airline will consist of wide body aircraft focused on medium- and long-haul routes. The airline will be wholly owned by Singapore Airlines, but will be operated independently and managed separately from SIA.

Corporate management

The airline is a subsidiary of Singapore government investment and holding company Temasek Holdings^[38] which holds 54.5% of voting stock.^[3] The Singapore government, which holds a golden share via the Ministry of Finance, has regularly stressed its non-involvement in the management of the company, a point emphasised by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he declared that the aviation hub status of Singapore Changi Airport will be defended, even at the cost of SIA.^[39] However, he was personally involved in defusing tensions between the company and its pilots,^[40] warned the airline to cut costs,^[41] and made public his advice to the airline to divest from its subsidiary companies.^[42] Still, independent research typically rates the airline as practising sound corporate governance policies in accordance with national regulations.^[43] In the lead up to the conclusion of the Open Skies Agreement with the United Kingdom on 2 October 2007, the Singapore aviation authorities referred to the airline's audited annual reports to dispel the notion that SIA receives state funding, subsidies or preferential treatment from the government, despite being a Government-linked company.^[44] Singapore Airlines is headquartered at Airline House, by Changi Airport in the Changi area of Singapore.^[45] Marie Bordet of Le Point said that the head office was "un tantinet décrépit" ("a little decrepit").^[46]

Structure

Singapore Airlines has diversified into related industries and sectors, including ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operations. It has also restructured itself by hiving off operational units as fully owned subsidiaries to maintain its core business as a passenger airline. The Singapore Airlines Group comprised 25 subsidiaries, 32 associates, and two joint venture companies in the financial year ending 31 March 2007. SIA sold all its equity share of 35.5% in a joint venture, Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise, to the Bank of China for US$980 million on 15 December 2006.^[47] There have recently been suggestions to divest SIA Engineering Company and Singapore Airport Terminal Services, two of SIA's largest subsidiaries. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, for one, voiced his opinion in December 2005 that Singapore Airlines should divest these two companies to focus on its core business of air transportation.^[48] Singapore Airlines has evaluated the divestment opportunity and SATS Group was diversified from the group on 1 Sep 2009.^[49][50]

Major companies in Singapore Airlines Group include:

Operational investments

The airline has invested in other airlines in a bid to expand beyond its Singapore base, although the results are often financially negative. In 1989, it went into a tripartite alliance with Delta Air Lines and Swissair,^[51] but terminated their partnership in 1999 after divesting their 5% equity stake in each other's company. The airline purchased 25% of Air New Zealand in 2000. However following the near collapse of Air New Zealand the New Zealand government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy, reducing Singapore Airlines' stake to 4.5%. This was subsequently sold in October 2004 at a substantial loss.

SIA bought a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways on 30 March 2000 worth 600 million pounds in cash^[52] in the hope of leveraging on it on the lucrative transatlantic market, but by 2007, there has been reports of underperformance and the possibility of divesting its stake.^[53] On 14 May 2008, the company formally announced an invitation for offers for its Virgin Atlantic stake, and publicly acknowledged that its stake in the airline has "underperformed".^[54] In September 2004, the airline entered the low-cost carrier market by establishing Tiger Airways with a 49% stake, in partnership with Indigo Partners LLC, the investment firm founded by Bill Franke, (24%); Irelandia Investments Limited, the private investment arm of Tony Ryan and his family, (16%); and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (11%). Tiger Airways was eventually listed on SGX in Feb 2010, reducing SIA shares to 34.4%.

Labour

The Singapore Airlines Group employed a total of 21,534 staff members at the end of the fiscal year on 31 March 2011.^[55] The parent airline itself employed 13,942 (47.3%), of which there are 2,174 pilots and 6,914 cabin crew. The group's employees are represented by five labour unions, namely the Singapore Airlines Staff Union (SIASU), the SIA Engineering Company Engineers and Executives Union (SEEU), the Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers' Union (SATSWU), the Air Transport Executives Staff Union (AESU) and the Air Line Pilots' Association Singapore (ALPA-S).

Relations between the labour unions and the group management has been testy at times, particularly after a series of wage cuts, retrenchments, and early retirement affected staff morale during and after difficult economic conditions such as the SARS outbreak in 2003.^[56] The ALPA-S alone has been involved in no less than 24 disputes with group management since its registration in May 1981 (itself formed after its predecessor, the Singapore Airlines Pilots Association had 15 EXCO members charged and convicted for initiating illegal industrial action in 1980 in the wake of disputes with management and the SIAPA was deregistered on 26 February 1981) up to 30 November 2003, when the Ministry of Manpower (Singapore) amended the Trade Unions Act to overrule an item in ALPA-S's constitution requiring formal ratification from the general membership for negotiation agreements involving the executive committee.^[57] In 2007, the airline was in the spotlight again when ALPA-S disagreed with the management's proposed salary rate for pilots flying the Airbus A380,^[58] and the case had to be settled by the Industrial Arbitration Court.^[59] The salary ranges of SIA's pilots were made public during the first day of the hearings, and the press noted that the airline's 935 captains who fly the Boeing 777 received higher salaries (over S$270,000) at the mid-point of their salary brackets compared to the company's 36 vice-presidents (S$233,270).^[60]

Disputes have also affected the unions, some so severe that they have attracted the intervention of the government. The internal feuding in ALPA-S which led to the ousting of the entire 22-member executive committee on 17 November 2003 was attributed to "internal politics" and theories that it may involve former pilots, including those involved in the deregistration of SIAPA.^[61] In January 2008, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say spoke up against legal action by parties involved in an internal dispute in SIASU.^[62]

On 2 April 2007 the airline group and its unions jointly launched the "Singapore Airlines Group Union-Management Partnership" and the Labour Movement 2011 (LM2011) in a bid to improve their relations, each pledging to be "pro-worker" and "pro-business" respectively.^[63] In April 2008, the airline's chairman Stephen Lee described the relations between management and the unions as "stable and cordial" in the last two years, with better communication between them. He alluded that several government figures, including Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, has intervened to help alleviate differences, and that there has been more regular meetings and exchanges between the two sides.^[64]

Financial performance

Operating performance

Branding

Branding and publicity efforts have revolved primarily around flight crew,^[68][69] in contrast to most other airlines, who tend to emphasise aircraft and services in general. In particular, the promotion of its female flight attendants known as Singapore Girls has been widely successful and is a common feature in most of the airline's advertisements and publications. This branding strategy aims to build a mythical aura around the Singapore Girl, and portray her as representative of Asian hospitality and grace and the airline's training program for both cabin and technical flight crew complement this objective.

Dressed in a version of the Malay Sarong Kebaya designed by Pierre Balmain in 1968,^[70] the uniform of the Singapore Girl has remained largely unchanged. Stewards previously wore light-blue business jackets and grey trousers. Since June 2008, this has been redesigned by Christophe Galibert, artistic Director of Balmain Uniformes. The new steward's uniform now features a single-breasted navy blue suit (jacket and trousers), a sky blue shirt and different coloured striped ties. The tie colours differentiates the four ranks of crew.

Although a successful marketing image for the airline, the "Singapore Girl" emphasis received criticisms for its portrayal of women as subservient to males. Feminist groups say that its cultural references are outdated and that most Singaporean women today are modern and independent.^[71]

On 9 January 2007, the airline announced it would put to tender its existing advertising contract with Batey Ads, the Singaporean company headed by founder Ian Batey, who was responsible for building up the Singapore Girl brand name and its partner since 1972.^[72] The image of the Singapore Girl would still remain, although SIA will now focus on advertising and promoting its modern fleet and technology instead. On 16 April 2007, the airline appointed New York-based advertising agent TBWA\ to handle its creative advertising for the airline. The contract is worth S$50 million per year over the following five years. Stephen Forshaw, SIA's Vice-President of Public Affairs, said they will start the new branding campaign "as early as there is a practicable opportunity". This change in advertising agency will not affect SIA's buying media agency, which is presently MEC.^[73]

The livery of Singapore Airlines includes the "bird" (also known as the Silver Kris) logo on the tailfin, which has remained unchanged since Singapore Airlines' inception, but the logotype and stripes used since 1972 were changed in 1988 to the ones still in use today. The livery had a recent change, which saw the "Singapore Airlines" logotype enlarged and moved towards the front, and in addition the "bird" logo on the tailfin enlarged, in a similar fashion to the livery variant used on the Airbus A380, but the stripes and the "bird" remaining the same.

Destinations

Singapore Airlines flies to 62 destinations in 35 countries on six continents^[2] from its primary hub in Singapore. It has a strong presence in the Southeast Asian region, which together with its subsidiary SilkAir, connects Singapore with more international destinations in the region than any other Southeast Asian airline.

The airline has a key role on the Kangaroo Route. It flew 11.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia in the month ended March 2008.^[74]

SIA has taken advantage of liberal bilateral aviation agreements between Singapore and Thailand, and with the United Arab Emirates, to offer more onward connections from Bangkok and Dubai respectively. On 1 September 2005, for example, it launched six-times weekly flights between Bangkok and Tokyo. China and India are major markets which fuelled much of its growth in recent years.

The airline's strengths have also invited protectionist measures to keep it out of key foreign markets. In particular, it has been unsuccessful in gaining access on transpacific routes from Australia to the United States. The Australian authorities deferred decisions to allow the airline on the route to the United States from Australia.^[75] SIA has stated that it wants to dramatically expand service to Canada and establish a North America hub in Vancouver, but has complained about being prevented from doing so by Canada's protectionist policies.^[76]

AirAsia, a low-cost airline based in Malaysia, accused Singapore Airlines of double standards, when it claimed that the Government of Singapore has attempted to keep it out of the Singapore market,^[77] although there has been no official word that Singapore Airlines has objected to the entry of AirAsia. Singapore Airlines has, instead, welcomed^[78][79] the liberation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route which it dominated together with Malaysia Airlines^[80] for over three decades,^[81] accounting for about 85% of the over 200 flight frequencies then operated.^[82] A highly lucrative route for LCCs due to its short distance and heavy traffic as the fourth-busiest in Asia,^[83][84] bringing Singapore Airline's capacity share on the route down to about 46.7%, Malaysia Airlines' down to 25.3%, and increase to 17.3% to the three LCCs now permitted on the route, and the remainder shared by three other airlines as of 22 September 2008.^[85] Singapore Airline's capacity share will drop further from 1 December 2008 when the route is opened up completely to liberalisation, when it announced plans to share its capacity with sister airline SilkAir.^[86] Malaysia Airlines, the main opponent to liberalisation of the route^[87] and deemed to be the party which stands to lose the most, will continue to codeshare with both Singapore Airlines and SilkAir on the route.^[88]

Codeshare agreements

In addition to Star Alliance member airlines, Singapore Airlines codeshares with the following other airlines:^[89]

Fleet

Singapore Airlines operates a wide-body aircraft fleet from five aircraft families: Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777. In keeping with its policy of maintaining a young fleet, which stands at an average of 6 years 6 months as at September 2011, it renews its fleet frequently.^[66] The Boeing customer code for Singapore Airline is 7x7-x12.

Years ago, the airline named its fleet according to aircraft type. The Boeing 747-400s were called "Megatop", the Boeing 777s were called "Jubilee" and the Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership". Names for airliners previously flown by the airline include: "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300s, "3Ten" for the 23 Airbus A310s, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300s, "Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200s, and "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300s.^[91] Several of these names were pulled officially from the mid-2000s under then CEO Chew Choon Seng. No official name has since been accorded to the newer A380s which joined the fleet in 2007.

The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 2 December 2011):

In-flight services

Cabins

Singapore Airlines announced major upgrades to its cabin and in-flight service on 17 October 2006,^[95] its first major overhaul in more than 8 years and costing the airline about S$570 million.^[96] Initially planned for its Airbus A380-800's introduction into service in 2006, and subsequently on the Boeing 777-300ER, the postponement of the first A380-800 delivery meant it had to be introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline on 5 December 2006 between Singapore and Paris.^[97][98]

Singapore Airlines Suites

Singapore Airlines Suites is a class available only on the Airbus A380. The A380 flies to Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, Zurich and Los Angeles

The product is designed by French luxury yacht interior designer Jean-Jacques Coste and consists of separate compartments with walls and doors 1.5 m high. The leather seat, upholstered by Poltrona Frau of Italy, is 35 in (89 cm) wide (with armrests up and 23 in (58 cm) wide when armrests are down) and a 23 in (58 cm) LCD TV screen is mounted on the front wall. The 78 in (200 cm) bed is separate from the seat and folds out from the back wall, with several other components of the suite lowering to accommodate the mattress. Windows are built into the doors and blinds offer privacy. Suites located in the center can form a double bed after the privacy blinds between them are retracted into special compartments between the beds and in the frame of the partition.

First class

There are four variations of the first class cabin, although the Singapore Airlines Suites class is designated by Singapore Airlines as a "Class Beyond First"^[99] and uses a different fare code (R) (see above).

Introduced on 17 October 2006, the "New" First Class is offered only on Singapore Airlines' new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Designed by James Park Associates, it features a 35 in (89 cm) wide seat upholstered with leather and mahogany and a 23 in (58 cm) LCD screen. The seats fold out into a flat bed and are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The "New" First Class will be slowly introduced onto the Boeing 777–300 fleet as they undergo cabin refit. The cabin will be slowly introduced across the Boeing 777–300 fleet from Singapore to Sydney on 22 July 2009 and will be arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

First Class on Boeing 747-400 aircraft features the SkySuite, a seat that is 22 in (56 cm) wide and can recline into a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) bed. It features a 17 in (43 cm) LCD screen and the SkySuite itself is upholstered in Connolly leather and trimmed with burr wood.

Selected Boeing 777-200s and all Boeing 777-300s aircraft (used mainly on regional flights) offer sleeper seats that are 21 in (53 cm) wide in a 2-2-2 configuration. The Boeing 777–300 aircraft are starting to undergo cabin refits and this first class seat will be removed and replaced with the "New" First Class seat.

Business class

Singapore Airlines' Business Class used to be called Raffles Class until 2006. On the A380, A340-500 and Boeing 777-300ER, a fully flat bed is available in a 1-2-1 configuration with forward-facing seats (sleep mode in diagonal), in contrast to the herring-bone configuration used by several other airlines offering flat beds in business class. Arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, the New Business Class is up to 34 in (86 cm) wide. The leather seats feature a 15.4 in (39.1 cm) diagonal screen size personal television, in-seat power supply and 2 USB ports.^[100]

On new A380 deliveries from May 2011 Singapore Airlines is planning to extend the business class cabin to run the entire length of the upper deck, compared to the original configuration – as present on the current A380s – which shares the upper deck between 16 rows of business class and 11 rows of economy at the rear.

A New Regional Business Class, is being rolled out on the 19 A330-300 that Singapore Airlines is using to service Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Nagoya and other medium haul and regional routes. The A330-300 will be configured in 2-2-2 layout and will include iPod connection. The Business Class seat will be lie-flat at an 8-degree incline. The Business Class will feature the new Krisworld on a 15.4 inch screen.^[101] Singapore Airlines are starting a cabin refit program for the Boeing 777 models which will feature the seat also, the Boeing 777–300 fleet is the first to undergo refit and will be rolled out across the majority of the fleet, with the first destination being Sydney the refitted aircraft will fly to from 22 July 2009. The seats on the Boeing 777–300 will also be configured in 2-2-2 layout.

SpaceBed seats are available on the Boeing 777-200ER in a 2-2-2 configuration and on the Boeing 747-400 aircraft in a 2-3-2 configuration. The SpaceBed seats are 27 in (69 cm) wide and 72 in (183 cm) long and convert to an angled flat bed. They have a retractable 10.4 in (26.4 cm) personal television. Traditional Ultimo business class seats, which do not convert into beds, are offered on certain Boeing 777 aircraft (excluding Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-300ER) in a 2-3-2 configuration.

The new Singapore Airlines business class (usually operating on the A380, A340 and 777-300ER aircraft) was voted the world's best business class by the Skytrax World Airline Awards on the 22nd of June 2011.

Economy class

All economy class seats in the Boeing 747 and Boeing 777s have personal television screens, footrests, adjustable headrests with side-flap "ears" and adjustable seat reclines. Baby bassinets are available at some bulkheads.^[102]

The new Economy class seats on the Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A380, and Airbus A330-300 are 19.5 in (50 cm) wide, have in-seat power and have a 10.6in personal television screen which can be used as a non-intrusive reading light.^[103] They are also being rolled out in 19 new Airbus A330-300 planes that Singapore Airlines is using to service Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Nagoya, Osaka and other medium haul and regional routes. The A330-300 will be configured in 2-4-2 layout and will include iPod connection.^[104] Other features include an independent cup holder (separate from the fold-out table) and a USB port. Singapore Airlines will start to introduce a similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft when they go through their cabin refits. The Boeing 777–300 is the first model to undergo refit and has introduced the product on the Singapore – Sydney route on 22 July 2009.^[105]

Cuisine

Singapore Airlines offers a wide array of food options on each flight. Regional dishes are often served on their respective flights, such as the Kyo-Kaiseki, Shi Quan Shi Mei, and Shahi Thali meals available for first class passengers on flights to Japan, China and India, respectively.

SIA has also introduced a Popular Local Fare culinary programme offering local favourites to passengers in all classes flying from selected major destinations.

They published a cookbook in 2010 titled, Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines Culinary Panel.^[106]

Business and first class passengers may also choose to use the "Book the Cook" service on some flights, where specific dishes may be selected in advance from a more extensive menu.^[107][108]

In-flight Entertainment System and Communication

Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld was introduced in 1997 on then designated "Megatop" 747s, "Celestar" A340s and "Jubilee" 777s after Singapore Airlines wanted to overhaul their in-flight experience with a new, cheap entertainment solution that would supersede the very primitive Thales entertainment system on offer at that time by Virgin Atlantic and Emirates.

The original KrisWorld introduced 14 movies, 36 television programmes and 5 cartoons as well as many Super Nintendo games, KrisFone and fax; text news and flight path in all classes. The original KrisWorld was subsequently upgraded to feature Wisemen 3000, an audio and video on demand version of the KrisWorld system featuring exclusively on First and Raffles Class cabins, then progressively being introduced into Economy Class on 747 cabins and selected 777 cabins.

In 2002, Singapore Airlines introduced a re-brand of the KrisWorld system calling it Enhanced KrisWorld which featured more Movies, TV programs, Music and Games. By this time, Boeing 747 cabins has enhanced KrisWorld installed and selected Boeing 777 cabins too. In March 2005, SIA introduced Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight Internet service. This internet service was also supposed to offer live TV, but the service was axed in December 2006 when Boeing cancelled the service. From October 2005, Singapore Airlines began offering free language lessons by Berlitz.^[109] and, starting December 2005, live text news feeds.^[110]

In 2007, SIA unveiled the new KrisWorld based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This featured a new interface, more programming, Audio/Video on Demand as standard. On top of the new features available, first-class passengers get a 23-inch LCD PTV; 15-inch PTV in Business Class and a 10.6 inch PTV in Economy Class – all widescreen.^[111][112] The new KrisWorld is available on A380, A330-300, A340-500 (equipped with Business Class only) and Boeing 777-300ER. Features include:

• Widescreen LCD TV with 1280 x 768 resolution
• A range of movies, TV, music, games, and interactive programs
• Built-in office software, based on the StarOffice Productivity Suite for use with the USB port
• In-seat AC power port

Lounges

The airline's Silver Kris Lounges are open to Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class and Business Class passengers in addition to Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club and KrisFlyer Elite Gold members. These members may also have access to lounges operated by the airline's partners. These lounges are located in:^[113]

Frequent-flyer program

Singapore Airlines's frequent flyer program, has two^[114][115] categories:

KrisFlyer

Miles are earned and redeemed on Singapore Airlines' own services as well as with Krisflyer partners. Partners include all Star Alliance members, SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, and numerous hotel chains and car-hire companies.^[116] KrisFlyer is divided into KrisFlyer, KrisFlyer Elite Silver and KrisFlyer Elite Gold, which correspond to Star Alliance Silver and Gold, respectively.

Elite Silver^[117] and Elite Gold^[118] status is given to passengers who have accrued 25,000 and 50,000 miles (80,000 km), respectively, within a 12-month period. The 12-month period is predefined according to when a passenger initially applied for Krisflyer membership, so travelling 25,000 miles (40,000 km) over a 12 month period may not qualify for Silver status unless it corresponds with the 12 month period assigned to them by Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines flights in booking classes V, Q, G, N and T (group and promotional fares) and SilkAir flights in booking classes W and L earn no miles.^[119]

The PPS Club

Priority Passenger Service (PPS)^[120] is for passengers who have accumulated S$25,000 worth of PPS Value within a year.^[121] PPS Value is accrued while flying Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class or Business Class on Singapore Airlines, or Business Class on SilkAir. The PPS is divided into the PPS Club, Solitaire PPS Club and the Solitaire PPS Club Life.^[122]

A member with PPS Club status will qualify for Solitaire PPS Club by accumulating PPS Value of S$250,000 within five years.^[122] The Solitaire Life PPS Club status was formerly given to members who accrued a total of 1,875,000 miles (3,018,000 km) or 1,000 PPS sectors. Benefits are equal to Solitaire PPS Club members but did not have a re-qualification criteria.^[122] Singapore Airlines has since ceased accepting new Solitaire Life PPS Club members.^[123]

All PPS members have priority check-in, baggage handling, guaranteed Economy Class seats when wait-listed on Business and First Class and have access to the business-class section of the Silver Kris Lounge. Solitaire PPS members and their spouses also access First Class check-in and the First Class sections of Silver Kris Lounge.

Incidents and accidents

This covers Singapore Airlines flights; for incidents relating to SilkAir see that article.

• 26 March 1991 – Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore, where it was stormed by the Singapore Special Operations Force. All of the hijackers were killed in the operation, with no fatalities amongst the passengers and crew.
• 31 October 2000 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747-400, crashed at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan killing 83 people aboard and injuring 71 people after the plane took off on a closed runway and hit construction equipment. This occurred during the heavy rain caused by Typhoon Xangsane. SQ006 was the first fatal crash of a Singapore Airlines aircraft and the first fatal crash of the Boeing 747–400.
• 12 March 2003 – Singapore Airlines Flight 286, a Boeing 747-400 departing Auckland, New Zealand for Singapore suffered a serious tailstrike on take-off causing major damage to the tail section of the aircraft. The airplane returned safely with no fatalities reported.^[124] The tail strike occurred because the rotation speed had been mistakenly calculated for an aeroplane weighing 100 tonnes less than the actual weight of the plane.^[125]

See also

• List of airlines of Singapore
• List of airports in Singapore
• List of companies of Singapore
• Transport in Singapore
• Malaysia Airlines
• SilkAir
• Scoot

References

External links

• Singapore Airlines Official website