SQ's lost mojo - overdue for a good rant!

[flying.monkeyz]

Looks like not only SQ has lost its mojo...

[MAN Flyer]

I remember the good old days of philip+pat and their mate dave. They used to spend gazillions of pounds on SQ flying around the moon (so they told us), but now spend it all on EK & QR (so they tell us) and despite untranslatable rants that caused much merriment to the public, they seemed to have no shame and continued to dig.

Oh how we all wish things could be as they were....

[astroboy]

I actually can't remember, in all of 40 years of First and Business travel around the world that I ever once disclosed, or was even asked, in business conversations, which carrier I flew in on? My suspicion is that, other than you are an SQ shill, is that you are so full of yourself that you have lost touch with reality?

IMHO, QR?EK etc J, and especially F Class (SQ has only R on the routes I fly) is far superior. And never once have I yet had workers from the Middle East in these cabins. Mind you, I do believe that these folks are also human beings to be "Tolerated". Your arrogance preceeds you.

Not once, in 40 years? Wow, that's... incredible...

[B727]

SQ has certainly gotten the most of my air travel dollars in the last four decades, being the one Asian airline I have consistently flown, even as air travel turned into mass travel (on a Walmart scale ) and its homebase of Singapore turned into the New York City of Asia with related costs and prices to match.

However, I still have hope for SQ. As an SQ VFF (Very Frequent Flyer), I see all the pluses and the shortcomings on a monthly (sometimes weekly) basis. And whether it is providing feedback on land, online, in the air, by snail mail, I am communicating my observations to the SQ customer service frontline.

That said, I do not fly SQ exclusively, certainly not to destinations they have dropped, and not even on the routes they compete with a few of my other regular airlines for good reason.

The competition amongst full-service airlines has never been more heated than it is nowadays. Many West Asia/Asia-Pacific airlines are catching up to the level of SQ service (that in the past they only talked about ).

For example, on my last CI flight from YVR in J, the lady purser greeted each and everyone of the 30 pax in a full J-class cabin of the A340. Now, I'm sure not all of us on that crisp, cold Vancouver night was an Emerald or Paragon CI flyer. It really set the tone for the flight and the crew performed flawlessly therafter, making a 13-hour red-eye flight seem more like an enjoyable 6 hours.

To be fair, the last time I flew SQ out of YVR in April of 2009, in the hands of one legendary SQ IFS, ranks as the best SQ flight in the last decade

Nick CI am in the minority here. No one else seems to like 77W F.

Being 6' tall, I appreciate the extra length and width in F.

In pictures they may look the same as New Business Class.

In seat mode, not much difference

But in sleep, I get way better sleep in F...

...To be honest, the only thing I do notice is the food quality has gone down

Here's another fan of the 77W F cabin service! In fact, it is the standard to which I judge other F cabin services, including SQ's Suites and EK's suites, mini-suites and regular F cabins,

Destroying the PPS loyalty base in the name of cost savings

The cutbacks on SQPPS don't faze me--it is what it is--as much as SQPettyStinginess that I encounter at times and are more glaring to this VFF.

Ask the people who are serving. They may have a better idea than executives with MBAs and upper 1st class honours... in engineering ( of all things)

They really should listen more to their frontline who are the interface between management and their customers

PS Oh, btw, the two-letter code for Etihad is EY

[jetlounge]

Looks like not only SQ has lost its mojo...

I see what you did there

[HUGE AL]

40 years?!? Seriously (in the zander accent )?!? I thought he was just another 12 year old on here.

[AsiaCommuter]

If you focus on the fundamentals, this is basically an ongoing discussion about how each individual feels about the current balance of SQ Price vs. Product vs. Service vs. Loyalty Recognition? Over time the general consensus is the current SQ formula has resulted in a degrade compared to the past and the current alternatives, then of course there is the frustration of how SQ position themselves (marketing is a fact of life). As others have mentioned, unless you are constrained by flight schedules, company policy, ultimately cost, you have a choice. But of course everybody is entitled to an opinion and many have voiced theirs on this thread.

I am generally satisfied with SQ as an offering for my travel requirements. For sure there is room for many improvements and I feel the overall SQ package is not what it once was. I have taken flights that were not up to what you have come to expect from SQ, nevertheless for overall experience I cannot complain (I am conscious there are many who fly who do not experience premium cabins or even have the option to decide the airline). The loyalty recognition is lacking, but this can be negated if you are travelling in R, F or J as you get many of these benefits.

Just my thoughts - not in response to any particular posts.

[concept|infinit]

Without a doubt, SQ today is different than SQ back then.
I still think they are the most consistently good airline in the sky (from my limited experience flying the rest of them out there), however the margin where SQ is leading in terms of product quality and service is narrower than ever.
I do like SQ's Suites product - as a First Class product, not a class beyond First. Yes, the bed is too firm and too narrow but no biggie for me. I appreciate the semi-private nature of the Suites. I dislike mechanical part for turning the seat into a bed though. I would expect fully automated seat to bed conversion for First and Suites.

First is now too close to Business. Yeah I know SQ Business has become very good. But if they have decided they have market for First on some routes, they need to make sure it is attractive enough for the market to be willing to pay the premium.

To be fair, IMHO SQ regional product is still among the best around. Compare SQ new regional J to CX regional J they offer for China routes, for example. That dreaded SQ old J compared to GA new J for CGK-SIN-CGK. I would still take SQ's regional product anytime. This not taking into consideration the odd long haul product appearing on regional flights (like new CX long haul J sometimes on CGK-HKG-CGK route).

The cost cuttings (no table cloth on short and some medium haul regional routes, no F/J ticket jackets, closure of SKL F lounges at some stations, food quality/amount reduction, etc.) contribute greatly to SQ 'losing the specialness' from before. I am sure some of them are necessary, but I feel some are overly done. With each cost-cutting, the closer they become to 'the rest of them out there'.

To stay ahead as the best - as a world class brand representing Singapore to the world, I do feel that SQ needs to rethink its current strategy.

And just 2years ago when I had my first SQ flight in a decade and well.. you know how ridiculously naive I was back then..well sorry if I hadn't yet formally apologised for that incident yet.

I don't travel enough to be be able to comment on how they rake with their competitors.

But I do know some SQ execs and I definitely agree about it being run by a bunch of risk averse Singaporeans.. I know someone in SQ in a relevant department to this who thought they did a brilliant thing by killing Solitaire. With my background in Economics, I believe in modelling things using stats and figures. I asked if (to the company) the cost and benefits of the PPS program has been modeled in anyway. I got a confused look and the reply was that "the whole program is a waste of money"

[B727]

Bringin' the mojo back...(or at least a good mojito)

To be honest, the only thing I do notice is the food quality has gone down

I remember about two years ago on the SIN-BKK-SIN sector, it seemed like everybody wanted the salmon and the ribeye steak, they were running out.

They got so many complaints and what happened as a result? They simply did away with those two items! Now, we see some pseudo-Thai dishes like a khao pad that looks more yeung chow fried rice!

[RHG]

I got a confused look and the reply was that "the whole program is a waste of money"

you should ask those "friends" of yours which uni they went to and whether they did management accounting. i would like to talk to their lecturers to find out what was taught to these friends.

[milehighj]

If you focus on the fundamentals, this is basically an ongoing discussion about how each individual feels about the current balance of SQ Price vs. Product vs. Service vs. Loyalty Recognition?

...

Just my thoughts - not in response to any particular posts.

Not really. At least that wasn't the original intent of starting this thread.

I don't think highly of EK as an airline product, but I am increasingly impressed with EK as an industry leader. As things go, it's likely to be the dominant player for some time, a role which SQ once had and I lament is no longer the case.

[lingua101]

...

I am generally satisfied with SQ as an offering for my travel requirements. For sure there is room for many improvements and I feel the [b]overall SQ package is not what it once was[b]. I have taken flights that were not up to what you have come to expect from SQ, nevertheless for overall experience I cannot complain (I am conscious there are many who fly who do not experience premium cabins or even have the option to decide the airline). The loyalty recognition is lacking, but this can be negated if you are travelling in R, F or J as you get many of these benefits.

Just my thoughts - not in response to any particular posts.

Well I totally agreed with AsiaCommuter especially those I highlighted in bold. In my opinion, SQ service is still good (if not still the best among the regional carrier that I have taken in the past 11 months). But for sure, you can notice a drop of standard (or rather the other airlines are catching up??)

So if I have to pay from my own pocket, and the price different is too huge, I will definitly skip SQ. But if the "premium" is not that much, I will choose SQ.

This girl is getting old, so she is not as pretty as before

[SilverChris]

Well I totally agreed with AsiaCommuter especially those I highlighted in bold.

Is that accidental or is that sarcasm?

[swissfondue]

SQ's current predicament basically CCS's legacy during his term as CEO - poor fleet growth (77W options not exercised), brand tarnishing, PPS devaluation, product dilution, focus on dividends (good for investors though).

GCP is clearing up the bits but give him time.

FYI, heads did roll as a result of the website.

But Pearleen Chan is still there?

[Nick C]

But Pearleen Chan is still there?

IIRC she left SQ a couple years back.