The SQ773

[fablee]

Good day to all. A question. What are the plans for SQ's 773s ie 9V-SYF-SYJ and 9V-SYL? How much longer will they continue in service? Any retirement plans for them? Thank you very much for any insight you can provide.

[FSJZ]

9V-SYG has recently been retired. The remaining 5 are still in service and are owned by SQ. I don't think they will be going anytime soon as the A330s are coming off lease and are due for return. However, SQ will be refitting SYJ and SYL with the 2006 Y seats, similar to what they did with SYF, SYH and SYI.

[fablee]

The SQ773

9V-SYG has recently been retired. The remaining 5 are still in service and are owned by SQ. I don't think they will be going anytime soon as the A330s are coming off lease and are due for return. However, SQ will be refitting SYJ and SYL with the 2006 Y seats, similar to what they did with SYF, SYH and SYI.

Thank you very much for the info!

[FN-GM]

Here is SYG with titles removed

[PEK A380]

Any idea where she will be headed? VCV perhaps? With the used airliner market increasingly full with used 777s to me it seems like she is destined to be broken up for scrap. I don't think it's likely they will store her for potential re-entry into service (something like 9V-SVB). But then again that's just what I think is likely. Anyone think otherwise?

[pokfur]

However, SQ will be refitting SYJ and SYL with the 2006 Y seats, similar to what they did with SYF, SYH and SYI.

Just want to highlight again that SYF has not been refurbished despite the long time out for maintenance recently I flew her two weeks ago and interior was still the old one. Posted pictures in the Fleet thread. Very unfortunate. I hope SQ is serious about bringing these old planes up to speed, and even then, actually only to a product introduced more than 10 years ago.

[flyguy]

these few planes will likely be in service for another 2 to 3 years. And looks like already now SIA have been flying its planes above 15 years old, as sometime back before, SIA would have renwed its fleet before 14 years of service. But still there is like 5 different configurations from the old seats to the new ones and SIA should get its act together and reduce these discrepancies in the types and the age of the seats in all classes.

[wdranne]

It's really quite disappointing indeed to look at the state of the fleet even, the sheer lack of standardisation and the extremely long time it takes to retrofit the fleet. I'm no expert in the maintenance side of things, but I don't see many other airlines being stuck in a transition period for so long that new products come out even before the existing fleet gets retrofitted. Even CX got their fleet fitted with Pey in a far shorter timeframe, and the respective fleets sizes are pretty similar.

Sad to say this, but things just don't seem to be the way they used to be...

[FSJZ]

Just want to highlight again that SYF has not been refurbished despite the long time out for maintenance recently I flew her two weeks ago and interior was still the old one. Posted pictures in the Fleet thread. Very unfortunate. I hope SQ is serious about bringing these old planes up to speed, and even then, actually only to a product introduced more than 10 years ago.

My apologies. I will make the necessary changes to the Fleet List.

It's really quite disappointing indeed to look at the state of the fleet even, the sheer lack of standardisation and the extremely long time it takes to retrofit the fleet. I'm no expert in the maintenance side of things, but I don't see many other airlines being stuck in a transition period for so long that new products come out even before the existing fleet gets retrofitted. Even CX got their fleet fitted with Pey in a far shorter timeframe, and the respective fleets sizes are pretty similar.

Sad to say this, but things just don't seem to be the way they used to be...

It is indeed quite disappointing that they do not have a consistent product offering throughout their fleet. A passenger flying on the A350 with the latest product might have a vastly different experience from another passenger flying on the ancient 772s with the purple Y seats and the Ultimo J.

Yes, those planes might be retired soon as the newer jets come in, but their lack of foresight and effort into standardizing their fleet might adversely affect their customer experience and reputation as having one of the youngest fleets in the world.

[wdranne]

My apologies. I will make the necessary changes to the Fleet List.



It is indeed quite disappointing that they do not have a consistent product offering throughout their fleet. A passenger flying on the A350 with the latest product might have a vastly different experience from another passenger flying on the ancient 772s with the purple Y seats and the Ultimo J.

Yes, those planes might be retired soon as the newer jets come in, but their lack of foresight and effort into standardizing their fleet might adversely affect their customer experience and reputation as having one of the youngest fleets in the world.

To be honest, at least from my perspective, the purple seats (especially those on the SV-s with extra legroom) were by far the most comfortable. Maybe it's because I don't really care much about having any IFE, but nothing compares to the plush-ness, quality and comfort of the good old seats. The fact that the frame still lasts till today with some TLC speaks a lot about the initial build quality Things just seem to be going downhill - like the A350 Y armrests...let's see how long they'll hold up...

[SQ025]

It is indeed quite disappointing that they do not have a consistent product offering throughout their fleet. A passenger flying on the A350 with the latest product might have a vastly different experience from another passenger flying on the ancient 772s with the purple Y seats and the Ultimo J.

To be fair, there is one 772er left with such seating arrangement (not sure though why they have never bothered retrofitting it). Is it still used regularly?

On the other hand the Regional C is a bit of a let-down particular as it seems that SQ's definition of Regional routes is quite flexible.

[maestro]

To be fair, there is one 772er left with such seating arrangement (not sure though why they have never bothered retrofitting it). Is it still used regularly?.

Yes, every day, but generally only flies to Manila.

[pokfur]

My apologies. I will make the necessary changes to the Fleet List.

No worries! I just don't want passengers getting their hopes up when they see SYF at the gate only to be disappointed on board.

It is indeed quite disappointing that they do not have a consistent product offering throughout their fleet. A passenger flying on the A350 with the latest product might have a vastly different experience from another passenger flying on the ancient 772s with the purple Y seats and the Ultimo J.

Yes, those planes might be retired soon as the newer jets come in, but their lack of foresight and effort into standardizing their fleet might adversely affect their customer experience and reputation as having one of the youngest fleets in the world.

It's really quite disappointing indeed to look at the state of the fleet even, the sheer lack of standardisation and the extremely long time it takes to retrofit the fleet.

I agree completely, although I think part of the problem (in a good way) is that SQ is constantly upgrading their products. By the time it takes to retrofit the entire fleet, a new product is already being launched! Which I suppose is why some aircraft types just get 'left behind'. For example, there's no point retro-fitting the A380s when they're launching a new J this year. And by 2-3 years time, we'll be referring to J on the 77Ws and A350s as the 'old long-haul J'! I guess it's difficult to eradicate this 'leap-frog' symptom, unless you're like BA and decide to keep the same product for decades....

I think we must remember that while there are 5 types of J plying the skies, in reality the spacebeds and old cradle J only really appear on two routes (as of now) and these are legitimate short-haul routes to BKK and MNL. For me the reduced IFE content on a significant number of older aircraft is the bigger annoyance, which is why I think it is a low hanging fruit for SQ to just install the old 2006 IFE and Y seats that are coming off the 77Ws into the 772s.

[SQ228]

To be honest, at least from my perspective, the purple seats (especially those on the SV-s with extra legroom) were by far the most comfortable. Maybe it's because I don't really care much about having any IFE, but nothing compares to the plush-ness, quality and comfort of the good old seats. The fact that the frame still lasts till today with some TLC speaks a lot about the initial build quality Things just seem to be going downhill - like the A350 Y armrests...let's see how long they'll hold up...

We both see things the same way...

Those 772ER Y seats were really comfy back when they were purple. And definitely age is a factor that must be combined with upkeep. Some of the trains running about in Japan are ancient but in perfect order, for example. I look at those A350 armrests and shake my head. They look like a handle on a cheap garden rake.

[loldude333]

Regarding the A350 armrests, its the ol' shave off 'minor' conveniences for money gains.....they are probably a direct byproduct of the A350 cabin being 'marginally' smaller than the 77W. $$$ gains to be sure......and compared to issues like seat width, the armrests are easily seen as a minor inconvenience from a 'higher up' perspective. Until you're on a 14-16 hour flight and the blippin' things refuse to support your arm correctly, leading to constant waking-sleeping.....