Rumoured: SIA goes nonstop SIN-YYZ

[9V-JKL]

SQ22 diverted?

[TerryK]

spotted SQ, looked like a A340 flying into Calgary airport this morning...local time...is it true tt SQ wil be starting this route soon?

SIN-YYC nonstop? Not a chance.

[SQ All The Way]

calgary????? What the......???? Are you sure it was a SQ?

[Rejuvenated]

Could be the spotter mistaken it for an LH aircraft (which BTW does fly daily to YYC).

[9V-JKL]

Just checked, SQ22 was never diverted this week. But SQ21 departed 8hrs late on 16/Dec

[B727]

The guy from Cathay Talk received more information from SQ Canada. Here is an idea of the schedule SIA could use:

Outbound:
SQ24 LV: SIN 01:15 Nonstop
AR: YYZ 06:00
EQP: 77L Time: 17hr 45min

Return:
SQ23 LV: YYZ 09:30 Nonstop
AR: SIN 16:20+1
EQP: 77L Time: 17hr 50min

Something about those proposed flight numbers. I have no idea what market segment they would be targeting, but I'm sure with what the Cantonese word for 24 sounds like, SIA would not be so foolish as to use that number for flights to a city where it would potentially serve a large Cantonese-speaking market!

[Rejuvenated]

I don't why people keep on speculating on rumors that is not even plausible and even go further to foolishly question a non existent airline's decision for flight numbers should be tied to a linguistic pronounciation that sounds similar to "easy to die". Heck SQ had used 24 as a flight number in the past to serve the EWR market, a market metro with a large Cantonese speaking population. Thus it was foolish for them to use SQ24 on SIN-AMS-EWR.

[Rejuvenated]

And no the large majority of Cantonse speaking flyers will not be flying via SIN to get to HKG from Toronto even if SQ does have a flight nonstop ex-YYZ. And further, there isn't even a "sizable" Canto speaking immigrants from Singapore or SE Asia to begin with here in Toronto that would make up the bulk majority of SIA's passenger market. Furthermore, the traveling group that commutes from Toronto to SE Asia for business and/or family visits are not composed of a Canto speaking majority or even a sizable one.

[sumitsan]

Actually, SQ used to fly to YYZ (TORONTO) under the flight #sq24/23. They used to do that in 1991-92 when the fleet consisted of 747s and A310s. They used 744 for that flight making stops at Vienna and Amsterdam, but then I heard Air Canada requested to cancel it because SQ were allowing passengers to fly to YYZ from Vienna and Amsterdam, which brought the sales numbers down for Air Canada. Since then, there were bad blood between the 2 airlines. Don't know how the relationship is now. The Vancouver destination was given by Canadian Airlines (formerly CP Air), which is also no longer in service.

[9V-SIA]

Actually, SQ used to fly to YYZ (TORONTO) under the flight #sq24/23. They used to do that in 1991-92 when the fleet consisted of 747s and A310s. They used 744 for that flight making stops at Vienna and Amsterdam, but then I heard Air Canada requested to cancel it because SQ were allowing passengers to fly to YYZ from Vienna and Amsterdam, which brought the sales numbers down for Air Canada. Since then, there were bad blood between the 2 airlines. Don't know how the relationship is now. The Vancouver destination was given by Canadian Airlines (formerly CP Air), which is also no longer in service.

This is interesting.

From what I remember, AC used to fly YYZ to SIN with stops in LHR? and BOM.

It was several years before SQ reciprocated and started to fly to YYZ.

Almost immediately, notice was given by the Canadians for the agreement to be terminated

The local press suggested that AC couldn't take the heat.

Maybe SQ was breaking the terms of the agreement...

[B727]

AC did fly to SIN via LHR and BOM with a Lockheed 1011 Tristar.

Canadian/CP Air was bought by AC in a consolidation of the Canadian airline industry. Canadian used to be partners with American in One World and they had Les Clefs d'Or concierges at their international stations

[sumitsan]

Actually, a few excuses were given, in which one of them was that SQ was not benefiting with the route financially unless they filled seats from the European cities to YYZ. They had to use a 747 for this route, and the plane was rumored be flying almost empty at times, even though the flight was only three times a week. Most were travelling to Amsterdam, and a lot to Vienna, with a few travelling to YYZ from SIN.

I remember the end of the Toronto route brought the birth of the New York (JFK) route, and SIA had no problems with this JFK route so far, since they still operate it.

AC did operate the L1011, then operated the 747-200 (sometimes even the 747-100) until Jan 1991, and then ceased the destinations to Singapore.

[Global Nomad]

I rembered flying AC on the SIN-BOM-LHR-YYZ back in 1985. The layover in London was 5 hours. It was a night flight from SIN arrving LHR in the morning. It was a L1011 and yes it was almost empty until the LHR-YYZ.

[Guy Betsy]

SQ had full traffic rights SIN-VIE-AMS-YYZ.

AC didn't like that and pressure the Canadian Govt to revoke SQ's fifth freedom rights between YYZ and AMS/VIE saying that SQ was siphoning passengers away from them. Which was ridiculous since AC themselves didn't fly those cities then (and now even).. and they didn't say anything about the other european carriers eg KLM, Lufthansa, or even Air India which had traffic rights between YYZ and LHR.

Once the ruling came, SQ could not carry on such a route. Besides it was prestigious for SQ just to have its first transatlantic flight then.

SQ had no choice but to discontinue the route, and started up JFK via AMS and FRA soon after with full traffic rights.

AC and SQ had frosty relations for the longest time.. until SQ joined the *A anyway. AC had traffic rights to fly to SIN via transatlantic only. CP had traffic rights to fly to SIN via Pacific. AC cancelled the YYZ-LHR-BOM-SIN route in early 90's. They opted to fly only as far as BOM till the early 2000s.

To this day , no Canadian airline flies to SIN.

[SQFFP Silver]

This was a reply written by CA_Feedback@Singaporeair.com.sg that I got when I wrote to SIA Canada regarding this topic:

Thank you for your email and interest in Singapore Airlines.

As per your query, Singapore Airlines is restricted by the Canadian
government in terms of operating from other Canadian gateways as well as in
terms of frequency from our main Canadian gateway: Vancouver. Rest
assured that we certainly have the demand to operate daily flights from
Vancouver and also from other main cities such as Toronto, Montreal,
Calgary, etc.

If you would like to express your concerns/views on Singapore Airlines'
limited frequency and gateways in Canada, we encourage you to write to the
Ministry of Transportation or your local MP.

Thank you once again for your support and interest in Singapore Airlines.
We hope this situation will change in the near future, and we will be able
to expand our operations from other Canadian cities.

We also take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a
joyful, peaceful 2009!

Best regards,

Merredith Hung
Singapore Airlines - Canada