Singapore Airlines Increases Services To BNE, SYD, AKL, SGN, HAN, SHA, MAA, DEL

[Singapore_Air]

SCHEDULE CHANGES BOOST CAPACITY ON REGIONAL AND SOUTH WEST PACIFIC ROUTES

Singapore Airlines will be making some adjustments to its schedules in response to changing patterns in demand for travel. The adjustments will reallocate capacity among the routes and result in an increase overall across the network.

There will be more flights to and from Australia. From 3 April, Brisbane will be served with an additional three weekly frequencies, increasing to three times daily in July. Further, flights to Sydney increase from April to 24 times weekly, and will further increase to four times daily in June.

Within South East Asia, service to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam will increase to three times daily from 30 March, and frequency to Hanoi will increase from daily to ten times weekly from 2 July.

From this week, Shanghai services will increase from four to five times daily.

Some increases are planned for destinations in India, subject to traffic rights and regulatory approval. Flights to Chennai are planned to increase from 10 to 11 per week. Frequency between Singapore and Delhi are also planned to increase from a daily service to nine times weekly from 30 March, and to twice daily services later in the year.

Frequency will be increased between Singapore and Dubai to twice daily, from the existing 10 flights per week, with effect from 18 May.

The Airline had recently commenced a second daily service between Singapore and Zurich, and earlier this year, increased frequency on the Milan and Barcelona route to a daily service.

Frequency: flights per week
Changes subject to slot allocations, traffic rights and other regulatory approvals

* Auckland operated a seasonal schedule with double-daily over the NZ summer, and 11 flights per week over NZ winter. Now, Auckland will operate double-daily year-round.

[kelvgoh]

hmm. i know its a little bit of a wishful thinking but i'm still disappointed that there will be no fourth london flight.

MH have started flying to LGW from summer 08, thought sq might consider that option too.

[RJA]

Nice to see SQ expanding. I wonder if SQ will consider adding a 3rd AKL frequency perhaps operating a few times a week with the 772 come Oct/Nov when the next NZ summer/peak season starts?

[zvezda]

i'm still disappointed that there will be no fourth london flight.

LHR is getting a major increase in capacity by means of upgauging all three daily flights from the JumboJet to the WhaleJet. I don't see much chance of a fourth London flight this year, especially given the record slot prices at LHR due to US/EU Open Skies. FRA is due for a capacity increase.

[MAN Flyer]

MH have started flying to LGW from summer 08, thought sq might consider that option too.

They nearly did start a LGW service about 3 years ago. It went quite a way down the track but got canned late on.

[SQFAN]

hmm. i know its a little bit of a wishful thinking but i'm still disappointed that there will be no fourth london flight.

http://www.sqtalk.com/forums/showpos...83&postcount=9

[flyboy777]

MH have started flying to LGW from summer 08, thought sq might consider that option too.

They are? Nothing on the BAA Gatwick website or malaysiaairlines.com...

LHR is getting a major increase in capacity by means of upgauging all three daily flights from the JumboJet to the WhaleJet. I don't see much chance of a fourth London flight this year, especially given the record slot prices at LHR due to US/EU Open Skies. FRA is due for a capacity increase.

SQ317/SQ322 have been already upgraded. However, no news on the other two. Is there a timescale for when the next upgrades will take place? I presume SQ321/SQ318 will be next. SFO & HKG are next & then Emirates & Qantas starts getting a load of deliveries so I'm not so sure how fast these are going to come.

If Singapore Air were to get their ideal next slot into Heathrow, it would aroudn 6am similar to the current A380 flight. This allows the overnight from Singapore with assosiated business traffic & connections. However, these slots are the most prized at Heathrow since almost every long haul destination could perfectly time arrivals in LHR around that time, particularly more easterly states.

Should early morning slots become available, it is unlikely Singapore would get them unless they bid serious money for them. Remember, new entrant Open Skies carriers such as Delta, Northwest, US Airways & Continental have all received slots, but at less than ideal times. They have their own massive corportations & european partners backing them in their quest for slots & would probably win over any SQ bid. Other than that, other carriers are also seeking slots around ideal times including BA.

The only other Heathrow options for SQ would perhaps be to mimick SQ318 with a lunchtime flight. However, I doubt they would be able to get the traffic volumes they want & would end up driving down yields.

Gatwick IS an alternative but in terms of London business, it is much less desirable. Slots are also at a premium, but are less contricted than Heathrow. Oasis' recent demise along with some prime time slots becoming available from american carriers moving more operations to Heathrow have left some gaps. However, such a move would need low fares to tempt customers across which would only have an unhealthy affect on yields.

A clever move may be to launch B77W services to STN. Stansted, located in the northeast of London is a mecca for low-cost airlines, but more recently has attracted the interest of all-business airlines such as EOS. The airport is within easy reach of London, has fewer slot restrictions around peak hours & would offer comprehensive coverage of London without detracting from the focal traffic & *A connections at Heathrow. The B777-300ER service would ensure rightsized capacity, cargo (Stansted is very strong on freight) & latest product innovations.

[kelvgoh]

Ah yes, the mysterious MH Gatwick service. this is the email I got from a travel agent i've used previously.

from Lee's Travel <noreply@leestravel.com>
reply-to noreply@leestravel.com,
to
date Thu, Feb 7, 2008 at 1:20 PM
subject S.E.Asia Summer Special from £360

MALAYSIA AIRLINES SUMMER SPECIAL

Return to
S.E.Asia
INCLUDING
Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand
Cambodia & Vietnam

from
£360
on

CONDITIONS
From London GATWICK
Valid for sale until 06 Jul 2008
Valid for departures 22 Jun - 06 Jul 08
Full payment & ticketing within 7 Days
Maximum stay 3 Months, Min 5 Days
Taxes to be added as applicable
Please call for child fares.

------------------------------------------------

Thing is, I think MH distributed some circular a week or so ago which stated that they are pulling the gatwick route due to "operational" reasons. I think it was planned to be a twice weekly service operated by B777s.

-------------------------------------------------

I only suggested Gatwick because I stay near London Bridge, and being able to take a 20 odd minute national rail ride (10 pounds single) to the airport from either LB, Blackfriars, Cannon St or Charing Cross is certainly attractive in terms of commute. It may not be representative, but the two times I flew out of Gatwick, it involved far less hassle than at heathrow.

From London Bridge, a transfer to Canary Wharf or Square Mile by tube isn't altogether difficult too. Ditto for other National Rail Connections from LB, Victoria, Charing X.

Stansted's an interesting proposition too actually. train directly to Liverpool Street. Just whether SQ being SQ will want to be associated with stansted.

I'm just raising this as a "would be nice" issue, though i know only a foolish business will operate solely on a "would be nice" basis. and i also take all the points raised before by other people more knowledgeable than i

p/s oh and of course, there was this "if MH could, why can't SQ?" thought (no offence meant)

[flyboy777]

Stansted's an interesting proposition too actually. train directly to Liverpool Street. Just whether SQ being SQ will want to be associated with stansted.

At the moment, Stansted is viewed as a somewhat premium airport. The media take chunks out of Heathrow daily (often with no good reason) & public opinion means everything.

Stansted on the other hand plays host to business class airlines, private jets & cargo operations (alongside the dreaded tails of easyJet & Ryanair). It is set to get a 2nd runaway before Heathrow gets it's 3rd, a 2nd terminal & iis set to fly 68 million passengers per year by 2020, which is equal to Heathrow today. It also provides a valuable link to the north & east of the capital which currently experiences minimal long haul service.