London > Singapore - schedule increase likely?

[AsiaCommuter]

Currently SQ operate 3 daily flights from LHR to SIN, two (SQ317, SQ321)with the WhaleJet, the other (SQ319) with a 777W.

I understood earlier this year SQ reduced the daily schedule to 3 flights due to reduced passengers numbers. With this in mind is it likely SQ will increase this to 4 flights for the European Winter schedule, or upgrade the 777W flight to the WhaleJet? Or maybe this depends on an upturn in passenger numbers.

Cheers

[kelvgoh]

Extremely unlikely to increase frequency as the availability and cost of slots will be an issue.

Highly doubtful that SQ 308/319 will go A380 anytime soon. There are far more viable routes for SQ to deploy any available A380s on. The 77W works well for SQ on this particular route at this point of time.

There are plenty of options to get to Singapore from LHR (and at sometimes considerably lower prices), SQ does have some viable competition here.

Welcome to SQtalk!

[zvezda]

I understood earlier this year SQ reduced the daily schedule to 3 flights due to reduced passengers numbers.

No, SQ never operated more than 3x daily to LHR.

Extremely unlikely to increase frequency as the availability and cost of slots will be an issue.

LHR slots are very expensive and became even more expensive as a result of new demand due the US/UK Open Skies treaty.

Highly doubtful that SQ 308/319 will go A380 anytime soon. There are far more viable routes for SQ to deploy any available A380s on.[/QUOTE]
There may be one or two slightly more viable routes, such as SIN-FRA or perhaps a 2nd daily SYD.

[kt74]

Well, you don't actually have to "pay" for slots at LHR. You can request additional slots from the slot pool as a few become available every season (e.g. when Varig went bust), but, rightly or wrongly, priority is given to new airlines establishing their first service to LHR - and generally they are at odd times of the day

So, even though SQ requests an additional 7 slot pairs every season, almost by default, they never ever get them - and you have lots of random Bellview, TAM, China Eastern type airlines queue jumping and getting LHR slots "for free" (OT - personally I think it's a stupid system - they should auction new slots, earn a little extra revenue, and then maybe, errr, invest in the terminals or something radical like that)

Presumably if SQ ever gets those additional slots at decent times, we might even see the LHR-JFK that SQ has been petitioning for, for the last, ohhhh, 20 years or so... No real need for another LHR-SIN

[zvezda]

That's right about the LHR slots, though airlines sell and lease them to each other. For example, UA bought all the PA slots and now lease out several of them to various Star Alliance partners. Sale price for a slot pair with good timings for SQ is about $30 to 40M these days.

I wholeheartedly agree that slots should be auctioned, but for periods of 1 to 5 years, not indefinitely.

[Singapore_Air]

SQ London has been asking for Airline House to buy additional slots at LHR for years but Airline House has always refused thus far.

[scooby5]

Then maybe with Continental joining *A in a few months a shuffle "internally" of slots and routes may be to everybody's advantage.

[9V-SIA]

Well, you don't actually have to "pay" for slots at LHR. You can request additional slots from the slot pool as a few become available every season (e.g. when Varig went bust), but, rightly or wrongly, priority is given to new airlines establishing their first service to LHR - and generally they are at odd times of the day

So, even though SQ requests an additional 7 slot pairs every season, almost by default, they never ever get them - and you have lots of random Bellview, TAM, China Eastern type airlines queue jumping and getting LHR slots "for free" (OT - personally I think it's a stupid system - they should auction new slots, earn a little extra revenue, and then maybe, errr, invest in the terminals or something radical like that)

Presumably if SQ ever gets those additional slots at decent times, we might even see the LHR-JFK that SQ has been petitioning for, for the last, ohhhh, 20 years or so... No real need for another LHR-SIN

IIRC SQ has regulatory approval to fly LHR-JFK from both sides of the Atlantic. The problem is LHR slots.

What about flying LTN-JFK then? My Dad took Silverjet out of LTN and was full of praise of the service. Not too inconvenient an airport from north London.

[MAN Flyer]

SQ London has been asking for Airline House to buy additional slots at LHR for years but Airline House has always refused thus far.

Indeed.

They also looked into starting a service to LGW a few years back.

[zvezda]

IIRC SQ has regulatory approval to fly LHR-JFK from both sides of the Atlantic. The problem is LHR slots.

What about flying LTN-JFK then? My Dad took Silverjet out of LTN and was full of praise of the service. Not too inconvenient an airport from north London.

LTN is the home of low-cost carriers in London. I could imagine SQ possibly flying to LGW, but not LTN or STN.

[kelvgoh]

I'm not sure we'll see a LHR-JFK service till SQ moves on its interest in VS - it is essentially competing with itself isn't it?

Personally I would like to see a SIN-LGW-JFK service, although admittedly it is LHR which needs the *A presence transatlantic.

That being said, I think the only feasible "slot" of any sort would be a 6am departure out of Singapore which will arrive around noon in London.

[MAN Flyer]

I wish I could post something else I know about this situation but I can't....yet.

[zvezda]

I think the only feasible "slot" of any sort would be a 6am departure out of Singapore which will arrive around noon in London.

I think a departure around midnight from SIN arriving around 06:00 in London and departing for JFK at around 08:00 would be better.

Anyway, the long-term trend is to non-stop services. Nearly all the tags that SQ operated a decade ago have been dropped. I would not be surprised to see all the remaining tags dropped over the next ten years.

[9V-SIA]

I'm not sure we'll see a LHR-JFK service till SQ moves on its interest in VS - it is essentially competing with itself isn't it?

If you look at the latest copy of Silverkris, SQ has codeshare services with VS across the Atlantic.

From LHR to:

BOS
LAX
SFO
ORD
MIA
IAD

From MAN to:

MCO

In fact, it seems everywhere except the one I need ... LHR-JFK!!
Is SQ afraid of cannibalizing their own services to NYC?

[TerryK]

If you look at the latest copy of Silverkris, SQ has codeshare services with VS across the Atlantic.

From LHR to:

BOS
LAX
SFO
ORD
MIA
IAD

From MAN to:

MCO

In fact, it seems everywhere except the one I need ... LHR-JFK!!
Is SQ afraid of cannibalizing their own services to NYC?

I noticed that too. I suspect it has to do with traffic right. SQ needs to have LHR-JFK traffic right in order to sell codeshares on that route.