SQ First Class Suite Loadfactors?

[SQlankan]

I was wondering how the load factors on the A380 suites were doing? Especially cuz they have been trying to advertise this absurd Raffles Hotel promotion which is not really THAT worth it...

[pavion]

It's doing very poorly based on my research

[concept|infinit]

If indeed the load factors are low, perhaps "R" is is on a poor pricing and if you will, branding model.

Given that R features beyond F:
- More space
- More privacy

But is no different from F in terms of:
- Ground Services
- Inflight Service ie the soft product
- Meal service

The perks or value-add of R over F is thus low and perhaps negligble to consumers. Perhaps SQ should conduct some market research into how pax who fly R see it- do they see it as simply F in the A380 or a whole new class of service that SQ has been marketing it as, or somewhere in between.

Rather than a more Positivist Epistemology, I'd imagine something of a more Interpretivist approach would work here- the best conductor of such research is the cabin crew. It would be methodological and virtually costless. They could be made to conduct in the course of the flight by means of an Interpretivist research method like covert observation (how do the passengers behave in R- any different from F? What do they say about it if anything?), or unstructured interviews (... "so Sir, how do you enjoy the R experience so far?" etc). Taking a more Positivist approach eg. a survey wouldn't be quite meaningful here I'd imagine, they need to understand how the passengers find the product, in-depth and what meanings they attach to it.

If their market research does indeed show that pax see it more like the "F" product, they should price it lower. Perhaps 3% to 5% above the price of "F".
- While this would decrease yields, it would increase loads and the latter is more likely to outweight the former in terms of net revenue, given that the loads are indeed low
- Would still establish that R is a proxy for a superior product (more exclusive, private, bigger) as it is priced slightly higher


I write as a non-expert in pricing and branding strategies but a mere undergraduate student in Economics and Management

[Savage25]

It's doing very poorly based on my research

do share...

[f4freeJunior]

We were only 5 pax in R on my last flight ZRH-SIN. We booked ticket 2h before departure, so originally there would have been 3 pax only.

[pavion]

I will share after my IB results are out, otherwise there could be other issues raised