Air Travel Bubble Flights between Singapore and Hong Kong

[SQ28]

https://www.facebook.com/91650376503...766632095/?d=n

Ong Ye Kung:
This morning, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore announced that the Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble (ATB) will be launched as scheduled, with arriving passengers subject to an on-arrival test as a further precaution.

Given the evolving situation in Hong Kong, Secretary Edward Yau and I discussed further this afternoon, and decided that it would be better to defer the launch of the ATB, by two weeks. We will review within two weeks on the new launch date and update again.

I can fully understand the disappointment and frustration of travellers who have planned their trips. But we think it is better to defer from a public health standpoint. The airlines will be contacting the travellers individually.

This is a sober reminder that the COVID-19 virus is still with us, and even as we fight to regain our normal lives, the journey will be full of ups and downs. But we will press on and look forward to when we can safely launch the ATB.

[reddevil0728]

Travel bubble flights between Singapore, Hong Kong postponed

Feels very badly managed? Could have waited for today’s numbers before deciding.

Now seems like an unnecessary u turn

[flyguy]

Yup news just in - cancelled even before its first flight takes off.

[flyguy]

Actually Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and China have no infections except imported ones, but these countries are not yet ready to have any such air bubble with us.

[scooby5]

Travel bubble flights between Singapore, Hong Kong postponed

Feels very badly managed? Could have waited for today’s numbers before deciding.

Now seems like an unnecessary u turn

They had today's number already in hand.

[reddevil0728]

They had today's number already in hand.

Which is even worse than. No point opening and close the very next day

[scooby5]

Which is even worse than. No point opening and close the very next day

A matter of timing.

The opening date was fixed a couple of weeks ago. Based on the 13-unlinked cases today, over the 9 from yesterday, trajectory over the next few days can be guessed/predicted.

In the end, better to cancel too early than too late.

[reddevil0728]

A matter of timing.

The opening date was fixed a couple of weeks ago. Based on the 13-unlinked cases today, over the 9 from yesterday, trajectory over the next few days can be guessed/predicted.

In the end, better to cancel too early than too late.

optics not very good to announce that it will proceed in the morning and only doing a u turn a few hours later

[scooby5]

optics not very good to announce that it will proceed in the morning and only doing a u turn a few hours later

Now I understand your meaning.

In the morning, the case number would unlikely be known by Singapore. It would take a very large number to changed the 7-day moving average over 5-unlinked cases. OYK further discussion with HK probably would make both sides reconsider bit, in hindsight, OYK should have remained silent this morning.

Even now, I believe the average is not over 5-cases so they actually have delayed the ATB whilst not meeting their own criteria. It's been said, things change too quickly and not always within their own guidelines.

[reddevil0728]

Now I understand your meaning.

In the morning, the case number would unlikely be known by Singapore. It would take a very large number to changed the 7-day moving average over 5-unlinked cases. OYK further discussion with HK probably would make both sides reconsider bit, in hindsight, OYK should have remained silent this morning.

Even now, I believe the average is not over 5-cases so they actually have delayed the ATB whilst not meeting their own criteria. It's been said, things change too quickly and not always within their own guidelines.

I guess the difference is, we are talking about a new launch. And before the launch you already know it might break the criteria within a day or two, so the decision is whether you want to launch for one day and suspend it.

Whereas if it has been going on for sometime, then the normal process should follow

[scooby5]

Correct, today was the last best chance to stop it.

[reddevil0728]

Correct, today was the last best chance to stop it.

regardless optically, a u turn within a few hours is really badly.

but then again, it is much better than to launch it and to only close it within a day or 2 and in the worse case you start to have new community cases in Singapore after have 0 cases for 10 days?

doesn't really breed confidence.

for such first in the world initiative, you want it to be long lasting and for the circuit breaker mechanism to work. not short and break the next day

[sbs2716g]

The u turn was made after they found that they have over 60 preliminary cases which will definitely trigger the suspension.

[9VSSA]

While it may seem by some to be an eleventh hour decision, I do think that this decision was made responsibility for everyone's well-being.

[scooby5]

No doubt, without surprise, the bubble will have no possibility of air until the new year so the next target date will, no doubt be Lunar New Year.

This will take advantage of sky high ticket pricing.