As part of its focus on premium full-service air travel, Singapore Airlines has invested $850 million in new cabin products — for suites, business class, premium economy and economy class — which would be fitted to its Airbus A380 fleet. Among other things, the airline has acted on requests for more privacy in suites and fewer barriers to interaction in business class. Work on the new products began in 2013 and the redesigned cabins were unveiled in Singapore on November 2. The first A380 with the new products and services will fly from Singapore to Sydney, on December 18.
More aircraft will be modified in due course and deployed on select long-distance routes around the world. While the redesign has resulted in a reduction in the number of seats, CEO Goh Choon Phong underlined the airline’s commitment to premium full-service air travel. The airline, he stressed, “is pushing the boundaries in its effort to offer greater privacy and amenities to flyers.”
‘Customer centric’
He asserted that the new products were not a response to competitive pressure. “We do not come up with products keeping only competitors in mind. These new products are entirely the result of the feedback from our customers. We offer a certain quality of service and products, and this appeals to a certain category of air travellers.” Significantly, the changes will not be accompanied by a revision of fares.
Marvin Tan, senior VP - Product & Services, said, “Singapore Airlines set new industry benchmarks for premium full-service travel when we introduced our first A380s in October 2007. A decade later, we continue to receive highly positive feedback about the travel experience on the aircraft. The introduction of our all-new cabin products is intended to ensure we retain our product leadership position. The significant investment in the new product and service offerings demonstrates that we are always listening to our customers, and ensuring that we continue to deliver the world’s best travel experience.” The airline is exploring various options to increase operations to India. At present, it flies to six cities — Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
Campbell Wilson, global head, Marketing, said, “We are using all the available slots and are keen to expand as and when new slots become available. Till then, we are employing all available means to tap into the growth in the Indian market. For example, the investment in Vistara.” David Lim, general manager - India, said that almost 50% of passengers from India took onward flights from Singapore with the top three destinations being Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.
(This correspondent was in Singapore at the invitation of Singapore Airlines)
