Airline Fanatic

It’s been a long road for Singapore Airlines in their bid to take a combined 24% stake in China Eastern Airlines, but today they are one step closer to the final sale.  A date has been set for China Eastern’s many shareholders to take a vote on the sale to Singapore, on January 8th.  The ownership structure of China Eastern seems to be quite complex, with several state and private interests making up the biggest chunk of outstanding shares.  The way the vote is organized however (shareholders in Hong Kong and Shanghai will vote simultaneously, and state owned players are not allowed to vote) indicated the sale will proceed once the vote finally takes place.

After 18 months of delays, its finally happened, the A380 is winging its way on its maiden commercial voyage from Singapore Changi to Sydney.  Seats on the maiden voyage were auctioned on eBay with the proceeds going to charity.  Some ended up paying six figure numbers for seats on this flight.  The double decker giant ended up carrying 471 people on their way to Sydney today.

Singapore Airlines today finally took delivery of their first brand spanking new Airbus A380.  It’s been more than two years since they were supposed to have held this ceremony, but Singapore CEO Chew Choon Seng put on a big smile as he christened the “new queen of the sky for air travel.”  Another sound byte worthy of the best Washington politician: “We are glad that Airbus took the time to make sure that the plane is fully tested and developed before it enters commercial service.”  Yes, I’m sure you’re glad Airbus made one of the world’s most efficient airlines wait an additional two years to buy a plane that many consider ill suited for the traveling tastes of real people.  Carrying that many people on one flight in one plane makes great economic sense, but have you ever tried boarding one of those things?

To SIA’s credit, there seems to be some nice revenue opportunities in flying this big bird (which still clocks in  a few feet thinner than the infamous Spruce Goose).   For the A380 they’ve introduced new  “premium suites,” priced 20-25% higher than their already astronomically priced first class fare.  Business class and economy will also be getting upgrades with the latest amenities.  Basically, those who fly economy on Singapore Airlines still get far better seats, service and amenities than any first class passenger flying  domestic in the US.

So I wrote the previous paragraphs before I saw some delivery photos showcasing the interiors on this thing.  Can we just take a look at these “premium cabins” being flown around the skies starting in just 10 days?  This is officially now a hotel on wings, and comes with better service than the Ritz.  I officially take back anything bad I’ve said about Airbus and the A380.  Not really, there are still plenty of reasons they shouldn’t have built this plane, but still, WOW.  The super super rich now have no reason to go around buying private jets when they can travel is massive quantities of luxury this configuration provides.  In closing, Singapore Airlines, if you are listening, I am now ready to review your A380 firsthand as I lay flat in your suites cruising over the Pacific.  Just drop me a line and I’ll see if I can clear up my schedule.

One of the leaders of the airline industry, Singapore Airlines, has just signed a new codesharing agreement with primarily domestic carrier US Airways.  This move is a little confusing for me, as both airlines are already members of the Star Alliance, and so allows passengers to fly other airlines while still receiving miles on their primary carrier.  I guess the goal here is for tighter integration between the two, and so Singapore and US Air customers can book their entire trip through one company’s website.

Essentially, the new agreement allows US Air customers to fly through to Singapore via Los Angeles or San Francisco, although LAX is the only city with nonstop service.  Singapore airlines customers can likewise extend their trip in the US on any US Airways flight leaving out of those two cities.

More important than that though it the faith Singapore Airlines is putting in US Airways to take care of their customers.  Singapore is perennially one of the top, if not the best airlinein the world ranked by service.  Taking those comfortable, pampered customers and putting them in the cramped, dirty, and poor service environment that is US Air could set them up for a nasty shock.  A better choice could have been, well lets face it, pretty much any other carrier except for Spirit Air.  Especially out of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the two US cities for which this has the biggest impact, United Airlines has much larger operations and a better reputation for service, though only slightly.  This may end up being a bigger liability for the brand image and customer experience of Singapore’s customers than a feature of convenience.