SQ shuffling things around

[oz_mark]

Interesting article.SIA, Scoot to upgrade & expand fleet - Channel NewsAsia

Points are:

SQ Ordered 5 A380's and 20 A350's
The A340's will be withdrawn next year, and SIN-LosAngeles and Newark cancelled
Scoot to take 20 787's.

 

[vitagen]

Interesting... I better hop on one of those full J class a340s before they go!

 

[cove]

Thanks for sharing that news oz_mark.
Naturally we are disappointed that the A340-500 only has a year to go. It is a favourite of mine and I prefer it to the A380 which stops in Narita.

 

[moa999]

Alsohttp://www.ausbt.com.au/scoot-to-buy-20-boeing-787s-flights-from-2014?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=flipper&utm_campaign=home-flipper

Suspect it makes it less likely the rumour that 787s will to to QF Dom... 3K wont want to run 330s versus 787s

 

[Austman]

Thanks for sharing that news oz_mark.
Naturally we are disappointed that the A340-500 only has a year to go. It is a favourite of mine and I prefer it to the A380 which stops in Narita.

But they (the A340-500s) are looking a bit tired now (interior wise). And I wonder - one all J-class flight/day to EWR and nothing else to EWR? Seems a little bit indulgent. Still, it's a great experience that I did, both-ways, a couple of months ago.

 

[dajop]

But they (the A340-500s) are looking a bit tired now (interior wise). And I wonder - one all J-class flight/day to EWR and nothing else to EWR? Seems a little bit indulgent. .

Slot related I think. IIRC SQ used to do SIN-AMS-EWR or something like that. Also provides a good alternative to JFK. When I travel to US from SIN I can pretty much travel via any of the US ports, but EWR is definitely the best schedule and most convenient. Cost wise its seems (on my experience) IAH>EWR>JFK>SFO>LAX. Variation can be considerable, and usually just because of cost I fly into EWR and out of LAX which is a lot cheaper. The SIN-LAX non-stop flight disappearing is not surprising.

 

[Austman]

Slot related I think.

The departure time is so late (23:00) that some terminals at EWR have closed (or about to) for the night. Slot related? I so much doubt it. More likely, it's a presitge service that simply doesn't pay.

 

[dajop]

The departure time is so late (23:00) that some terminals at EWR have closed (or about to) for the night. Slot related? I so much doubt it. More likely, it's a presitge service that simply doesn't pay.

I mean slot related as to why it goes from EWR not JFK. 23:00 might be late (in the US context, certainly not in Asia!) , but is a great time though - great for connections from the eastern half of the US (through the former CO, now UA hub) , also it means a well timed morning arrival for connections through SIN. Trying to get out of JFK at 21:00 wastes a fair chunk of the day if not travelling from within the immediate New York area. I do have no doubt there is an element of prestige to the service, but I had assumed stuff going under the belly might be paying some of the way, albeit within weight constraints. But whenever I see comments from people suggesting QF do PER-LHR I just laugh - if SQ can't make ULH work between Singapore and New York, what hope would QF have out of PER!

 

[Austman]

I remember the SQ check-in experience at EWR (just me and 4 counter staff), the security clearance (no wait at all) and even the lounge and walking to the boarding gate (almost no-one else around other than the SQ passengers). It was all a bit weirdly quiet for New York. I suspect super-long haul J only flights are hard to make profitable and EWR-SIN non stop is far too long to make Y or Y+ seem attractive?

Arriving at 05:30 -ish at SIN (mine landed before 05:00 I think) ... even Changi is quiet! I've never seen it like that before! Only about 10 people in the whole SQ SilverKris lounge and facilities like lounge check-in were closed (please come back at 07:00 they told me). It was like Changi was half asleep.

I loved the experience. But does it make money for SQ?

 

[Awesom Andy]

I honestly can't see any airlines making ultra long-haul work. They are basically flying oil tankers around, with a few people on-board, and with facilities for extra crew due to the number of hours in the air. It was a loss-making marketing tool at best.

And I don't know how much how much the A345 are worth in the "trade-in", but on the market, they are worth as little as scrap metal, as TG has found out some years ago with their attempt to get rid of their fleet.

 

[cove]

I wondered about profitability when we were part of 33 passengers on the whole A345 with us two travelling on points.

 

[Alanslegal]

Scoot to take 20 787's.

As a fan of LCC models where I only pay for what I want/consume, then Scoot taking up 20 x 787's is fantastic news for me. No doubt this would expand the LCC routes all the way through to various European destinations. Now to the budget conscious consumer, imagine regular AUS to EUR flights for under $1,000 return, fantastic!

With Scoot picking up the 787's it is going to give Jetstar Asia (and Qantas Asia) a run for its money given they wanted to expand the LCC model all the way through to Europe originally.

 

[lovestotravel]

I wondered about profitability when we were part of 33 passengers on the whole A345 with us two travelling on points.

Indeed, 200,000 litres of fuel alone....

 

[SeaWolf]

Damn. I've had my eye on doing that SIN-EWR-SIN route for a while, being the longest in the world. But it's expensive and there are few rewards seats on it. Guess I'll have to try and move fast if I want to do it before it disappears. Does anyone know what the cut off date is likely to be?

 

[cove]

We are coming home on the a340-500 from LAX. It is lovely because we usually get 2 seats each... One for dinner and movies and the other for sleeping. If you get on with a light load of passengers it is better than the A380 in business class!