A smile to pay off

Singapore Airlines just recently has added a new class, more destinations and upgraded services. The national carrier has unveiled its new Premium Economy Class seats with new in-flight offerings available to customers.

Long haul flights are typically boring; the best one can usually hope for is to relax and sleep well. Some airlines, fortunately have a friendly approach; they give their customers something free and much appreciated: a smile. Singapore Airlines (SIA) has no shortage of smiles, from check-in to the traveler’s final destination.

Product development is a familiar concept to business travelers and it is the cornerstone of an ongoing process which drives every company in the service sector, including airlines. Carriers are under constant pressure to renew their seating offers: they used to have only three classes (economy, business and first) some 20-25 years ago but today one can hardly find solid network carriers to keep this offer alive.

Singapore Airlines has unveiled its new Premium Economy Class seats with in-flight offerings available to customers this month. Following a two-year development program and an investment of approximately SGD 80 million, the new seats provide a contemporary and stylish design. Each seat has a width of either 18.5 or 19.5 inches, depending on aircraft type, with an 8-inch recline and a seat pitch of 38 inches. Together with active noise-cancelling headphones and a sleek 13.3-inch full HD monitor which is the largest in its class, travelers can enjoy an enhanced in-flight entertainment system. Other features include a full leather finishing, calf-rest and foot-bar for every seat, individual in-seat power supply, two USB ports, in-seat reading light, cocktail table, and more stowage space for personal items.

“Many of our customers have been asking for a Premium Economy offering and we are confident that what we are delivering will exceed their expectations,” said Singapore Airlines Executive Vice President Commercial, Mak Swee Wah.

Since in-flight experience is not limited to comfort seating and entertainment, Premium Economy Class will provide an extensive range of food and beverage, which includes the Premium Economy Book the Cook service, enabling advance ordering of a selection of main courses.

Premium Economy Class will be progressively introduced on 19 Airbus A380s, 19 Boeing 777-300ERs and the first 20 Airbus A350s. It enters commercial service on 9 August 2015 to Sydney, before being introduced to other destinations such as Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, London, Mumbai, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich.

Referring to the growing competition for travelers in Budapest, the Head of Regional PR and Marketing Peter Tomasch said: " Competition is growing in the field of aviation constantly, not just in Hungary. SIA is not afraid of this because we know the strength and quality of our products and services."

Business passengers of SIA may also benefit from the wide range of offers to other destinations in South-East Asia using the services of its regional arm, SilkAir. There are new destinations in Indonesia, such as Denpasar (capital of Bali island), and Cairns (Australia).

Speaking of Changi Airport, (best airport in the world, according to airline industry experts and passengers) Peter Tomasch emphasized: it is the perfect hub to travel from Europe to Asia or to Australia / New Zealand. On top of that, every passenger traveling with SIA and beyond Singapore with SIA or SilkAir, can collect a Changi Dollar Voucher (CDV), SGD 40 value, that is redeemable at the airport for cosmetics and other goods.

The CDVs are valid for one-time use at more than 510 retail, food and service outlets in the transit and public areas of Terminals 1, 2 and 3. They can also be redeemed for one-time access to the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Terminals 2 and 3 for up to four hours. Services at the lounge include showers, light refreshments and a wide range of reading materials. Travelers can also look forward to amenities such as airport-wide complimentary WiFi, movie theaters and themed gardens while transiting at Changi Airport, where a convenient Skytrain transport system in both the transit and public areas provides easy access to all three terminals.

Special livery

Singapore Airlines is celebrating the nation’s Golden Jubilee by having two Airbus A380s in a special livery, featuring a large Singapore flag-themed design on the fuselage. The A380s will be in the livery until the end of 2015, with the aircraft serving Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Sydney and Zurich routes. The A380 is the world’s largest aircraft and the special livery features a 10m-tall and 47m-long Singapore flag-themed design on both sides of the fuselage.“Singapore Airlines’ success is closely tied to the success of Singapore. What better way to celebrate the 50 years of our country than by proudly flying the national flag around the world on the world’s largest aircraft,” said Singapore Airlines CEO, Goh Choon Phong.

Largest partnership of SIA

Singapore Airlines (SIA), Changi Airport Group (CAG) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have stepped up efforts to jointly promote inbound travel to Singapore and Changi Airport, in the largest collaboration among the three partners to date. Under the new two-year partnership, the three parties will jointly invest SGD 20 million to collaborate in amplifying the Singapore experience to leisure, business and MICE audiences in more than 15 markets worldwide. A key highlight of the program is the introduction of the Singapore Stopover Premium package. Targeted at both premium leisure and business travelers, this package includes stays in selected five-star hotels with breakfast and Wi-Fi, priority hotel check-in services and private transfers, exclusive privileges such as spa discounts or shopping vouchers, and access to a variety of premium leisure experiences across the island. Another feature of this partnership is the enhanced Free Singapore Tour, a perennially popular program that brings transit passengers on a free guided tour of Singapore’s vibrant landscape, best heritage attractions and city skyline.