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  • Singapore Airlines and Silkair increase flights in July 2020

    Singapore Airlines and Silkair increase flights in July 2020

    Slight increase over June’s operations, but still down 94% from last year

    Singapore Airlines and Silkair has updated its July flight schedules, operating to a total of 27 cities across 18 countries/territories. While this is no change from June, there are some favourable developments, including the commencement of transit traffic from select countries.

    Singapore Airlines schedule

    Singapore Airlines has not announced any ‘new’ destinations that it will be serving in July, but some notable observations for July schedules are as follow:

    • Auckland now sees three flights a week, up from two in the month of June
    • Flights to Manila are now possible, albeit only two services in the month of July
    • Scoot has resumed a weekly service to Taipei, and also planned some ad-hoc services to Surabaya towards the end of July

    [Update 8 July] Silkair has removed its earlier planned services to Cebu, while Singapore Airlines will be commencing twice-weekly flights to Paris from 15 July. In addition, passengers will not be accepted on flights from Singapore to Melbourne due to government restrictions, although these flights are still operating.

    The full schedules for Singapore Airlines for July are as follow:

    Southeast Asia

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – Kuala LumpurSQ104Mon, Wed, Fri083009301hA350-900
    Kuala Lumpur – SingaporeSQ105Mon, Wed, Fri102511351h 10mA350-900
    Singapore – BangkokSQ976Mon, Fri, Sun160017252h 25mB787-10
    Bangkok – SingaporeSQ979Mon, Fri, Sun183021552h 25mB787-10
    Singapore – JakartaSQ966Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun183019201h 50mA350-900
    Jakarta – SingaporeSQ967Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun201523051h 50mA350-900
    Singapore – ManilaSQ910Tue093013053h 35mA350-900
    Manila – SingaporeSQ917Tue, Fri141517553h 40mA350-900
    Hanoi – SingaporeSQ175Fri123517053h 30mB787-10
    Ho Chi Minh City – SingaporeSQ177Mon, Thu123015302hB787-10

    North Asia

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – SeoulSQ600Wed, Sat080015356h 35mA350-900
    Seoul – SingaporeSQ609Wed, Sat164522006h 15mA350-900
    Singapore – Tokyo NaritaSQ638Thu, Sat, Sun002508307h 5mB787-10
    Tokyo Narita – SingaporeSQ637Thu, Sat, Sun101016207h 10mB787-10
    Singapore – Osaka KansaiSQ622(From 12 Jun) Fri143022106h 40mA350-900
    Osaka KansaiSQ623(From 12 Jun) Fri23250440(+1)6h 15mA350-900
    Singapore – ShanghaiSQ830Mon093015055h 35mB787-10
    Shanghai – SingaporeSQ833Mon165022205h 30mB787-10
    Singapore – Hong KongSQ890(from 10 Jun) Wed, Thu, Sat072511203h 55mB787-10
    Hong Kong – SingaporeSQ891(from 10 Jun) Wed, Thu, Sat122516203h 55mB787-10

    Southwest Pacific

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – AdelaideSQ279Mon23400755(+1)6h 45mA350-900
    Adelaide – SingaporeSQ278Tue091015107h 30mA350-900
    Singapore – Brisbane (via Sydney)SQ288Tue, Fri0935215510h 20m
    (incl. 1 stop)    		A350-900
    Brisbane – SingaporeSQ288Tue, Fri23000500+(1)8hA350-900
    Singapore – MelbourneSQ23720, 27 Jul23550920(+1)7h 25mA350-900
    SQ21717, 24, 31 Jul111020357h 25mA350-900
    Melbourne – SingaporeSQ238Tue23500545(+1)7h 55mA350-900
    SQ218Sat093515257h 50mA350-900
    Singapore – SydneySQ231Mon, Wed, Sun004510257h 40mA350-900
    SQ288Tue, Fri093519157h 40mA350-900
    Sydney -SingaporeSQ232Mon, Tue, Thu121018408h 30mA350-900
    Sydney – Singapore (via Brisbane)SQ288Tue, Fri2025050010h 35m (incl. 1 stop)A350- 900
    Singapore – AucklandSQ285Tue000513409h 35mA350-900
    SQ281Wed, Fri084522209h 35mA350-900
    Auckland – SingaporeSQ282Wed23200610(+1)10h 50mA350-900
    SQ286Thu, Sat1515220510h 50mA350-900
    Singapore – ChristchurchSQ297Sun23001240(+1)9h 40mA350-900
    Christchurch – SingaporeSQ298Tue0900155010h 50mA350-900

    Europe

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – LondonSQ322Tue, Thu, Sat23300555(+1)13h 25mA350-900
    London – SingaporeSQ317Mon, Thu, Sat11250730(+1)13h 5mA350-900
    Singapore – FrankfurtSQ26Tue, Thu, Sat23550645(+1)12h 50mA350-900
    Frankfurt – SingaporeSQ25Mon, Thu, Sat12300650(+1)12h 20mA350-900
    Singapore – ZurichSQ346Wed, Fri, Sun0125081512h 50mA350-900
    Zurich – SingaporeSQ345Mon, Thu, Sat11450555(+1)12h 10mA350-900
    Singapore – AmsterdamSQ324Tue, Sat23550715(+1)13h 20mA350-900
    Amsterdam – SingaporeSQ323Mon, Thu11150555(+1)12h 40mA350-900
    Singapore – BarcelonaSQ388Thu23350655(+1)13h 20mA350-900
    Barcelona – SingaporeSQ387Sat12050700(+1)12h 55mA350-900
    Singapore – CopenhagenSQ352Thu23500625(+1)12h 35mA350-900
    Cophenhagen – SingaporeSQ351Sat12200620(+1)12hA350-900
    (Updated 8 Jul)
    Singapore – Paris    		SQ336(w.e.f 15 Jul)
    Wed, Fri    		0015073513h 20mA350-900
    (Updated 8 Jul)
    Paris Singapore    		SQ335(w.e.f 16 Jul) Thu, Sat12000650(+1)12h 50mA350-900

    USA

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – Los AngelesSQ38Wed, Fri, Sun1940203515h 55mA350-900
    Los Angeles – SingaporeSQ37Mon, Wed, Sat00050815(+1)17h 10mA350-900

    Silkair schedule

    Silkair has retained the same load of flights, serving Chongqing, Kuala Lumpur and Medan.

    [Update 8 July] Flights to Cebu was originally planned, but subsequently cancelled.

    SectorFlight no.Days operatingDepArrDurationAircraft
    Singapore – ChongqingMI972Mon070011354h 35mB737-800
    Chongqing – SingaporeMI971Mon123517304h 55mB737-800
    Singapore – Kuala LumpurMI324Sat, Sun083009301hB737-800
    Kuala Lumpur – SingaporeMI323Sat, Sun102511251hB737-800
    Singapore – MedanMI234Tue, Thu074008001h 20mB737-800
    Medan – SingaporeMI233Tue, Thu084511051h 20mB737-800

    Scoot’s schedule for July

    Scoot has further expanded its operations for July, adding the following cities to its fold:

    • Surabaya
    • Taipei

    While these have been provisionally planned, Scoot has been known to adjust its schedules at the very last minute, most notably reducing its flights to Malaysia in June.

    Final thoughts

    This expanded schedule, while promising, is still a 94% reduction of its previously planned July schedule.

    With transit arrangements now in place for 14 countries, it is expected that Singapore Airlines will continue to make progress on that front, even as it gradually expands the number of destinations it serves.

    I’m also keen to see which other countries Singapore will set up travel ‘green lanes’ or ‘travel bubbles’, and hopefully bring back some level of leisure travel in the near term.

  • Qantas slashes 6,000 jobs, including 180 at Jetstar Asia

    Qantas slashes 6,000 jobs, including 180 at Jetstar Asia

    Jetstar Asia will also be returning five aircraft, reducing fleet size to 13 aircraft.

    Qantas announced today its post-Covid-19 plans, which include a reduction in workforce as well as issuance of new shares to raise more cash for the airline. The airline is also targeting to reduce its cost by A$15 billion over the next three years.

    Key to this announcement was a 20% reduction in the Qantas workforce, translating to 6,000 jobs, and continuing to place another 15,000 employees on no-pay leave. Qantas will also be raising up to A$1.9 billion in equity through issuance of new shares.

    Three-year strategy

    Qantas Group announced a three-year plan to accelerate its recovery from the havoc that Covid-19 wrecked upon global travel. The plan is aimed towards future profitability, long-term shareholder value and to preserve as many jobs as possible.

    Qantas’ three-pronged approach can be outlined as follow:

    • Rightsize the Group’s workforce, fleet and other costs according to demand projections, with the ability to scale up as flying returns.
    • Restructure to deliver ongoing cost savings and efficiencies across the Group’s operations in a changed market.
    • Recapitalise through an equity raising to strengthen the Group’s financial resilience for recovery and the opportunities it presents.

    Given that Covid-19 has presented a challenge never seen before to most businesses, so Qantas has said that its plan is “designed to account for the uncertainty associated with the crisis, preserving as many key assets and skills as the Group can reasonably carry to support the eventual recovery“.

    Qantas sees that flying will be very much reduced over the next few years, so costs will have to correspondingly go down before flying recovers to pre-Covid-19 levels. Qantas is targeting to save A$15 billion over three years, achieved through the following:

    • Reducing workforce by at least 6,000 roles across all parts of the business
    • Continuing the stand down for 15,000 employees, particularly those associated with international operations, until flying returns
    • Retiring Qantas’ six remaining 747s immediately, six months ahead of schedule
    • Grounding up to 100 aircraft for up to 12 months (some for longer), including most of the international fleet
    • Deferment of A321neo and 787-9 fleet deliveries

    Qantas will suspend international services until at least mid-2021; A380s to be in storage until at least 2023

    According to Executive Traveller, Qantas will most likely suspend international operations until the middle of next year when a vaccine for Covid-19 is most likely available, except for a handful of countries where ‘green lane’ arrangements are in place.

    Qantas is also projecting that its international network will only reach 50% of what it used to be in the 2021-2022 financial year, and therefore there isn’t much use for the A380s as the traffic slowly recovers. As such, Qantas will be parking all of its 12 A380s in the Mojave Desert for at least three years, and a decision will be taken later as to whether all twelve will return to the skies.

    In the meantime, Qantas will be using its Dreamliners as the flagship workhorse as well as the A330s for its international services until the volumes are back, Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce reportedly said.

    Qantas is also bringing forward the retirement of all its Boeing 747s immediately, six months ahead of schedule. This also means that some services previously served by the jumbos will have to be replaced by smaller aircraft in due time, when these routes reinstate.

    Jetstar Asia to lose five aircraft and 180 staff

    Jetstar Asia will be reducing its 700-odd staff strength by more than a quarter, with the 180 jobs cut from across the business. It’s likely that the bulk of the cuts will come from crew, as Jetstar Asia will also be reducing its fleet size from 18 to 13.

    The smaller fleet will mean less flying in the foreseeable future, which will also mean that crew numbers can be reduced in tandem.

    With the reduction in flying, it’s likely that Jetstar will look to axe some routes. Jetstar was to launch Singapore-Colombo services on 1 July, which has now been postponed to mid-October. It remains to be seen if this route will still continue to start come October.

    Qantas international and Jetstar Asia flights grounded since March

    Both Qantas international and Jetstar Asia services were suspended since late March, after Covid-19 flared up in many countries resulting in border closures.

    Qantas was targeting to resume at least some international flights between Australia and New Zealand by July, but this was ruled out by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who suggested that September was a more realistic timeframe.

    Australia’s Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has already earlier said that international visitors will unlikely to be admitted into Australia until 2021, thereby dashing hopes of a resumption of Qantas international services anytime soon.

    Final thoughts

    This is definitely not a good look, but certainly not unexpected as many major carriers – including Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific – have looked to reduce costs and raise fresh funds earlier this year.

    Credit to them for choosing to furlough staff when the crisis first hit, but as this proves to be a long-lasting shockwave for aviation, it seems like there’s not many options left apart from letting employees go, while trying to conserve and raise cash for the coming years.

    Closer to home, the reduction in Jetstar Asia’s operations will inevitably mean that customers will be looking at a reduced offering from low-cost carriers in the next few years, and likely, higher fares as travelling resumes in a post-Covid-19 world.

  • Singapore Airlines extends transit arrangements to more countries

    Singapore Airlines extends transit arrangements to more countries

    Passengers from China, Japan, and South Korea can now transit via Changi

    In another good turn of events, Singapore Airlines announced on 22 Jun that customers from China, Japan and South Korea can now travel via Singapore to any points on the SIA network, including destinations served by Silkair or Scoot.

    Singapore Airlines has earlier commenced transit facilities for passengers travelling from Australia and New Zealand since 11 Jun. 

    Tickets for these new transit flights have been made on sale since 23 Jun (Tue) on the Singapore Airlines website.

    Approved points of departure

    As of 23 Jun, these are the approved cities of origin where passengers are allowed to transit via Changi:

    CountryCityServed by
    AustraliaAdelaideSingapore Airlines
    BrisbaneSingapore Airlines
    MelbourneSingapore AIrlines
    PerthScoot
    SydneySingapore Airlines
    ChinaChongqingSilkair
    GuangzhouScoot
    ShanghaiSingapore Airlines
    Hong Kong SARSingapore Airlines / Scoot
    JapanOsakaSingapore Airlines
    Tokyo-NaritaSingapore Airlines
    South KoreaSeoul-IncheonSingapore Airlines
    New ZealandAucklandSingapore Airlines
    ChristchurchSingapore Airlines

    Note that this list applies only for outbound journeys. For customers who wish to book return flights, both of the origin and destination must be on the approved list. For instance, customers who wish to fly from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur can only buy a one-way ticket, but customers who wish to fly from Sydney to Shanghai will be allowed to purchase return tickets.

    The new Changi transit experience

    In announcing the transit arrangements earlier in June for passengers from Australia and New Zealand, transit passengers will be herded to a transit holding area (THA) that is separate from passengers departing from Singapore.

    Transit holding area for transit customers

    In addition, Singapore Airlines is also seating transit passengers in a different zone on the aircraft from their point of origin, separate from other customers ending their journeys in Singapore.

    Once in Singapore, transit passengers will disembark last, after all the other passengers leave the aircraft. This group of passengers will be escorted to the nearest THAs located near A21 or at gate C3, by ground staff. Transit passengers will not be allowed to visit any shops, restaurants, lounges and any amenities along the way.

    If the transit time is 75 minutes or less, customers wil lbe escorted directly to the departing flight’s gate hold-room.

    There will be a temperature screening area at the entrance of all the THAs, and only authorised passengers and staff will be allowed into the THAs. Transit passengers should also note that they are required to wear a mask at all times, except when they are eating, drinking or smoking.

    Note that premium passengers will still not be able to access the SilverKris lounge for now and will have their own dedicated area at the THAs, with free refreshments.

    Changi Airport has published a video outlining the experience, which you can watch here:

    New Changi Transit Programme

    Transit hotel now open

    Changi Airport’s transit hotel, Aerotel, located at Terminal 1 is now open for passengers with long layovers. Transit passengers who have made bookings should inform the Changi Experience Ambassador on duty for assistance, who will escort them to the hotel. 

    Aerotel, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1

    Note that transit passengers who book a transit hotel room will be required to remain in their rooms the entire time of their stay, and will not be allowed to roam around the temrinal. Upon check-out, they will be escorted to either the THAs or their gates.

    Final thoughts

    CAAS has earlier told The Straits Times that “hundreds” of customers have transited via Changi Airport since transit traffic reopened to passengers in mid-June. With this expansion of the ‘white-list’ of countries, the number is expected to go up significantly, as global travel resumes in a steady fashion.

    CAAS has also said that it is now assessing applications from other airlines on transit arrangements, so we can only hold our breathe and wait for other airlines to resume their flight via Changi Airport.

    Of course, this transit arrangement is far from the original Changi experience, but in a time like this, being able to travel from point A to point B is certainly more essential than the transit experience. We will all yearn for the day where we can roam freely once again, but I guess we can only sit and wait for that day to arrive.

  • Jetstar Asia extends cancellations through 31 Jul

    Jetstar Asia extends cancellations through 31 Jul

    The Singapore-Colombo launch is also postponed until 26 Oct

    Jetstar Asia announced yesterday (18 Jun) that it will be cancelling all flights up to 31 Jul, except for the five weekly services that it has been operating in the past weeks.

    In addition, the Singapore-Colombo service which was to be launched on 1 Jul will also be pushed back to commence from 26 Oct 2020.

    As again, all impacted Jetstar Asia passengers will be offered a refund to the full value of their untraveled booking in the form of a travel credit voucher. Jetstar Asia has already announced an enhancement to its credit vouchers, extending the validity from the original six months to a year. The credit voucher can also be used in multiple bookings.

    Note that passengers with a booking to/from the Philippines, Australia, Sri Lanka or Japan are requested to wait to receive a letter from Jetstar regarding available options, which will likely include a cash refunds as protected until local consumer laws.

    Jetstar Asia services still operating

    Since late April, Jetstar has been operating five weekly flights to three Southeast Asian cities: Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. Owing to Thailand’s ban on international passenger flight arrivals, the Singapore-Bangkok service is a freight-only service until further notice.

    SectorFlight no.Days of opsDepArrFlight timeAircraft
    Singapore – Manila3K761Tue061509553h 40mA320
    Manila – Singapore3K762Tue103014153h 45mA320
    Singapore – Bangkok*3K515Wed, Sat104512102h 25mA320
    Bangkok – Singapore3K516Wed, Sat125016152h 25mA320
    Singapore – Kuala Lumpur3K685Thu125013551h 5mA320
    3K663Sun093510401h 5mA320
    Kuala Lumpur – Singapore3K686Thu144015451h 5mA320
    3K664Sun112012301h 10mA320

    Final thoughts

    In the time where airlines are starting to ramp up services again, it’s rather intriguing as to why Jetstar Asia remains slow to resume service.

    While loads will understandably be much lower as compared to pre-Covid-19 days, the airlines will need to take the first initiative to commence service, as a signal of recovery before consumers start booking flights.

    If Jetstar continues to take such a conservative stance in resuming flight, I won’t be surprised if they pick up less than ideal loads and yields down the road, given that demand will probably not meet capacity in the foreseeable future.

  • Qantas cancels all international services until end-October

    Qantas cancels all international services until end-October

    The Australian carrier is also set to mothball all its A380s.

    Qantas has extended the suspension of all international flights until 24 Oct 2020, excluding services to New Zealand.

    Flights to New Zealand has also been provisionally cancelled until end of June, although New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has earlier said that September was a more “realistic” timeframe for Trans-Tasman travel to resume.

    An internal note sent to employees by Qantas International CEO, Tino La Spina, also said that most staff engaging with international operations will continued to stood down until then.

    The international cancellations has already been reflected on Qantas’ website. Qantas is currently also not operating any international repatriation services nor charter flights.

    All Qantas A380s grounded; half of fleet tipped to go into long-term storage

    Executive Traveller earlier this week reported that Qantas is expecting its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet will be grounded for a while.

    Qantas A380 at Los Angeles International Airport

    The A380s typically serve high traffic, slots-constraint air corridors, including Sydney-London via Singapore, as well as Sydney-Los Angeles and Sydney-Dallas Fort Worth.

    Qantas has earlier said in April that its A380 upgrade programme was still on track, but later reversed its position in May, saying that it will be pausing the upgrades as it reviews its fleet.

    Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce has said several times in the past months that the global demand for air travel will take years to recover and hence the airline has is undertaking the review to reshape the airline’s future around a post-Covid-19 travel landscape.

    For now, all 12 A380s that Qantas has under its fold will be stored, with six that are yet to be refurbished likely to be sent for long-term storage at California’s Mojave Desert, according to Executive Traveller.

    Qantas has not committed to whether it will return all 12 A380s to flying in the future, but if the fleet is indeed reduced, the six refurbished aircraft will be the first to take to the skies.

    Australia will probably not admit leisure travellers until 2021

    Australia’s trade minister Simon Birmingham has said earlier this week that the country is unlikely to reopen its border to international travellers until 2021. However, it’s looking at how it can to relax entry rules for students and other long-term visitors.

    What does it mean for Singapore?

    Simply put: don’t expect to step foot onto a Qantas flight, nor into a Qantas lounge in Singapore anytime this year.

    Qantas Singapore First Lounge, opened in late 2019

    While many are hopeful for another trip this year, given how countries has now started implementing laborious requirements including mandatory quarantine and pre- and post-travel tests, leisure travel just doesn’t seem anywhere near.

    As such, it’s unlikely that Qantas will send the A380s back into Singapore any time soon, nor continue its fifth-freedom service to London from Singapore. If at all, Qantas will likely serve Singapore as an end-destination with smaller aircraft such as the Airbus A330s and the Dreamliner Boeing 787-9s.