SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines To Resume New York And Los Angeles Direct Flights

People walk past a Singapore Airlines ticketing counter at Changi Airport in Singapore

Operating losses at Singapore Airlines Ltd widened in its fourth-quarter as Asia's biggest airline cited persistently weak pricing power and flagged a challenging outlook.

Singapore Airlines is planning to regain the prestigious title of flying the longest flights in the world by reviving its Singapore - New York and Los Angeles flights in 2018. It scrapped these direct flights in 2013, citing the burden of soaring fuel costs and high pressure on its A340-500 fleet.

In the new scheme of things, the revived services will have more attractions and amenities. With 15,344 kilometers, the New York flight at 18 to 19 hours will be the longest non-stop commercial route.

“Our previous non-stop services were widely acknowledged favorites among business travelers, and the resumption of this service, enabled by this new aircraft, underscores our commitment to the U.S. market,” said Singapore Airlines spokesman James Boyd said.

New planes from Airbus

The airline said on Oct.13 that it will resume the routes in 2018 on a new Airbus A350-900 ULR. The airline has already placed orders for a few long range jets from Airbus to service the American routes.

“Our customers have been asking us to re-start non-stop Singapore-US flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner,” said Goh Choon Phong, chief executive of Singapore Airlines.

Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president and chief executive also said A350 is the perfect, flexible platform for long haul operations and can offer unrivalled operating economics in the longest routes.

The positive economics for renewing the direct flights to New York are jet fuel turning cheaper in 2018 than it was in 2013 and also the new design of Airbus aircraft, which makes use of composite materials and makes the aircraft lighter and lean on fuel consumption.

New business cabin

In the revamped service, Singapore Airlines may add a new business cabin though broad details on the number of seats and can offer new amenities too. Previously, the A340 flights had only 100 business class seats, which led to consistent high air fares on the route.

For business travellers, a renewed direct service will help in saving every possible minute. The airlines can also tide over the competitive disadvantage of having to route the U.S. flights to Singapore through Frankfurt, Moscow, Seoul and Tokyo.

The burden from fuel stops will be adding to travelers’ flying time. As a result, many corporate travellers headed to Southeast Asia have taken the option of using competitor Cathay Pacific Airways, which operates daily non-stop flights to Hong Kong from New York and Los Angeles. It is more feasible to reach Singapore and any other city in the region from Hong Kong through a short flight.

For Singapore Airlines, it seems, the imperative of reviving the world’s longest flight is more than a public relations exercise. It makes immense business sense too as the routes are important for high end corporate travelers, who are ready to splurge for the long haul service.