SilkAir merged into SQ, takes up SQ regional routes, gets lie-flat business class
May 17, 2018, 5:52 pm
#1
Original Poster
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Location: Sydney, Australia
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SilkAir merged into SQ, takes up SQ regional routes, gets lie-flat business class
A bit of a triple-whammy out of Singapore to start the day!
SIA's regional arm SilkAir will be rolled into its mainline parent Singapore Airlines, take over some of SQ's regional routes and get new lie-flat business class seats (along with seatback IFE from tip to tail) in a massive $100m+ program
https://www.ausbt.com.au/silkair-ado...business-class
SIA's regional arm SilkAir will be rolled into its mainline parent Singapore Airlines, take over some of SQ's regional routes and get new lie-flat business class seats (along with seatback IFE from tip to tail) in a massive $100m+ program
https://www.ausbt.com.au/silkair-ado...business-class
May 17, 2018, 6:40 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Ahhh I can just imagine getting a sudden equipment swap to a non-refurbed Silkair plane doing some of the longer 'regional' routes. Unlikely to happen but fun times if it does. 
I'm surprised that they would suddenly dilute the SQ brand business class from being all flat-bed when the A330s are fully replaced, back to a mix of flat-bed and lie-flat given the marketing and branding they did for the new regional product.
I'm surprised that they would suddenly dilute the SQ brand business class from being all flat-bed when the A330s are fully replaced, back to a mix of flat-bed and lie-flat given the marketing and branding they did for the new regional product.
May 17, 2018, 7:47 pm
#5
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I wonder which routes will go to SQ and which will be transferred to Scoot? One suspects India, Australia, Japan and China will stay in SQ stable, but the Indonesia routes will go to Scoot, and perhaps PEN, LGK, HKT, CNX? Not sure about those going to Laos, Cambodia, DAD or Philippines.
May 17, 2018, 9:05 pm
#6
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I wonder which routes will go to SQ and which will be transferred to Scoot? One suspects India, Australia, Japan and China will stay in SQ stable, but the Indonesia routes will go to Scoot, and perhaps PEN, LGK, HKT, CNX? Not sure about those going to Laos, Cambodia, DAD or Philippines.
I wouldn't assume that they would just divide it up just by distance.
May 17, 2018, 9:12 pm
#7
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May 17, 2018, 10:11 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2015
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Exactly my thoughts. And hopefully a bit more consistency in treatment as well.
Same comment as above, I don't think it'll be split by country (e.g. MNL-SIN full in business more often than not, but obviourly the same wouldn't apply to Boracay). It's already not split by country today anyway.
I wonder which routes will go to SQ and which will be transferred to Scoot? One suspects India, Australia, Japan and China will stay in SQ stable, but the Indonesia routes will go to Scoot, and perhaps PEN, LGK, HKT, CNX? Not sure about those going to Laos, Cambodia, DAD or Philippines.
May 17, 2018, 10:32 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2003
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Exactly my thoughts. And hopefully a bit more consistency in treatment as well.
Same comment as above, I don't think it'll be split by country (e.g. MNL-SIN full in business more often than not, but obviourly the same wouldn't apply to Boracay). It's already not split by country today anyway.
Same comment as above, I don't think it'll be split by country (e.g. MNL-SIN full in business more often than not, but obviourly the same wouldn't apply to Boracay). It's already not split by country today anyway.
May 18, 2018, 12:58 am
#10
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Can't speculate on how they'll divide the other routes, but I can see CEB and DVO go to SQ using re-branded Silk Air planes. Given that Kalibo being a secondary airport for Boracay is more of a leisure route it would go to Scoot.
May 18, 2018, 1:38 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: CGK
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For reference I was speculating about which Silk Air routes get transferred to SQ vs Scoot. I made no reference to existing SQ routes such as MNL-SIN, one assumes these including MNL and the lucrative CGK routes will stay under SQ (or in most cases have both SQ and TR flights as they do today), although there could be a possibility of downsizing certain flights to a SQ 737.
Last edited by SQShortFinal; May 18, 2018 at 1:54 am
May 18, 2018, 1:59 am
#12
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Downsizing for CGK makes little sense. This is a high load route, with high loads in biz and even F, so what is the incentive to downsize to a 737 from a 777? A year ago, SQ even tried to add another daily flight to their already 9 per day, with a flight that would continue to SYD. Sadly that appeared to be stopped by the Indonesian gov’t last minute. Jakarta-Singapore is also the third busiest international route in the world. And during peak times of the year they even add temporary extra flights.
May 18, 2018, 2:14 am
#13
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Ok, let's go with your scenario of Saturday afternoon loads are usually light compared to other days. How does this downgauging play out? You're saying the 777s or A330s on near regional routes are swapped on Saturday afternoons and replaced by 737s. But then what about the other side of the coin? Those 777s and A330s you just swapped out, would they then be put on MI destinations like Danang, Manado and Siem Reap?
May 18, 2018, 2:16 am
#14
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Does it though? At non-holiday off peak periods I've been on some quite empty flights to the near haul destinations ( Saturday afternoons is something that comes to mind). Many carriers, in particular the US carriers, now employ capacity discipline techniques, throttling capacity off peak and increasing frequency using smaller aircraft during peak periods to maximise traveller flexibility and maximise yield. Of course it may not be a regular year round thing , and bilateral rights place constraints on the concept of higher frequency/smaller capacity, but the beauty of folding MI into SQ is it gives another tool in the toolbox for SQ to manage yields more carefully and yes I'm afraid to say ultimately that may see 737's put into service on business/trunk routes when loads are historically lighter.