SQ resumes SIN-LAX non-stop on A350ULR from Nov 2
 

Three flights per week starting Nov 2 as SQ37/SQ38 (on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday), toggling to daily from Nov 9, with an additional three flights from December 7 ((SQ35/SQ36, ex-SIN on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) for a total of ten flights per week.

More at https://www.ausbt.com.au/singapore-a...to-los-angeles

ICN
 

Does this mean SQ gives up the fifth freedom of Korea - USA flight?
Thought they would announce ICN - NYC.

So with EWR accounting for 2 aircraft, LAX for 3 and SFO for 1, that wouldn't leave much spare for another US non-stop destination they originally talked about? IIRC, they were getting 7 ULR aircraft.

While I personally would like to see ICN-JFK on SQ I don't know if there is enough demand when there is already 2x daily A380/747-8i on KE and OZ has scaled back to an A359 for half the year. Going against another Star Alliance airline on a route with two national carriers can be rough even for the likes of SQ. SQ also already flies to both JFK & EWR. Maybe going for IAD which isn't flown by another Star Alliance airline or YYZ which has KE & AC but not OZ and both are midday departures.

Is the fifth freedom granted for any route between 2 countries or for a specific route?

Could SQ use the "old" fifth freedom between LAX and ICN to operate another route or should they apply for a new right all over again?

Fingers crossed for a launch special! Seems like this is just in time for Thanksgiving ...

Any route can be applied like ICN-EWR. They used it on ICN-SFO for years. But should use immediately not to lose the freedom like ICN-YVR.

The ICN flight will not be cancelled till December 1.

After December 1, there will be one Singapore Airlines flight with first class service, which is the flight via Tokyo Narita.

Carfield

ICN-YVR would be a different fifth freedom to ICN-SFO or LAX. Different country, no?

SQ are clearly looking at non-stops as a differentiation strategy, vs competitors. Routing via ICN achieves nothing really with regards to this, i other than if they need the extra pax to support the fourth ICN frequency, as it is still one stop to the US.

With the presence of some significant corporates around SEA, and relatively new partnership with AS, I wonder if SIN-SEA would ever happen? It's probably been considered. But doesn't need the ULR.

I've just received email from SQ that my Feb 2019 flight has been changed from SQ007 to SQ037. It arrives in SIN at 08:15 (2:15 later than SQ007) so I will have to have my SIN-MEL flight changed as well (from SQ207 to SQ217). At the moment I cannot retrieve my booking, as the website can't find it. I will try again tomorrow and if it still fails will give them a call.

I mean they lost Korea - Canada 5th freedom after cancelled ICN-YVR.

Beyond Korea, SQ (or Singapore side) still owns 5th freedom to one port in Canada and one port in the US. These 5th freedom doesn't have to be continuously used. Set aside the complicated relation between Singapore and Canada, the reason SQ isn't bothered resuming ICN-Canada is because of restricted number of (actually units count) ICN-SIN flights.

To operate SIN-ICN-YVR 3/w, SQ has to suspend 6/w SIN-ICN, because that flight will use 6/w ICN-'wherever' slots. Now that SQ suspends ICN-LAX, SQ can operate one more SIN-ICN which could bring a total of 5 daily flights between two airports. Demand on this route has soared recently. Some LCCs even launched ICN-JHB.

Why they don't add more flights? Because Singapore side wants more 5th freedom out of Korea and Korea doesn't let it happen.