Singapore Airlines' (SIA) eagerly awaited new seating will arrive on the Paris route on December 5.
The new product will then appear a week later on SIA's three times a week link from Singapore to Barcelona via Milan.
The new first, business and economy class products (see Online news, October 19) are being installed on SIA's brand new fleet of B777-300ERs. The seating is designed to make SIA competitive with rivals into the next decade. In particular, the business class seating promises to be one of the more innovative products aloft.
According to airline booking systems, the first SIA B777-300ER will enter service on December 5, operating from Singapore as overnight flight SQ334 to Paris CDG, departing at 2350. It will return as flight SQ333 from CDG to Singapore at 1145 on December 6.
SIA currently flies once daily on this route with a B747-400. Potential passengers can spot the new first and business class seating by the seating plan. New First class is configured four across with seats lettered A (window), CD (middle) and F(window). New Business class is also configured four across: A (window), DF (middle) and K (window).
Online agent Expedia is quoting between £2,064 and £2,541 return for business and upwards of £4,284 for first class.
The bad news is that it will be more difficult for frequent flyers to redeem miles for a first or business class award ticket once the new products have entered service because of greater demand from fare-paying passengers. Another consideration is that while there are 42 business class seats the number of those in first class is cut to just eight.
A number of readers have complained to Business Traveller that SIA's Paris route is completely blocked out for award tickets during December.
Ravindra Bhagwanani of consultancy Global Flight Management, says that this is normal practise when an airline launches a new and improved product.
"SIA risks having a big revenue demand for these seats and, in any case, award seats to SE Asia are limited during the Christmas and New Year period."
But matters will improve says Bhagwanani, "Demand will level out over time because, a) the market will get used to it, and b) the competitors will catch up. After a first hype SIA will, like any other carrier, be unable to tell its best customers that no award seats will be available."
SIA says that the new product will also be rolled out on the B777-300ER in December on two regional flights (SQ862/861) linking Singapore with Hong Kong. Then in January next year it will appear on the Singapore-Zurich route (flights SQ346/SQ345) followed by Singapore-Frankfurt (SQ326/325) in May. In between these dates, the intention is to use the B777-300ER on the Singapore-Seoul-San Francisco route commencing in March.
One final word. Readers must note that airlines can and do make last minute plane changes for unavoidable reasons. So don't be too disappointed if the promised B777-300ER is, on occasion, swapped for another aircraft.
For more information go to www.singaporeair.com and www.expedia.co.uk.
Report by Alex McWhirter
