Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport Group extend Changi Transit Programme

Source: Changi Airport Group.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have extended the Changi Transit Programme, which provides SIA and SilkAir customers with rewards during their transit in Singapore.

Under the extension of the programme to 31 March 2017, customers who transit through Changi Airport on SIA and/or SilkAir can redeem a Changi Dollar Voucher (CDV) valued at either S$20 or S$40, depending on the point of origin.

Singapore Airlines’ Divisional Vice President Sales & Marketing Foo Chai Woo, said, “SIA’s global network combined with the superior offerings of Changi Airport presents a compelling proposition to travellers all around the world.”

Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s Senior Vice President for Market Development, said, “We are delighted to continue this partnership with Singapore Airlines, which has served us well in strengthening the appeal of Changi Airport as a transit hub. For our transit passengers, a host of exciting shopping, dining and leisure offerings await them at Changi. The Changi Transit Programme will make exploring our terminals even more exciting for SIA and SilkAir passengers.”

The CDVs are valid for one-time use at retail, food and service outlets in the transit and public areas of Terminals 1, 2 and 3. They may also be redeemed for one-time access to the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Terminals 2 and 3 for up to two hours. Services at the lounge include showers, light refreshments and a wide range of reading materials.

Travellers can also look forward to amenities such as airport-wide complimentary Wi-Fi, movie theatres and themed gardens while transiting at Changi Airport, where a convenient Skytrain transport system and shuttle buses provide easy access to all three terminals.

Through the Singapore Airlines Boarding Pass Privileges Programme, SIA and SilkAir passengers can also enjoy exclusive privileges when they present their SIA or SilkAir boarding passes at participating outlets in Changi Airport.

Interested?

Read the terms and conditions for the Changi Transit Programme

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about the programme in 2014

SilkAir to offer direct charters to Okinawa

As part of continuing efforts to promote a direct Singapore-Okinawa air link, SilkAir, the Okinawa Prefecture government, Japan and Changi Airport Group will launch seven direct SilkAir charter flights between Singapore and Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, between 1 and 25 June 2016.

These full-service flights will be sold via Singapore travel agents*. The flights will be operated with SilkAir’s latest Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins. Passengers will be offered a suite of SilkAir’s full-service offerings, including 30kg and 40kg baggage allowance for Economy and Business class respectively, inflight meals, and complimentary inflight entertainment via SilkAir Studio, which allows them to stream movie, TV and audio content directly to their personal devices.

Departing from Singapore Changi Airport, the flight time is approximately five hours and 15 minutes on the service, which arrives in Naha, capital of Okinawa. “SilkAir is pleased to offer these direct charter flights to Okinawa once again, as a follow up to our first ever series of charters between September 2014 and January 2015, which garnered high interest. We are confident that this new series of flights will continue to receive good response, with the support of the Okinawa Prefecture government and Changi Airport Group,” said SilkAir’s Vice-President Commercial, Ryan Pua.

Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group's Senior Vice-President for Market Development, said, “Changi Airport welcomes SilkAir’s non-stop charter flights to Okinawa. These nonstop flights will halve the usual journey time between the two cities and bring greater convenience to Singapore passengers visiting Okinawa during the June holidays. We are excited about the potential of establishing more such flights on a regular basis, and eventually building a sustained travel demand that will drive the launch of scheduled passenger services on this route in the future.”

Okinawa comprises hundreds of the Ryuku islands which extend southwest from the southern end of mainland Japan towards Taiwan. Shuri Castle, a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in Naha. Flight schedules*:

Date/Day	Flight No.	Depart	Time	Arrive	Time
1 June 2016 Wednesday	MI8384	Singapore (SIN)	1100	Okinawa (OKA)	1715
5 June 2016, Sunday
9 June 2016, Thursday
13 June 2016, Monday
17 June 2016, Friday
25 June 2016, Saturday

Date/Day	Flight No.	Depart	Time	Arrive	Time
1 June 2016 Wednesday	MI8383	Okinawa (OKA)	1815	Singapore (SIN)	2245
5 June 2016, Sunday
9 June 2016, Thursday
13 June 2016, Monday
17 June 2016, Friday
25 June 2016, Saturday

* Schedules are subjected to regulatory approval.
SilkAir is the regional wing of Singapore Airlines.

Interested?

Contact the following Singapore travel agents to book:

1. Airelated Travel +65 6532 5686
2. ASA Holidays +65 6303 5303 

3. Chan Brothers Travel +65 6212 9679 

4. CTC Travel +65 6536 3995 

5. Dynasty Travel +65 6338 4455 

6. Hong Thai Travel +65 6533 1788 

7. JTB +65 6595 0600 

8. Jetabout Holidays +65 6734 1818 

9. Follow Me Japan +65 6221 4250 

10. HIS International Travel +65 6224 1512 

Did you know that an empty Boeing 737-800 weighs 41,410kg? Picture by: @iwanbaser #SilkAir #DidYouKnow #SilkAirFunFacts #aircraft #avgeeks #airplane

A photo posted by SilkAir (@silkair) on Feb 21, 2016 at 11:51pm PST

SilkAir to boost Singapore Airlines' services to Male

Source: SilkAir. Male. From 25 October 2015, SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will begin four times weekly services to Male. Previously, Singapore Airlines offered a variable frequency of 10 to 14 flights a week to the capital of the Maldives. Now, together with SilkAir’s new services, both airlines will offer a total of two round-trip services a day, subject to regulatory approval. Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Marketing Planning Lee Wen Fen said: “By synergising the networks of both carriers, we are able to provide customers more choice and greater flexibility when planning their travel itineraries. This is another example of the Singapore Airlines Group’s commitment to continuously expanding our combined network and enhancing connectivity options for our customers.” SilkAir’s Chief Executive Leslie Thng, said: “The Maldives is a popular travel destination offering great beauty both above and below the water, with its stunning white sand beaches and equally beautiful underwater world. We are glad to be able to join Singapore Airlines to bring travellers from around the world to this picturesque island destination.” Details of flight numbers and schedules for services between Singapore and Male from October 25 are as follows (timings listed are local): Singapore (SIN) to Male (MLE) Flights Flight Days of Operation Departure Arrival SQ452 Daily SIN 2035hrs* MLE 2210hrs Operated by Singapore Airlines MI482 Mon Tue Wed Thu SIN 1005hrs MLE 1140hrs Operated by SilkAir SQ462 Fri Sat Sun SIN1005hrs MLE1140hrs Operated by Singapore Airlines *SQ452 timings from 25Oct15 to 20Nov15: SIN 2020hr MLE 2210hr Male (MLE) to Singapore (SIN) Flights Flight Days of Operation Departure Arrival SQ451 Daily MLE 2325hrs SIN 0715hrs (+1) Operated by Singapore Airlines MI481 Mon Tue Wed Thu MLE 1255hrs SIN 2045hrs Operated by SilkAir SQ461 Fri Sat Sun MLE 1255hrs SIN2045hrs Operated by Singapore Airlines

Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir introduce FAST check-in trial

Editor's note: I've tried a variant of FAST check-in in Europe this year, with another airline. The passenger does more work, though it is actually quite easy to go through the different steps in this process once someone has shown you how to do it. While counters manned by people are still going to be easier for passengers, there is less of a queue and it saves money for the airlines and the airport. It is likely that this type of self-service check-in will become more common in future, so passengers who have the opportunity should at least try it once in order to familiarise themselves with the process.

Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights and departing from Changi Airport can now take advantage of a Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) check-in trial in Terminal 2.

The trial, a collaboration between Changi Airport Group (CAG), Singapore Airlines and its regional wing, SilkAir, will build up to a full suite of FAST options in 2016, giving passengers of both airlines more choices for check-in as well as potentially faster processing through automated check-in kiosks and bag drops. Another 24 kiosks will be introduced in Terminal 3 subsequently.

For passengers with baggage to check in, FAST check-in is a two-step process. They first obtain their boarding pass and bag tags at the 24 kiosks. Once they have tagged their own bags, passengers drop them off at the bag drop counters. There are instructional videos, signs and staff on ground to guide passengers on this process.

Passengers with carry-on bags can print their boarding passes at the kiosks and proceed directly to Departure Immigration. Alternatively, passengers who have done online or mobile check-in can skip the counters and proceed to Departure Immigration with their home-printed or mobile phone boarding passes (offered on selected itineraries).

Based on past trials conducted by CAG, 97% of passengers polled indicated that they were satisfied with the FAST check-in experience and would consider using it again. The entire FAST check-in sequence – including printing of boarding pass and bag tags, together with tagging and baggage drop off – can be done in a matter of minutes. The time taken is expected to reduce as travellers gain familiarity with this mode of processing, given the growing use of automated check-in options in airports around the world.

In addition to providing passengers with a faster and more flexible check-in experience, automation will also help raise efficiency and productivity of check-in operations, thereby providing cost savings for airlines.

Jayson Goh, CAG’s Senior Vice President for Airport Operations Management, said: “The adoption of FAST initiatives is in line with a wider global push towards self-service options at airports to improve productivity and efficiency, while at the same time providing passengers with greater flexibility and convenience. CAG is pleased to partner Singapore Airlines and SilkAir on the FAST journey and will work closely with the airlines to continuously refine the process where necessary, so as to bring about a greater travel experience for our passengers.”

“We welcome the new FAST initiatives, which will streamline the check-in process for our customers. This reflects our ongoing efforts to offer customers more options and improve their travel experience with us,” said Tan Pee Teck, Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Product & Services. 

Scoot to take over SilkAir's Hangzhou flights

From 25 October 2015, Scoot, the long-haul low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, will commence flights to Hangzhou, taking over from SilkAir. The full-service regional wing of Singapore Airlines currently has four-times-weekly flights to Hangzhou, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Scoot operating the Singapore-Hangzhou route will better optimise the utilisation of the SIA Group’s resources and present a better match of capacity to demand, the group said.

“Hangzhou will be our fifth destination in China, in addition to services to Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao and Nanjing. It is also the fourth new route added to Scoot’s network in the last eight months after Kaohsiung, Osaka and Melbourne. We look forward to offering guests great value travel to Hangzhou aboard our new 787 Dreamliners featuring modern conveniences such as inflight Wi-fi and in-seat power and of course, our unique attitude- our Scootitude on board,” said Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson.

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, is well-known for its breath-taking scenery and cultural sites. The city is centred largely around the West Lake, where attractions such as Solitary Hill and Six Harmonies Pagoda can be found. The city is also famous for its longjing or dragon well green tea.

Customers who have made advance bookings to fly the Singapore-Hangzhou route on SilkAir can opt for a refund or be re-accommodated either on Scoot’s new services or on Singapore Airlines’ flights to Shanghai.

Details of flight numbers and flight schedules for services between Singapore and Hangzhou on the new Scoot service are as follows:

TZ 108 departs Singapore 5.10pm, arrives Hangzhou 9.45pm, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

TZ 107 departs Hangzhou 11.00pm, arrives Singapore 3.55am the next day, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

* Schedules are correct at time of print and subject to change. All times listed in local. +1 refers to arrival on the next day. Services on Saturday will commence December 2015.

posted from Bloggeroid

Singapore Airlines, SilkAir lowers fuel surcharges

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, have cut fuel charges in response to falling fuel prices.

The new fuel surcharge levels shown below will apply to Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights. They represent a decrease of between US$5 and US$83 per sector, depending on the distance and class of travel.

Route Per Ticketed Sector	Surcharge in US$
	First Class, Suites	Business Class	Premium Economy, Economy Class
Between Singapore and South East Asian gateways[1]	50	45	31
Between Singapore and Europe/South Africa[2]	175	165	151
Between Singapore and Americas	235	225	215
Between Europe and Australia/New Zealand[3]	265	250	229
All other flights[4]	131	116	103

 * Figures in US Dollars, converted into currency of sale at time of ticketing

---

[1] Includes flights between Germany and the United Kingdom, and between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

[2] Includes flights between North America and Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Moscow, as well as between Barcelona and Sao Paulo.

[3] Applicable to transfer flights (not involving stopovers) via Singapore only.

[4] Includes flights between Singapore and cities in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The application of fuel surcharges may however be subject to regulatory approval or variation in some markets, the airlines said.

SilkAir to start flying to Cairns in Australia in May 2015

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will commence direct flights between Singapore and Cairns, in Queensland Australia, on 30 May 2015, subject to regulatory approvals. Cairns will be the airline’s second Australian destination after Darwin, which was launched in March 2012. 

SilkAir plans to operate the Cairns service three times weekly on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, through circular routings with Darwin. The inaugural flight and subsequent Saturday flights will depart Singapore for Cairns non-stop and then return to Singapore via Darwin. The Monday and Thursday flights will fly to Cairns via Darwin and then return to Singapore non-stop. 

The detailed schedules are as follows (all times stated are local):

From Singapore:

Flight	Days of Operation	Departure	Arrival
MI822	Monday, Thursday	Singapore 0140	Cairns 1150 (via Darwin)
MI828	Saturday	Singapore 0140	Cairns 1020

To Singapore:

Flight	Days of Operation	Departure	Arrival
MI822	Monday, Thursday	Cairns 1240	Singapore 1720
MI828	Saturday	Cairns 1110	Singapore 1720 (via Darwin)

With the launch of Cairns, the number of destinations in SilkAir’s route network will increase to 49 destinations in 12 countries.

The new services will be operated with SilkAir’s latest Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins. Customers will be provided with the full service experience, including in-flight meals, baggage allowance of 40kg and 30kg for Business and Economy class respectively, as well as through check-in if they are connecting to or from another SilkAir or Singapore Airlines point via Singapore.

SilkAir’s Chief Executive, Leslie Thng, said: “With the launch of Cairns, we, together with our parent company Singapore Airlines, will soon serve a total of seven points in Australia, namely Cairns, Darwin, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Cairns is the hub of Tropical North Queensland and has the closest access to the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world’s largest World Heritage Area.

Queensland’s Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, has praised SilkAir for its confidence in Queensland’s tourism sector.

“The Queensland Government looks forward to working in partnership with SilkAir to deliver international marketing activities over the next three years to support this highly anticipated service,” she said.

"Connectivity between Singapore and Cairns will make it even easier for international visitors to reach our holiday destination,” Cairns Airport's Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brown added. "This route will provide vital links through to Cairns from Asia and Europe.”

Customers are advised to note that the new flights may not be immediately available in computer reservations systems due to the lead-time required in making system updates. For more information on SilkAir, including its destinations and services, please visit silkair.com.

SilkAir adds a daily Singapore-Bali flight

From 12 December 2014, SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will begin a daily service to Denpasar, Indonesia, subject to regulatory approval.

Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President, Marketing Planning Lee Wen Fen said: “The increase in the number of flights reflects Singapore Airlines Group commitment in expanding our service offerings and providing our customers with more choices and convenience. Through synergising the networks of both airlines, we are able to enhance the connectivity options available to our customers through our combined network of 99 cities in 35 countries.”

Details of flight numbers and flight schedules for services between Singapore and Denpasar are as follows, with all timings listed being local:

Flight no., frequency	Departing Singapore	Arriving Denpasar
MI176, daily	0650	0935
SQ938, daily	0820	1105
SQ942, daily	0920	1205
SQ946, daily	1625	1910
SQ948, daily	1805	2050

Flight no., frequency	Departing Denpasar	Arriving Singapore
MI175, daily	1030	1305
SQ939, daily	1155	1430
SQ943, daily	1300	1535
SQ947, daily	2005	2240
SQ949, daily	2145	0020  (next day)

SilkAir to fly between Okinawa and Japan to January 2015

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will operate its first-ever charters between Singapore and Japan via a series of direct charter services to Okinawa, the country’s southernmost prefecture. 

Chartered by the Okinawa Tourist Service (OTS) and Jumbo Tours Okinawa, the monthly charters will be from 9 September 2014 till 3 January 2015. The flights will be operated with the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring both business and economy classes. These charters are launched in collaboration with Okinawa-based travel agencies and SilkAir’s local travel agencies, to provide customers visiting Okinawa with the convenience of a direct service from Singapore. 

From September 2014 to October 2014, the flights will depart Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 10am and reach Okinawa Naha Airport at 4.15pm. From November 2014 to January 2015, the flights will depart Singapore at 10am hours and arrive in Okinawa at 4.05pm (all times stated are local and scheduled). 

Flight schedules to Okinawa are as follows: 

13 and 15 September, 9 and 13 October 2014   

MI8384 departs SIN 1000 arrives OKA 1615

MI8383 departs OKA 1715 arrives SIN 2125

20, 24 November, 22, 27 and 30 December 2014, 3 January 2015 

MI8384 departs SIN 1000 arrives OKA 1605

MI8383 departs OKA 1700 arrives SIN 2130

(All local times; timings may be subject to change)

Retail promotion for Singapore Airlines, SilkAir passengers extended at Changi

The Changi Airport Group (CAG) is extending the Changi Transit Programme to 31 March 2015 to promote Changi Airport as a transfer hub. 

Source: Changi Airport Group. Changi Airport.

Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flights can continue to redeem up to S$40 in Changi Dollar Vouchers for use during their time at the airport. 

 Launched in October 2012, more than one million passengers have enjoyed the programme to date, with travellers from the key transfer markets – Australia, China, India and Indonesia – topping the list of voucher recipients.