Jaunted - Tag: singapore airlines

My A380's Better Than Yours

amandak — 2008-09-22T09:30:32-05:00

With Qantas finally taking delivery of its first, long-awaited A380 yesterday, the battle of business class in the super-jumbos is really starting to heat up.

Over the weekend, a totally biased review from an Australian journalist who got a free seat on the A380's maiden flight into Sydney claimed that Qantas's layout in business class is the best because it "provides ... the biggest sense of space."

If space is not everything, then the other airlines already flying the A380 might actually be the winners. Emirates has a business cabin layout that gives everyone privacy plus a personal minibar. And Singapore Airlines has the world's widest seat, plus double beds, though you're not allowed to get up to any fun in them.

Related Stories:
· Which Airline Has the Best A380? [The Australian]
· A380 Planes: Flying Kangaroo is Next in Line [Jaunted]
· No Sex, Please: We're on Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]

[Photo: NguyenDai]

Singapore Airlines Stepping up the All Business Class Game

pbb — 2008-08-07T17:04:58-05:00

Starting September 21, Singapore Airlines will be flying all business class across the Pacific from Singapore to both Newark and Los Angeles. And to make that 19-hour flight a little easier, your seat will be about the size of a Honda.

Each of the 100 super-recliners on this specially outfitted A340-500 is 30 inches wide and lays flat to six feet, four inches. You'll find AC power and a USB plug at every seat to complement a 15.4-inch video screen that delivers more than 900 movies, TV shows and music tracks. Singapore says they'll have 130 different games to help you pass the time, too.

So how much does it cost? We found seats in early October for "just" $7,290 all-in.

Related Stories:
· A345 All Business Class [Official Site]
· Singapore Airlines Announces Asia-US Business Class Service [PSFK]

Singapore Airlines Headlines: PDF Viewers and Roaring Tigers

amandak — 2008-04-23T09:30:01-05:00

It's all good news from Singapore Airlines this week. For a start, the carrier's rolling out a new on-board entertainment system, called eX2, which has quite a few features we like. As well as nice new 1280x768 screens, it will also include some PC applications like Media Player and PDF and photo viewers. That means you won't even need your own computer to look at stuff--just plug in your USB stick and read your own documents, listen to your own music or scroll through your own photos.

At the same time, Singapore Airlines must be pretty pleased with itself that its young spin-off Tiger Airways is growing up. The budget carrier that services the Australasian region is 49 percent owned by Singapore Airlines but is already making enough money not to need any cash injections from Mom and Dad. Tiger is even talking about looking for other airlines to acquire.

So that's the week for Singapore Airlines: the mile high club isn't important on planes--plugging in your USB stick is and little Tigers can grow up to be big and strong. They must be smiling over there.

Related Stories:
· Singapore Airlines Launches New Entertainment System [eTravel]
· Tiger Airways Has Earned Its Stripes [The Age]
· No Sex Please: We're on Singapore Airlines [Jaunted]

[Photo: William Hook]

In-Flight WiFi: Going International

pbb — 2008-02-07T09:49:28-05:00

With all the excitement over on-board WiFi announcements here in the United States, it's easy to forget that carriers abroad have already wrapped up their testing of in-flight Internet. More than a couple airlines have had passengers successfully texting their sucker friends "Guess where I am right now?!" Among them are Qantas, Ryanair, Air France, Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

These carriers are using a satellite technology developed by a company called EMS Technologies. Because the system is space- rather than land-based, passengers can use cell phones, PDAs and laptops over the ocean. That's a major plus for carriers like Qantas and Singapore.

While pricing is still, ahem, up in the air, we can't imagine it will be that much. And for a lot of people, EMS's CEO realizes, the cost won't really even be a factor:

If I'm flying from Paris to New York and Air France lets me use my Blackberry in-flight while United Airlines doesn't, which one do you think I'm going to choose?

Related Stories:
· International Carriers Pressure US Rivals [American-Statesman]
· In-Flight WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

Singapore Airlines Loves Open Skies

laurenuta — 2007-11-26T12:15:01-05:00

Singapore Airlines, one of the UK's most popular carriers, announced Saturday that it plans to offer routes from London Heathrow to the US in the near future. The new route will make Singapore the first non-EU or US carrier to serve the newly open skies. The announcement comes without an official launch date because, according to Singapore Airlines, a shortage of take-off spots in Heathrow has created difficulty in scheduling.

We're interested to see how this will affect Delta, Air France and US Airways, who all have recently announced plans for transatlantic service. Singapore Airlines comes with a reputation for excellent customer service: Readers of British paper The Telegraph have consistently voted Singapore Airlines their favorite carrier in its yearly Travel Awards.

In addition to praise from fliers, the airline also comes with a reputation for aviation innovation: Singapore was the first to use the double-decker Airbus A380 on flights to Sydney. The super-jumbo will serve London from Singapore starting in February 2008. It's worth noting that an A380 test flight touched down at JFK in March of this year.

Related Stories:
· Singapore Airlines Aiming to Go Transatlantic [Telegraph]
· Singapore Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
· A380 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: timparkinson]

No Sex, Please: We're on Singapore Airlines

amandak — 2007-10-30T09:20:02-05:00

The new Airbus A380 proudly flown by Singapore Airlines last week is a huge aircraft with plenty of room for all kinds of activities. Except one: sex.

If you're thinking of booking the world's first flying double bed, you'll first need a lot of money. And second of all, no desire to have sex. Singapore Airlines has said that if couples using the double suites "engage in inappropriate activity," they'll be politely asked to stop. One of the first couples to fly in the suite thought this seemed a bit unfair since the flight attendants kept bringing champagne.

We agree that it doesn't seem fair, but at the same time, we don't want those kind of noises added to screaming engines and wailing children to make our long-haul flight experience even more painful.

Related Stories:
· Airbus All The Way [Jaunted]
· Qantas Kinkier Than You Thought [Jaunted]
· Singapore Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Telegraph]

Adventures of Link: Airbus All The Way

pbb — 2007-10-24T16:45:01-05:00

Tomorrow, you could say, is the big day. Singapore Airlines' A380 takes off for Sydney tomorrow, hauling a bunch of passengers who were willing to pay up to six figures for the privilege of being on the first flight. While those prices were beefed up for a charity auction, the cost for one of the sleeper suites--complete with bed and 23-inch TV--is far from cheap. In late November, round-trip fares for a suite from Singapore to Sydney run around $7,400.

If that's too much to spend on a flight on a brand-new aircraft, you could always fly one of the LCCs in the States. Virgin America started a new route today, flying from LAX to Washington, DC on the airline's new Airbus planes. And Skybus is expanding service from its new "base" at Piedmont Triad International Airport. (No new planes here, but it is a new airline.)

It's the second recent victory for the ultra-low cost carrier. After catching flak for canceling service to the West Coast and leaving passengers without alternate flights, Skybus had a hand in knocking JetBlue--and its Airbus fleet--out of Columbus.

Related Stories:
· A380 to Land in Sydney [The Age]
· Skybus Expanding Service at GSO [Official Site]
· JetBlue Pulling Out of Columbus and Nashville [Official Site]
· Virgin Connects DC and LAX [Newswire]
· Airlines Flexible for Fliers Headed to Southern California [USA Today]

[Photo: REUTERS/Vivek Prakash]