Singapore has just published its schedule for December, in which the Asian airline group says it will reach around 15% of its pre-COVID-19 levels by the end of the month. This figure is up from 11% in November and 8% in October.
Sinapore Airlines’ ramp-up of operations will see it returning to a number of popular destinations. Below is a list of the routes Singapore Airlines will be serving in December:
Southeast Asia:
- Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei)
- Bangkok (Thailand)
- Cebu (The Philippines)
- Hanoi-Singapore (one-way)
- Ho Chi Minh City-Singapore (one-way)
- Jakarta (Indonesia)
- Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
- Manila (The Philippines)
- Medan (Indonesia)
- Penang (Malaysia)
- Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
North Asia:
- Chongqing (China)
- Fukuoka (Japan)
- Hong Kong (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
- Osaka (Japan)
- Seoul Incheon (South Korea)
- Shanghai (China)
- Taipei (Taiwan)
- Tokyo – Narita (Japan)
South West Pacific:
- Adelaide (Australia)
- Auckland (New Zealand)
- Brisbane (Australia)
- Christchurch (New Zealand)
- Melbourne (Australia)
- Perth (Australia)
- Sydney (Australia)
Europe:
- Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Frankfurt (Germany)
- Istanbul (Turkey)
- London – Heathrow (United Kingdom)
- Milan (Italy)
- Paris (France)
- Zurich (Switzerland)
United States:
- Los Angeles (United States)
COVID-19 restrictions
The airline notes that the schedule is still subject to regulatory approval. For an up to date list of services, flight numbers and departure and arrival times, you can visit the Singapore Airlines website.
A statement from Singapore Airlines notes that some other flights that were previously scheduled for December have subsequently been canceled. The airline said,
Please note that all other flights that had been originally scheduled in October to December 2020 but are not listed in the schedules will be canceled. Customers will be gradually informed via SMS and email about the cancellation.
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Flights to nowhere
In other Singapore Airlines news, the Star Alliance member planned to follow Qantas, Royal Brunei Airlines, and Starlux Airlines by offering flights to nowhere. Flights to nowhere take off and land at the same airport and give passengers the airline experience while flying over scenic areas. Unfortunately for aviation lovers in Singapore, this idea was axed after a public backlash over its environmental impact concerns.
When the plan was first floated in September, the idea was to fly people around the city-state and include shopping vouchers and a limousine service as a part of the package.
Four environmental activism groups voiced their concerns saying that it encouraged carbon-intensive travel for no good reason. Singapore Airlines took heed of the negative publicity the flights to nowhere had garnered and looked for other alternatives as a way to make money during the coronavirus crisis.
Airbus A380 restaurant
Instead of flying, Singapore Airlines came up with the idea of turning two of its parked Airbus A380s into a restaurant. Promising award-winning international cuisine while at the same time respecting social distancing, the airlines’ promotion sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale.
Prices for dining on a grounded Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 are the following:
- A meal in a first class seat suite costs S$642 ($474)
- A meal in a business class seat costs S$321 ($236)
- A meal in premium economy costs S$96.30 ($71)
- A meal in economy costs S$53.50 ($40)
Customers can also use frequent flyer miles to pay for dining aboard an A380 experience.
The initial dates for the pop-up restaurants are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25. While these dates are already sold out, Singapore Airlines says that it will add more days to meet high customer demand.
Usually, a Singapore Airlines A380s can carry as many as 471 passengers, but to adhere to social distancing rules, only half of the number of seats will be for sale.
It is nice to see that Singapore Airlines is increasing the number of flights for December, and also the dining aboard an A380 is also an excellent idea.
What else do you think Singapore Airlines could do to help make money right now? Please tell us what you think in the comments.