ST: SIA losing the fight in the air and on the ground

Oh no...


The pierre de a la resistance recently was when I was in London this month booking a flight home and they would not confirm an Economy seat with a Business Class ticket.


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Nov 7, 2007
SIA losing the fight in the air and on the ground
HAVE you tried calling SIA reservations recently? How many times did you have to call before you finally got through? It is easier to get through to CitiCab at 5pm on a Friday than SIA on a Sunday at 6am these days.
I guess you could call me a frequent flyer. On average, I travel every three days and I have been Solitaire for the last few years. I am a fan of Singapore Airlines, not only because they used to pay my salary (working at SQ Centre) but because they have a very high reliability of taking off on time and I always know that I am guaranteed a seat on the class below, if the flight is full. With multiple meetings in multiple cities over a short period of time, these two factors are of high importance.
Unfortunately in many other areas, SIA is losing ground over the competition. Allow me to give a few examples. Remember the slogan 'the Youngest Fleet'? This is now being challenged. I travel to the Middle East once a month every month and Emirates, Qatar and Ethiad Airways are using new aircraft with flat seats and large movie choices.
Flying SIA is now an expensive privilege. Every eight weeks, I am in Europe. SIA is double the cost of a Business Class ticket compared to Qatar Airways and I sometimes have difficulty justifying the difference. Now hang on, before you get the idea I am a fan of Qatar Airways, I am not. I had my worst ever delays with them. SIA has always prided itself on its service in the air but the difference between other Asian and the fast growing Middle East competitors has all but squandered the difference. The blankets, for example, on other airlines leave SIA's looking old and thin.
And whatever happened to OSG - 'Outstanding Service on the Ground' - another of SIA's differentiators? Those of us who fly through Hong Kong all know that there First and Business Class boarding is much faster and easier. Heathrow Airport offers a fast track service on both departures and arrivals for Business and First Class. I was in Glasgow airport last month and they were very proud of their brand new hand-luggage scanner that was very fast and the only one in the world that automatically sends high-risk bags on a different exit track and the containers back round to the waiting passengers. This dramatically reduced the security waiting time. I know, when Terminal Three opens everything will be different.
SIA has always wanted to provide service on the ground that matched the high excellence in the air. Does that not begin with being able to call to book my flight? Is that not what the industry calls a 'moment of truth'? Now you might tell me to use the Internet but, hang on, I am Solitaire. Should I not be able to choose how I want to book my flight and when I am in the back of a car between meetings I do not have Internet access to change a flight.
The pierre de a la resistance recently was when I was in London this month booking a flight home and they would not confirm an Economy seat with a Business Class ticket. I tried my best to explain to them the Solitaire privileges but alas to no avail. This is only topped by my friend who just gave birth. During her pregnancy, she called SIA and asked for an extension on her PPS until after she gave birth as she would not be flying and she did not want to lose her PPS status. Our friendly carrier considered her request and then gave her a point-blank 'no'.
I write this letter in the hope that others who are finding it harder and harder to give our national carrier their business will cry out and the small voice of the passenger will be heard.
Robin Speculand

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