Singapore Airlines to launch additional Brisbane flight
By David Flynn, January 13 2016
Singapore Airlines is adding a fourth Brisbane-Singapore flight from late May, initially running three times a week but with scope to go daily.
The new SQ265/266 service will begin on May 28 on an Airbus A330 with 30 angled-bed business class seats (below) and 255 economy class seats.
Out with the old: Singapore Airlines' Airbus A330s angled-flat beds...
SQ266 will depart Brisbane at 6pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays to reach Singapore at 12.20am.
The SQ265 return leg will soar out of Singapore at 6.55am to arrive into Brisbane at 4.45pm.
Singapore Airlines has previously operated a fourth Brisbane flight "on a temporary basis to cater for the peak seasons," says T K Tan, Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President for South West Pacific.
"The decision to install a scheduled fourth flight is a reflection of our commitment to Queensland and will ensure we are providing more options for our passengers."
“While the fourth flight will operate three times a week from May there is every chance, if Brisbane continues to perform as expected, that we would increase the frequency to daily later in the year.”
Tan also expects one of the three daily Brisbane-Singapore flights to be upgraded this year, delivering the latest lie-flat business class seats (below) in place of the A330's 'sloping sleeper' seats.
“We will progressively in 2016 change the aircraft type with lie-flat beds to Brisbane” Tan tells Australian Business Traveller.
“More and more airlines are flying (to Brisbane) with lie-flat product” Tan says, in a nod to Qantas’ A330 Business Suites, “so we also have to move towards that.”
Read: Singapore Airlines plans lie-flat business class for Brisbane
Also on the cards for Brisbane business travellers: a new Brisbane SilverKris lounge, which is expected to open in February and will adopt the relaxed 'home away from home' concept of its Sydney sibling.
Singapore Airlines' new 'home away from home' lounge design
Read: New Brisbane airport lounges for Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand
The Star Alliance member and Virgin Australia partner is expected to announce flights between Singapore and Canberra next week, marking the capital's first international service, which will also run through to the NZ capital of Wellington.
Read: Singapore Airlines to launch international flights from Canberra Airport?
Singapore Airlines is also weighing up additional flights to Sydney and Melbourne, with the possibility of an Airbus A350 joining the roster.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Mar 2014
Total posts 567
Is this a short stop to offer frequency over flat beds against Qantas until the medium haul A350 arrives?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Nov 2014
Total posts 357
The picture is a bit misleading. For a moment I thought SQ is starting a lie flat seat to BNE.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Lie-flats are on the way but this pic is intended as a generic SQ pic for the story – we try to avoid running pics of aircraft where necessary, and there are no other decent pics of the A330 business class seat available apart from the one we've already used in the story.
30 Aug 2013
Total posts 440
This new flight is timed perfectly for the overnight Japan connections.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 702
Or you can fly direct to Tokyo (NRT) from Brisbane on Qantas or via Sydney if you must fly a *A airline.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 444
4 x daily to Brissy. Impressive.
20 May 2015
Total posts 581
Its nice to see SQ still fighting for the Kangaroo Route market. Good for them! Emirates/Qantas need the competition and SQ has VA as a good local partner.
I will say though, I wish that this new flight wasn't on their A330. If they upgauged an existing flight to a 777 (so as to get some of their better product onto the route) that would be better. But I guess they probably don't have any spare 777s to go around.
I guess we'll have to wait for the A350s in order to get a hard product upgrade.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 259
On a totally selfish note, I hope the afternoon SIN bound and post midnight BNE bound flights are upgraded in the first quarter of this year to the 77W.
AMS goes A359 in April, so it would make sense to use that 77W to BNE. Although not sure if SQ want to go from 0 to 8 F seats a day on the BNE route.
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
16 May 2011
Total posts 113
If there was a market to serve F, then SQ would have done it by now. The best option for SQ is to use the 77E with the same J product as the non-refurbished 77W and A380 - which I think is the most likely action they will take. These 77E will come avalible once more A350's arrive, some of those freed 77W's have been allocated to MEL for a few months on SQ237/238 I believe.
10 Dec 2015
Total posts 177
<<...best option for SQ is to use the 77E with the same J product as the non-refurbished 77W and A380 - which I think it the most likely action they will take.>>
Not a realistic option for SQ. If U are familiar with SQ fleet plan, U would know those 77E x23 still remaining(Fm a peak of 52) are clearly on their way out and relatively in a hurry(i.e. all done near End2017) as soon as 359 deliveries arrive.
I don't think any financially responsible/rational carrier(e.g. SQ) is gonna to invest in costly cabin upgrade/refurb now(Those <<same J product as the non-refurbished 77W>> aren't cheap and delivery lead time will take @ least 0.5yr based on the trendy delay by seat manufacturers these days...) on a type that is planned to remain in active duty for less than 24mths.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 259
The 77E's have less J and Y seats than the A330, but there are 772's with the 'old' 77W J seats. The 77W has more J seats than the 772 and A330 but less Y seats, and an F cabin.
So either SQ open an F cabin to BNE or open the cabin to high tier J pax on the 77W or send the 772 to give us a better J seat but lose out on seats overall. I'm still hoping we get the AMS 77W!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 465
Is there a limit on SQ flights into Australia ? Stories on CX mention that they are at their limit, while SQ must already have significantly more flights per week. More flights rather than larger aircraft can be a benefit for supporting connections (as noted by Smit0847)
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
16 May 2011
Total posts 113
Sinagpore and Australia have an open skies agreement, carriers from both countries can fly as much as they like without restriction between Singapore and any point Australia. In contrast, Hong Kong and Australia do not have an open skies agreement hence why Hong Kong carriers cannot add more services.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
06 Feb 2014
Total posts 69
I wish they would hurry up and provide lie flat biz seats on all the aircraft. Also the SQ Melbourne lounges are so inferior to the Qantas lounges, they need to fix those as well
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
16 May 2011
Total posts 113
I definately agree, the MEL was refurbished around the same time the SYD lounge was refurbished but opened before it. I'm not sure why SQ didn't give the MEL lounge the new concept! SQ needs t answer this, why waste money on a refurbishment when you are rolling a new concept at the same time!
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