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At the end of October, we may see Singapore Airlines flying on commercial flights again. These flights are intended to transport domestic passengers on destinationless trips. Dubbed ‘flights to nowhere’, they are scheduled to take off from Changi Airport and land there three hours later.
With borders still closed for leisure travel, these flights will help generate revenue for the troubled airline, especially after reporting a loss of SG $ 1 billion for the first quarter of the financial year. The number of passenger carriers had also fallen 99.5% for the flag carrier.
To make flights more attractive, you can include home stay options, limo rides and vouchers for airport shopping, Bloomberg reports.
75% willing to pay for flights to nowhere
Singapore Air Charter Director Stefan Wood is confident that the flights will be in high demand. As quoted in The Straits Times, his company conducted a survey that revealed that 75% of respondents were willing to pay a sum to sit at SIA once again.
Almost half are willing to shell out SG $ 288 ($ 210) for an economy class seat, while 40% consider SG $ 588 ($ 430) to be a fair amount for a business class seat.
Wood’s firm was previously in talks with Singapore Airlines to provide these flights to nowhere in collaboration. However, SIA has expressed interest in conducting the flights on its own, which Wood agrees. He told The Straits Times,
“For me, it’s about the Singapore economy and reinvesting some money in the sector.”
SIA may also be exploring a partnership with the country’s Tourism Board to allow potential passengers to pay for flights using tourist credits. These credits were introduced after the tourism industry in Singapore suffered a severe blow amid the pandemic. The government aims to revive the sector by encouraging residents to explore the country, through its SingapoRediscovers campaign, which includes tourism vouchers.
Tourist flights are popular amid the pandemic
Flights to nowhere are gaining popularity in recent months. Airlines have been extremely creative in calling these flights a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For Starlux Airlines, a Taiwanese airline, it called its destination flights a “Fly to the Moon” opportunity. Specifically, the flights, which will take place on October 1 and 2, are intended to take passengers on a trip “close to the moon”.
Another Taiwanese airline, EVA Air, decided to operate a celebratory flight last month for Father’s Day. The particular flight, which sent travelers all over Taiwan, took place on EVA Air’s exclusive Hello Kitty A330-300s.
As well as giving travelers the opportunity to fly again, this experience allows the once-grounded aircraft to pump its engines once again, eradicating the need for significant maintenance.
This is precisely what the Japanese airline ANA did with its Airbus A380s. ANA conducted Hawaiian-themed sightseeing flights on its ‘Flying Honu’ aircraft. The 90-minute flight occurred on August 22, with 334 passengers on board. The passengers were chosen by lottery.
SIA to get smaller
Hit by the pandemic, SIA has had to make severe changes in its company. Earlier this week, the airline made headlines for cutting 15% of its workforce at Singapore Airlines, Scoot and SilkAir. An estimated 2,400 of its employees will be laid off, while the remaining 1,900 will retire from the airline due to hiring freezes or voluntary departures.
Furthermore, the flag carrier aims to reduce its fleet significantly. SIA Group has a total of 220 aircraft, with all of its 19 A380s on the ground. Many airlines have said goodbye to this giant in 2020, and Air France scrapped all of its A380s in June.
Removing the A380s will help SIA cut costs. As for its older aircraft, SIA’s Boeing 777s may also be phased out of the fleet. Currently, the SIA Group has 34 Boeing 777s, with an average age of 12.3 years.
Since the borders may not be reopened for leisure travel anytime soon, these cuts will occur in the coming months. Once you complete your downsizing efforts, Singapore Airlines can become a much smaller airline than we knew before the pandemic.
Simple Flying has contacted Singapore Airlines for details on their destination flights. We will update the article once a reply is received.
Will you buy a ticket for this flight to nowhere? What do you think of Singapore Airlines tourist flights? Let us know in the comments.
