Something that comes first is usually considered to be foremost, chief, highest in ranking or original.
Something that comes first is usually considered to be foremost, chief, highest in ranking or original.
But perhaps ‘Singapore Airlines’ should be added to the list of meanings of the word ‘first’, because the airline’s list of firsts has become almost endless.
It was the first with free drinks (for those who remember back that far), the first major airline with personal in-flight entertainment, first with free French champagne throughout the cabin, first with video-on-demand, first with non-stop flights from Singapore to London. And now Singapore is the first airline to offer non-stop flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles.
And the latest first has proved a resounding success.
Singapore Airlines has undertaken years of preparation for what is a record breaking operation, one that is turning heads as airline CEOs search for a competitive edge.
Singapore Airlines ordered five A340-500s for the two routes in 1998 and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) set up a Task Force late that year to study ultra long-range (ULR) flights that would exceed 18 hours.
After several years of research it was found that the two sets of pilots carried on these flights performed much better if they had two rest periods where they could sleep.
Typically, on long-range operations, airlines have cycled pilots through one rest period in the first half or last half of the flight, but this has been found to be deficient.
In the Singapore Airlines’ ultra long-range (ULR) operation on the A340-500s, all four pilots occupy the cockpit for take-off and at top of climb and then one captain and one first officer retire separately to two rest areas – one immediately behind the flight deck, the other aft below deck.
Separate rest areas ensure the pilots do not disturb each other.
After three hours, they relieve the cockpit crew. Later, both crews have a longer five-hour break. The command crew on the outbound leg is back-up crew on the return flight.
In stark contrast to keeping the pilots alert, in the passenger cabin the airline uses mood lighting in an effort to create a sleep-inducing atmosphere. Passenger response has been excellent, with a 75 per cent load factor. The load factor is also higher in business class and quite often the front end is full.
The A340-500 has a special configuration with 64 Raffles Class (business class) seats and 117 Executive Economy (EY) seats.
Raffles Class has lie-flat beds and EY is set in a two-three-two configuration with a 94 centimetre pitch. Initially, cost for the EY seat was the same as economy class but it now attracts a 10 per cent premium.
EY seats have a 20.3cm recline and every other seat, in-seat power. The aircraft has 14 cabin crew with a crew passenger ratio of 1:9 in Raffles Class and 1:23 in EY. This compares with 1:13 and 1:32 on the 747-400.
From a passenger perspective, the Singapore Airlines ULR flights are effortless. WA Business News travelled on Singapore Airlines FLT 019 from Los Angeles to Singapore in late April.
Take-off at 9.30pm was sprightly but quiet and the aircraft hugged the US west coast before tracking over Anchorage.
Mood lighting throughout the cabin gave the aircraft an elegant club atmosphere, with most passengers taking in a few movies and a meal before settling in for some sleep.
The A340-500 then slipped well into Russian airspace and tracked over Beijing, Hong Kong and abeam of Vietnam before crossing the coast near Ho Chi Minh City and on to Singapore. Flight time was 17 hours and 19 minutes.
For Perth passengers there are good connections, depending on the day of travel. The New York and Los Angeles non-stops operate three days a week. The Los Angeles service cuts about two hours off the normal travelling time via Tokyo while the New York non-stop saves six hours.
