SQ and MH end KUL-SIN shuttle deal

[SQflyergirl]

May 16, 2008 20:26 PM MAS And Singapore Airlines End Shuttle Service Deal

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines have mutually decided to terminate the Shuttle Agreement on their services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with effect from June 1.

The two national carriers started the shuttle service in 1982, in response to demand for shuttle-like flights between the two cities.

In a joint statement, they said the termination of the Shuttle Agreement will not reduce frequencies or change the fact that a wide variety of fares are now available on the route.

The Shuttle Agreement provided for the carriers to agree on a common fare to charge customers who turned up at the airport on standby for the next flight, they added.

The progressive deregulation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route and the ever-increasing use of the Internet for a variety of transactions such as booking of tickets and check-in (even at the last minute), has changed the travel landscape, removing the need for a shuttle service, they said.

The newly-deregulated market has opened up opportunities for the two airlines to offer more frequency and fare options, which will better serve the needs of the travelling public, they added.

Malaysia Airlines Commercial Director, Datuk Abdul Rashid Khan said bilateral airline co-operation has evolved over the years into comprehensive and more flexible arrangements to cope with the ever growing challenges faced by the industry.

"In our case, co-operation with Singapore Airlines has moved into dynamic code-share that allows each airline to determine its own fare options and yet allow uplift of each others passengers," he added.

It is only natural that the earlier shuttle service arrangement which served both carriers' needs earlier is phased out, he added.

-- BERNAMA

[SQflyergirl]

Here's me hoping for a really early morning KUL-SIN that connects to flights like SQ217/12/308 and a really late evening SIN-KUL that connects me from 228/222/286 and the like.

SQ could theoretically do it, but it'd make for a 5-6 hour overnight in KUL airport with not a lot to do for the crew

[flyguy]

this 1st step towards deregulation and delinkingthe shuttle would be a prelude to SQ n MH being competitive on this sector and will likely see a lowering of fares in the next few months which is welcoming. However it will also mean that SQ will considering reducing one or 2 flights from this sector due to less pax taffic and esp so by november when LCCs are allowed to operate more flights and air asia has been pushingf or 6 flights daily to SIN.
Currently LCC fares are about a third of SQ/MH.

[huaiwei]

On hindsight, imagine a scenario where all air tickets are purchased over the counter at airports. Would probably make air travel a tad more exciting haha.

[zhiw3n]

Once the LCCs are approved more frequencies to their current schedules, it'll be interesting to see the impact on the load factors for SQ and MH given their current astronomical prices. For a 45min flight like SIN-KUL, there's hardly any difference between a full-service airline and a LCC anyway.

[flyguy]

believed once by nov or earlier if air asia gets its 6 daily flights and hence another 6 flights by sin LCCs, then it will come to a point where tickets should be able to purchase before the flight if avail - just like the prsent SQ shuttle flights except much much cheaper. Yes its only a 40 min flight time so current SQ/MH fares are way too expensive, but those travelling on company's accounts will still stick to SQ always despite the limited flights by then and timings. And will think SQ will cut down its daily flights to KUL when the LCCs gets more flights, but still need to maintain 3 or 4 daily flights as SQ carries alot of connecting pax from KUL onwards its other overseas destinations.