SIN-KUL - Should SQ Make Magazines Available In Y

[Kyo]

Took a flight ex SIN-KUL on Saturday morning two weekends ago. 4 magazine choices in J. Wheels, some Asian Traveller mag (fuzzy recollection), and two other lesser-known magazines. We're not talking TIME or something here..

Returned the next day (Sunday) in Y on KUL-SIN. When I asked for a magazine, I was told "there are no magazines on this flight".

Assuming that they actually meant "there are no magazines on this flight +'for Economy Class passengers", I'd like to find out if this is a recent development or are magazines only available to J pax (or PITA TPPs who ask in Y)?

It seems truly far-fetched that the only magazine a Y pax on this short hop can hope to read is the Silverkris magazine. What about for SIN-PEN-SIN? New policy to save costs? Please say it isn't so...

To liven up this otherwise disappointed post, here is an inappropriate smiley -

[flyguy]

the costs of a SQ SIN-KUL-SIN ticket is still very expensive even in EY - and unless one travels under company expense it does not make any economic sense for such a short 35 min flying time. And have spoken to SQ staff and they dont even fly on SQ on their trips to KUL as even their sub-load fares costs higher than the LCCs.

[Kyo]

You'd think they would not be hard pressed to put in a couple of magazines in Y. I'm more concerned that they simply didn't trouble themselves to even take a spare magazine from the J cabin if it was a specific request... but by saying there were no magazines onboard, I think that's an outright 'convenient' lie. I'd be happy to be proven wrong and I have the flight number and BP as well - but I did not catch the stewardess' name, being 3 seats deep in a window seat/dim cabin lighting/evening.

[Toffees]

Took a flight ex SIN-KUL on Saturday morning two weekends ago. 4 magazine choices in J. Wheels, some Asian Traveller mag (fuzzy recollection), and two other lesser-known magazines. We're not talking TIME or something here..

Returned the next day (Sunday) in Y on KUL-SIN. When I asked for a magazine, I was told "there are no magazines on this flight".

Assuming that they actually meant "there are no magazines on this flight +'for Economy Class passengers", I'd like to find out if this is a recent development or are magazines only available to J pax (or PITA TPPs who ask in Y)?

It seems truly far-fetched that the only magazine a Y pax on this short hop can hope to read is the Silverkris magazine. What about for SIN-PEN-SIN? New policy to save costs? Please say it isn't so...

To liven up this otherwise disappointed post, here is an inappropriate smiley -

For SIN-PEN-SIN, I can confirm no magazines other than the crappy Silverkris mag in Y class...i travel this route every month...reason they gave is magazines for this route in Y is not loaded....wonder who true

[ycp81]

Possible that SQ has removed magazines in Y for KUL and PEN as they slash their prices to compete with the LCCs. Something has to go if SQ were to sell seats at half the price it used to sell on the routes just a year ago.

[Kyo]

Thanks for the confirmation, Toffees - I didn't ask for magazines when I flew SIN-PEN-SIN back in late April

ycp81 - Cutting costs may be one thing, but I think they can definitely afford to have far less copies of magazines in their glorified SKLs and instead put some on PEN and KUL. There is never a shortage of choice in there covering all sorts of obscure topics.

They have plenty of newspapers to go around on the flight, why not 3 or 4 magazines too?

I remain of the viewpoint that cutting back on magazines is a step too far.

And let's face it, the cost differential between LCCs and SQ/MI is still vast and can be over $100SGD more - how much does a magazine cost? Maybe $2-4 more than a newspaper? Newspapers are also requested significantly more than magazines, I'd imagine. Take some from the lounges if they're that hard up for cash... not like there's a anywhere close to a shortage there..!

Don't forget also that before they liberalised Singapore-Malaysia routes, it was essentially a duopoly and they milked it for all that it was worth! They were making profits hand over foot on those routes... halving those prices (compared to LCCs) still prices them a significant amount beyond the LCC prices.

[KeithMEL]

...the crappy Silverkris mag in Y class...

Hmm, I do like the Silver Kris magazine. Probably adequate reading on such a short flight too, unless one's already read it on a connecting flight.

[Toffees]

Possible that SQ has removed magazines in Y for KUL and PEN as they slash their prices to compete with the LCCs. Something has to go if SQ were to sell seats at half the price it used to sell on the routes just a year ago.

I wonder how much SQ can save by nicking off some mags in shuttle flights....doesnt make sense to me as those magazines are bought by bulk n i m sure SQ does get a nice price.....

[Toffees]

Thanks for the confirmation, Toffees - I didn't ask for magazines when I flew SIN-PEN-SIN back in late April

ycp81 - Cutting costs may be one thing, but I think they can definitely afford to have far less copies of magazines in their glorified SKLs and instead put some on PEN and KUL. There is never a shortage of choice in there covering all sorts of obscure topics.

They have plenty of newspapers to go around on the flight, why not 3 or 4 magazines too?

I remain of the viewpoint that cutting back on magazines is a step too far.

And let's face it, the cost differential between LCCs and SQ/MI is still vast and can be over $100SGD more - how much does a magazine cost? Maybe $2-4 more than a newspaper? Newspapers are also requested significantly more than magazines, I'd imagine. Take some from the lounges if they're that hard up for cash... not like there's a anywhere close to a shortage there..!

Don't forget also that before they liberalised Singapore-Malaysia routes, it was essentially a duopoly and they milked it for all that it was worth! They were making profits hand over foot on those routes... halving those prices (compared to LCCs) still prices them a significant amount beyond the LCC prices.

I m flyin back to PEN later from SIN with MI in the evening...will try my luck with MI...

[Kyo]

MI has their Silkwinds magazine, and they are the 'budget' alternative to SQ. So, SQ has Silverkris... even Tiger has their own Tiger Tales...

They don't put magazines on the flight because they have consciously chosen not to, not because they cannot.

[sqdazz]

It always seems we are losing something, how long until SQ Economy is exactly the same product as Tiger Airways? Will they still charge double or more?

[StarG]

Well, SQ is still good to keep quite a number of magazines in Y for all other routes.
CX have removed them completely from Y.

[jjpb3]

Well, SQ is still good to keep quite a number of magazines in Y for all other routes.
CX have removed them completely from Y.

Exactly.

ycp81 - Cutting costs may be one thing, but I think they can definitely afford to have far less copies of magazines in their glorified SKLs and instead put some on PEN and KUL. There is never a shortage of choice in there covering all sorts of obscure topics.

They have plenty of newspapers to go around on the flight, why not 3 or 4 magazines too?

I remain of the viewpoint that cutting back on magazines is a step too far.

And let's face it, the cost differential between LCCs and SQ/MI is still vast and can be over $100SGD more - how much does a magazine cost? Maybe $2-4 more than a newspaper? Newspapers are also requested significantly more than magazines, I'd imagine. Take some from the lounges if they're that hard up for cash... not like there's a anywhere close to a shortage there..!

Sorry, Kyo, but I disagree. Using fares to infer the cost vs. benefit of providing a specific service isn't very convincing to me. I'm not certain that you fit the profile of the typical shuttle passenger. It's a 45-minute (or so) flight, isn't it? The competitive alternative for passengers are the other carriers on the route. Do you think the presence of magazines are a deal-breaker for the decision to fly SQ on this route?

[Toffees]

Came back on MI 358 last nite, confirmed that no magazines on board MI birds in Y...as for the Silkwinds magazine....i noticed its valid for 2 months meaning this month's copy is for July - August....therefore didn't take it since I have read it last month....

[Kyo]

Exactly.

Sorry, Kyo, but I disagree. Using fares to infer the cost vs. benefit of providing a specific service isn't very convincing to me. I'm not certain that you fit the profile of the typical shuttle passenger. It's a 45-minute (or so) flight, isn't it? The competitive alternative for passengers are the other carriers on the route. Do you think the presence of magazines are a deal-breaker for the decision to fly SQ on this route?

I was referring to the second sentence in ycp81's post. Also, perhaps the more appropriate part to address in bold in my post should be:

"And let's face it, the cost differential between LCCs and SQ/MI is still vast and can be over $100SGD more - how much does a magazine cost? Maybe $2-4 more than a newspaper? Newspapers are also requested significantly more than magazines, I'd imagine. Take some from the lounges if they're that hard up for cash... not like there's a anywhere close to a shortage there..!"

Because I still think that removing magazines on a full-service airline (not just any full-service airline, mind you, but the one that regards itself as the best in the industry) is a step that was unnecessary and only cheapens SQ's image.

For an airline that prides itself on providing the best in-flight experience, taking into account not just service-alone, but other components that may vary from IFE, seat pitch, seat type, up to and including if they provide magazines or not on their shortest route in Y, this is a step too far. I'm also very curious to know how I don't fit the profile of the typical shuttle passenger... certainly this year a lot of my travel has been on weekend trips in-and-out of KUL, with the vast majority being on JL (being a longhaul a/c, they do have a selection of magazines, but I don't aim to steer this thread in the direction of a JL vs SQ comparison).

Unless by some bizarre set of circumstances (which I find hard to believe) that there was no magazines loaded on the flight at all ex-SIN and also ex-KUL in that short turnaround period that would be due to some sort of oversight, the stewardess' statement would have been inaccurate entirely.

But we can agree to disagree, it does happen

Lastly, I also hope that SQ's recent 'listening' exercise takes this into account. Please put a few magazines in Y for your SIN-KUL/PEN sectors. There's plenty in the SKLs, surely 3 or 4 copies won't drain any additional resources.