SIN-BCN nonstop?

[B727]

Yes, there is a market. But EK (or any middle east or european airlines) can offer 1-stop option for passengers but for SQ, it's 2-stop. Kind of difficult for SQ to command a premium with 2-stop flights.

True. The Brasilian gentleman I was chatting with on my EK 262 was apprehensive when I told him about the possibility of SQ serving GRU via BCN being that it would make his Brasil-China jaunt into a two-stop as opposed to a one-stop. I guess SQ will have to rely on the quality of its inflight service (is it still one that even other airlines talk about ) to make it worth the while of passengers flying from South America to Asia.

[Doraemon]

Well, on my GRU-DXB-SIN on EK this month, I have been telling all and sundry how I'm really looking forward to when SQ starts doing GRU-BCN-GRU. Seriously, my flight was full with Indians, Chinese, and Brazilians headed to SHA and PEK--all markets served by SQ

Yes, there is a market. But EK (or any middle east or european airlines) can offer 1-stop option for passengers but for SQ, it's 2-stop. Kind of difficult for SQ to command a premium with 2-stop flights.

[B727]

Hi all,

It looks like that services between Singapore, Spain and then onwards to a third country might materialize. Foreign Minister George Yeo signed an agreement with the Spanish side to allow airlines of both countries to operate flights beyond their respective countries. So who knows SIN-BC-GRU might actually come true.

Well, on my GRU-DXB-SIN on EK this month, I have been telling all and sundry how I'm really looking forward to when SQ starts doing GRU-BCN-GRU. Seriously, my flight was full with Indians, Chinese, and Brazilians headed to SHA and PEK--all markets served by SQ

[Bitterroot]

Well, there will be at least one SQ nonstop from BCN to SIN: SQ377 of the
17th, delayed at BCN until the 18th, will now fly nonstop to SIN, skipping ash-closed MXP........

[SQMilan]

I don't think they will close the SIN-MXP service, especially for the recent opening of the CX's HKG-MXP one...

[zilchster]

Hi all,

It looks like that services between Singapore, Spain and then onwards to a third country might materialize. Foreign Minister George Yeo signed an agreement with the Spanish side to allow airlines of both countries to operate flights beyond their respective countries. So who knows SIN-BC-GRU might actually come true.

[B727]

Actually, what I miss most about the absence of VARIG in international skies is that the contemporary "Brazilian-ness" culture of VARIG cannot be found in the other Brazilian carriers. It just feels...'diferente'. TAM feels a little too 'commercial', doesn't it? Maybe in time, hopefully joining Star Alliance will help, TAM will probably not just 'imitate' the past glory of VARIG, but also create its own glory that Brazilians will be proud of.

The old RG was a very Brasilian airline right down to the cafezinhos they served in the small cups.

The new RG, and its owner G3, do a pretty good job of exemplifying Brasilian hospitality. Their FAs and airport staff are amongst the friendliest, helpful, and most diverse I encountered in recent times

JJ is also very much Brasilian, although it might represent a particular Brasilian image in a post-Gisele Bundchen world reflected in the appearance and grooming of the FAs. And it's just as glamorous, flying to all the chic destinations such as CDG, MAD, LHR.

[B727]

Wait, TAM is not joining in mid-2010, it's either APRIL 12th or MAY 13th!

http://translate.google.com/translat...icrosoft:en-us

http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...-to-uk-flights

The Melhores Destinos article is from last year. The Business Traveller though is from this past February, so if what they say is accurate, we may very well see JJ joining *G in May.

[brette]

Thank you jjpb3.

[jjpb3]

LAN has hardly any flights to Brazil and a 2% stake is bizarre.

And I'm not convinced (but open to evidence to the contrary ) that where Temasek invests is an indicator of where SQ's network will likely expand.

Oh, welcome to SQTalk, brette.

[Kiwi]

More news proving that Singapore (SQ??) is eyeing Brasil:

LAN has hardly any flights to Brazil and a 2% stake is bizarre.

[brette]

More news proving that Singapore (SQ??) is eyeing Brasil:

Singapore Airlines' majority shareholder Temasek Holdings will purchase ~ US $120 million worth of LAN Airlines shares:


Temasek, which is Singapore's state-owned sovereign wealth fund, will own about 2% of LAN. The shares purchased form part of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera's remaining 11% shares in LAN that were still outstanding and had not been purchased by the company's controlling shareholders, the Cueto family.


http://latercera.com/contenido/655_235520_9.shtml
http://www.aerolatinnews.com/index.p...&noticia=14043
(Sorry articles are in Spanish)

[SQalMundo]

I think they have to think of the bottomline as well. RG and VP's Asian routes were indeed part of the prestige of those carriers, but JJ's international expansion has been driven by market demand rather than prestige.

I never flew their Asian flights, but I definitely remember the sight of the M11s doing the checkerboard landing approach into Kai Tak. Gorgeous birds indeed.

The "new RG", as you may very well know, is now owned by G3 which is not necessarily a bad thing. I was flying JJ domestically for a while, but G3 has better support services--especially for those weather-related last minute airport changes at CGN--so I'm happy to fly them and bank the miles with AA.

I think I last flew the "old RG" from EZE-GIG back in 2006 when they were still part of *A at which point I proudly presented my KF card at the airport.

Y'all know what would make a really great impression? It would be for SQ to announce GRU flights at the same time JJ joins *A, a triple codeshare between the two and Spanair

Actually, what I miss most about the absence of VARIG in international skies is that the contemporary "Brazilian-ness" culture of VARIG cannot be found in the other Brazilian carriers. It just feels...'diferente'. TAM feels a little too 'commercial', doesn't it? Maybe in time, hopefully joining Star Alliance will help, TAM will probably not just 'imitate' the past glory of VARIG, but also create its own glory that Brazilians will be proud of.

[SQalMundo]

Wait, TAM is not joining in mid-2010, it's either APRIL 12th or MAY 13th!

http://translate.google.com/translat...icrosoft:en-us

http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...-to-uk-flights

[B727]

Going a little off-topic, I think TAM Linhas Aereas has rather limited international service; even after VARIG 'shut down', TAM doesn't take much of the advantage to replace many of the lost flights (do you notice that even after TAM did replace VARIG's more popular routes, they stopped expanding, in terms of fleet and destinations? They prefer to remain status quo after that). Should TAM still be considered Brazil's official international flag carrier then? I still miss VARIG's direct flights to Bangkok and Hong Kong...

I think they have to think of the bottomline as well. RG and VP's Asian routes were indeed part of the prestige of those carriers, but JJ's international expansion has been driven by market demand rather than prestige.

I never flew their Asian flights, but I definitely remember the sight of the M11s doing the checkerboard landing approach into Kai Tak. Gorgeous birds indeed.

The "new RG", as you may very well know, is now owned by G3 which is not necessarily a bad thing. I was flying JJ domestically for a while, but G3 has better support services--especially for those weather-related last minute airport changes at CGN--so I'm happy to fly them and bank the miles with AA.

I think I last flew the "old RG" from EZE-GIG back in 2006 when they were still part of *A at which point I proudly presented my KF card at the airport.

Y'all know what would make a really great impression? It would be for SQ to announce GRU flights at the same time JJ joins *A, a triple codeshare between the two and Spanair