Free wireless inflight entertainment for SilkAir passengers

The growing competition in the skies has prompted airlines to raise their service offerings to attract passengers.

In a latest move, SilkAir has started a wireless inflight entertainment system trial on one of its Airbus A-320 aircraft.

The system allows passengers to stream movies, TV programmes and music directly onto their personal devices while on a flight.

They can then access the content through their laptops, tablets and smartphones.

And this service will be free to customers.

SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has partnered Panasonic Avionics Corporation for the trial.

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Singapore Airlines unveils overhaul of its cabins

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has just unveiled a new suite of product offerings.

It has overhauled its first, business and economy class cabins on select flights between Singapore and London.

Analysts said this US$150 million investment will go some way in fending off the growing competition from the Gulf carriers.

Singapore Airlines has installed wider seats and bigger LCD screens to go along with latest inflight entertainment on eight Boeing 777-300ER planes, costing US$150 million.

Passengers flying en route from Singapore to London will be able to enjoy these new trappings in September.

Mak Swee Wah, executive vice president, commercial, at SIA, said: “We have new planes coming in, with the A350s and potentially a retrofit of the older aircraft as well, which we have not finalised yet but we will announce in due course.”

This is the airline's biggest cabin overhaul since 2007.

At 35 inches wide and with a flat bed that has been extended from 80 to 82 inches, SIA said this is one of the most spacious first class products in the sky.

The new seat features a 24-inch LCD screen and the design allows passengers to watch movies in private.

The revamped business class features the industry's widest full-flat bed, at 78 inches in length.

The new economy class will provide increased personal space and legroom, as well as touch screen offerings.

SIA hopes these souped-up offerings will keep the airline buoyant.

Mr Mak said: “We are going through a period of economic softness and there are uncertainties in some markets and inevitably that has an impact on demand especially for the premium segment. But there are signs of recovery. Some markets like the US are already showing signs of recovery and we hope that the recovery can be sustained. And I reiterate what I've said before, what we do today is not for the immediate term but to position ourselves for the future. And we're confident that when economies recover, demand will return and this product will be well received.

“Our quest to be in the position of leadership is not just about hardware alone; it's also about our network and most importantly about our service delivery and that has been our strength and we will continue to strengthen that.”

SIA's cabin overhaul comes amidst a market that is already saturated with other premium offerings.

Just last year, Middle Eastern stalwart Emirates also launched full-length showers for its first class passengers on its Airbus A380 planes.

Brendan Sobie, chief analyst, Southeast Asia, at CAPA, said: "There are a lot more competitors at the top level in terms of premium products than there were several years ago and a lot of that is due to the Gulf carriers. They're investing heavily and putting in new products, like Qatar, Emirates and Etihad. They will continue to evolve.

“Most of them were long behind Singapore Airlines but in recent years, most of them have since caught up with SIA to some extent. This doesn't mean they match SIA's products but they're a lot closer to the SIA products of today than previously. That means SIA has to take another step to maintain that gap."

As for ticket prices for the new seats, SIA said it is a matter of supply and demand.

A round-trip first class fare on the current Boeing 777-300ER from Singapore to London will cost around S$14,000. 

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A major overhaul in the cabin to entice flyers into choosing SIA? We shall see how far can this improvement go.

Qantas axes in-flight Internet after poor take-up

Australian airline Qantas's trial of in-flight Internet access has been shelved due to a lack of interest from passengers who prefer to sleep or enjoy a rare break from the online world while flying.

Qantas began a service in March which gave travellers on Airbus A380s flying to Los Angeles and London in-flight connectivity using their personal WiFi-enabled laptops and other electronic devices.

But it said Tuesday that while keen to offer the WiFi service to long-haul passengers, less than five per cent of customers had made use of it and it was discontinued last month.

"The commercial trial found that the customer take-up of the WiFi service was extremely low," a spokesman said.

"Most of our A380 services operate at night and so another dampener on demand was the fact people preferred to sleep than surf the web."

Cost was also likely a factor, with the price ranging from A$12.90 (US$13.45) to A$39.90 for various data packages.

"Naturally, the costs associated with offering a reliable Internet connection in-flight are significantly higher than on the ground, particularly when you are flying over vast expanses of ocean and can't connect to ground towers," the spokesman said.

Qantas said customers indicated they would prefer better Internet access at airports, so the airline was investing in upgrading WiFi technology across its domestic and international lounge network.

"Right now, our customers are telling us that access to the Internet on the ground is more important than in the air," the spokesman said.

"We will continue to evaluate demand for WiFi options onboard."

Qantas passengers will still be able to send and receive text messages and make telephone calls in-flight on A380s, selected B747s and A330 aircraft.

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I believe the main stumbling block is the cost issue. If the internet is too expensive (and slow), people will just give it a miss and go back to conventional entertainment like games and videos during longhaul flights.

As a consumer, the only time when I inevitably need internet access is if I'm a business man traveling for work and can make use of this long traveling time to complete some work and send some emails. Such costs are going to be covered by the company anyway, so the cost of it won't deter me.