Singapore Girl more crucial now as icon of quality: SIA

She may be taking a back seat in the latest marketing campaign, but top brass at Singapore Airlines say the SIA Girl is far from over the hill.

They told The Straits Times her role has become more critical as the carrier increasingly relies on top-quality service to distinguish itself from its competitors.

"The essence of the Singapore Girl and her gentle, caring ways remain especially relevant today," said SIA executive vice- president (commercial) Mak Swee Wah. "In this ever-changing world, it is even more important for service excellence to be the key differentiator."

This contrasts with days gone by, when SIA led the pack with superior hardware, new planes, flat beds and the latest in-flight movies. Now, these are offered by all top-tier carriers, including Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

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SIA's a great way to fly: Here's why

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has revealed a strategy in its advertising campaign by shining a spotlight on how it goes the distance to bring its customers what they want.

An ad based on the slogan "The Lengths We Go To" was filmed in various locations worldwide.

It boasts of how the airline gets its jasmine tea from China, arthouse films from Venice and soft leather seats from Scotland.

The ad is expected to be released in the coming week.

A five-minute "Making Of" teaser for the ad was posted on the airline's YouTube channel on Saturday. It shows behind-the-scenes footage and contains running commentaries from stakeholders involved in its production.

Mr Robin Nayak, the head of strategy at TBWA Singapore, the ad agency behind the campaign, said in the video: "We've recognised that, as times change, the brand needs to evolve with those changes."

At first glance, the focus of the new campaign appears to have shifted from the Singapore Girl.

Industry experts My Paper spoke to weighed in on the subtle differences in strategy.

Mr Hari Ramanathan, regional strategy director of Young & Rubicam Group Asia, said: "Earlier ads focused on the overall feel and service, but now it dives into the specifics - the nitty-gritty on why SIA is better."

The Asia managing director of aviation publication Flightglobal, Mr Greg Waldron, said that the Singapore Girl still has a strong presence in the ad.

He said: "It seems to me that (the Singapore Girl) is alive and well. (The ad) continues the trend where the SIA Girl is the main differentiator between (SIA) and other carriers."

The ad campaign comes after SIA Group's operating profit for the 12 months that ended on March 31 was down by about 20 per cent.

Last month, some shareholders raised concern over the airline's falling operating profits, The Straits Times reported.

Mr Mohshin Aziz, an analyst at Kuala Lumpur-based Maybank Investment Bank, said: "(The ad campaign) is a good but futile effort.

"The market now is more cost-conscious. SIA has to do more to sell itself as an airline of value."

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US officials apologise for Asiana crash names gaffe

US officials apologized late Friday for mistakenly confirming false and offensive names identifying the pilots of the Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco last weekend, leaving three dead and scores injured.

Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland identified the pilots in their noon broadcast Friday as "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

KTVU cited the National Transportation Safety Board as their source, but quickly realized the mistake and apologized.

"These names were not accurate despite an NTSB official in Washington confirming them late this morning," KTVU said.

The NTSB later apologized for the "inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed" as those of the Asiana pilots -- and blamed the mistake on an intern.

"In response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft," the statement read.

The NTSB "does not release or confirm the names of crew members or people involved in transportation accidents to the media," the board said.

"Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated."

The NTSB told the San Francisco Chronicle that the offensive names "originated at the media outlet," and that the intern did not realize they were offensive and was "acting in good faith and trying to be helpful."

Three people died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 and more than 180 were injured.

In Seoul, Asiana Airlines earlier identified the pilot flying the Boeing 777 that crashed as Lee Kang-Kuk, 46.

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Not funny at all. And how did it even end up on the news is mind boggling. A total disrespect for everyone involved in the crash.

Thomas Cook A330 engine explosion caught by plane spotter at Manchester Airport

IT started as a normal runway taxi filmed by a plane spotter from the sidelines. Then boom. The engine explodes.

The entire scene was captured by plane spotter Simon Lowe who posted his video onto YouTube.

Thomas Cook flight TCX314 was carrying 325 passengers to the Dominican Republic at the time of the incident at Manchester Airport.

On the Aviation Herald - a website that lists all the aviation incidents around the world - the accident is listed as a "rejected takeoff". But it's much more scary than that.

There is some debate on his YouTube page over whether the Thomas Cook A330 engine exploded or whether it was just a compressor stall. Still, the fact remains that a huge ball of fire engulfs one of the plane's engines as it taxis down the runway. Either way, that's not good.

Mr Lowe continued to film, capturing the response from emergency vehicles. He says it took them two minutes and 46 seconds to arrive on the scene.

A Thomas Cook spokesman said: "We can confirm that an incident took place at Manchester Airport regarding flight TCX314, during takeoff to the Dominican Republic.

"The aircraft developed an engine fault and returned to stand; as a precaution, the airport emergency services attended the aircraft - but at no time were passengers or crew at risk.

"We'd like to thank our customers for their patience during the delay to their flight; a replacement aircraft was used to take them on their holiday the same afternoon."

An investigation is underway.

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Pretty scary stuff if you're a passenger in the plane hearing the loud boom coming from the engine. But it is good job that the pilot handled it well especially when he brought the plane back into the straight line through the rudder controls.

The mishap happened early in the take-off run which is a blessing as V1 speed has not been met and thus a Reject Take-off procedure can be carried out. Had the plane rotated, it will be scarier for the passengers onboard.

New Airbus A350 comes through first test flight

Airbus's new A350 plane glided smoothly through its maiden flight on Friday, leaving company executives relieved and brimming with confidence for the battle with Boeing that lies ahead.

Designed to help the European manufacturer catch up with its American rival in the market for long-haul, fuel-efficient planes, the new Airbus completed a faultless test flight from an airport close to the company's headquarters in southern France.

After just over four hours in the air, the new plane touched down to jubilant cheers from thousands of Airbus employees and aviation enthusiasts who had assembled to watch the landmark flight.

"We were on time and everything went perfectly," relieved Airbus boss Fabrice Bregier said after watching his "new baby" cruise past the crowds on the ground at a height of just 100 metres (yards) before looping round against clear blue skies and coming in to land.

Although the flight was only the first in an intensive year-long testing programme, Airbus needed Friday's showcase to pass off without any hiccups in order to maximise the potential for further orders at next week's Paris Air Show.

"I'm confident it will be a roaring success in the market," declared Tom Enders, the chairman of Airbus's parent company EADS.

Peter Chandler, Airbus's chief test pilot who was at the controls when the plane took off for the first time, sounded like he had just climbed down from a thoroughbred.

"We received the airplane from the final assembly line almost exactly two weeks ago and for the last week or so it has been quite obvious the plane is ready to fly and wanting to fly," the British pilot said.

"That was obvious this morning as it was clearly much happier in the air than it has been running down the runway and stopping all the time."

Boeing expressed its congratulations to its rival. "A new airplane is a very complex endeavour and this is a milestone the industry can celebrate together," it said.

Much like its competitor - Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, in service since September 2011 - theA350 makes extensive use of light composite materials that significantly reduce fuel consumption and costs.

Arnaud Verneau, one of the flight engineers on board on Friday, revealed that the flight had been smoother and quieter than anyone had hoped for.

"We were even able to put it on auto pilot on after two hours, which we had not anticipated doing," he said, adding that the plane's lighter materials had not resulted in more noise inside the cabin.

"We will see as the tests progress but for the moment, it is the same (as a traditionally constructed plane)," he said.

More than 10,000 hours of ground tests had been done on the airliner before the flight, and over the next year five test planes will criss-cross the globe in the warmest and coldest regions, at low and high speed.

If all goes well, first delivery is expected at the end of 2014.

Confirmed customers so far include Qatar Airways, British Airways and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, and Airbus is hoping for a slew of new orders next week.

Boeing still dominates the long-haul market, and Airbus has positioned its A350 between the US firm's popular 777 and its new 787, hoping to eat away at both planes' markets.

The test flight may cast a shadow over Boeing at the Paris Air Show, where the US firm is hoping to prove its Dreamliner is back on track after recent technical problems with overheating batteries - one of which caught fire - forced the worldwide grounding of the fleet.

Christophe Menard, aerospace and defence analyst at Kepler Capital Markets in Paris, said that despite its own delays on the A350, Airbus was getting the plane out faster than Boeing managed with the Dreamliner.

Still, the 787 is ahead of the A350 in terms of orders - 890 versus 613.

Airbus says the A350 will consume six per cent less fuel than the 787 and 25 per cent less than the 777, and the year-long test flying phase will help verify that claim, as well as diagnose any problems.

"The risk is they find other things that they hadn't expected," said Nick Cunningham, an aviation analyst at the London-based Agency Partners.

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A new plane, another step forward in aviation. With its touted fuel saving capability, it will be a great saviour to our environment if it is proven to be true. Orders may still be lagging behind the Dreamliner but the Paris Air Show will prove to be a test bed of the saleability for both of them.

Horrifying Video Of 747 Crash In Afghanistan

Shocking new footage has surfaced that appears to show a 747-400 cargo plane crashing at Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield. The crash reportedly left all seven Americans aboard the plane dead.

The Taliban took responsibility for the crash shortly after it occurred yesterday, but NATO told the Associated Press that these claims were false.

One army spokesperson said the crash occurred due to low altitude after takeoff. The plane, run by Florida-based National Airlines, a subsidiary of National Air Cargo, was reportedly carrying vehicles and other cargo and was bound for Dubai.

We talked to aviation expert and retired United Airlines captain Ross Aimer, who hesitated to speculate on the cause of the crash but said the plane might have stalled after taking off at too sharp an angle.

"The very high angle of the airplane, … is a definite no-no," Aimer said. "There's no way they could control that. Once you get into that, it stalls."

Once the plane stalls, it stops flying and "drops like a rock," he said.

Another possibility is a cargo shift.

"Something they were carrying might have been heavy and not tied down properly and shifted all the way to the back of the airplane," Aimer said.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a press release that says a team will investigate the crash.

"I don't know the answers and we won't until they get the black boxes," Aimer said.




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It's unfortunate, this crash. Hopefully the investigations will give us a clearer picture of what really happened up there. RIP to the 7 American crew members.

Lion Air passenger plane crashes off coast of Bali

A passenger plane carrying more than 100 people has crashed into the ocean off the coast of Bali.

It is believed the plane slid off the runway at Ngurah Rai Airport, near Denpasar, where it was scheduled to land late this afternoon before landing in water.

Reports from Indonesia indicate the passengers have survived the crash and been relocated to a nearby hospital.

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UPDATE: The Boeing jet carrying more than 100 passengers missed the runway as it came in to land in good weather conditions at Denpasar airport on the Indonesian resort island, transportation ministry official Herry Bhakti told AFP.

Mr Bhakti initially said the plane overshot the runway, but later clarified his comments to say that it landed straight in the water.   

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Oh my god, it must have been quite a traumatic experience for the passengers, especially those near the tail end of the aircraft as we can see a huge crack damage in that area.

Bring back that lovin' feeling, SIA

If Ian Batey could croon to the Singapore Girl, he would sing that Righteous Brothers evergreen: You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.

"The passion is not there any more," he said of the global branding icon he helped Singapore Airlines (SIA) create in the 1970s.

The British-born advertising guru, 76, founded Batey Ads in 1972 and grew it into South-east Asia's largest independent advertising group. Besides SIA, the agency also helped to develop Raffles Hotel, Tiger Beer and Tiger Balm into global brands.

He said the airline's recent campaigns could do with greater flair and imagination.

"SIA still believes in the romance of travel, and this emotional statement does not get enough play in the recent work," said Mr Batey, who sold his stake in Batey Ads and has not been involved in the company since 2005.

Now living in the United States, the straight-shooting ad man and his old Batey Ads team recently donated $250,000 to Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to start a scholarship for its Diploma in Media and Communication students.

"It's a little bit of payback for all the stuff that Singapore has given us. It is our small contribution to making Singapore a more exciting creative centre," he said of the Batey Scholar Award which has a matching grant from the Ministry of Education and which will take effect in April.

In an interview with The Sunday Times while he was in Singapore, the conversation returned naturally to SIA and the Singapore Girl.

Elaborating on his complaint about the airline's recent advertising campaigns, he said: "They've lost the love. The passion and the commitment is not there any more. I call it wallpaper advertising; it just fills up a page.

"A good ad should make you turn the page and gulp on your coffee. If it comes on the television, you got to go, 'Good God, that felt good'."

But what would he say to those who believe that it takes more than the Singapore Girl to sell airline seats these days, and that she may even be obsolete?

He makes clear his view that SIA stands apart in the crowded, cut-throat airline industry.

Many travellers now view most global full-service airlines as being much the same, he said, so their choice is determined mainly by the ticket price.

"On all airlines except SIA," he added. "Because paying more to fly SIA is seen as exceptional value for the experience. It offers the kind of inflight service even other airlines talk about."

SIA's superior service is what still sets it apart from the competition, he believes.

"And what better way to present this powerful difference than through the key inflight service personality - the Singapore Girl?

"In my book, there is a timeless quality about the Singapore Girl in her sarong kebaya. And long may she reign as the living, breathing, warm, gracious branding icon of SIA."

Ad agency TBWA, which won the SIA account in 2007, could not be reached for comment on Mr Batey's views.

SIA declined to comment too, but a spokesman told The Sunday Times the airline constantly reviews its brand communications to ensure they evolve with the times.

Among those who agreed with the veteran ad man was Ms Lim Sau Hoong, executive creative director of ad agency 10AM Communications, who said of the airline's advertising: "They should do something to bring back the charm, the soul and the old magic of SIA."

Branding expert Joseph Baladi, chief executive of BrandAsian, said: "The uniqueness of the SIA brand is anchored in the Singapore Girl. She's real and she's consistent and she's a natural expression of the brand."

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Well well well, everything with SIA seems to be a problem, even with its advertisement now. Why don't you judge it yourself and see if it isn't "up to date" with current trends from the video of the latest ad from the airline below.

Seiko Astron GPS Solar

Beautiful watch to have. Will be very useful for frequent travelers and pilots who travel to different timezones frequently. Save you the trouble of adjusting the watch

Turkish Airlines Ad

Cute eh? Turkish Airlines loves using sports stars as an attraction in their advertisement. Previously they even used the whole team of Manchester United to shoot the ad. Thumbs up!!

Cathay Second Officer

Another video by Cathay Pacific introducing one of their own boys as a Second Officer flying their fleet of modern aircraft. It is videos like this that inspires people all around the world who aspire being an airline pilot and trying all means to get into the cockpit one day to fulfill their dream job and feed their flying passion at the same time. Who wouldn't want a job that he will be smiling while reporting to work?

But it is tough, right from the very start. It isn't a road that is going to be a walk in the park. Cathay's cadet interview process is one of the longest and most tedious I've seen; having to go through so many stages and the whole process might even take 6 months or more. And after getting through the many stages of tests, the ground school and flight training is another hurdle to pass.

Being an airline pilot isn't just about glamour, there is definitely a lot of hard work behind that shiny pair of wings pinned onto the left chest. Cathay Pacific has created a new website associated with their cadets. Lots of info in there, fellow aviation enthusiasts can go take a look!

Cathay Pacific Cadet Pilot Programme

The very competitive Cathay Pacific cadet pilot programme for ab-initios. I did apply for it back in early 2010 but never got a call up from them for an interview even when they came to Singapore in 2011. I would have really loved to have a shot at it but was never given a chance. That's quite a shame but it's understandable considering how many quality applicants they get.

However, now that the ab-initio programme is closed for foreigners, this avenue to become an airline pilot is somehow closed for people with no experience in flight. Don't fret, they have more advanced programmes for those with flight experience and they're shorter in the training duration. You can click on the "Cathay Pacific Career" tab above to find out more information on it.

Good luck!

Pilots in Qantas and Cathay Pacific

An insight to being a pilot in Cathay Pacific and Qantas, two of the biggest international airlines in the world.