Singapore Airlines Group News and Discussion Thread - 2022

rjbesikof · Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:27 am

Good move to resume EWR. The JFK flight is going to be about O/D on the U.S. end of things. EWR is all about connections especially to places in the eastern United States such as MCO, ATL, WAS, and BOS.

nicode · Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:01 am

Also, please note both direct flight have a different schedule both ways (end of June).
SIN JFK 11h50-18h30
SIN EWR 23h35-06h00+1
JFK SIN 22h30-05h20+2
EWR SIN 10h25-17h10+1

The flight with the stop at FRA is the following :
SIN-FRA-JFK
23h55-06h45+1
08h35+1-11h10+1
JFK-FRA-SIN
20h55-10h40+1
13h30+1-06h50+1

ABpositive · Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:35 am

rjbesikof wrote:
Good move to resume EWR. The JFK flight is going to be about O/D on the U.S. end of things. EWR is all about connections especially to places in the eastern United States such as MCO, ATL, WAS, and BOS.

I find it strange that SQ doesn't use the west coast for connections - e.g. SFO is over 1000 miles shorter than EWR.

maverick4002 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:52 pm

ABpositive wrote:
rjbesikof wrote:
Good move to resume EWR. The JFK flight is going to be about O/D on the U.S. end of things. EWR is all about connections especially to places in the eastern United States such as MCO, ATL, WAS, and BOS.

I find it strange that SQ doesn't use the west coast for connections - e.g. SFO is over 1000 miles shorter than EWR.

They might but you save 100 miles to get to SF and then gain it right back and more to go cross country to the specific markets you quoted.

airbazar · Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:21 pm

dtremit wrote:
tphuang wrote:
How many people are looking to get PCR test before flight, upon arriving, on day 3 and 7 of their stay? I get stressed out just doing 1 PCR test before I go to a country and another coming back to USA.

To be fair, doing three tests at Changi / "designated clinics" is probably a lot less stressful than tracking down a single test in NYC right now...

Just about anywhere in the World is easier than in the U.S. It's baffling that nearly 2 years after this Pandemic started we still can't test people efficiently in this country. I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE. I could have chosen "city hall" in a nearby town too. Same idea. If other countries were as bad as we are at testing, international travel would be completely dead due to this requirement to get tested 1 day before the flight.

ABpositive wrote:
What I want to know though is why do both EWR and JFK?

How is that different than before? SQ served both EWR and JFK before the Pandemic and they were hardly the only ones. The markets have just enough to be different as well the fact that SQ has far more connecting possibilities at EWR. If they can see demand from both, why not?

tphuang · Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:45 pm

airbazar wrote:
dtremit wrote:
tphuang wrote:
How many people are looking to get PCR test before flight, upon arriving, on day 3 and 7 of their stay? I get stressed out just doing 1 PCR test before I go to a country and another coming back to USA.

To be fair, doing three tests at Changi / "designated clinics" is probably a lot less stressful than tracking down a single test in NYC right now...

Just about anywhere in the World is easier than in the U.S. It's baffling that nearly 2 years after this Pandemic started we still can't test people efficiently in this country. I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE. I could have chosen "city hall" in a nearby town too. Same idea. If other countries were as bad as we are at testing, international travel would be completely dead due to this requirement to get tested 1 day before the flight.

Even if it's easy, you still need to set aside 1 to 2 hours of a busy work day to do these tests. Let's say you are working around Clarke Quay and want to get tested at Changi. That's a 30 minute drive over and back + the testing time + time it takes to get a cab. So you'd have to plan any time off in those days around your test. Part of the Singapore experience is trying out all the great food they have out there. This would pretty much ruin those days.

https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vtl/requi ... nd-process
Post-arrival supervised COVID-19 ARTs on Days 3 and 7 (S$15 each)
Post-arrival self-administered COVID-19 ARTs on Days 2, 4, 5 and 6

so not only would I need to get supervised ARTs on Day 3/7, I also need to do self administered ARTs on 4 other dates. At some point I would have to ask how often I want to get nose poked. If you live in singapore and want to go home and then come back, this works. If you are singaporen and want to do VFR, this also works. If you have a work trip that you don't have to go, this is a pretty good deterrent.

Long term, I see no issue with flights to both JFK and EWR. But short term, this seems a little much.

STT757 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:47 pm

jfklganyc wrote:
It is amazing though. 2 NY airports.

Even some of the Euros dont do that anymore!

SQ has been serving EWR and JFK together since the late Nineties. Back then they were both flown with 747-400s with JFK via Frankfurt and EWR via Amsterdam. So after 23 years they added a third flight, not a huge increase in capacity considering the 747-400s are gone and they're using smaller A350s.

Singapore and United Airlines signed an MOU in November that would facilitate more cooperation on each others flights.

https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/news/21244884/sia-signs-mou-with-united-airlines-in-move-that-could-lead-to-more-arrivals-at-changi

EWR used to have three direct flights to Southeast Asia:

Singapore Airlines EWR-SIN via Amsterdam 747-400

Malaysian Airlines EWR-KUL via Dubai (the US's first nonstop to Dubai).

Philippine Airlines EWR-MNL, I don't remember where the intermediate stop was.

Coal · Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:28 pm

tphuang wrote:
airbazar wrote:
dtremit wrote:

To be fair, doing three tests at Changi / "designated clinics" is probably a lot less stressful than tracking down a single test in NYC right now...

Just about anywhere in the World is easier than in the U.S. It's baffling that nearly 2 years after this Pandemic started we still can't test people efficiently in this country. I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE. I could have chosen "city hall" in a nearby town too. Same idea. If other countries were as bad as we are at testing, international travel would be completely dead due to this requirement to get tested 1 day before the flight.

Even if it's easy, you still need to set aside 1 to 2 hours of a busy work day to do these tests. Let's say you are working around Clarke Quay and want to get tested at Changi. That's a 30 minute drive over and back + the testing time + time it takes to get a cab. So you'd have to plan any time off in those days around your test. Part of the Singapore experience is trying out all the great food they have out there. This would pretty much ruin those days.

https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vtl/requi ... nd-process
Post-arrival supervised COVID-19 ARTs on Days 3 and 7 (S$15 each)
Post-arrival self-administered COVID-19 ARTs on Days 2, 4, 5 and 6

so not only would I need to get supervised ARTs on Day 3/7, I also need to do self administered ARTs on 4 other dates. At some point I would have to ask how often I want to get nose poked. If you live in singapore and want to go home and then come back, this works. If you are singaporen and want to do VFR, this also works. If you have a work trip that you don't have to go, this is a pretty good deterrent.

Long term, I see no issue with flights to both JFK and EWR. But short term, this seems a little much.

C'mon, why would you go from CQ to Changi for a test? Testing is widely available islandwide. I did this, around Queenstown, it took all in all about 20 mins door to door from my home, to the testing site, getting tested, and back home. Not 1-2 hours. Don't be stupid.

Coal · Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:28 pm

Coal wrote:
tphuang wrote:
airbazar wrote:

Just about anywhere in the World is easier than in the U.S. It's baffling that nearly 2 years after this Pandemic started we still can't test people efficiently in this country. I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE. I could have chosen "city hall" in a nearby town too. Same idea. If other countries were as bad as we are at testing, international travel would be completely dead due to this requirement to get tested 1 day before the flight.

Even if it's easy, you still need to set aside 1 to 2 hours of a busy work day to do these tests. Let's say you are working around Clarke Quay and want to get tested at Changi. That's a 30 minute drive over and back + the testing time + time it takes to get a cab. So you'd have to plan any time off in those days around your test. Part of the Singapore experience is trying out all the great food they have out there. This would pretty much ruin those days.

https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vtl/requi ... nd-process
Post-arrival supervised COVID-19 ARTs on Days 3 and 7 (S$15 each)
Post-arrival self-administered COVID-19 ARTs on Days 2, 4, 5 and 6

so not only would I need to get supervised ARTs on Day 3/7, I also need to do self administered ARTs on 4 other dates. At some point I would have to ask how often I want to get nose poked. If you live in singapore and want to go home and then come back, this works. If you are singaporen and want to do VFR, this also works. If you have a work trip that you don't have to go, this is a pretty good deterrent.

Long term, I see no issue with flights to both JFK and EWR. But short term, this seems a little much.

C'mon, why would you go from CQ to Changi for a test? Testing is widely available islandwide. I did this, around Queenstown, it took all in all about 20 mins door to door from my home, to the testing site, getting tested, and back home. Not 1-2 hours. Don't be stupid.

Vicenza · Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:13 pm

tphuang wrote:

Even if it's easy, you still need to set aside 1 to 2 hours of a busy work day to do these tests. Let's say you are working around Clarke Quay and want to get tested at Changi. That's a 30 minute drive over and back + the testing time + time it takes to get a cab. So you'd have to plan any time off in those days around your test. Part of the Singapore experience is trying out all the great food they have out there. This would pretty much ruin those days.

.
From that you're showing that you really don't know as much about Singapore as you think you do, or are implying

hohd · Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:56 pm

dmstorm22 wrote:

I think the max is 3 destinations with the 7 frames. It clearly seems to be that the West Coast sites can take a normal 350, or at least the 3-cabin ones.

I know pre pandemic people were tossing out YYZ or ORD as potential options for the third destination, but that was all speculation.

They started flying to IAH via MAN from December.

tphuang · Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:10 pm

Vicenza wrote:
tphuang wrote:

Even if it's easy, you still need to set aside 1 to 2 hours of a busy work day to do these tests. Let's say you are working around Clarke Quay and want to get tested at Changi. That's a 30 minute drive over and back + the testing time + time it takes to get a cab. So you'd have to plan any time off in those days around your test. Part of the Singapore experience is trying out all the great food they have out there. This would pretty much ruin those days.

.
From that you're showing that you really don't know as much about Singapore as you think you do, or are implying

I don't live in Singapore right now, but I have been to Singapore many times. Since I haven't been to Singapore since COVID started, I have no idea where the testing facilities are. I'm just giving the example because other people have mentioned ease of testing at Changi.

Now, just imagine working on a long day and then having to figure out where the testing facilities are, making sure you go there during their open hour and allocate your time accordingly. And then all the other days, you have to go back to your hotel and do another test. And then having to upload the results. This kind of stuff turns people off from taking business trips to Singapore. I'm saying this as someone who probably needs to take a business trip to Singapore this year.

dmstorm22 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:32 pm

hohd wrote:
dmstorm22 wrote:

I think the max is 3 destinations with the 7 frames. It clearly seems to be that the West Coast sites can take a normal 350, or at least the 3-cabin ones.

I know pre pandemic people were tossing out YYZ or ORD as potential options for the third destination, but that was all speculation.

They started flying to IAH via MAN from December.

With the A350-900ulr?

If so that is an interesting use of that aircraft.

chiraagnt · Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:52 pm

dmstorm22 wrote:
hohd wrote:
dmstorm22 wrote:

I think the max is 3 destinations with the 7 frames. It clearly seems to be that the West Coast sites can take a normal 350, or at least the 3-cabin ones.

I know pre pandemic people were tossing out YYZ or ORD as potential options for the third destination, but that was all speculation.

They started flying to IAH via MAN from December.

With the A350-900ulr?

If so that is an interesting use of that aircraft.

SQ uses its three-class A350 long haul variant to fly this route, nor the ULR although there was speculation when the ULR was first announced that IAH may go non-stop. Seems like SQ prefers serving IAH one-stop via MAN to pick up both SIN-IAH and MAN-IAH customers while serving SIN-MAN efficiently as well (SIN-MAN used to be routed via MUC in the past before going non-stop on the SIN-MAN-IAH route as SQ51).

A very interesting article got published on Simple Flying a few days ago discussing UA1, United’s recently re-launched route on SIN-SFO, where SIN-IAH was the most-trafficked O&D route connecting over SFO.

According to the USA’s Department of Transportation’s T-100 dataset, some 303,732 round-trip passengers used United’s non-stop in 2019. It had a seat load factor of 84%, about the carrier’s system-wide average for the year.

Booking data suggests that about 73% of passengers (222,000) transited San Francisco, United’s Asia-Pacific hub. Singapore to Houston Intercontinental was the most-trafficked origin and destination (O&D), followed by Toronto, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, Newark, San Diego, Austin, Denver, and Las Vegas.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/uniteds-longest-route/amp/

airbazar · Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:53 pm

tphuang wrote:
Now, just imagine working on a long day and then having to figure out where the testing facilities are, making sure you go there during their open hour and allocate your time accordingly. And then all the other days, you have to go back to your hotel and do another test. And then having to upload the results. This kind of stuff turns people off from taking business trips to Singapore. I'm saying this as someone who probably needs to take a business trip to Singapore this year.

It's really not that difficult if you're in a country where it's really easy and widely available. It may turn some people off but as stated above, the flights are full. It's really not any more cumbersome as going out to get a cup of coffee. I traveled to London last month and at least one of the flights didn't have a single empty seat in all classes. This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come. Some people have already accepted it, most will eventually do so, and a small percentage will stay home. I just wish our government here in the U.S. would stop putting all their eggs in the vaccine basket and joined the rest of the world in providing easy testing because testing for international travel isn't going to go away any time soon.

jfklganyc · Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:44 pm

Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

STT757 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:13 pm

jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

The EWR Asia service in the '90s consisted of:

EVA EWR-YVR-TPE 747-400, later EWR-TPE nonstop 77W
Korean Air EWR-BOS-ICN 747-400
United Airlines EWR-NRT 747SP, 747-200, 747-400 (1989-1998)
SQ EWR-AMS-SIN 747-400
MH EWR-DXB-KUL 777-200ER
Philippine Air EWR-MNL MD-11
Continental EWR-NRT 777-200ER (1998-Present)

jerseyewr777 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:14 pm

jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

EVA served EWR for almost 20 years. I believe they moved to JFK in 2010.

Cubsrule · Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:53 pm

airbazar wrote:
tphuang wrote:
Now, just imagine working on a long day and then having to figure out where the testing facilities are, making sure you go there during their open hour and allocate your time accordingly. And then all the other days, you have to go back to your hotel and do another test. And then having to upload the results. This kind of stuff turns people off from taking business trips to Singapore. I'm saying this as someone who probably needs to take a business trip to Singapore this year.

It's really not that difficult if you're in a country where it's really easy and widely available. It may turn some people off but as stated above, the flights are full. It's really not any more cumbersome as going out to get a cup of coffee. I traveled to London last month and at least one of the flights didn't have a single empty seat in all classes. This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come. Some people have already accepted it, most will eventually do so, and a small percentage will stay home. I just wish our government here in the U.S. would stop putting all their eggs in the vaccine basket and joined the rest of the world in providing easy testing because testing for international travel isn't going to go away any time soon.

It's not really a question of testing availability. It's a question of "what happens if I test positive?" These days amongst the long-haul air traveling public (who are very likely vaccinated and boosted), there's not a very high risk of getting dangerously sick but there's a risk of getting stuck somewhere. It's much more a problem on the end of the trip, when coming home, than at the beginning.

william · Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:15 pm

aemoreira1981 wrote:
ABpositive wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
It is amazing though. 2 NY airports.

Even some of the Euros dont do that anymore!

I'm curious, why is SQ doing it though?

Business traffic, likely. SIN is one of the few countries in Asia open to Westerners, and it's largely a business center. A lot of businesses formerly in Hong Kong have relocated to Singapore. The additional service is on planes that don't have a Y cabin...only J and W, although JFK will also get one-stop service via FRA on the A380 again (an up-gauge over the current B77W). I had thought of this in the CX thread...Singapore's growth is at Hong Kong's expense thanks to Beijing interference, while Singapore is a city-state.

Sad for Hong Kong.

jfklganyc · Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:43 pm

william wrote:
aemoreira1981 wrote:
ABpositive wrote:

I'm curious, why is SQ doing it though?

Business traffic, likely. SIN is one of the few countries in Asia open to Westerners, and it's largely a business center. A lot of businesses formerly in Hong Kong have relocated to Singapore. The additional service is on planes that don't have a Y cabin...only J and W, although JFK will also get one-stop service via FRA on the A380 again (an up-gauge over the current B77W). I had thought of this in the CX thread...Singapore's growth is at Hong Kong's expense thanks to Beijing interference, while Singapore is a city-state.

Sad for Hong Kong.

Mainland politics taking over aside, The zero Covid policy is what is hurting them the most in the short term

metsfan1 · Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:41 pm

I work for a multinational based in Singapore and I’m going to be in SQ23 next week. I think one has to think about it also from the perspective of Singapore entry restrictions and how the affects which flights business travelers would be on to Singapore. Singapore VTL scheme means you have to be on a VTL designated flight. Pre-pandemic you could name numerous ways for me to get to Singapore from NY in a nice business class without flying SQ (KE, NH, JL, QR, EK, CX etc). Now the only one on that list for me was KE which has a VTL flight into Singapore. I’m platinum on DL so I looked at the KE flight, but the arrival times didn’t work with the PCR on arrival testing and my meetings. My other choices were on SQ via LAX or SFO and UA via SFO.

I know seat maps can be misleading but checking my Jan 22 flight I see 60 of 67 business class seats full. I had to buy my tickets 3-4 weeks ago just to get on the flight (not typical for business travel). It wasn’t cheap.

Singapore is open and there are business travelers going in both directions. Even if much less business travelers than pre-pandemic the new rules for VTL and also more desire to go direct (less chance to get stuck in a stopover
with unpredictable changing covid cases and rules) makes me think this makes a lot of sense demand wise.

airbazar · Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:50 pm

Cubsrule wrote:
It's not really a question of testing availability. It's a question of "what happens if I test positive?" These days amongst the long-haul air traveling public (who are very likely vaccinated and boosted), there's not a very high risk of getting dangerously sick but there's a risk of getting stuck somewhere. It's much more a problem on the end of the trip, when coming home, than at the beginning.

Right, that's the other side of the coin. Countries need to stop treating Covid infected people like it's Ebola

MartijnNL · Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:05 am

airbazar wrote:
I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE.

As it should be. :thumbsup:

EWRreppin · Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:09 am

Wonder for how long SQ will run a SIN nonstop from both JFK and EWR for or if its a short term thing.

So kindof related, does anyone have insight on when...or if Air China, Cathay Pacific will return again to EWR? Also the Emirates nonstop flight to DXB? And, what about that possible future Air New Zealand service? Sad the pandemic halted all these.

Hopefully someone has good news...?

aemoreira1981 · Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:00 am

TWA302 wrote:
Seems like a ton of capacity.

This is only 1610 weekly seats on the nonstop. Remember that there is no Y.

As for Singapore, the rule there is that they are opened to vaccinated Americans (and Europeans). Also, Singapore going forward will likely be what Hong Kong used to be.

One other thing: this website seems to imply it's going to be 3 times daily on NYC-SIN. https://onemileatatime.com/news/singapo ... -new-york/ (As of now, however, EWR isn't a vaccinated travel lane route, but JFK is on the nonstop.)

Remember that pre-pandemic, CX was 5 times daily on NYC-HKG...something I don't see returning.

MartijnNL · Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:07 am

airbazar wrote:
This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come.

Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it will depend on the destination. Personally I think testing requirements will go away quickly.

Today I am travelling from the Netherlands to Spain. A test is not required. Had the Spanish government demanded a negative test, I probably would have stayed at home.

Tests should always be free for everyone. And governments should provide free quarantine stays for everyone who tests positive on arrival.

To avoid possible quarantine I don't travel to countries that demand testing on arrival.

redcap1962 · Fri Jan 14, 2022 11:12 am

MartijnNL wrote:
airbazar wrote:
This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come.

To avoid possible quarantine I don't travel to countries that demand testing on arrival.

Exactly this! I don't even travel to countries where I just may be subect to get tested on arrival (at my own expense, especially if - and I am! - vaccinated fully plus boostered) then get locked away if positive (at my own expense, plus paying for the accomodation booked, but not beeing able to use). How is the accomodation there? The food? Can I see a doctor? Do I have WiFi or internet access to entertain myself and get in contact with whoever I want? I also don't understand why a business-traveller or a company takes this risk. There are far better ways to waste money and time!

redcap1962 · Fri Jan 14, 2022 11:19 am

airbazar wrote:
I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE.

Lucky you were not positive! You would've been asked to quaratine most probably in a designated place (if you are not staying with family members at their home) until a negative test. Rebooking flight, contacting your employer for extending the "holiday", etc. - not a very charming perspective! There have been cases where quarantined people just packed their stuff at night and drove home. TBH I can understand them and would've tried the same...

jfklganyc · Fri Jan 14, 2022 12:22 pm

jerseyewr777 wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

EVA served EWR for almost 20 years. I believe they moved to JFK in 2010.

That was a swap with CX right?

One CX JFK slot for a EVA EWR slot

jfklganyc · Fri Jan 14, 2022 12:24 pm

redcap1962 wrote:
airbazar wrote:
I just spent Christmas vacation in Austria and all I had to do to get tested for my return flight was walk into the local red cross station in a small ski town, no line, and I had the result via SMS less than 1 hour later. And it was FREE.

Lucky you were not positive! You would've been asked to quaratine most probably in a designated place (if you are not staying with family members at their home) until a negative test. Rebooking flight, contacting your employer for extending the "holiday", etc. - not a very charming perspective! There have been cases where quarantined people just packed their stuff at night and drove home. TBH I can understand them and would've tried the same...

Why Florida is seeing huge tourists numbers right now.

Path of least resistence

jerseyewr777 · Fri Jan 14, 2022 12:49 pm

jfklganyc wrote:
jerseyewr777 wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

EVA served EWR for almost 20 years. I believe they moved to JFK in 2010.

That was a swap with CX right?

One CX JFK slot for a EVA EWR slot

That’s correct!

airbazar · Fri Jan 14, 2022 2:10 pm

I would have absolutely no problem traveling between the U.S. and Singapore given the exhaustive testing regimen. It pretty much ensures that my chances of coming into contact with an infected person are very low and therefore the risk of myself getting infected and having to go into quarantine away from home is very low. For that reason I think these flights will be very successful. Sadly the beaches at Sentosa island aren't that attractive to me and I've done enough night safaris at the zoo to last a lifetime

MartijnNL wrote:
airbazar wrote:
This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come.

Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it will depend on the destination. Personally I think testing requirements will go away quickly.
Today I am travelling from the Netherlands to Spain. A test is not required. Had the Spanish government demanded a negative test, I probably would have stayed at home.

You don't need testing between the Netherlands and Spain for the same reason I don't need testing between Boston and Florida. But if you leave the EU you need testing. And even places where you currently don't need testing, it only takes a new variant to be discovered in S.Africa for testing and restrictions to be re-imposed overnight. For us living in the U.S. the only way I see us not requiring testing is if there's another political party in charge but that's still at least 2 years away. I'm not trying to make this a political statement, it's just what I think it will be.

redcap1962 wrote:
Lucky you were not positive! You would've been asked to quaratine most probably in a designated place (if you are not staying with family members at their home) until a negative test. Rebooking flight, contacting your employer for extending the "holiday", etc. - not a very charming perspective! There have been cases where quarantined people just packed their stuff at night and drove home. TBH I can understand them and would've tried the same...

I can think of worse places to be stuck in quarantine than an Austrian village. It's not a matter of luck it's a matter of common sense. We're all fully vaccinated and we avoided crowded indoor places. We never set foot in a bar and the few restaurants we visited were half empty, and we wore a KN95 mask all the time. Nevertheless being in quarantine is something that we did prepare for. We warned our respective managers, brought our laptops to work from there, and my son's school has remote learning for students who test positive. It's really not that big a deal. And yes we were staying with family so even less of a deal.
But like I said in a post above, a lot of people have accepted this as the new normal and the risk of quarantine doesn't seem to have an effect. Airplanes are full albeit with less frequencies. International air traffic was down only 38% in 2021 as opposed to 90% in 2020. These are approx. numbers from memory. I could be slightly off.

spaceavailable · Fri Jan 14, 2022 5:15 pm

Recently went to Singapore and the testing didn't effect the trip at all. In fact it was an incredible trip with everything open and hardly any tourists. Reservation times for many major attractions also meant zero waiting.

Arrival was in the late evening, PCR at the airport took 5 minutes. Results while I was sleeping.
Day 3 and 7 test was like 10 bucks and took 15 minutes. Testing center available one block from my hotel downtown and results before I could walk back. They had times from early morning until late at night for flexibility.
Day 2,4,5,6 test is honor system, you don't even upload proof. You just acknowledge you tested negative. Self tests are largely available for $5 a piece.

So while it sounds like a lot, it was really minimal as far as time and expense. I would assume as Omicron goes down they get rid of day 2,4,5,6 and maybe 3 & 7 also. There is a risk of testing positive everywhere you go overseas, but with 3x vaccination and covid travel insurance it's worth the risk to keep living life the way I want to traveling abroad.

majano · Fri Jan 14, 2022 5:26 pm

chiraagnt wrote:
dmstorm22 wrote:
hohd wrote:

They started flying to IAH via MAN from December.

With the A350-900ulr?

If so that is an interesting use of that aircraft.

A very interesting article got published on Simple Flying a few days ago discussing UA1, United’s recently re-launched route on SIN-SFO, where SIN-IAH was the most-trafficked O&D route connecting over SFO.

According to the USA’s Department of Transportation’s T-100 dataset, some 303,732 round-trip passengers used United’s non-stop in 2019. It had a seat load factor of 84%, about the carrier’s system-wide average for the year.

Booking data suggests that about 73% of passengers (222,000) transited San Francisco, United’s Asia-Pacific hub. Singapore to Houston Intercontinental was the most-trafficked origin and destination (O&D), followed by Toronto, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, Newark, San Diego, Austin, Denver, and Las Vegas.

Source: https://simpleflying.com/uniteds-longest-route/amp/

I realise that you did not review the department of Transportation data yourself but still, do you or someone else know how to access the T-100 data? I am particularly interested in how SQ performed. Early last year I compared the prices charged by SQ and UA and load data could be complementary to what I put together far. so

jerseyewr777 · Sat Jan 15, 2022 6:21 am

EWRreppin wrote:
Wonder for how long SQ will run a SIN nonstop from both JFK and EWR for or if its a short term thing.

So kindof related, does anyone have insight on when...or if Air China, Cathay Pacific will return again to EWR? Also the Emirates nonstop flight to DXB? And, what about that possible future Air New Zealand service? Sad the pandemic halted all these.

Hopefully someone has good news...?

If I was a betting man I would bet SIN-EWR nonstop is in it for the long haul like originally planned! I think the SIN-JFK nonstop gets axed after October 29, 2022. SQ wanting to return to EWR speaks volumes! Twice they chose EWR for the nonstop & again they have chosen to keep EWR! SQ isn't restarting EWR after 2 years to be dropped anytime soon!

BuildingMyBento · Sat Jan 15, 2022 6:45 am

Cubsrule wrote:
airbazar wrote:

It's not really a question of testing availability. It's a question of "what happens if I test positive?" These days amongst the long-haul air traveling public (who are very likely vaccinated and boosted), there's not a very high risk of getting dangerously sick but there's a risk of getting stuck somewhere. It's much more a problem on the end of the trip, when coming home, than at the beginning.

Suuure, those folks on flights to Cancun, Spain, Florida, and the DR are all vaccinated/boosted. Riiiight.

If Mexico had any restrictions, Florida would be that much busier (with US travelers).

Cubsrule · Sat Jan 15, 2022 1:31 pm

BuildingMyBento wrote:
Cubsrule wrote:
airbazar wrote:

It's not really a question of testing availability. It's a question of "what happens if I test positive?" These days amongst the long-haul air traveling public (who are very likely vaccinated and boosted), there's not a very high risk of getting dangerously sick but there's a risk of getting stuck somewhere. It's much more a problem on the end of the trip, when coming home, than at the beginning.

Suuure, those folks on flights to Cancun, Spain, Florida, and the DR are all vaccinated/boosted. Riiiight.

If Mexico had any restrictions, Florida would be that much busier (with US travelers).

Note the “long-haul” qualifier. It’s relevant, especially in a thread about NYC-SIN.

rjbesikof · Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:01 am

How is SFO-HKG doing?

eamondzhang · Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:31 am

hohd wrote:
blooc350 wrote:
hohd wrote:
Has Singapore airlines improved their US call center operations yet. I had booked a flight in December and wanted to make a change (and the website would not allow me to). I was on hold for more than an hour and the call got disconnected. Even their chat feature does not work. Did not expect this from an airline like Singapore. Disappointed indeed.

The entire world is under staff right now. Calm down.

Other airlines have at least some kind of call back service and they return calls. SQ has no call back feature, will not answer chats and will put direct calls on hold for more than an hour and then disconnect and will not answer emails. I dont care, they need to ramp up and hire more or do something. This is not the kind of customer service we expect from an airline like SQ.

A bit OT but you obviously haven't dealt with QF who can put on hold for upwards three hours, and yes QF also does not have call back feature.

So no, it's not unique to SQ and there certainly are more airlines in this regard.

Michael

atal17 · Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:14 am

Any news on whether SQ is looking to continue operating to YVR in S22?

rjbesikof · Sun Jan 23, 2022 6:17 am

atal17 wrote:
Any news on whether SQ is looking to continue operating to YVR in S22?

Yes, they will.
https://mainlymiles.com/2021/12/21/sing ... route-vtl/
It will continue to Seattle

YYZORD · Mon Jan 24, 2022 1:01 am

I'm curious as to why YVR is not shown as a SQ destination on their website? The route has also gone year round so I assume its a permanent route.

mercure1 · Mon Jan 24, 2022 3:29 am

rjbesikof wrote:
How is SFO-HKG doing?

Suspended.

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/m ... d=ky158imo

MartijnNL · Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:48 pm

airbazar wrote:
This testing is going to be the new normal for years to come.

MartijnNL wrote:
Personally I think testing requirements will go away quickly.

It seems I was right, at least for the U.K.

All Covid testing requirements for vaccinated travellers arriving into England are to be scrapped, the government has confirmed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 99307.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60109945

airbazar wrote:
You don't need testing between the Netherlands and Spain for the same reason I don't need testing between Boston and Florida.

That's not entirely true anymore. Quite a few EU-countries demand a test, also from fully vaccinated travellers. For example Denmark, Italy and Norway currently do.

airbazar wrote:
But if you leave the EU you need testing.

Which is completely pointless. The corona situation in Europe is hardly any different than the one in Canada and the United States. Testing and quarantine measures need to go. After two years they are doing more harm than good.

aemoreira1981 · Tue Jan 25, 2022 3:15 am

jerseyewr777 wrote:
EWRreppin wrote:
Wonder for how long SQ will run a SIN nonstop from both JFK and EWR for or if its a short term thing.

So kindof related, does anyone have insight on when...or if Air China, Cathay Pacific will return again to EWR? Also the Emirates nonstop flight to DXB? And, what about that possible future Air New Zealand service? Sad the pandemic halted all these.

Hopefully someone has good news...?

If I was a betting man I would bet SIN-EWR nonstop is in it for the long haul like originally planned! I think the SIN-JFK nonstop gets axed after October 29, 2022. SQ wanting to return to EWR speaks volumes! Twice they chose EWR for the nonstop & again they have chosen to keep EWR! SQ isn't restarting EWR after 2 years to be dropped anytime soon!

The business traffic may remain to require 3 times daily. The issue is getting an early evening PM arrival gate at EWR (when SQ22 used to land) to move SQ24/3 to EWR and be double-daily from there.

IrishAyes · Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:17 am

STT757 wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

The EWR Asia service in the '90s consisted of:

EVA EWR-YVR-TPE 747-400, later EWR-TPE nonstop 77W
Korean Air EWR-BOS-ICN 747-400
United Airlines EWR-NRT 747SP, 747-200, 747-400 (1989-1998)
SQ EWR-AMS-SIN 747-400
MH EWR-DXB-KUL 777-200ER
Philippine Air EWR-MNL MD-11
Continental EWR-NRT 777-200ER (1998-Present)

Wait, a MD-11 could fly EWR-MNL nonstop? Come again?

DCA350 · Tue Jan 25, 2022 6:37 am

I wonder why they didn't move a flight down to IAD.. Its a large wealthy market and they would have some UA feed..

hpff · Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:00 pm

IrishAyes wrote:
STT757 wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

The EWR Asia service in the '90s consisted of:

EVA EWR-YVR-TPE 747-400, later EWR-TPE nonstop 77W
Korean Air EWR-BOS-ICN 747-400
United Airlines EWR-NRT 747SP, 747-200, 747-400 (1989-1998)
SQ EWR-AMS-SIN 747-400
MH EWR-DXB-KUL 777-200ER
Philippine Air EWR-MNL MD-11
Continental EWR-NRT 777-200ER (1998-Present)

Wait, a MD-11 could fly EWR-MNL nonstop? Come again?

Appears to have been via YVR, which would have been just pushing the MD-11's range

STT757 · Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:21 pm

IrishAyes wrote:
STT757 wrote:
jfklganyc wrote:
Didn’t Eva serve Newark as well?

The EWR Asia service in the '90s consisted of:

EVA EWR-YVR-TPE 747-400, later EWR-TPE nonstop 77W
Korean Air EWR-BOS-ICN 747-400
United Airlines EWR-NRT 747SP, 747-200, 747-400 (1989-1998)
SQ EWR-AMS-SIN 747-400
MH EWR-DXB-KUL 777-200ER
Philippine Air EWR-MNL MD-11
Continental EWR-NRT 777-200ER (1998-Present)

Wait, a MD-11 could fly EWR-MNL nonstop? Come again?

In post # 46 I wrote I didn't know where the Philippine intermediate stop over was, another posted stated it was Vancouver.
https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1469141#p23126451

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