non-stops Archives - TravelSkills

Singapore Airlines adds another nonstop from US

June 15, 2016

Plenty of TravelSkills readers will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills readers will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands whether flying United or Singapore Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Just two weeks after United Airlines started flying non-stop from San Francisco to Singapore, Singapore Airlines confirmed to TravelSkills that it will do the same beginning this fall – and that it will boost Los Angeles service as well.

While United is using a 787-9 Dreamliner for the route, Singapore said it will rely on a new Airbus A350-900. The airline plans to start flying the non-stop San Francisco route, a trip of about 16 hours, on October 23. Singapore said that in addition to the new non-stops, it will continue to offer daily one-stop service between SFO and Singapore via Hong Kong, using a 777-300ER.

The daily SFO non-stops will replace the airline’s existing daily San Francisco-Seoul-Singapore service; that will be relocated to Los Angeles on October 23, increasing Singapore’s schedule there from one daily flight (LAX-Tokyo-Singapore) to two, with the second one operating via Seoul.

The LAX flights will both use 777-300ERs with first class, business class, premium economy and economy seating. The carrier currently uses an Airbus A380 on the LAX route, which will be phased out. See our Trip Report covering business class on the new 777-300ER.

All Singapore’s west coast flights will feature its new business class. (Image: Singapore Airlines)

The company said the actual flying time for the San Francisco non-stops will range from 14 hours 35 minutes to 17 hours 45 minutes, depending on direction and time of year. It estimated the distance at 8,451 miles.

This new non-stop news is separate from Singapore’s announcement last fall that it will resume non-stop service to New York and Los Angeles in 2018 using a new, ultra-long-haul version of the A350 being developed by Airbus – designated the A350-900ULR — just for that purpose.

Singapore's long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to SFO starting Oct 23 (Image: Airbus)

Singapore Airlines is a big believer in the A350: It started to take delivery of the next-generation wide-body this year, and has ordered more than 60 of them. The airline first put the plane into service on the Singapore-Amsterdam route a few months ago, and more recently started flying it between Singapore and South Africa.

The Singapore Airlines A350-900 is configured with 253 seats – 42 in business class in a 1-2-1 layout; 24 in premium economy; and 187 in regular economy (No first class). A company representative said the aircraft will be equipped with an enhanced in-flight entertainment system that offers more than 1,000 on-demand options, as well as “innovative technology designed to reduce jetlag via advancements in cabin climate, lighting and noise levels.”

About 16 hours each way between SFO and Singapore (TravelMath)

Which airline would you prefer for the new SFO-SIN 16-hour odyssey? Why? Please leave your comments below.

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Delta eyes a big new China route

March 14, 2016

Delta plans to use a 777-200 for new LAX-Beijing non-stops. (Image: Delta)

The expansion of new air routes between the U.S. and China just keeps growing, and the latest proposal for new daily non-stop service comes from Delta.

Delta said this week it has applied for U.S. and Chinese government approvals to kick off daily non-stops between Los Angeles and Beijing starting December 16. It would be the airline’s second China route from LAX, following its introduction of Los Angeles-Shanghai flights last summer.

Currently, the only carrier to operate LAX-Beijing non-stops is Air China, which has two to three 777-300 flights a day. Those flights are also offered through United Airlines as code-shares.

Delta said it will serve the proposed LAX-Beijing route with a 291-seat 777-200ER, with 37 flat-bed seats in Delta One, 36 seats in Delta Comfort+ and 218 in regular economy. Through its SkyTeam partners China Southern and China Eastern, Delta will offer connections at Beijing to 39 other cities in China.

Besides LAX-Shanghai, Delta’s existing non-stop routes to China include Detroit-Beijing, Detroit-Shanghai, Seattle-Beijing and Seattle-Shanghai. The airline also flies from Seattle to Hong Kong twice a week – service that will return to daily frequencies March 28.

Delta is using a double-gateway strategy to develop its transpacific network from the West Coast, expanding services from both Seattle and Los Angeles. In addition to Shanghai, its other transpacific flights from Los Angeles include Sydney, Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda.

Just last week, three other new China routes were announced, including United’s plans to fly from San Francisco to Hangzhou; American’s proposal for Los Angeles-Hong Kong service; and China Eastern’s new Chicago-Shanghai flights.

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Bay Area to London for $299 + United non-stops to Singapore? + New Paris route + more

December 15, 2015

Norwegian’s Oakland-London Gatwick service will start at $299 one-way. (Image: Jim Glab)

In international route news this week, Norwegian confirms its plans for Oakland-London service; United says it is considering new non-stops to Singapore; Air France will add a new Paris route — but not to Charles de Gaulle; a Chinese carrier plans new LAX flights; KLM will boost its San Francisco schedule; and Southwest will drop a Mexico route.

Following up on our report from last week, European low-cost carrier Norwegian has confirmed that it plans to start new service from Oakland to London Gatwick effective May 12, operating three flights a week. The carrier said fares on the route will start at $299 one way, including taxes (plus ancillary fees, of course; it’s already taking bookings at www.Norwegian.com/us). Norwegian also announced plans to increase its Los Angeles-London Gatwick schedule from three to four flights a week starting May 10, and to move up the start of Boston-London service from late May to March 27, with five weekly flights instead of four. The carrier’s long-haul routes use 787-8s with economy and premium seating.

Have you flown or heard from someone who has flow Norwegian? What’s it like? Please leave your comments below.

London Gatwick airport is about 30 minutes south of the city (VisitLondon.com)

London Gatwick airport is about 30 minutes south of city center by train (VisitLondon.com)

Now that Singapore Airlines is on track to resume non-stop flights to the U.S. in 2018, United Airlines is considering a competing service. A United executive told Aviation Daily that the company is considering its aircraft options. “When we have the right aircraft, we will tackle that market” (i.e., non-stops to Singapore), United’s VP-Network Brian Znotins told the publication. Singapore Airlines will use a long-range version of the Airbus A350 designated the A350-900ULR. Znotis did not say which U.S. gateway United has in mind, but Av Daily noted that San Francisco would be the carrier’s hub closest to Singapore.

Air France already operates several flights a day from New York JFK to Paris Charles de Gaulle, but in June it plans to add a daily flight from JFK to Paris Orly, using a 309-seat 777-200 with business, premium economy and regular economy classes. Connections at Orly are available to the airline’s domestic network. Air France also plans to begin three weekly flights from CDG to Teheran, Iran in April.

According to Airlineroute.net, China’s Hainan Airlines plans to begin service between Changsha and Los Angeles on January 21, operating two flights a week with a 787-8. Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province in south-central China.

For its summer schedule beginning May 4, KLM plans to increase its Amsterdam-San Francisco schedule from seven flights a week to nine, using 787-9 Dreamliners for the two extra flights. The others will continue to use a 747-400.

Southwest Airlines will change its Mexico City operations on March 16, according to Airlineroute.net. The carrier plans to discontinue its daily service between San Antonio-Mexico City and to add a second daily roundtrip between Houston Hobby and Mexico City.

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Singapore Airlines to resume ultra-long flights

October 13, 2015

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to SIN from Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Several months ago, Singapore Airlines said it was talking with Airbus about developing a variant of the manufacturer’s new widebody, the A350XWB, so that the carrier could revive non-stop service from Singapore to the U.S., which it had discontinued two years ago. And now Airbus has come through.

Airbus and Singapore announced that the manufacturer has created an ultra-long-range version of the A350-900 that is “optimized for non-stop flights to the U.S.” Singapore plans to launch non-stops to Los Angeles and New York with the plane; the Singapore-New York flight, at 8,700 nautical miles, will be the world’s longest non-stop commercial passenger route, Airbus said, with an estimated flying time of 19 hours.

Singapore already had an order with Airbus for 63 A350-900s, and now seven of those are being converted to the ultra-long-range model, the A350-900ULR. The manufacturer said it was able to manage the longer range for the plane by modifying the fuel system to increase amount of fuel it can carry, increasing the plane’s maximum takeoff weight, and making certain aerodynamic enhancements.

Airbus is scheduled to deliver the first A350-900ULR to Singapore in 2018, with the non-stop U.S. flights starting that same year. “The aircraft will be fitted with all-new cabin products which are currently under development,” Singapore said. “Non-stop flights between Singapore and additional points in the U.S. are also under consideration.”

Before it discontinued the U.S. non-stops to New York and Los Angeles in 2013, Singapore had been using all-business-class (but gas guzzling) A340-500s on the routes.

The first of Singapore’s regular A350-900s is due for delivery next year, and it said it will put the first one into commercial service between Singapore and Amsterdam.

The only airlines currently operating the A350XWB (it stands for extra-wide body) are Qatar Airways and Vietnam Airlines. Finnair just became the third carrier to take delivery of an A350, with plans to put it into regular service on November 21 between Helsinki and Shanghai.

American, Delta and United should be flying the A350 by 2017 or 2018, which could mean more ultra-long nonstops from SFO to Singapore, Bangkok, Vietnam or elsewhere.

What ultra-long route would you most like to fly?

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