Locking horns over interests of hub airports and home-base carriers
Incoming Cathay Pacific chief operating officer (COO) Rupert Hogg who will be taking up his new position in March loses no time in marking his presence as one with a voice and views to be heard. At a...
View ArticleVirgin Australia gets Qantas’s goat
So Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti finally gets Qantas chief Alan Joyce’s goat (“Virgin Australia holds invaluable lessons for Qantas“, 10th Mar, 14). It is easy to see how. The...
View ArticlePremium economy: Singapore Airlines catches up, at last
Johnny come lately. Was it pride or misplaced hope that took Singapore Airlines (SIA) that long to finally decide it would introduce – or, rather, re-introduce – premium economy in its fleet? The...
View ArticleTata-SIA Airlines: Silver lining in a dark cloud?
Two big names joining hands – Indian conglomerate Tata and internationally renowned Singapore Airlines (SIA) – cannot go wrong. So it must seem. Besides, both organisations are not new to the aviation...
View ArticleMore repercussions on A380 than A350-1000 on Emirates’ cancellation
The cancellation of an order for 70 Airbus A350 aircraft amounting to US$16 billion based on 2007 list prices by Emirates Airline has turned the focus on the Airbus company. In an obvious attempt to...
View ArticleExtreme luxury: What price prestige?
How much more can you stretch luxury? The sky’s the limit, it seems. Etihad Airways’ latest offering dubbed ‘The Residence’ has been hailed the ultimate in high-end luxury, that is, until another...
View ArticleGulf carriers compete for world dominance
While Gulf carriers Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have become daunting competitors to other airlines across the globe, they are themselves competing with each other for world...
View ArticleAir India joins Star Alliance: How will it benefit?
No more pussy-footing. Air India becomes a member of Star Alliance from July 11, 2014, joining a global network of 26 airlines that include founders Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai...
View ArticleEurope’s aviation challenges
Hope of Europe-based airlines bouncing back into good times on the back of an improved economy is not turning out to be as expected. Much of the good news reported last year seems to be short-lived....
View ArticleCompeting to be the best: How reliable are survey readings?
Skytrax has named Cathay Pacific as the world’s best airline in 2014, displacing last year’s winner, Emirates. In second and third place are Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines (SIA) respectively....
View ArticleAir New Zealand enters a new era of growth
If one is planning to visit the Hobbits and the Kingdoms of Middle Earth, do not think twice about flying Air New Zealand (ANZ). The Kiwi carrier is probably best recognised in recent times for its...
View ArticleThe big deal about extreme luxury
It is a big deal in the Middle East as the Gulf carriers, notably the big three of Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, race to outdo each other in offering extreme luxury in the air...
View ArticleQatar Airways nets a prized catch, expanding westwards
It may seem somewhat crazy, but it is definitely not surprising in today’s aviation landscape of fast changing and crisscrossed relationships, some of them making most unlikely bedfellows. The ends...
View ArticleUS vs Gulf carriers: Redefining Open Skies
The new American mantra for aviation is fair skies, not open skies. With the rise of the Gulf carriers and their increased presence in the US, home carriers are banding to press the Department of...
View ArticleUS airlines cap capacity: Economics or collusion?
A marketing proposition discussed at the recent International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual general meeting (AGM) in Miami has opened a can of worms. It seems that airlines are recognising...
View ArticleMaking sense of ultra long-haul flights
Once upon a time, the honour of flying the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight belonged to Singapore Airlines (SIA). That was in June 2004 when SIA launched its non-stop service from Singapore...
View ArticleWhat conclusions can one draw in an airlines survey?
The industry continues to be fascinated by rankings of the world’s best airlines, although the results of most surveys – take away some bias here and there – are quite predictable and almost similar...
View ArticleInternational Airlines Group partnership works
The success of International Airlines Group (IAG) in the last two to three years is proof that its strategic partnership works. The group, made up originally of British Airways (BA) and Spanish carrier...
View ArticleUnited versus Singapore Airlines: The race for non-stop USA-Singapore...
United Airlines has stolen a march on Singapore Airlines (SIA) when it announced its launch of a non-stop service between San Francisco and Singapore beginning June 1st, onboard the Boeing 787-9...
View ArticleWhich Asian airlines might be interested to buy into Virgin America?
UP for sale, Virgin America has some suitors lining up. It has received takeover bids from JetBlue Airways Corp and Alaska Air Group Inc. In this era of the mega carriers (consider the mergers of...
View Article