Tag Archives: Singapore

Etihad Airways announced it will start flying its A380 double-decker to Singapore (SIN) from 1 February, 2025 . The Asian-Pacific powerhouse becomes the fourth major city to enjoy the Etihad A380 experience in addition to London and New York, as well as Paris which will be served by the A380 from 1 November. It means Etihad will have its sixth A380 in operation by the start of 2025. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “We are thrilled to announce that our iconic A380 aircraft will begin serving the Singapore route early next year. This aircraft provides our business and leisure travellers with an exceptional flying experience and seamless connections to our Middle East, European, and North American networks. It highlights Etihad’s dedication to optimising travel to Abu Dhabi and beyond, ensuring more convenience and comfort for our guests. We will have our sixth A380 online next year as we build our capacity further to cater for the travel needs of our guests.” The A380 brings a special touch to air travel. Economy passengers enjoy a warm welcome with comfortable seating arrangements, including 68 seats offering four inches more legroom and 337 Smart seats featuring Etihad’s innovative fixed-wing headrests and large pillows. On the upper deck, Business Studios™ feature 70 private spots, complemented by The Lobby lounge area. Each Business Studio is equipped with premium amenities designed with Armani/Casa and Wi Fi connectivity, ensuring a productive and luxurious travel experience. First Apartments are luxurious with nine private spaces, designer tableware, leather chairs, and a large ottoman-bed. First-class guests also receive personal amenities and can enjoy an exclusive shower room.  

Emirates celebrates a successful year since the debut of its Premium Economy product in Singapore, having so far carried 26,000 passengers on nearly 730 four-class A380 flights between Singapore and Dubai from June 2023 to May 2024. The airline’s Premium Economy product was especially popular among families and solo travellers from Singapore, with top outbound destinations including London, Dubai, Paris, Barcelona, and New York JFK. Emirates’ Premium Economy can be experienced on flights EK 354 and EK 355 between Singapore and Dubai, which takes passenger comfort to new heights with an extensive suite of features that transforms the journey itself into a destination. The Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width for working and relaxing, and customised features that offer function and convenience like in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table. The experience is rounded off with expertly curated in-flight amenities, an inventive menu, and extensive beverage options, including the Chandon Vintage Brut 2016, a global exclusive to Emirates Premium Economy passengers. Rashed Alfajeer, Emirates’ Manager for Singapore & Brunei, said: “We are delighted to commemorate the first anniversary of the launch of Emirates’ Premium Economy in Singapore which serves as the ideal middle ground between Economy Class and Business Class, offering travellers a more cost-effective choice for comfort and luxury in the sky. So far, customers from Singapore have loved the product and shown great interest in it. Demand and seat load are both highly positive. We are committed to offering our passengers the distinctive Emirates experience …

Whilst exhibiting at ITB China Shanghai, Yalago – revealed the latest hotel booking trends and the top destinations with Chinese travellers in 2024. In order of popularity, the choices are Dubai (UAE), Riviera Maya (Mexico), Bali (Indonesia), Singapore (Singapore), and Abu Dhabi (UAE). Yalago is recording the UAE as the most popular country for international hotel bookings from China in 2024 so far, with a 11% growth in booking value this year compared to January – May 2023. With 54% of global bookings from Chinese travellers for five-star hotels, its travel experts attribute this growth to the UAE’s access to luxury properties across a variety of landscapes, close to world-class attractions. Astrid Kastberg, General Manager at Yalago, commented: “China represents one of our fastest-growing source markets for international travel. With the luxury segment prominent, we are finding Chinese travellers booking a more extensive range of five-star hotels, including across the UAE’s cityscapes, islands, and beaches. Through our industry experience and global partnerships, we aim to support worldwide travel companies in offering significant savings to customers, with expertise in destinations including the UAE, and Indian Ocean. We are excited to improve the booking process to the Maldives, as we aim to promote this destination for a standalone stay, or as part of a wider trip.” As luxury beach breaks emerge as on trend, Yalago is launching a new system function to improve the booking process for Chinese travellers seeking to experience the islands of the Maldives in 2024. Yalago’s trade partners can now book a travellers’ hotel stay inclusive of its leading rates, alongside the domestic transfers by seaplane or speedboat required for onward travel, all in one sitting. One of …

Emirates celebrated the launch of its Premium Economy offering in Singapore, with a tour of one of its enhanced four-class A380 aircraft. On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width for working and relaxing, and customised features that offer function and convenience like in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table. The experience is rounded off with expertly curated in-flight amenities, an inventive menu, and extensive beverage options. Emirates Premium Economy is deployed on flights EK 354 and EK 355 between Singapore and Dubai. The event kicked off at the Emirates Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1, after which guests were given a guided tour of the brand new product, as well as the enhanced interior across all cabin classes on board the Emirates A380. Guests took in the highlights of the exclusive premium economy experience that awaits travellers. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, the Emirates App, at Emirates sales offices, and via both online and offline travel agents. Travellers are also encouraged to check the Emirates website for the latest travel requirements.

Emirates announced plans to debut its newly retrofitted A380s featuring its latest Premium Economy cabins to five new cities from December – New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore. The airline will also add more Premium Economy seats on services to London Heathrow and Sydney, as its newly enhanced aircraft sporting refreshed cabins roll into scheduled service. The airline aims to offer customers more opportunities to experience its highly acclaimed Premium Economy product, and its latest deployment plans will also see 85 A380s back in the sky by December, well-timed to serve the year-end travel demand. Emirates’ enhanced A380s with Premium Economy to New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore will operate as follows: To New York JFK, Emirates will operate with its newly retrofitted A380 on EK203 and EK 204, starting from 1 December. To Auckland, Emirates will debut its Premium Economy cabin on EK 448 and EK 449, starting 15 January 2023. From 1 February 2023, Melbourne will become the second Australian destination to be served with the signature Emirates A380 featuring Premium Economy. Services will be deployed on EK 406 and EK 407. San Francisco will become the second US destination to be served by the retrofitted A380 with refreshed interiors on EK 225 and EK 226, starting on 15 February 2023. Emirates’ enhanced A380 with Premium Economy will land in Singapore for the first time on 1 March 2023, operating as EK 354 and EK 355. Emirates will also update its schedules to London Heathrow, Sydney and New York JFK with its retrofitted A380 aircraft operating on the following services: From 15 December 2022, Sydney will become the first city in the …

Singapore has won the rights to host the 110th Lions Clubs International Convention in 2028. The Lions Clubs of Singapore will partner with the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB), a group under the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) to host the Lions International Convention – one of the most coveted events on the congress circuit. The Singapore edition in 2028 will be the first time that the Lions International Convention is held here, and the event is expected to attract around 20,000 foreign delegates and generate over S$58 million in tourism receipts. Dr. Jung-Yul Choi, Lions Clubs International President said, “We look forward to showing the world how we are united through kindness and diversity, and celebrating our commitment to service and our global communities.” Keith Tan, Chief Executive, STB said, “We are honoured that Singapore has been chosen once more to host the Lions International Convention. This affirms our position as a trusted global Asia hub despite COVID-19. We want Singapore to be the world’s leading destination for safe, trusted and innovative business events and meetings, and we look forward to welcoming Lions and Leos from all over the world to experience this first-hand in 2028.” “2028 will be an amazing year since we will be commemorating the 70th anniversary of Lions clubs in Singapore. You can expect us to go all out, as we will be honoured to celebrate ‘Lionism’ with our fellow Lions and Leos around the world, at the 110th Lions International Convention 2028,” said Charlie Chan, Past International Director, Lions Clubs International. “Marina Bay Sands is excited to welcome all Lions International attendees to Singapore in 2028. As the event’s …

For the first time, over 180 sales and marketing professionals in the hospitality industry came together at the Madinat Jumeirah for the region’s inaugural ‘Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC)’ hosted by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI). This was ROC’s fifth global event of the year, with other ROC locations including The United States, The Netherlands, Singapore, and Brazil. The conference brought together revenue management, distribution, sales and marketing executives in the hotel industry with a programme comprising education, collaboration and innovation. Robert A Gilbert, CHME, CHA, President and CEO, HSMAI, said, “The Middle East is one of the most rapidly expanding markets for hospitality and we’re pleased to bring timely insights into revenue optimisation to the region’s hotel professionals.” The conference featured an opening keynote presentation on global consumer trends by Lorraine Sileo, SVP, Research and Business Operations, PhocusWright. Other programmes throughout the day included panels on pricing strategy, digital marketing, key revenue management topics, and did not miss on covering MiCE and the value proposition of hotel restaurants and bars. HSMAI ROC Middle East also featured an impressive partner showcase; Gold Partners included Almosafer, Cendyn and Duetto; Silver Partner included Illusions, iWTX, Jumeirah and Tajawal; among other 19 Bronze and support partners. Mona Faraj, Managing Director, HSMAI Middle East Chapter, said, “HSMAI is delighted that ROC has been so well received by both our regional and international attendees, and we are excited to showcase an even more compelling line up of speakers and discussions next year. HSMAI is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and we are the industry’s leading advocates for intelligent and sustainable hotel revenue growth. We look forward to further engaging with the …

ITB Asia 2018 has begun with over 1,000 exhibitors and buyers each, under the theme “Travel Reimagined” at the the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Compared to 2017, the show has seen a 20 per cent increase in new exhibitors following the growth in demand from Asian and European participants. ITB Asia 2018 has also experienced more than 125 per cent growth in the number of hotel groups signing up as part of the Buyers Programme Partners. At the three-day conference concluding on October 19, top industry leaders will deliver insights on the key trends provoking disruption across the travel industry and how brands are innovating to stay competitive. Commenting on the event, Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe Berlin (Singapore) -Organiser, ITB Asia, said, “ITB Asia continues to maintain its position as the leading travel trade show in Asia. It remains one of the top business platforms for connecting exhibitors and partners with key decision makers in the MiCE, corporate and leisure travel industry. Working in close collaboration with our partners and exhibitors, we are delighted to unveil one of our most engaging and exciting programmes yet. We look forward to welcoming visitors to this year’s show.”

Emirates will once again begin operations with its flagship A380 service between Houston (IAH) and Dubai (DXB) from June 1, 2018. Houston will join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its popular A380 aircraft, including Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Kuwait. Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Houston route, offering a total of  516 seats with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flatbed seats in Business Class seats and 426 spacious seats in Economy Class, increasing capacity per flight by more than 160 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER. Services to Houston were upgraded to an A380 in December 2014, but as part of Emirates’ fleet optimisation, the decision was made in July 2016 to operate the route with a Boeing 777-300ER. Flight EK211 will depart Dubai at 09:35 and arrive in Houston at 16:50 daily. Return flight EK212 will depart Houston at 20:00 and arrive in Dubai at 20:00 the next day. Passengers from Houston can enjoy convenient connections in Dubai when travelling to destinations in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore or South Africa.

Ethiopian Airlines announced the commencement of direct and non-stop flights to Singapore five days a week at a reception ceremony held recently at Addis Ababa Bole Airport. The event was graced by Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines and members of the Transport Affairs Standing Committee from the House of People’s Representatives; aviation partner organizations; travel agencies; Ethiopian executive management and the likes. During the event, GebreMariam remarked that Singapore is one of the world’s biggest economic giants, a global financial centre, highly developed, innovative, business friendly and a preferred gateway to Asia and Australia. So this new flight service to Singapore will be of paramount importance in enhancing economic, cultural and social ties between Asia and Africa, Ethiopia and Singapore in particular.