A380: the countdown is on - Orient Aviation

CUSTOMER PROFILE
An Airbus design of an <strong>A380</strong> first class cabin in its Toulouse mock-up centre
London and New York will become
reality in <strong>the</strong> 21st Century’s first new big
commercial jet remains a tightly guarded
secret.
With more than a year still to go before
SIA rolls out <strong>the</strong> aircraft for its h<strong>is</strong>toric
initial commercial flight, <strong>the</strong> airline <strong>is</strong>
making sure it does not tip off competitors
with details of its <strong>A380</strong> product plans.
Indeed, dec<strong>is</strong>ions are yet to be made on
many of <strong>the</strong> products that will be installed
in <strong>the</strong> aircraft.
One thing <strong>is</strong> certain: it will be different.
“Being <strong>the</strong> world’s first full doubledecker
aircraft, <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> provides ample
opportunity for product innovation,” SIA’s
senior manager public affairs and chief
spokesman, Stephen Forshaw, told Orient
Aviation. “And as launch customer of <strong>the</strong>
<strong>A380</strong>, SIA’s aircraft will set new standards
for premium air travel and put <strong>the</strong> romance
back into <strong>the</strong> travel experience.
“Although <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> <strong>is</strong> capable of
seating 555 passengers in a three-class
configuration, SIA’s product will have
less than 500 seats, providing more space
and comfort for our passengers. The First
and Raffles Class products on th<strong>is</strong> aircraft
in particular will be different from SIA’s
current offering in <strong>the</strong>se classes.”
He said <strong>the</strong> airline has consciously
engaged customers at all stages of designing
<strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong>. When <strong>the</strong> frequent flyer groups
were “hot-housed” for two days back
in 2001 with SIA staff from various
departments, <strong>the</strong>y were asked to imagine
air travel in five to 10 years time and to tell
<strong>the</strong> airline what changes <strong>the</strong>y would like to
see, he explained.
“The input from <strong>the</strong> customers and staff
was <strong>the</strong>n used to map out <strong>the</strong> overarching
philosophy behind our cabin interior
design, cabin amenities and ground and
inflight service procedures. Th<strong>is</strong> was <strong>the</strong>n
presented to a group of designers, from
fashion houses to luxury car designers and
aircraft cabin special<strong>is</strong>ts, to translate into an
actual cabin design.”
Forshaw said th<strong>is</strong> process of intense
customer consultation <strong>is</strong> continuing.
Attention to detail <strong>is</strong> not only being given to
<strong>the</strong> aircraft’s premier cabins.”
“In April, transit passengers were invited
to preview four economy class seats short-
‘ No bowling alleys ... But we
never forget <strong>the</strong> romance of
air travel’
Chew Choon Seng
Chief Executive, Singapore Airlines
10 ORIENT AVIATION / <strong>A380</strong> Quarterly Update DECEMBER 2004-FEBRUARY 2005
l<strong>is</strong>ted for <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong>. These seats were fitted
on to a Boeing B747 aircraft parked at one of
<strong>the</strong> gates in Singapore Changi International
Airport. Each volunteer took 45 minutes
to test <strong>the</strong> seat and to answer a series of
questions on <strong>the</strong> seat types, including level
of comfort, design, fit and aes<strong>the</strong>tics.
“At <strong>the</strong> same time, customer focus group
sessions were conducted to get more indepth
feedback. In October, passengers
were invited again, th<strong>is</strong> time to test cushion
and mattress prototypes and to evaluate
<strong>the</strong>m based on <strong>the</strong> firmness and comfort of
<strong>the</strong> cushion or mattress. They were asked
to rank <strong>the</strong> cushions or mattresses in order
of preference and give each a score (out of
100). All th<strong>is</strong> information will be used in
determining <strong>the</strong> final selection.”
Few were surpr<strong>is</strong>ed when SIA became
<strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> launch customer. It <strong>is</strong> well known
for being first in <strong>the</strong> market with new
aircraft and new products. But <strong>the</strong> dec<strong>is</strong>ion
to lead <strong>the</strong> way with <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> was not only
made because of its potential for reshaping
inflight service.
“The large capacity and long flying
range of <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> make it an ideal aircraft
on routes where airport gate and slot
congestion make it difficult for SIA to add
more services using smaller aircraft,” said
Forshaw.
“It <strong>is</strong> also important for us to remain
pioneers in adopting new aircraft
technology and to contribute to re-defining
<strong>the</strong> concept of aviation travel. We believe we
can operate th<strong>is</strong> aircraft profitably and with
good load factors to major cities in Europe,
<strong>the</strong> U.S. and <strong>the</strong> Asia-Pacific region.
“The prom<strong>is</strong>ed superior operating
economics of <strong>the</strong> aircraft mean lower costs
per seat, which <strong>is</strong> part of our strategy to keep
travel affordable. At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>the</strong> large
interior of <strong>the</strong> <strong>A380</strong> presents many exciting
possibilities for us to improve on what we
already offer our passengers.”
In <strong>the</strong> beginning, <strong>the</strong> aircraft will be used
on <strong>the</strong> ‘Kangaroo Route’, <strong>the</strong> traditional
airway linking Australia with Europe and,
more specifically, Sydney with London by
way of Singapore, said Forshaw.
“Beyond that, it will be used where we
see <strong>the</strong> need for increased capacity in slotconstrained
airports.”
While SIA <strong>is</strong> not yet detailing network
plans beyond th<strong>is</strong>, most analysts expect
New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Hong
Kong will be early targets. As it prepares
to write <strong>A380</strong> services into its network and
schedules, SIA <strong>is</strong> in regular contact with