I walked around Singapore Changi Airport feeling like a kid at summer camp for the first time. It was my first trip away from my family in a decade.
04.06.2024 - 11:01 / skift.com / Tony Douglas / Josh Corder
Riyadh Air and Singapore Airlines have signed a commercial collaboration agreement on Tuesday, likely one of many such deals for the Saudi carrier as it opts to build a “virtual network” rather than an Emirates-sized fleet.
For Riyadh Air, the deal could help the airline punch into the Asia markets much quicker when it launches next year. The Saudi airline announced its first and only order in March 2023, with 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. However, Riyadh Air did not announce another order at the packed Dubai Airshow.
Riyadh Air was launched in 2023 by the Kingdom’s crown prince, looking to connect to 100 destinations by 2030 and significantly support the country’s lofty 150 million visitor goal that same year. Headed by the former chief of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, the carrier says it will create 200,000 jobs by the end of the decade and contribute billions to the local economy.
While Riyadh Air has the cash for a properly sized fleet — it is backed by the country’s sovereign wealth fund PIF — the aviation industry has been plagued by supply chain challenges. Should Riyadh Air see delays in its fleet, codeshare deals could help the carrier grow its networks even without all its planes in the air.
With this deal, the two carriers will explore opportunities for interline connectivity on each other’s services, subject to regulatory approval. They will also work on other potential areas of commercial cooperation, including codeshare arrangements, benefits for their frequent flyer program members, cargo services, customer experience, and digital.
These will potentially offer Riyadh Air’s guests access to Singapore Airlines’ network in South East Asia and the South West Pacific region, and Singapore Airlines’ customers greater access to the Middle East region through Riyadh Air’s network.
Aircraft delivery challenges can be quite real for airlines. “When aircraft are delivered six months late that is considered to be on time,” IATA chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen said at the association’s general meeting last year.
For Riyadh Air, that problem hits harder in the absence of a network and a current fleet.
“We don’t have a plan B, and the reason why we don’t have a plan B is obvious,” Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas said at the Skift Global Forum East 2023. “If I was Lufthansa, if I was Qatar Airways, and they were delivered late, I’ll change my network around. I might extend some leases but we don’t have a current fleet. We don’t have a network until the first deliveries arrive. And so what we’ve tried to make clear with everybody is we do need special care.”
In November last year, CEO Douglas said the airline would rely on such deals in its initial phases to rapidly bolster its list of destinations.
He
I walked around Singapore Changi Airport feeling like a kid at summer camp for the first time. It was my first trip away from my family in a decade.
"Inside Out 2" is now in theaters — and Airbnb is bringing the second installation of the hit Disney and Pixar film to life in the form of a once-in-a-lifetime stay in the "headquarters" of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, plus some new teenage emotions like Anxiety, Ennui, Envy and Embarrassment.
Geneva Tourism is delighted to unveil the inaugural Geneva Food Guide, produced in collaboration with Sébastien Ripari, a Geneva-born international gastronomic expert and food consultant. Developed to highlight Geneva’s authentic and diverse culinary culture, the Geneva Food Guide was launched at a high-profile press conference early this morning. Designed to be a trusted companion for locals and guests to the city, an initial 170 restaurants were tried and tested to select the very best of Geneva’s gastronomic offering, with the final edition of the Geneva Food Guide showcasing 60 recommended establishments personally tested and approved by Ripari. Providing visitors with an opportunity to discover Geneva’s diverse gastronomic scene, the Guide’s carefully curated recommendations will ensure that even the most discerning of foodies enjoy their stay in the city, with hidden treasures to suit every taste and budget.
Arid, tranquil Joshua Tree, with its unique, otherworldly landscapes, has long attracted and influenced musicians. The area has famously left its mark on Gram Parsons, Victoria Williams, U2, and the Warner Brothers roadrunner, whose startling but melodic meep-meep echoes in our memories.
Singapore Airlines said on Tuesday it has offered compensation to passengers of a flight that hit extreme turbulence last month, in a rare case that killed one passenger and injured dozens.
Singapore Airlines has offered injured passengers upwards of $10,000 in compensation after their flight hit severe turbulence and plunged 178 feet in under five seconds.
Low-cost carrier Akasa Air is on its path to profitability and will be expanding its international network, Indian news agency PTI said quoting Aditya Ghosh, the airline’s co-founder.
Alaska Airlines will fly its largest summer schedule this season and is boosting flights to some of America’s most popular national parks in the process.
Hospitality as a school subject is likely to start being added in countries across the Gulf as they rush to fill their newly opened hotels. Tourism is a key component of the region’s economy, with areas like Dubai leading the way and Saudi Arabia looking to make tourism its second-largest economic contributor behind oil.
When they felt their plane lurch and plummet, Ade Tan and Amos Chan, both 28, barely had time to react.
Early in 2020, Airbnb diverted about $800 million in spend on performance marketing — mostly Google keyword advertising — and tilted more toward marketing its brand in avenues like video, social media and public relations.
Flying to Argentina for sizzling spit-roast barbecues, tango along the bohemian boulevards of Buenos Aires, and beach days with whale watching to boot? Once you're all buckled up and ready for take-off, turn that phone to airplane mode and prep for the trip in the best ways possible: a podcast, a movie, and a good, old-fashioned book. Here's what to read, watch and listen to if on your flight to Argentina.