[ad_1]
Singapore Airlines has never been supposed to conquer the world. When the carrier was established in 1972, its prospects seemed to reflect those of Singapore itself: to remain a small regional player with little global influence. But he is unlikely to become an instantly recognizable aviation power and has won more awards than any other airline.
Last year, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the company established in Hong Kong. It may sound a bit odd, given that the airline is only 46 years old, but, like the nation it represents, Singapore Airlines has a rather complicated history.
How the popular White Rabbit treats from China have become so famous
It was actually born in 1946 under the name of Malayan Airways, formed by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways, and made its first flight a year later.
With the liberation of Malaysia from colonial rule, she became Malaysian Airways in 1963; then, after the Singapore split in 1965, Singapore became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) the following year. This agreement, with a split of ownership between two governments with different agendas, obviously lasted only six years and the company split in two: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airline System, today. Malaysia Airlines.
"At the time, there were a lot of domestic connections in Malaysia," said Chia Chow Hwee, general manager of the company in Hong Kong. "Singapore Airlines has taken international routes while Malaysia has taken internal routes.
"We made our first flight to Hong Kong in 1958. It was our first overseas port outside of Southeast Asia" – and it remains the largest air carrier. These bi-weekly flights were operated by a 55-seat Douglas DC-4 Skymaster aircraft and took nine and a half hours in both directions, with stops.
"Today, we have seven flights a day. We have come a long way, "says Chia.
"Hong Kong and Singapore started with similar stories – as major trade hubs in our respective regions; later, both were financial centers. It was natural that Singapore Airlines had chosen to fly for the first time to Hong Kong. There was a tremendous amount of commercial and commercial relations between the two. We think we have benefited a lot from our early entry into Hong Kong. "
Kong Yiu Sing, a retired pilot, joined the company in June 1966 and worked there for 41 years. He is also known as the husband of actress Deborah Lee.
"I was so lucky to be selected as a cadet pilot. The selection process took months, "he says. "The company was very small at the time. When I arrived, I knew everyone. It was like a purse.
How a Japanese health drink has conquered the world with radiant bacteria and women
Kong piloted a Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft for the first time on domestic flights in Malaysia and began flying internationally in 1968, when the company acquired Boeing 707. Its most memorable flight, says It took place in 1973, when it transported 150 newly married couples from Hong Kong to Singapore, some of them still being in their wedding outfits.
Looking with wonder at the enormous mbad of an Airbus A380 on the tarmac, he reflects on the evolution of times.
"I was in Seattle for 747 in 1973," and I remember looking at her thinking, "How are things going?", That's a tremendous change. Nobody would have ever thought that such a small company could have become a major international player. "
Singapore Airlines has been a pioneer in the provision of in-flight services, from cabin crews to in-flight food and beverages in 1951, to personal video on demand in all clbades in 2001. The carrier also invested early in new aircraft and was the first customer for several iconic aircraft including the Airbus A380, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB. He started winning in the 1970s and remains the most awarded airline in the world. Chia says she's earned so much recognition for two reasons: innovation and customer service.
The story of Sasa: from the small store to the basement to the Asian cosmetics empire
"The innovation focused on new aircraft and new products. We are the launch customer of several aircraft, but we use more than innovation to customize our service and make our operations more reliable and punctual, "he said.
"But ask anyone in the company, from airport staff to back-office staff to shipboard staff, and they will tell you that what got us our reputation with customers and other airlines, this is our unwavering dedication to customer service. . It defines the DNA of Singapore Airlines.
"The brand allows customers to feel at home. We treat them as guests in our house. We find it coherent: the fact that people liked being served in the 70s and that today has not fundamentally changed. The hardware introduces us into the game, but it is the software that differentiates us. "
Long-time customers continue to attend Singapore Airlines despite the growth of low-cost airlines, he adds.
"We ran well but we do not take our customers for granted."
Since the 1970s, the brand image of the airline is articulated around the concept "Singapore Girl", at the origin of the work of the legendary advertising Ian Batey. He made the stars of the crew – and the instantly recognizable sarong kebaya uniforms, based on a traditional design but created by a Western designer, although quite tall at Pierre Balmain, in 1968.
Some of the Singapore Girl's campaigns have not aged well and the brand image has sometimes been criticized as badist. However, the company remains true to the brand strategy and makes it evolve for the modern era because it works.
"[The Singapore Girl branding] is a personification of service culture, "says Chia. "Ian Batey played an important role and then we internalized it and brought it to a new level."
The success of the airline has been reflected and, to a certain extent, has fostered Singapore's evolution from a backwater to one of the most important cities in the world.
"The history of Singapore Airlines is closely linked to that of the country. Singapore is one of the world's centers of commerce, innovation, information technology and finance. Having a base in Singapore has helped a lot in our growth. We are able to accept the best ideas and talents. Our team comes not only from Singapore, but from all over Asia and the world, and we use the best ideas to go beyond Singapore's geographical boundaries. "
The company's commitment to innovation has recently come in the form of the four-time Singapore Airlines AppChallenge. New technologies make internal operations more efficient, for example by scanning the list of 8,000 crew members of the company.
This has also resulted in consumer applications such as KrisPay, which allows KrisFlyer airline miles to be used for everyday purchases. In addition, it can be pbaded on to customer service, for example with handheld devices for team members, which allows them to connect and access the personal preferences of customers.
"This kind of service can be made much more instinctively," says Chia. "It was part of our philosophy: empower people with tools and information to better serve customers."
The Singapore Airlines group also includes SilkAir, from Tradewinds Charters, launched in 1975, which became Tradewinds Airlines and began offering scheduled flights in 1989 and SilkAir in 1992.
The story of Ayam Brand, created in Singapore by a Frenchman, and how it gets its name
The regional airline, which serves more than 40 destinations in Asia-Pacific, will be integrated with the Singapore Airlines brand by 2021/2022, thus gaining greater notoriety, especially in foreign markets.
The group also owns the low-cost Scoot company, created in 2012 and merged with its competitor Tigerair in 2016, which mainly serves China and India, but also operates long-haul routes to Berlin and Athens. In addition, he is co-owner of the medium-to-long-haul NokScoot airline and the low-cost Thai airline Nok Air.
The entire group serves approximately 140 routes, of which over 60 by Singapore Airlines. It has approximately 200 aircraft and 26,000 employees, serves more than 33 million pbadengers a year and carries 1.3 billion tonnes of cargo. And, in a difficult period for the airline industry, its financial results remained dynamic. His latest results show an annual profit of 893 million Singaporean dollars (659 million US dollars), up 148% year on year, and the best result of the company since 2011.
"We continue to want to expand our business here in Hong Kong," says Chia. We work very closely with the authorities to get the appropriate slots to develop. We strongly believe in Hong Kong's future as an aviation hub. Singapore Airlines is eager to be part of it. We have been here for 60 years and we want to be part of it for the next 60 years. "
[ad_2]
Source link
