Mancunians will be able to sample Singapore Airlines (SIA) latest A350 from January 17. SIA’s new three-class (business, premium economy and economy) twin-jet enters enters service on the Singapore-Manchester-Houston route. It will replace the larger B777-300ER which currently plies the route.
But the B777-300ER had the advantage of providing first class which will be unavailable with the A350.
I cannot talk about Houston, but in the case of the UK regions there is not the same demand for a top premium cabin as there would be from London.
Mancunians now have non-stop access both to Singapore and Houston. (Previously the Manchester-Singapore service was one-stop service via Munich. Singapore-Houston previously operated via Moscow).
Both are hub airports so the canny traveller can fly onwards to Asia/Australasia (in the case of the former) and Texas and the Southern US in the case of the latter.
Interestingly, for Mancunians seeking fast flights to Perth/Australia, what SIA is offering out of Manchester takes away the advantage of Qantas’ non-stop London-Perth service which launches in 2018.
Why fly Manchester-London-Perth with British Airways/Qantas (with a Heathrow terminal change) when SIA can take you Manchester-Singapore-Perth ?
Schedules are daily except Monday and Thursday.
- Flight SQ052 will depart Singapore at 0215 arriving into Manchester the same morning at 0840. Its flight continues to Houston at 1010 arriving in the Texas city at 1430.
- Return flight SQ051 departs Houston at 1850 to arrive into Manchester the following morning at 0840. It then departs at 1110 and, after another overnight aloft, it arrives into Singapore at 0755.