New York Stock Exchange

New York Stock Exchange
Type	Stock exchange
Location	New York City, United States
Founded	March 8, 1817
Owner	NYSE Euronext
Key people	Duncan L. Niederauer (CEO)
Currency	United States dollar
No. of listings	2,304
MarketCap	US$11.92 trillion (Aug 2010)
Volume	US$17.52 trillion (Dec 2009)
Indexes	NYSE Composite Dow Jones Industrial Average
Website	www.nyse.com
New York Stock Exchange U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark Front Elevation of New York Stock Exchange Coordinates: 40°42′24.6″N74°0′39.7″W Built: 1903 Architect: Trowbridge & Livingston; George B. Post Architectural style(s): Classical Revival Governing body: Private Added to NRHP: June 2, 1978[2] Designated NHL: June 2, 1978[3] NRHP Reference#: 78001877

 The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at US$11.92 trillion as of Aug 2010.Average daily trading value was approximately US$153 billion in 2008.

The NYSE is operated by NYSE Euronext, which was formed by the NYSE's 2007 merger with the fully electronic stock exchange Euronext. The NYSE trading floor is located at 11 Wall Street and is composed of four rooms used for the facilitation of trading. A fifth trading room, located at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007. The main building, located at 18 Broad Street, between the corners of Wall Street and Exchange Place, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978, as was the 11 Wall Street building.

History

See also: List of presidents of the New York Stock Exchange

The Stock Exchange at 10-12 Broad street, in 1882

The origin of the NYSE can be traced to May 17, 1792, when the Buttonwood Agreement was signed by 24 stock brokers outside of 68 Wall Street in New York under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. On March 8, 1817, the organization drafted a constitution and renamed itself the "New York Stock & Exchange Board." Anthony Stockholm was elected the Exchange's first president.

The first central location of the Exchange was a room, rented in 1792 for $200 a month, located at 40 Wall Street. After that location was destroyed in the Great Fire of New York in 1835, the Exchange moved to a temporary headquarters. In 1863, the New York Stock & Exchange Board changed to its current name, the New York Stock Exchange. In 1865, the Exchange moved to 10-12 Broad Street.

The volume of stocks traded increased sixfold in the years between 1896 and 1901, and a larger space was required to conduct business in the expanding marketplace. Eight New York City architects were invited to participate in a design competition for a new building; ultimately, the Exchange selected the neoclassic design submitted by architect George B. Post. Demolition of the Exchange building at 10 Broad Street, and adjacent buildings, started on May 10, 1901.

The new building, located at 18 Broad Street, cost $4 million and opened on April 22, 1903. The trading floor, at 109 × 140 feet (33 × 42.5 m), was one of the largest volumes of space in the city at the time, and had a skylight set into a 72-foot (22 m)-high ceiling. The main façade of the building features six tall Corinthian capitals, topped by a marble pediment containing high-relief sculptures by John Quincy Adams Ward with the collaboration of Paul Wayland Bartlett, carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, representing Integrity Protecting the Works of Man. The building was listed as a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1978.

In 1922, a building for offices, designed by Trowbridge & Livingston, was added at 11 Broad Street, as well as a new trading floor called the Garage. Additional trading floor space was added in 1969 the Blue Room, and in 1988 the EBR or Extended Blue Room, with the latest technology for information display and communication. Yet another trading floor was opened at 30 Broad Street called the Bond Room in 2000. As the NYSE introduced its hybrid market, a greater proportion of trading came to be executed electronically, and due to the resulting reduction in demand for trading floor space, the NYSE decided to close the 30 Broad Street trading room in early 2006. As the adoption of electronic trading continued to reduce the number of traders and employees on the floor, in late 2007, the NYSE closed the rooms created by the 1969 and 1988 expansions.

The Stock Exchange Luncheon Club was situated on the seventh floor from 1898 until its closure in 2006.

The floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1908

The NYSE announced its plans to merge with Archipelago on April 21, 2005, in a deal intended to reorganize the NYSE as a publicly traded company. NYSE's governing board voted to merge with rival Archipelago on December 6, 2005, and become a for-profit, public company. It began trading under the name NYSE Group on March 8, 2006. A little over one year later, on April 4, 2007, the NYSE Group completed its merger with Euronext, the European combined stock market, thus forming the NYSE Euronext, the first transatlantic stock exchange.

Presently, Marsh Carter is Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, having succeeded John S. Reed and the CEO is Duncan Niederauer, having succeeded John Thain.

Notable events

 Black Monday (1987), Friday the 13th mini-crash, and October 27, 1997 mini-crash

The exchange was closed shortly after the beginning of World War I (July 31, 1914), but it partially re-opened on November 28 of that year in order to help the war effort by trading bonds, and completely reopened for stock trading in mid-December.

On September 16, 1920, a bomb exploded on Wall Street outside the NYSE building, killing 33 people and injuring more than 400. The perpetrators were never found. The NYSE building and some buildings nearby, such as the JP Morgan building, still have marks on their facades caused by the bombing.

The Black Thursday crash of the Exchange on October 24, 1929, and the sell-off panic which started on Black Tuesday, October 29, are often blamed for precipitating the Great Depression of 1929. In an effort to try to restore investor confidence, the Exchange unveiled a fifteen-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public on October 31, 1938.

On October 1, 1934, the exchange was registered as a national securities exchange with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, with a president and a thirty-three member board. On February 18, 1971 the non-profit corporation was formed, and the number of board members was reduced to twenty-five.

One of Abbie Hoffman's well-known publicity stunts took place in 1967, when he led members of the Yippie movement to the Exchange's gallery. They threw toward the trading floor below fistfuls of what was partly U.S. currency and partly merely appeared to be. Some traders booed, and some collected the apparent bounty. The press was quick to respond and by evening the event was reported around the world.(The stock exchange later spent $20,000 to enclose the gallery with bulletproof glass.) Hoffman wrote a decade later, "We didn’t call the press; at that time we really had no notion of anything called a media event."

NYSE's stock exchange traders floor before the introduction of electronic readouts and computer screens.

On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped 508 points, a 22.6% loss in a single day, the second-biggest one-day drop the exchange had experienced, prompting officials at the exchange to invoke for the first time the "circuit breaker" rule to halt all trading. This was a very controversial move and led to a quick change in the rule; trading now halts for an hour, two hours, or the rest of the day when the DJIA drops 10, 20, or 30 percent, respectively. In the afternoon, the 10% and 20% drops will halt trading for a shorter period of time, but a 30% drop will always close the exchange for the day. The rationale behind the trading halt was to give investors a chance to cool off and reevaluate their positions. Black Monday was followed by Terrible Tuesday, a day in which the Exchange's systems did not perform well and some people had difficulty completing their trades.

Consequently,[vague] there was another major drop for the Dow on October 13, 1989; the Mini-Crash of 1989. The crash was apparently caused by a reaction to a news story of a $6.75 billion leveraged buyout deal for UAL Corporation, the parent company of United Airlines, which broke down. When the UAL deal fell through, it helped trigger the collapse of the junk bond market causing the Dow to fall 190.58 points, or 6.91 percent.

Similarly, there was a panic in the financial world during the year of 1997; the Asian Financial Crisis. Like the fall of many foreign markets, the Dow suffered a 7.18% drop in value (554.26 points) on October 27, 1997, in what later became known as the 1997 Mini-Crash but from which the DJIA recovered quickly.

On January 26, 2000, an altercation during filming of the music video for "Sleep Now in the Fire", which was directed by Michael Moore, caused the doors of the exchange to be closed and the band, Rage Against the Machine, to be escorted from the site by security, after band members attempted to gain entry into the exchange. Trading on the exchange floor, however, continued uninterrupted.

On May 6, 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its largest intraday percentage drop since the October 19, 1987 crash, with a 998 point loss later being called the Flash Crash (As the drop occurred in minutes before rebounding). The SEC and CFTC published a report on the event, although it did not come to a conclusion as to the cause. The regulators found no evidence that the fall was caused by erroneous ("fat finger") orders.

Trading

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans rings the opening bell at the NYSE on April 23, 2003. Former chairman Jack Womack is also in this picture.

NASA astronauts Scott Altman and Mike Massimino ring 'The Closing Bell'.

The NYSE trading floor in August 2008.

The New York Stock Exchange (sometimes referred to as "the Big Board") provides a means for buyers and sellers to trade shares of stock in companies registered for public trading. The NYSE is open for trading Monday through Friday between 9:30am – 4:00pm ET, with the exception of holidays declared by the Exchange in advance.

On the trading floor, the NYSE trades in a continuous auction format, where traders can execute stock transactions on behalf of investors. They will gather around the appropriate post where a specialist broker, who is employed by an NYSE member firm (that is, he/she is not an employee of the New York Stock Exchange), acts as an auctioneer in an open outcry auction market environment to bring buyers and sellers together and to manage the actual auction. They do on occasion (approximately 10% of the time) facilitate the trades by committing their own capital and as a matter of course disseminate information to the crowd that helps to bring buyers and sellers together. The auction process moved toward automation in 1995 through the use of wireless hand held computers (HHC). The system enabled traders to receive and execute orders electronically via wireless transmission. On September 25, 1995, NYSE member Michael Einersen, who designed and developed this system, executed 1000 shares of IBM through this HHC ending a 203 year process of paper transactions and ushering in an era of automated trading.

As of January 24, 2007, all NYSE stocks can be traded via its electronic Hybrid Market (except for a small group of very high-priced stocks). Customers can now send orders for immediate electronic execution, or route orders to the floor for trade in the auction market. In the first three months of 2007, in excess of 82% of all order volume was delivered to the floor electronically.

The right to directly trade shares on the exchange is conferred upon owners of the 1366 "seats". The term comes from the fact that up until the 1870s NYSE members sat in chairs to trade. In 1868, the number of seats was fixed at 533, and this number was increased several times over the years. In 1953, the exchange stopped at 1366 seats. These seats are a sought-after commodity as they confer the ability to directly trade stock on the NYSE. Seat prices have varied widely over the years, generally falling during recessions and rising during economic expansions. The most expensive inflation-adjusted seat was sold in 1929 for $625,000, which, today, would be over six million dollars. In recent times, seats have sold for as high as $4 million in the late 1990s and $1 million in 2001. In 2005, seat prices shot up to $3.25 million as the exchange was set to merge with Archipelago and become a for-profit, publicly traded company. Seat owners received $500,000 cash per seat and 77,000 shares of the newly formed corporation. The NYSE now sells one-year licenses to trade directly on the exchange.

NYSE Composite Index

In the mid-1960s, the NYSE Composite Index (NYSE: NYA) was created, with a base value of 50 points equal to the 1965 yearly close. This was done to reflect the value of all stocks trading at the exchange instead of just the 30 stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. To raise the profile of the composite index, in 2003 the NYSE set its new base value of 5,000 points equal to the 2002 yearly close.

Timeline

The NYSE at Christmas time (December 2008)

In 1792, The NYSE acquires its first traded securities . In 1817, The constitution of the New York Stock and Exchange Board is adopted. In 1867, The First Stock Ticker. In 1896, Dow Jones Industrial Average first published in The Wall Street Journal. In 1903, NYSE moves into new quarters at 18 Broad Street. In 1906, Dow exceeds 100 on January 12. In 1907, Panic of 1907. In 1914, World War I causes the longest exchange shutdown: four months, two weeks; re-opening December 12 brings the largest one-day percentage drop in the DJIA (24.4%). In 1915, Market price is given in dollars. In 1929, Central quote system established; Black Thursday, October 24 and Black Tuesday, October 29 signal the end of the Roaring Twenties bull market. In 1943, Trading floor is opened to women. In 1949, Longest (eight-year) bull market begins.

In 1954, Dow surpasses its 1929 peak in inflation-adjusted dollars. In 1956, Dow closes above 500 for the first time on March 12. In 1966, the NYSE begins a composite index of all listed common stocks. This is referred to as the "Common Stock Index" and is transmitted daily. The starting point of the index is 50. It is later renamed the NYSE Composite Index. In 1967, Protesters led by Abbie Hoffman throw mostly fake dollar bills at traders from gallery, leading to the installation of bullet-proof glass. In 1970, Securities Investor Protection Corporation established. In 1971, NYSE recognized as Not-for-Profit organization. In 1972, Dow closes above 1,000 for the first time on November 14. In 1977, Foreign brokers are admitted to NYSE. In 1980, New York Futures Exchange established. In 1982, Longest bull market in DJIA history begins. In 1987, Black Monday, October 19, sees the second-largest one-day DJIA percentage drop (22.6%) in history. In 1991, Dow exceeds 3,000. In 1995, Dow exceeds 5,000. In 1996, Real-time ticker introduced. In 1999, Dow exceeds 10,000 on March 29. In 2000, Dow peaks at 11,722.98 on January 14; first NYSE global index is launched under the ticker NYIID.

Security after the September 11 attacks

Main article: September 11 attacks

In 2001, Trading in fractions (n/16) ends, replaced by decimals (increments of $.01, see Decimalization); September 11, 2001 attacks occur, closing NYSE for 4 sessions. In 2003, NYSE Composite Index relaunched and value set equal to 5,000 points. In 2006, NYSE and ArcaEx merge, creating NYSE Arca and forming the publicly owned, for-profit NYSE Group, Inc.; in turn, NYSE Group merges with Euronext, creating the first trans-Atlantic stock exchange group; DJIA tops 12,000 on October 19. In 2007, US President George W. Bush shows up unannounced to the Floor about an hour and a half before a Federal Open Market Committee interest-rate decision on January 31. NYSE announces its merger with the American Stock Exchange; NYSE Composite closes above 10,000 on June 1; DJIA exceeds 14,000 on July 19 and closes at a peak of 14,164.53 on October 9. This was the peak of the early-to-mid 2000s boom before the 2008–2009 bust.

In 2008, On September 15, the DJIA loses more than 500 points amid fears of bank failures, resulting in a permanent prohibition of naked short selling and a three-week temporary ban on all short selling of financial stocks; in spite of this, record volatility continues for the next two months, culminating at 5½-year market lows. In 2009, Dow closes at 6547.05 on March 9 reaching a 12 year low. Returns to 10,015.86 on October 14.

(source:wikipedia)

Singapore Airlines, (SIA) ,新加坡航空公司, 新航

Singapore Airlines

IATA SQ ICAO SIA Callsign SINGAPORE
Founded	1947 (as Malayan Airways)
Hubs	Singapore Changi Airport
Frequent-flyer program	KrisFlyer PPS Club
Member lounge	Silver Kris Lounge
Alliance	Star Alliance
Subsidiaries	SilkAir
Fleet size	106 (+52 orders)
Destinations	61
Company slogan	A Great Way To Fly
Parent company	Temasek Holdings(54.5%)
Headquarters	Singapore
Key people	Goh Choon Phong (CEO)
Website	www.singaporeair.com

The SIA Building

 Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) (Malay: Syarikat Penerbangan Singapura; Chinese: 新加坡航空公司; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Hángkōng Gōngsī, abbreviated 新航; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் வான்வழி) (SGX: C6L) is the flag carrier of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets. The company also operates trans-Pacific flights, including the world's two longest non-stop commercial flights from Singapore to Newark and Los Angeles on the Airbus A340-500.

Singapore Airlines was the launch customer of the "superjumbo" Airbus A380. SIA has diversified airline-related businesses, such as aircraft handling and engineering. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, SilkAir, manages regional flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements. Subsidiary Singapore Airlines Cargo operates SIA's dedicated freighter fleet, and manages the cargo-hold capacity in SIA's passenger aircraft. SIA has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic and engages the low-cost carrier sector through its stake in Tiger Airways. It ranks amongst the top 15 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometres, and 10th in the world for international passengers carried. On December 15, 2010, Singapore Airlines was announced by the International Air Transport Association as the world's second largest airline in the world by market capitaliation with a worth of 14 billion dollars.

Singapore Airlines is the World's Most Admired Airline and ranked 27th on Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies rankings in 2010.It has a strong brand name and is a trendsetter in the aviation industry, particularly in terms of innovation, safety and service excellence, coupled with consistent profitability. It has won numerous awards, and is an industry bellwether for aircraft purchases.

History

Origins

An Airspeed Consul (VR-SCD) — the first aircraft type operated by
Malayan Airways, which was the forerunner of Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airlines (MAL) on 1 of May 1947, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways. The airline's first flight was a chartered flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined airplane. Regular weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type. The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27.

When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airways". MAL also took over Borneo Airways. In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft, the Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon after.

Incorporation and growth

A Boeing 707 in the MSA livery at Zurich-Kloten Airport. (1972)

MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two entities: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines System. Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 707s and 737s, retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the existing corporate headquarters in the city, with J.Y. Pillay, former joint chief of MSA as its first chairperson. Female flight attendants continued to wear the sarong kebaya uniform, which had been first introduced in 1968. A local start up advertising company, Batey Ads was given the right to market the airline, eventually selecting the sarong and kebaya-clad air stewardesses as an icon for the airline and calling them Singapore Girls.

SIA saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. Mr Yong Nyuk Lin, then Minister for Communications at the welcoming ceremony of the first two SIA-Boeing 747s at Paya Lebar Airport on Monday 3 September 1973 at 1600 hours was quoted thus:

“ May I emphasise that SIA as an organisation will continue to succeed only so long as the men and women behind it will not relax but continue to work diligently, plan boldly, and strive for excellence in performance. ”

The 1980s saw the new services to United States, Canada, and European cities with Madrid becoming the first Hispanic city to be served by SIA. Boeing 747-400s were introduced into the SIA fleet in 1989 and named Megatops. They were later complemented by Boeing 777s, Airbus A310s and Airbus A340s. Services were extended to southern Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The cities of Cape Town and Durban were subsequently introduced to the route network.

Modern history

A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400, dubbed Megatop, at Auckland Airport, New Zealand. The Megatop was the flagship of the airline from 1989 until the introduction of the Airbus A380 in October 2007

In 2004, SIA began non-stop trans-Pacific flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark, utilising the Airbus A340-500. These flights marked the first non-stop air services between Singapore and the USA. The Singapore to Newark flight is the record for the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of about 18 hours each way. Singapore Airlines has converted its five Airbus A340-500 aircraft from a 64 Business Class/117 Premium Economy Class configuration to a 100-seat all- Business Class configuration for its routes to Newark and Los Angeles.

At a Cabinet meeting on 22 February 2006, the Government of Australia decided not to grant fifth freedom rights to Singapore Airlines on flights from Australia to the United States. Singapore Airlines had argued that transpacific flights from Australia suffered from under-capacity, leading to limited competition and relatively high air fares. The move was seen as a measure taken to protect Qantas from increased competition. SIA had encountered such protectionist measures in the past when SIA was shut out from the Toronto market after complaints from Air Canada, and was forced to stop flying Boeing 747-400s into Jakarta in the wake of protests from Garuda Indonesia when it could not use similar equipment to compete.

A380

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380

On September 29, 2000, SIA announced an order for 25 Airbus A3XX (as the A380 was known at the time). The US$8.6 billion order comprised a firm order of 10 aircraft, with options on another 15 airframes. The order was confirmed by Singapore Airlines on July 12, 2001. In January 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to Fly the A380 – Experience the Difference in 2006", to promote itself as the first airline to take delivery of the A380-800, which was expected to take place in the second quarter of 2006. In June 2005, Airbus confirmed that due to unforeseen technical problems, initial deliveries of the Airbus A380 would be delayed by up to six months, with the first delivery now slated for November 2006. The announcement was met with fury by SIA's Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus, saying:

“ Airbus took some time to acknowledge the delay in the timetable for the A380's entry into service...I would have expected more sincerity. ”

He further stated that SIA will be turning its attention to Boeing instead, since it would be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER before the A380. Nevertheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign.

Wikinews has related news: First A380 enters commercial service

In February 2006, the first A380 in full Singapore Airlines livery was flown to Singapore, where it was displayed at Asian Aerospace 2006. On June 14, 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 as part of its future aircraft expansion. The order consisted of 20 787-9s and rights for 20 more. This order came one day after Airbus announced that the A380 Superjumbo would be delayed by another 6 months. A third delay was announced on 3 October 2006, pushing the initial delivery of the first A380 to October 2007.

On 25 October 2007, the first commercial A380 service, SQ 380, carried 455 passengers from Singapore to Sydney, touching down in Sydney Airport at 3:24 pm local time, where it received significant attention from the media. The airline donated all revenue generated from the flight to three charities in a ceremony the next day in Sydney. SIA began regular services with the A380 on 28 October 2007. The A380 now operates daily flights to Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Zurich and double daily flights to London and Sydney. An A380 service to Los Angeles will commence on March 27, 2011, as an extension of the Singapore-Narita service.

Singapore Airlines momentarily operated a thrice-daily A380 flight between Singapore and London from 23 to 28 of April 2010, to clear the backlog passengers stranded due to the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull a few days before.

Fleet cuts

On 16 February 2009 the airline announced that it would cut 17 aircraft from its operating fleet between April 2009 and March 2010, as part of a cost-saving initiative to help counter falling passenger and cargo demand, having originally planned to phase out only four aircraft. The airline stated that it could not rule out delaying deliveries on aircraft already ordered.

Corporate management

Airline House, the corporate head office of Singapore Airlines, is in the background

The airline is a subsidiary of Singapore government investment and holding company Temasek Holdings which holds 54.5% of voting stock.The Singapore government, which holds a golden share via the Ministry of Finance, has regularly stressed its non-involvement in the management of the company, a point emphasised by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he declared that the aviation hub status of Singapore Changi Airport will be defended, even at the cost of SIA. However, he was personally involved in defusing tensions between the company and its pilots,warned the airline to cut costs, and made public his advice to the airline to divest from its subsidiary companies. Still, independent research typically rates the airline as practicing sound corporate governance policies in accordance with national regulations. In the lead up to the conclusion of the Open Skies Agreement with the United Kingdom on 2 October 2007, the Singapore aviation authorities referred to the airline's audited annual reports to dispel the notion that SIA receives state funding, subsidies or preferential treatment from the government, despite being a Government-linked company. Singapore Airlines is headquartered at Airline House, by Changi Airport in the Changi area of Singapore.

Structure

Singapore Airlines has diversified into related industries and sectors, including ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operations. It has also restructured itself by hiving off operational units as fully-owned subsidiaries to maintain its core business as a passenger airline. The Singapore Airlines Group comprised 25 subsidiaries, 32 associates, and two joint venture companies in the financial year ending 31 March 2007. SIA sold all its equity share of 35.5% in a joint venture, Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise, to the Bank of China for US$980 million on 15 December 2006.There have recently been suggestions to divest SIA Engineering Company and Singapore Airport Terminal Services, two of SIA's largest subsidiaries. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, for one, voiced his opinion in December 2005 that Singapore Airlines should divest these two companies to focus on its core business of air transportation. Although Singapore Airlines has evaluated the divestment opportunity, no tentative plan has been announced to date.

Major companies in Singapore Airlines Group include:

Company Type Principal activities Incorporated in Group's Equity Shareholding

(31 March 2007)

International Engine Component Overhaul Private Limited Joint venture Aircraft overhaul Singapore 41%

SIA Engineering Company Limited Subsidiary Engineering Singapore 81.9%

SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited Subsidiary Airline Singapore 100%

Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited Joint venture Engine overhaul Singapore 41%

Singapore Airlines Cargo Private Limited Subsidiary Cargo airline Singapore 100%

Singapore Airport Terminal Services Limited Subsidiary Holding company Singapore 81.9%

Singapore Flying College Private Limited Subsidiary Flight school Singapore 100%

TajSATS Air Catering Joint Venture Catering India 50%

Operational investments

Boeing 747–412 taking off from London Heathrow Airport

The airline has invested in other airlines in a bid to expand beyond its Singapore base, although the results are often financially negative. In 1989, it went into a tripartite alliance with Delta Air Lines and Swissair, but terminated their partnership in 1999 after divesting their 5% equity stake in each other's company. The airline purchased 25% of Air New Zealand in 2000. However following the near collapse of Air New Zealand the New Zealand government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy, reducing Singapore Airlines' stake to 4.5%. This was subsequently sold in October 2004 at a substantial loss.

SIA bought a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways on 30 March 2000 worth 600 million pounds in cash in the hope of leveraging on it on the lucrative transatlantic market, but by 2007, there has been reports of underperformance and the possibility of divesting its stake. On 14 May 2008, the company formally announced an invitation for offers for its Virgin Atlantic stake, and publicly acknowledged that its stake in the airline has "underperformed". In September 2004, the airline entered the low-cost carrier market by establishing Tiger Airways with a 49% stake, in partnership with Indigo Partners LLC, the investment firm founded by Bill Franke, (24%); Irelandia Investments Limited, the private investment arm of Tony Ryan and his family, (16%); and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (11%). Tiger Airways was eventually listed on SGX in Feb 2010, reducing SIA shares to 34.4%.

Labour

The Singapore Airlines Group employed a total of 29,457 staff members at the end of the fiscal year on 31 March 2007. The parent airline itself employed 13,942 (47.3%), of which there are 2,174 pilots and 6,914 cabin crew. The group's employees are represented by five labour unions, namely the Singapore Airlines Staff Union (SIASU), the SIA Engineering Company Engineers and Executives Union (SEEU), the Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers' Union (SATSWU), the Air Transport Executives Staff Union (AESU) and the Air Line Pilots' Association Singapore (ALPA-S).

Relations between the labour unions and the group management has been testy at times, particularly after a series of wage cuts, retrenchments, and early retirement affected staff morale during and after difficult economic conditions such as the SARS outbreak in 2003. The ALPA-S alone has been involved in no less than 24 disputes with group management since its registration in May 1981 (itself formed after its predecessor, the Singapore Airlines Pilots Association had 15 EXCO members charged and convicted for initiating illegal industrial action in 1980 in the wake of disputes with management and the SIAPA was deregistered on 26 February 1981) up to 30 November 2003, when the Ministry of Manpower (Singapore) amended the Trade Unions Act to overrule an item in ALPA-S's constitution requiring formal ratification from the general membership for negotiation agreements involving the executive committee. In 2007, the airline was in the spotlight again when ALPA-S disagreed with the management's proposed salary rate for pilots flying the Airbus A380, and the case had to be settled by the Industrial Arbitration Court. The salary ranges of SIA's pilots were made public during the first day of the hearings, and the press noted that the airline's 935 captains who fly the Boeing 777 received higher salaries (over S$270,000) at the mid-point of their salary brackets compared to the company's 36 vice-presidents (S$233,270).

Disputes have also affected the unions, some so severe that they have attracted the intervention of the government. The internal feuding in ALPA-S which led to the ousting of the entire 22-member executive committee on 17 November 2003 was attributed to "internal politics" and theories that it may involve former pilots, including those involved in the deregistration of SIAPA. In January 2008, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say spoke up against legal action by parties involved in an internal dispute in SIASU.

On 2 April 2007 the airline group and its unions jointly launched the "Singapore Airlines Group Union-Management Partnership" and the Labour Movement 2011 (LM2011) in a bid to improve their relations, each pledging to be "pro-worker" and "pro-business" respectively. In April 2008, the airline's chairman Stephen Lee described the relations between management and the unions as "stable and cordial" in the last two years, with better communication between them. He alluded that several government figures, including Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, has intervened to help alleviate differences, and that there has been more regular meetings and exchanges between the two sides.

Financial performance

Singapore Airlines Group Financial Highlights

Year ended Revenue

(S$m) Expenditure

(S$m) Operating profit

(S$m) Profit before

taxation (S$m) Profit attributable to

equity holders (S$m) EPS after tax

– diluted (cents)

31 March 1999 7,795.9 6,941.5 854.4 1,116.8 1,033.2 80.6

31 March 2000 9,018.8 7,850.0 1,168.8 1,463.9 1,163.8 91.4

31 March 2001 9,951.3 8,604.6 1,346.7 1,904.7 1,549.3 126.5

31 March 2002 9,382.8 8,458.2 924.6 925.6 631.7 51.9

31 March 2003 10,515.0 9,797.9 717.1 976.8 1,064.8 87.4

31 March 2004 9,761.9 9,081.5 680.4 820.9 849.3 69.7

31 March 2005 12,012.9 10,657.4 1,355.5 1,829.4 1,389.3 113.9

31 March 2006 13,341.1 12,127.8 1,213.3 1,662.1 1,240.7 101.3

31 March 2007 14,494.4 13,180.0 1,314.4 2,284.6 2,128.8 170.8

31 March 2008 15,972.5 13,848.0 2,124.5 2,547.2 2,049.4 166.1

31 March 2009 15,996.3 15,092.7 903.6 1,198.6 1,061.5 89.1

31 March 2010[61] 12,707.3 12,644.1 63.2 285.5 215.8 18.0

Operating performance

Singapore Airlines Operating Highlights (Parent Airline Company only)

Year ended Passengers

(thousand) RPK

(million) ASK

(million) Load factor

(%) Yield

(S¢/km) Unit cost

(cents/ASK) Breakeven load

factor (%)

31 March 1993 8,640 37,860.6 53,100.4 71.3 10.5 - -

31 March 1994 9,468 42,328.3 59,283.3 71.4 10.1 - -

31 March 1995 10,082 45,412.2 64,053.9 70.9 9.9 - -

31 March 1996 11,057 50,045.4 68,555.3 73.0 9.4 - -

31 March 1997 12,022 54,692.5 73,511.4 74.4 9.0 - -

31 March 1998 11,957 54,441.2 77,221.6 70.5 9.5 - -

31 March 1999 12,777 60,299.9 83,191.7 72.5 8.6 - -

31 March 2000 13,782 65,718.4 87,728.3 74.9 9.1 - -

31 March 2001 15,002 71,118.4 92,648.0 76.8 9.4 7.5 70.2

31 March 2002 14,765 69,994.5 94,558.5 74.0 9.0 6.4 71.1

31 March 2003 15,326 74,183.2 99,565.9 74.5 9.1 6.7 73.6

31 March 2004 13,278 64,685.2 88,252.7 73.3 9.2 6.7 72.8

31 March 2005 15,944 77,593.7 104,662.3 74.1 10.1 7.0 69.3

31 March 2006 16,995 82,741.7 109,483.7 75.6 10.6 7.5 70.8

31 March 2007 18,346 89,148.8 112,543.8 79.2 10.9 7.9 72.5

31 March 2008 19,120 91,485.2 113,919.1 80.3 12.1 8.4 69.4

31 March 2009 18,293 90,128.1 117,788.7 76.5 12.5 9.2 73.6

Branding

Main article: Singapore Girl

Stewardesses, known as the Singapore Girls, are heavily marketed as the airline's icon

Branding and publicity efforts have revolved primarily around flight crew,[62] in contrast to most other airlines, who tend to emphasize aircraft and services in general. In particular, the promotion of stewardesses known as Singapore Girls has been widely successful and is a common feature in most of the airline's advertisements and publications. This branding strategy aims to build a mythical aura around the Singapore Girl, and portray her as representative of Asian hospitality and grace and the airline's training program for both cabin and technical flight crew complement this objective.

Dressed in a version of the Malay Sarong Kebaya designed by Pierre Balmain in 1968, the uniform of the Singapore Girl has remained largely unchanged. Stewards previously wore light-blue business jackets and grey trousers. Since June 2008, this has been redesigned by Christophe Galibert, artistic Director of Balmain Uniformes. The new steward's uniform now features a single-breasted navy blue suit (jacket and trousers), a sky blue shirt and different coloured striped ties. The tie colours differentiates the four ranks of crew.

Although a successful marketing image for the airline, the "Singapore Girl" emphasis received criticisms for its portrayal of women as subservient to males. Feminist groups say that its cultural references are outdated and that most Singaporean women today are modern and independent.

On 9 January 2007, the airline announced it would put to tender its existing advertising contract with Batey Ads, the Singaporean company headed by founder Ian Batey, who was responsible for building up the Singapore Girl brand name and its partner since 1972. The image of the Singapore Girl would still remain, although SIA will now focus on advertising and promoting its modern fleet and technology instead. On 16 April 2007, the airline appointed New York-based advertising agent TBWA\ to handle its creative advertising for the airline. The contract is worth S$50 million per year over the following five years. Stephen Forshaw, SIA's Vice-President of Public Affairs, said they will start the new branding campaign "as early as there is a practicable opportunity". This change in advertising agency will not affect SIA's buying media agency, which is presently MEC.

The livery of Singapore Airlines includes the "bird" (also known as the Silver Kris) logo on the tailfin, which has remained unchanged since Singapore Airlines' inception, but the logotype and stripes used since 1972 were changed in 1988 to the ones still in use today. The livery had a recent change, which saw the "Singapore Airlines" logotype enlarged and moved towards the front, and in addition the "bird" logo on the tailfin enlarged, in a similar fashion to the livery variant used on the Airbus A380, but the stripes and the "bird" remaining the same.

Destinations

Main article: Singapore Airlines destinations

Singapore Airlines flies to 61 destinations in 35 countries on five continents.

Singapore Airlines flies to 61 destinations in 35 countries on five continents from its primary hub in Singapore. It has a strong presence in the Southeast Asian region, which together with its subsidiary SilkAir, connects Singapore with more international destinations in the region than any other Southeast Asian airline.

The airline has a key role on the Kangaroo Route. It flew 11.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia in the month ended March 2008.

SIA has taken advantage of liberal bilateral aviation agreements between Singapore and Thailand, and with the United Arab Emirates, to offer more onward connections from Bangkok and Dubai respectively. On 1 September 2005, for example, it launched six-times weekly flights between Bangkok and Tokyo. China and India are major markets which fuelled much of its growth in recent years.

The airline's strengths have also invited protectionist measures to keep it out of key foreign markets. In particular, it has been unsuccessful in gaining access on transpacific routes from Australia to the United States. The Australian authorities deferred decisions to allow the airline on the route to the United States from Australia. SIA has stated that it wants to dramatically expand service to Canada and establish a North America hub in Vancouver, but has complained about being prevented from doing so by Canada's protectionist policies.

Singapore Airlines operations at Singapore Changi Airport

AirAsia, a low-cost airline based in Malaysia, accused Singapore Airlines of double standards, when it claimed that the Government of Singapore has attempted to keep it out of the Singapore market, although there has been no official word that Singapore Airlines has objected to the entry of AirAsia. Singapore Airlines has, instead, welcomed the liberation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route which it dominated together with Malaysia Airlines for over three decades, accounting for about 85% of the over 200 flight frequencies then operated. A highly lucrative route for LCCs due to its short distance and heavy traffic as the fourth-busiest in Asia, bringing Singapore Airline's capacity share on the route down to about 46.7%, Malaysia Airlines' down to 25.3%, and increase to 17.3% to the three LCCs now permitted on the route, and the remainder shared by three other airlines as of 22 September 2008. Singapore Airline's capacity share will drop further from 1 December 2008 when the route is opened up completely to liberalisation, when it announced plans to share its capacity with sister airline SilkAir. Malaysia Airlines, the main opponent to liberalisation of the route and deemed to be the party which stands to lose the most, will continue to codeshare with both Singapore Airlines and SilkAir on the route.

Codeshare agreements

Boeing 747–412 at Singapore Changi Airport in Star Alliance livery while still maintaining its corporate logo on the tail, the only Star Alliance member to do so

In addition to Star Alliance member airlines, Singapore Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:

Garuda Indonesia 

Malaysia Airlines

SilkAir

Virgin Atlantic Airways

Fleet

Main article: Singapore Airlines fleet

Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA), the first of the −300ER variant to be delivered on 23 November 2006, taking off from Zürich Airport. SIA is the world's second largest operator of the Boeing 777 family with 66 in its fleet.

Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWD) at Moscow Domodedovo International Airport.

Subtle livery changes were made in 2007, specifically to accommodate the arrival of the A380. These included a larger company name and a larger Singaporean flag on the fuselage and a larger tailfin logo as seen on the 747 on the left.

Singapore Airlines operates a wide-body aircraft fleet from five aircraft families: Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777. In keeping with its policy of maintaining a young fleet, which stands at an average of 6 years 7 months as at 24 January 2010, it renews its fleet frequently. The Boeing customer code for Singapore Airline is 7x7-x12.

Years ago, the airline named its fleet according to aircraft type. The Boeing 747-400s were called "Megatop", the Boeing 777s were called "Jubilee" and the Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership". Names for airliners previously flown by the airline include: "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300s, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300s, "Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200s, "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300s. Several of these names were pulled officially from the mid-2000s under then CEO Chew Choon Seng. No official name has since been accorded to the newer A380s which joined the fleet in 2007.

Singapore Airlines has never painted an aircraft without its tail livery. Even special liveries such as the Tropical Megatop and the Star Alliance livery still retain the signature stylised bird on their vertical stabilizers.

The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Singapore Airlines Fleet

Aircraft Total Orders/

Options Passengers Engines Notes

R P J Y Total

Airbus A330-300 19 — — — 30 255 285 Rolls-Royce Trent 700 Leased until the delivery of Boeing 787

Airbus A340-500 5 — — — 100 0 100 Rolls Royce Trent 553

Airbus A350-900 — 20/20 TBA Rolls Royce Trent XWB

Airbus A380-800 11 8/6 12 — 60 399 471 Rolls Royce Trent 900

Boeing 747-400 9 — — 12 50 313 375 PW4056 9V-SPP painted in Star Alliance

Boeing 777-200ER 35 — —

—

— 12

0

0

0 42

30

30

38 234

255

293

228 288

285

323

266 Rolls Royce Trent 892 9V-SRE painted in Star Alliance livery.

Boeing 777–300 12 — — 18

8 49

50 265

226 332

284 Rolls Royce Trent 892 4 being returned to lessor in 2011

Boeing 777-300ER 19[86] — — 8 42 228 278 GE90-115B

Boeing 787–9 — 20/20 TBA Rolls Royce Trent 1000

Total 110 48/46

Services

Boeing 747–400 SkySuite First Class

Singapore Airlines have received numerous awards for its standard of service and lays claim to being "The World's Most Awarded Airline". In the latest annual Zagat survey by US pollsters, SIA was placed first in both premium and economy classes while additionally topping the poll for its website and for comfort, service, and food in all classes.

In-flight services

Cabins

Singapore Airlines announced major upgrade to its cabin and in-flight service on 17 October 2006, its first major overhaul in more than 8 years and costing the airline about S$570 million. Initially planned for its Airbus A380-800's introduction into service in 2006, and subsequently on the Boeing 777-300ER, the postponement of the first A380-800 delivery meant it had to be introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline on 5 December 2006 between Singapore and Paris.

Singapore Airlines Fleet Cabins

Aircraft First/Suites Business Economy KrisWorld

Type

Suites New First SkySuite First Regional New Business New Regional Spacebed Ultimo New Economy Economy

A330-300 No No No No No Yes No No Yes No eX2

A340-500 No No No No Yes No No No No No eX2

A380-800 Yes No No No Yes No No No Yes No eX2

B747-400 No No Yes No No No Yes No No Yes Wisemen

B777-200 No No No Partial No No No Yes No Yes Wisemen (some)

B777-200ER No No No Yes No No Yes No No Yes Wisemen

B777-300 No No No Yes No Yes No No No Yes Wisemen

B777-300ER No Yes No No Yes No No No Yes No eX2

[edit]Singapore Airlines Suites

Singapore Airlines Suites is a class available only on the Airbus A380. The A380 flies to Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo and Zurich.

The product is designed by French luxury yacht interior designer Jean-Jacques Coste and consists of separate compartments with walls and doors 1.5 m high. The leather seat, upholstered by Poltrona Frau of Italy, is 35 in (88.9 cm) wide (with armrests up and 23 in (58.42 cm) wide when armrests are down) and a 23 in (58.42 cm) LCD TV screen is mounted on the front wall. The 78 in (198.12 cm) bed is separate from the seat and folds out from the back wall, with several other components of the suite lowering to accommodate the mattress. Windows are built into the doors and blinds offer privacy. Suites located in the center can form a double bed after the privacy blinds between them are retracted into special compartments between the beds and in the frame of the partition.

First class

Boeing 777-300ER First Class

There are four variations of the first class cabin, although the Singapore Airlines Suites class is designated by Singapore Airlines as a "Class Beyond First" and uses a different fare code (R) (see above).

Introduced on 17 October 2006, the "New" First Class is offered only on Singapore Airlines' new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Designed by James Park Associates, it features a 35 in (88.9 cm) wide seat upholstered with leather and mahogany and a 23 in (58.42 cm) LCD screen. The seats fold out into a flat bed and are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The "New" First Class will be slowly introduced onto the Boeing 777–300 fleet as they under go cabin refit. The cabin will be slowly introduced across the Boeing 777–300 fleet from Singapore to Sydney on July 22, 2009 and will be arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

First Class on Boeing 747-400 aircraft features the SkySuite, a seat that is 22 in (55.88 cm) wide and can recline into a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) bed. It features a 17 in (43.18 cm) LCD screen and the SkySuite itself is upholstered in Connolly leather and trimmed with burr wood.

Selected Boeing 777-200s and all Boeing 777-300 aircraft (used mainly on regional flights) offer sleeper seats that are 21 in (53.34 cm) wide in a 2-2-2 configuration. The Boeing 777–300 aircraft are starting to under go cabin refits and this first class seat will be removed and replaced with the "New" First Class seat.

Business class

Boeing 777-300ER Business Class

Singapore Airlines' Business Class used to be called Raffles Class until 2006. On the A380, A340-500 and Boeing 777-300ER, a fully-flat bed is available in a 1-2-1 configuration with forward-facing seats (sleep mode in diagonal), in contrast to the herring-bone configuration used by several other airlines offering flat beds in business class. Arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, the New Business Class is up to 34 in (86 cm) wide. The leather seats feature a 15.4 in (39.1 cm) diagonal screen size personal television, in-seat power supply and 2 USB ports.

On new A380 deliveries from May 2011 Singapore Airlines is planning to extend the business class cabin to run the entire length of the upper deck, compared to the original configuration – as present on the current A380s – which shares the upper deck between 16 rows of business class and 11 rows of economy at the rear. The new layout will remove all economy seating from the upper deck in favour of an additional six rows (approximately 24 seats) of lie-flat business class seating.

A New Regional Business Class, is being rolled out on the 19 A330-300 that Singapore Airlines is using to service Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Nagoya and other medium haul and regional routes. The A330-300 will be configured in 2-2-2 layout and will include iPod connection. The Business Class seat will be lie-flat at an 8-degree incline. The Business Class will feature the new Krisworld on a 15.4 inch screen. Singapore Airlines are starting a cabin refit program for the Boeing 777 models which will feature the seat also, the Boeing 777–300 fleet is the first to under go refit and will be rolled out across the majority of the fleet, with the first destination being Sydney the refitted aircraft will fly to from July 22, 2009. The seats on the Boeing 777–300 will also be configured in 2-2-2 layout.

SpaceBed seats are available on the Boeing 777-200ER in a 2-2-2 configuration and on the Boeing 747-400 aircraft in a 2-3-2 configuration. The SpaceBed seats are 27 in (69 cm) wide and 72 in (183 cm) long and convert to an angled flat bed. They have a retractable 10.4 in (26.4 cm) personal television. Traditional Ultimo business class seats, which do not convert into beds, are offered on certain Boeing 777 aircraft (excluding Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-300ER) in a 2-3-2 configuration.

Economy class

Airbus A380-800 Economy Class

All economy class seats in the Boeing 747 and Boeing 777s (excluding the Boeing 777–300) have personal television screens, footrests, adjustable headrests with side-flap "ears" and adjustable seat reclines. Baby bassinets are available at some bulkheads.

The new Economy class seats on the Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A380, and Airbus A330-300 are 19.5 in (49.53 cm) wide, have in-seat power and have a 10.6in personal television screen which can be used as a non-intrusive reading light. They are also being rolled out in 19 new Airbus A330-300 planes that Singapore Airlines is using to service Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Nagoya, Osaka and other medium haul and regional routes. The A330-300 will be configured in 2-4-2 layout and will include iPod connection.[101] Other features include an independent cup holder (separate from the fold-out table) and a USB port. Singapore Airlines will start to introduce a similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft when they go through their cabin refits. The Boeing 777–300 is the first model to under go refit and has introduced the product on the Singapore – Sydney route on July 22, 2009.]

Cuisine

A meal in Economy Class, on a flight from Chennai to Singapore.

Singapore Airlines offers World Gourmet Cuisine in all three classes. Regional dishes are often served on their respective flights, such as the Kyo-Kaiseki, Shi Quan Shi Mei, and Shahi Thali meals available for first class passengers on flights to Japan, China and India, respectively.

SIA has also introduced a Popular Local Fare culinary programme offering local favourites to passengers in all classes flying from selected major destinations.

They published a cookbook in 2010 titled, Above & Beyond: A Collection of Recipes from the Singapore Airlines Culinary Panel.

Business and first class passengers may also choose to use the "Book the Cook" service on some flights, where specific dishes may be selected in advance from a more extensive menu.

In-flight Entertainment System and Communication

KrisWorld logo

Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment systen, KrisWorld was introduced in 1997 on then designated "Megatop" 747s, "Celestar" A340s and "Jubilee" 777s after Singapore Airlines wanted to overhaul their in-flight experience with a new, cheap entertainment solution that would supersede the very primative Thales entertainment system on offer at that time by Virgin Atlantic and Emirates.

The original KrisWorld introduced 14 movies, 36 television programmes and 5 cartoons as well as Nintendo games, KrisFone and fax; text news and flight path in all classes. The original KrisWorld was subsequently upgraded to feature Wisemen 3000, an audio and video on demand version of the KrisWorld system featuring exclusively on First and Raffles Class cabins, then progressively being introduced into Economy Class on 747 cabins and selected 777 cabins.

In 2002, Singapore Airlines introduced a re-brand of the KrisWorld system calling it Enhanced KrisWorld which featured more Movies, TV programs, Music and Games. By this time, Boeing 747 cabins has enhanced KrisWorld installed and selected Boeing 777 cabins too. In March 2005, SIA introduced Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight Internet service. This internet service was also supposed to offer live TV, but the service was axed in December 2006 when Boeing cancelled the service. From October 2005, Singapore Airlines began offering free language lessons by Berlitz. and, starting December 2005, live text news feeds.

In 2007, SIA unveiled the new KrisWorld based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This featured a new interface, more programming, Audio/Video on Demand as standard. On top of the new features available, first-class passengers get a 23-inch LCD PTV; 15-inch PTV in Business Class and a 10.6 inch PTV in Economy Class – all widescreen.  The new KrisWorld is available on A380, A330-300, A340-500 (equipped with Business Class only) and Boeing 777-300ER. Features include:

Widescreen LCD TV with 1280 x 768 resolution

A range of movies, TV, music, games, and interactive programs

Built-in office software, based on the StarOffice Productivity Suite for use with the USB port

In-seat AC power port

The new KrisWorld

Ground services

Passengers may check-in between two to 48 hours prior to flight departure. This may be done over the counter or at the lounge within the airport (for first and business class passengers). Self-service kiosks are also available at Singapore Changi Airport. First class passengers also get a dedicated lane at Changi Airport where staff will personally welcome and escort them.

Alternatively, they may check-in through the Internet or by short message service. Online printing of boarding passes is available through Internet check-in. Passengers on short trips may also check-in on their return flight upon departure from the city of origin.

Lounges

The airline's Silver Kris Lounges are open to Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class and Business Class passengers in addition to Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club and KrisFlyer Elite Gold members. These members may also have access to lounges operated by the airline's partners. These lounges are located in:

Adelaide

Amsterdam

Bangkok

Brisbane

Hong Kong

Kuala Lumpur

London

Manila

Melbourne

Perth

San Francisco

Singapore

Sydney

Taipei

Frequent-flyer program

The Singapore Airlines frequent flyer program, has two categories:

KrisFlyer

Miles are earned and redeemed on Singapore Airlines' own services as well as with Krisflyer partners. Partners include all Star Alliance members, SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, and numerous hotel chains and car-hire companies. KrisFlyer is divided into KrisFlyer, KrisFlyer Elite Silver and KrisFlyer Elite Gold, which correspond to Star Alliance Silver and Gold, respectively. Elite Silver and Elite Gold status is given to passengers who have accrued 25,000 and 50,000 miles (80,000 km), respectively, within a 12-month period. The 12-month period is predefined according to when you initially applied for Krisflyer membership, so traveling 25,000 miles (40,000 km) over a 12 month period may not qualify for Silver status unless it corresponds with the 12 month period assigned to you by Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines flights in booking classes V, Q, G, N and T (group and promotional fares) and SilkAir flights in booking classes W and L earn no miles.

The PPS Club

Priority Passenger Service (PPS)is for passengers who have accumulated S$25,000 worth of PPS Value within a year. PPS Value is accrued while flying Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class or Business Class on Singapore Airlines, or Business Class on SilkAir. The PPS is divided into the PPS Club, Solitaire PPS Club and the Solitaire PPS Club Life.

A member with PPS Club status will qualify for Solitaire PPS Club by accumulating PPS Value of S$250,000 within five years. The Solitaire Life PPS Club status was formerly given to members who accrued a total of 1,875,000 miles (3,018,000 km) or 1,000 PPS sectors. Benefits are equal to Solitaire PPS Club members but did not have a re-qualification criteria. Singapore Airlines has since ceased accepting new Solitaire Life PPS Club members.

All PPS members have priority check-in, baggage handling, guaranteed Economy Class seats when wait-listed on Business and First Class and have access to the business-class section of the Silver Kris Lounge. Solitaire PPS members and their spouses also access First Class check-in and the First Class sections of Silver Kris Lounge.

Incidents and accidents

This covers Singapore Airlines flights; for incidents relating to SilkAir see that article.

26 March 1991 — Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore, where it was stormed by the Singapore Special Operations Force. All of the hijackers were killed in the operation, with no fatalities amongst the passengers and crew.

31 October 2000 — Singapore Airlines Flight 006 operated by a Boeing 747-400, crashed at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan killing 83 people aboard and injuring 71 people after the plane took off on a closed runway and hit construction equipment. This occurred during the heavy rain caused by Typhoon Xangsane. SQ006 was the first fatal crash of a Singapore Airlines aircraft and the first fatal crash of the Boeing 747–400.

On March 12, 2003, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ286, a 747–400 departing Auckland, New Zealand for Singapore suffered a serious tailstrike on take-off causing major damage to the tail section of the aircraft. The airplane returned safely with no fatalities reported.

On September 27, 2009, Singapore Airlines Flight 333, operated by an Airbus A380, departed from Paris, France, for Singapore. Two and a half hours into the flight, there was a malfunction on one of its engines, which prompted the pilot to shut it down. The flight returned to Paris and made a safe landing. No injuries or deaths were reported.

(source:wikipedia)