News & Discussion: Adelaide Airport & Airlines

[Ho Really]

Is there much of a difference between Singapore Airlines setups on both aircraft other then the tight squeeze for economy class?
The dreamliners were very much hyped if memory serves me..

I think the passenger to toilet ratio is slightly better on the A350. Happy to be corrected though.

You are correct. According to the info below from one of the seat map sites the seats on both the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 are exactly the same width. So what's narrower on the 787 must be the armrests and the aisles.

Airbus A350-900MH
Economy Class

• 263 Recaro CL3710 seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration across two cabins. Each seat features a six-way adjustable headrest, and a bi-fold retractable table with independent cup holder
• Seat width: 17.3"
• Recline: 5"
• Row pitch: 32" (by our calculation rows 42 to 53 have a reduced pitch, so as a precaution the pitch dimension is subject to further verification)
• 11.6" HD touch screen display
• Shared universal AC socket plus an individual USB-A socket

Boeing 787-10
Economy Class

• 301 Recaro CL3710 seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration across two cabins. Each seat features a six-way adjustable headrest, and a bi-fold retractable table with independent cup holder
• Seat width: 17.3"
• Recline: 5"
• Row pitch: 32"
• 11.6" HD touch screen display
• Shared universal AC socket plus an individual USB-A socket

Cheers

[Listy]

Is there much of a difference between Singapore Airlines setups on both aircraft other then the tight squeeze for economy class?
The dreamliners were very much hyped if memory serves me..

I think the passenger to toilet ratio is slightly better on the A350. Happy to be corrected though.

Looking at the seatguru site, the big difference seems to be the Singapore Air B787's don't have premium economy, whereas the A350s flying in and out of Adelaide currently do (well they did in May). They're probably anticipating weaker demand for discretionary spending like premium economy in the coming year or three, especially on 'shorter' long haul flights. There are 6 economy class toilets on the A350 and 5 on the 787 (with the extra passengers). It doesn't seem like much, but it's a difference of about 1 toilet per 60 pax versus 1 per 40 - it will be very noticeable, especially if you're traveling with young kids, or older parents!

[Saltwater]

I wonder if Singapore Airlines would consider a multi-brand strategy at some point by introducing Scoot into Adelaide. They already do this to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Scoot is based on a low cost airline model, they initially took on some of the older Singapore 777's but now have a fleet of 787's, plus some single aisle models they took on when merging with Tiger airlines. This model into Adelaide could stimulate more demand for budget travellers, families and students, especially where they can provide extensive connections to SE Asia, Japan and Greece.

https://www.flyscoot.com/en/discover/es ... nation-map

[Ho Really]

Looking at the seatguru site, the big difference seems to be the Singapore Air B787's don't have premium economy, whereas the A350s flying in and out of Adelaide currently do (well they did in May). They're probably anticipating weaker demand for discretionary spending like premium economy in the coming year or three, especially on 'shorter' long haul flights. There are 6 economy class toilets on the A350 and 5 on the 787 (with the extra passengers). It doesn't seem like much, but it's a difference of about 1 toilet per 60 pax versus 1 per 40 - it will be very noticeable, especially if you're traveling with young kids, or older parents!

The medium haul (regional) A350-900 don't have a Premium Economy cabin.

Cheers

P.S. I'll add this: Melbourne and Sydney do have A350-900s with Premium. Brisbane doesn't and Perth as far as I know now have the Boeing 787-10 like we will. It's possible you may have travelled on a A350-900 during a transition period as I cannot recall seeing Premium for booking in the many times I have checked for prices etc.

[dbl96]

I wonder if Singapore Airlines would consider a multi-brand strategy at some point by introducing Scoot into Adelaide. They already do this to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Scoot is based on a low cost airline model, they initially took on some of the older Singapore 777's but now have a fleet of 787's, plus some single aisle models they took on when merging with Tiger airlines. This model into Adelaide could stimulate more demand for budget travellers, families and students, especially where they can provide extensive connections to SE Asia, Japan and Greece.

https://www.flyscoot.com/en/discover/es ... nation-map

Scoot also serves a lot of the mid-sized Chinese cities where a lot of international students come from. SIA's offerings in China are more limited.

[Stefan P]

Good morning,

Batik Air Indonesia will be starting 4x weekly Denpasar (Bali)- Adelaide from 8/11. Flights will operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using B737-800's.

ID6013 Dep DPS 0115 Arr ADL 0900
ID6012 Dep ADL 1020 Arr DPS 1330

[Saltwater]

From the Australian today (paywalled)

Emirates adds capacity but warns passengers not to expect cheaper airfares

"A daily A350 service into Adelaide was also in the pipeline with flights expected to start in mid-2024.

Mr Brown said he promised Tourism Minister Don Farrell in January that Emirates would restart Adelaide services as soon as a suitable aircraft became available.

“Emirates’ addition of non-stop services to Adelaide is in lock-step with our commitment to Australia to expand and improve connectivity options for travellers,” said Mr Brown. We can’t wait to be back in Adelaide and once again play a key role in South Australians’ international travel plans.”

[Ho Really]

From the Australian today (paywalled)

Emirates adds capacity but warns passengers not to expect cheaper airfares

"A daily A350 service into Adelaide was also in the pipeline with flights expected to start in mid-2024.

Mr Brown said he promised Tourism Minister Don Farrell in January that Emirates would restart Adelaide services as soon as a suitable aircraft became available.

“Emirates’ addition of non-stop services to Adelaide is in lock-step with our commitment to Australia to expand and improve connectivity options for travellers,” said Mr Brown. We can’t wait to be back in Adelaide and once again play a key role in South Australians’ international travel plans.”

You don't need The Australian...here's an article from Travel Weekly from this morning...

Emirates to go all A380 to Sydney by November and plans a return to Adelaide

Further building on its commitment to provide customers expanded access to its route network, Emirates has announced that it will be upgrading its services to Sydney to an all-A380 operation.

With all three of Emirates’ slots already in use at Sydney airport, the airline is able to commit nearly 2,000 extra weekly seats with the upgrade to its double-decker aircraft on its third daily flight, starting 4 November 2023.

The Emirates A380 service, set in a three class configuration offering 489 seats, will replace the Boeing 777-300ER currently being deployed on EK 416 and 417.

Each return flight adds more than 260 extra daily seats and more connection opportunities to and from Dubai, and global access to popular onwards destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The third A380 service will complement the two other Sydney A380 four-class services, which both offer Emirates’ latest Premium Economy cabin.

Emirates currently operates 63 weekly services to Australia, offering close to 56,000 seats to and from its four major gateways.

Melbourne and Sydney operate three times daily, Brisbane is served with double daily flights, and the airline also operates its flagship A380 daily to Perth. Emirates has also reintroduced services from Melbourne to Singapore, in addition to connecting Sydney with Christchurch, offering travellers the only A380 experience across the Trans-Tasman.

Return to Adelaide

The introduction of the Emirates Airbus A350 in the winter of 2024 will facilitate further expansion of the airline’s global network by allowing its fleet to grow and freeing up more of Emirates’ long-range aircraft to serve points like Adelaide.

The airline is in close discussions with Adelaide Airport to recommence nonstop services as part of its commitment to reconnect travellers from every corner of Australia to its network.

Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia said: “With the triple daily A380 service, Emirates continues to connect Australians to Dubai and onwards to a wealth of iconic destinations. Emirates’ addition of nonstop services to Adelaide is in lockstep with our commitment to Australia to expand and improve connectivity options for travellers. We can’t wait to be back in Adelaide and once again play a key role in South Australians’ international travel plans.”

He continued: “We’re very close to resuming our full schedule of pre-pandemic non-stop services and we’re working hard to match capacity with demand as more aircraft roll back into service. There has been a lot of discussion around airfares in Australia in relation to shortfall of capacity, which is only one of several factors that impact ticket prices.

"Similar to many other sectors, across the aviation industry our highest operating expenses have surged. There has been a sharp rise in fuel, ground handling, catering, and workforce costs as we try to attract and retain the right talent.

Even as more capacity comes back into Australia, airlines, especially those with long-haul services, will continue to face challenges in striking a balance to offset these costs where possible.

In spite of these challenges, we’re committed to strengthening our schedules as much as we can, and offering the essential connectivity that Australian travellers have come to know and expect of us.”

The third Sydney A380 flight will depart from Dubai at 2130hrs, arriving in Sydney at 1820hrs local time. The returning flight departs Sydney at 2110hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0430hrs local time.

Emirates continues to expand the deployment of its flagship A380 to meet ever increasing travel demand globally. Today, the airline flies its flagship A380 to over 50 destinations, with more cities set to welcome the aircraft in the coming months.

Cheers

[Cryptic]

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/pas ... s-network/

[Pistol]

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/pas ... s-network/

Via Perth is pretty horrid.
However, fingers crossed that it is well patronised and Vietjet starts direct HCMC-Adelaide flights soon.

[cammo]

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/pas ... s-network/

Via Perth is pretty horrid.
However, fingers crossed that it is well patronised and Vietjet starts direct HCMC-Adelaide flights soon.

Yeh, being a frequent visitor to Vietnam, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the schedule - horrid is correct. I was hoping for a direct flight.

I'm guessing that their A321's don't have the range to make it non-stop from ADL to SGN, and they don't believe there enough demand to fill an A330's - so a stop in PER is their only option. They have some A321XLR on order which should make the distance, so hopefully it becomes a direct flight when they get those aircraft.

I'l probably still give them a go if the price is right - but it will have to be compelling to shift me away from my beloved Singapore Airlines.

[Aidan]

Yeh, being a frequent visitor to Vietnam, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the schedule - horrid is correct. I was hoping for a direct flight.

I'm guessing that their A321's don't have the range to make it non-stop from ADL to SGN, and they don't believe there enough demand to fill an A330's - so a stop in PER is their only option. They have some A321XLR on order which should make the distance, so hopefully it becomes a direct flight when they get those aircraft.

I'l probably still give them a go if the price is right - but it will have to be compelling to shift me away from my beloved Singapore Airlines.

Why would a stop in PER be their only option?
Why not in Indonesia?

[Jaymz]

Yeh, being a frequent visitor to Vietnam, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the schedule - horrid is correct. I was hoping for a direct flight.

I'm guessing that their A321's don't have the range to make it non-stop from ADL to SGN, and they don't believe there enough demand to fill an A330's - so a stop in PER is their only option. They have some A321XLR on order which should make the distance, so hopefully it becomes a direct flight when they get those aircraft.

I'l probably still give them a go if the price is right - but it will have to be compelling to shift me away from my beloved Singapore Airlines.

Why would a stop in PER be their only option?
Why not in Indonesia?

I imagine they are not confident to fill a plane only from Adelaide, so they'll go by Perth and pick up extra passengers. If the demand is sufficient from Adelaide then i'm sure we'd get a direct flight quick smart.

[Aidan]

I imagine they are not confident to fill a plane only from Adelaide, so they'll go by Perth and pick up extra passengers. If the demand is sufficient from Adelaide then i'm sure we'd get a direct flight quick smart.

I expect you’re right, but it still doesn’t make much sense as they don’t have cabotage rights. A stop in Lombok would be less of a detour and make it easier to fill their aircraft.

[cammo]

Yeh, being a frequent visitor to Vietnam, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the schedule - horrid is correct. I was hoping for a direct flight.

I'm guessing that their A321's don't have the range to make it non-stop from ADL to SGN, and they don't believe there enough demand to fill an A330's - so a stop in PER is their only option. They have some A321XLR on order which should make the distance, so hopefully it becomes a direct flight when they get those aircraft.

I'l probably still give them a go if the price is right - but it will have to be compelling to shift me away from my beloved Singapore Airlines.

Why would a stop in PER be their only option?
Why not in Indonesia?

Sorry, poorly worded sentence from me. I was referring to the choice around a stopover due to aircraft availability as their only option - not that the stopover has to be in PER. A DRW stopover would have made more sense to me, but who knows what they are thinking.

What makes even less sense is the aircraft will be parked overnight at Adelaide doing nothing. For a low cost carrier, that makes terrible aircraft utilisation - I wish them all the best, but can't see this arrangement lasting long at all.