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An airline passenger has been accused of swiping $23,000 in cash from carry-on luggage belonging to his fellow travelers during a short flight from Vietnam to Singapore. Zhang Xiuqiang, a 52-year-old Chinese national, was arrested at Changi Airport Saturday and slapped with three theft counts on suspicion of ransacking the bags of three passengers. The suspect and victims were traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore aboard a flight operated by Scoot Airline, the low-budget subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. During the two-hour flight, Zhang pilfered about $123 from one passenger’s backpack and helped himself to nearly $21,000 that he...

Singapore Airlines Ltd. took delivery of the Airbus SE A350-900 ultra long range aircraft to start a non-stop service to New York, a journey of about 19 hours that will become the world’s longest. The first commercial flight between Singapore and Newark Liberty International Airport will be on Oct. 11, Singapore Air said in a statement yesterday. This is the first of the seven A350-900ULRs the carrier has on firm order with Airbus. Reviving the route that the Singapore flag carrier scrapped more than four years ago will help the airline fill a gap in its U.S. network that has...

Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) said it would launch the world’s longest commercial flight in October, a near-19 hour non-stop journey from Singapore to the New York area. The 8,277 nautical mile (15,329 kilometer) flight from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey with 161 business class and premium economy seats will eclipse the 7,843 nautical mile Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Auckland as the world’s longest, according to airline data provider OAG.

The new Airbus A380 proudly flown by Singapore Airlines last week is a huge aircraft with plenty of room for all kinds of activities. Except one: sex. If you're thinking of booking the world's first flying double bed, you'll first need a lot of money. And second of all, no desire to have sex. Singapore Airlines has said that if couples using the double suites "engage in inappropriate activity," they'll be politely asked to stop. One of the first couples to fly in the suite thought this seemed a bit unfair since the flight attendants kept bringing champagne. We agree...

As my taxi pulled up at Changi airport, I knew this was going to be a special day - the day of the first A380 commercial flight was finally here. The airport had long been adorned with banners and posters declaring Singapore "A380 ready" and anticipating the flight.

SINGAPORE Airlines is to install a PC running Red Hat Linux operating system in every seat on its newest A380 superjumbo. According to Network World, the system consists of a central Linux server that connects to a network of PCs installed under every seat on the aircraft.

SINGAPORE: It was suggested that flying different type of aircraft was "as easy as changing cars". The revelation of the pay scales for Singapore Airlines’ pilots, said to be among the world’s highest, raised a few eyebrows. Such nuggets of information — offered by SIA management at a court hearing to settle a pay dispute between the airline and its pilots’ union — seem to have ruffled more than a few feathers among the pilots. Following the feedback it received after the court hearing, SIA thought it necessary to send a letter to all 1,800 of the company’s pilots...

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has said it has signed a purchase agreement to buy 20 Boeing 787-9 jets with options for another 20 of the planes. The agreement confirms plans announced in June, when the carrier said it had signed a letter of intent with US manufacturer Boeing, the company said in a statement. SIA said the purchase agreement was signed last week and the planes, the latest variant of the 787 series known as the Dreamliner, should be delivered between early 2011 and mid-2013. Based on Boeing's catalogue prices, the 20 firm orders are worth 4.52 billion US dollars. SIA...

While US airlines cut and slash service -- care and feeding -- of their travelers, the Asian airlines have been buying new planes, installing elaborate entertainment systems, and allowing passengers in-flight e-mail and web surfing options. Add to that plush seats and meals created by celebrity chefs, and the result is that America doesn't know service. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines services beat all American carriers, hands down. On the long-haul flights, choices of movies, frequent meals (America doesn't need this) -- Western or Asian style -- and friendly service are the standard. Not only are the US airlines behind,...

SINGAPORE (AFP) - US aviation giant Boeing scored a major victory when Singapore Airlines (SIA) ordered 20 of its new mid-size jets while production delays plague its European rival Airbus, analysts said. SIA on Wednesday announced an order for 20 Boeing 787 aircraft worth 4.5 billion dollars, just hours after publicly expressing displeasure over a fresh postponement in the delivery of the much-vaunted Airbus A380 super jumbo jet. SIA, Asia's most profitable carrier, was supposed to be the first airline in the world to launch A380 commercial services and has spent a lot of resources to publicise the feat, only...

Promise follows complaints from potential buyers Tuesday, April 11, 2006 THE NEW YORK TIMES PARIS -- Airbus said Monday that after receiving complaints from potential buyers, it would look at making improvements to its long-range A350, which competes with the Boeing Co.'s new 787 Dreamliner. "I want to note that Airbus listens to its customers," Gustav Hubert, Airbus chief executive, told reporters at company headquarters in Toulouse, France. His comments came after Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of Singapore Airlines, said last week that Airbus should have gone ahead and designed a new fuselage for the A350, since it had...

SINGAPORE, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- To be compensated by Airbus for the eight-month delivery delay of its first A380 aircraft is Singapore Airlines' (SIA) preferred option up to now, SIA's vice-president for Public Affairs Stephen Forshaw said on Tuesday. According to Channel NewsAsia report, SIA, the first customer of the largest commercial aircraft ever built, "has not ruled out a lawsuit against the plane manufacturer" while having compensation talks with it. SIA might ask for over 6 million US dollars, said the report. As a A380 plane has 555 seats, which is 30 percent more than a Boeing 747-400, SIA...

PARIS (AFX) - Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) expects to receive compensation from Airbus SAS should there be a delay to the expected delivery date for the first A380 superjumbo next year, company spokesman Franklin Auber said. "Contractually, when Airbus is committed to a delivery date, there is compensation for each month it is delayed," Auber said during a press conference. He stressed that SIA will still be the first airline to take delivery of the A380 in the event of a delay. "The first four aircraft built are set aside for Singapore Airlines. If our programme is shifted, then those...

FRANKFURT (AFX) - Airbus Industrie's first delivery of its new A380 will be delayed and only made in the second-half of 2006 instead of summer that year, Financial Times Deutschland said. The report said Airbus had previously targeted the delivery to Singapore Airlines in the summer of 2006, or before June 30, if possible. It quoted a spokesman for Airbus as saying yesterday that the company had signed a new agreement with Singapore Airlines which sets the delivery in the second- half of 2006. It said when Singapore Airlines signed the order for 10 aircraft as well as options for...