SIA launches in-plane dining, training centre tours

Members of the public will be able to go behind the scenes at SIA's training centre, have a meal on a grounded Airbus A-380 plane or recreate the experience of dining on board in the comfort of their homes. These new initiatives were announced by SIA Tuesday, as the carrier seeks new ways to engage customers. It also said it will not be launching flights to nowhere. SIA was looking into launching such flights that would depart and land at Changi Airport. But the idea was criticised by environmentalists who said it would cause unnecessary pollution. A movement to suggest alternatives quickly gained traction, with more than 2,000 ideas collated and submitted to SIA earlier this month. SIA said it decided on its new offerings based on a market study and comprehensive review. "(SIA) considered factors such as the attractiveness of the initiatives to SIA's customers and members of the public, the environmental implications, and their financial viability," it said. Senior lecturer Boey Yew Tung of Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School said the new initiatives will bolster SIA's standing. "Reinforcing brand awareness and recall are important tactics for companies, especially when they cannot actively present themselves to the public when their regular mode of operations is severely curtailed," he said. He added that the training centre tours will likely be especially popular, based on observations from air shows and other open-house tours.<br/>