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FB Business, Technology
SIA lobbies for HK-New York fifth-freedom rights
Charlotte So
16 September 2008
Singapore Airlines is lobbying the Hong Kong government for the right to fly
from its home base through Hong Kong to New York because it believes the
route is under-served and overpriced.
Only Cathay Pacific Airways and Continental Airlines serve the Hong Kong-New
York route, between them providing three daily non-stop services.
In contrast, the Hong Kong-London route is served by five airlines offering
13 direct flights a day.
The Singapore government is lobbying for "fly beyond" or so-called "fifth
freedom" rights on the route.
"Hong Kong and New York are two global financial centres. Connecting flights
should offer the maximum convenience, competition and choice to passengers,"
the general manager of SIA in Hong Kong, Campbell Wilson, said last week. "We
feel the market is under-served. When you compare the Hong Kong-London fare
with Hong Kong-New York, the price to fly to London is much lower."
Cathay said it provided more than enough capacity on the route. "There is
still plenty of space left in the front end on the flights, with average
first-class loads this year in the low 50s and average business-class loads
in the mid-60s," a Cathay spokesman said.
Continental Air country director of Hong Kong Wyn Li said the airline would
consider adding more flights when demand was stronger.
SIA said it had no intention of undercutting fares if it was granted rights
to fly on to New York, adding that new capacity would lift demand.
The extra competition would bring prices down and create benefits for
passengers as well as the Hong Kong economy, Mr Wilson said.
The cheapest two-way ticket (tax and surcharges excluded) between Hong Kong
and New York is HK$7,500 offered by Continental Airlines. The lowest price
offered by Cathay is HK$10,000.
A round-trip ticket from Hong Kong to London, however, costs as little as
HK$5,150 on Virgin Atlantic Airways and HK$6,050 on Cathay.
The flight time from Hong Kong to New York is three hours longer than the
London service, but analysts say this alone cannot explain the price
difference.
"I think Singapore Airlines has a strong argument on the route," said Damien
Horth, a transport analyst at UBS, adding that the carriers could not add
direct flights to the route because of a lack of long-haul aircraft.
Only certain aircraft can fly non-stop between Hong Kong and New York, such
as the Boeing 777-300 ER, or the B777-200 ER.
SIA has several ultra-long-haul aircraft, with 18 B777-300 ERs in its fleet
and another arriving next year.
Cathay has eight B777-300 ERs with 22 more to come by 2012 while Continental
has 20 B777-200 ERs and eight more on order.
Whether SIA secures the right to serve the Hong Kong to New York route now
lies in the hands of the Hong Kong government.
"We are prepared to consider any pragmatic proposal from the Singaporean side
that could satisfy the market needs of both sides," said a spokesman at the
Economic Development Bureau.
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