In the news: Expedia Sky Conduct Report, Carlson Rezido’s acquisition of India’s Country Inns & Suites, Sabre and AWS Cloud
What Singapore travellers want when flying
Comfort, sleep & water important to Singapore flyers. (Image credit: yuran-78/iStock)
Comfort, sleep and staying hydrated during their journey are what Singapore flyers value, reveals findings from Expedia Sky Conduct Report.
The worldwide study examines the preferences and behaviours of flyers on a country-by-country basis. It was conducted on behalf of Expedia by strategic insights consulting firm Northstar across 22 countries including Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Zeroing in on Singapore-based flyers, the study found that they were more likely to fly six or more times over the past two years – for both business and leisure – compared to their peers in Malaysia and Thailand.
A summary of what Singapore flyers want (see infographic below):
Rest and recreation are priorities
- The top five activities selected by Singapore flyers are sleep (67.4%), watching TV shows/movies offered on the plane (57.8%), listening to music (37.9%), eating/snacking (33.7%), reading a book/magazine or newspaper (27.0%).
- For a flight of 10+ hours Singapore respondents largely passed the time by sleeping (85.1%); 61.4% would use the in-flight entertainment system; 55.1% would eat.
- 30% would periodically stroll about the cabin versus flyers from Thailand (16%) and Japan (12%), who are less likely to wander about.
Water is single most important in-flight item
- 63.2% of respondents selected water as the top item on their list.
- 7.1% said they could “not live without” an alcoholic beverage on board. (Worldwide, Australians topped the list of in-flight alcohol fans at 14%).
Full meal and comfort more important than WiFi and alcohol
- Singapore travellers largely eschew paying for WiFi. While 8% of all flyers worldwide would pay to access WiFi, only 5.6% Singapore flyers agree on short flights.
- This behaviour changed for flights exceeding 12 hours where 11.4% of respondents would pay for WiFi versus 10% of flyers globally, 3% from China, 4% from Taiwan, and 6% from Hong Kong.
- Singapore flyers also largely abstained from drinking alcohol during their travel, regardless of flight duration whether it was less than three hours (short haul) to more than 12 hours (extra-long haul).
- “A full meal” was the most commonly chosen paid amenity among all flight types across all countries queried. 60% of Singapore respondents would pay for that privilege, especially for flights exceeding 12 hours, versus 54% of their global peers.
- Singapore travellers were willing to pay for a seat with extra legroom – across all flight durations. For extra-long haul flights nearly 52% would pay for this amenity, versus 46% of their global peers.
Avoid baggage fees, carousels
- 76% of Singapore travellers said they “avoided baggage fees at all costs,” higher than the global average of 70%.
- 56% said they specifically packed lighter to avoid paying the fees.
- 52% of respondents avoided checking a bag so they would not have to wait at the baggage carousel.
- 40% did not check a bag out of fear it would be lost.
Simon Fiquet, General Manager for South East Asia and India, Expedia said: “This study shows that Singapore travellers continue to be some of the savviest in the world, bolstered by a higher number share of business travellers, reflecting Singapore’s prime position as a business hub.”
Carlson Rezidor acquires Country Inns & Suites in India
Country Inns & Suites By Carlson Gurgaon, Udyog Vihar, Delhi (Image credit: Carlson Rezidor)
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has acquired Country Development & Management Services (CDMS), the joint venture between Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and Chanakya Hotels that was set up to pioneer the Country Inns & Suites By Carlson brand in India.
This acquisition also includes four Radisson Blu hotels managed in India by CDMS.
This deal will see Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in India come under the management of Carlson Hotels (South Asia), the Indian affiliate of Carlson Rezidor.
Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor, said the group has been committed to India for 25 years.
“This acquisition, resulting in the full ownership of CDMS, is a strategic move to further strengthen our position as the leading international hotel operator in India. We aim to have 170 hotels in operation and under development by 2020 in the country,” he added.
Added Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia of Carlson Rezidor: “India is an important market for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group where we offer seven brands from mid-scale to luxury. Country Inns & Suites By Carlson is an integral part of our brand portfolio in the mid-scale segment. This consolidation will help us in directing our resources more efficiently to support our hotels.”
Sabre delivers new travel solutions with AWS Cloud
Sabre takes to the AWS Cloud. (Image credit: AWS Cloud)
Sabre Corporation is taking airline passengers to the clouds, delivering even faster cloud-based flight availability with solutions built on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.
Leveraging the AWS Cloud, Sabre will offer airline availability solutions that will help carriers increase booking rates and deliver even faster responses.
The company said airlines and their customers would benefit from faster shopping using these services in the cloud.
Airlines can also manage availability for different channels through one source. They will house their availability data in the AWS Cloud, which can then be accessed via multiple shopping channels, whether carrier website, online or offline travel agency, or other source.
The new cloud-based solution will be available to Sabre’s customers later this year.
Tom Klein, president and CEO of Sabre, said: “As the world moves to a computing ecosystem dominated by mobile devices, speed and frictionless transactions are the expected norm, and the cloud delivers those benefits.”
