Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it aims to boost passenger traffic in the Philippines through its online travel fair and additional daily services to Manila.
“Transitioning into a virtual travel fair is a very good move for us. It’s a good decision because it provides our customers with convenience and nationwide access,” SIA Head of Marketing & PR Aiza S. Garcia told reporters on Thursday.
Ms. Garcia added that the shift to a virtual format for the annual travel fair was driven by changes in travel trends brought about by the pandemic.
“I think this holds for everybody as well, that people have become more comfortable in digital and cashless transactions,” she said. “Of course, we want to encourage a lot of Filipinos to book online at their convenience.”
Despite transitioning to an online travel fair, the market segment of the airline remains mixed.
“We do have travelers who have been frequent fliers of Singapore Airlines and those who are younger who used to aspire to flying with us, are now flying with us, so it really is a mix,” Ms. Garcia said.
She also noted that passengers who want “additional convenience” for holiday planning can book flights through travel agencies.
To further meet the demands of the Philippine market, the carrier in August added a fifth daily service (SQ913 and SQ914), increasing seat capacity by 27%. This marks SIA’s first expansion of flight services in the country since July 2009.
“Definitely, we are very optimistic in terms of the growth, especially with the capacity increase of SQ913 and SQ914,” Ms. Garcia said.
“With the additional service of SQ-913 and SQ-914, that already gives a very positive testament that there is demand and we are meeting that demand with capacity,” she added.
SIA, together with low-cost subsidiary Scoot, currently operates 86 weekly flights to and from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Clark. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
