The skies over Southeast Asia are about to get a whole lot busier with the launch of a number of regional low-cost carriers.
Everyone’s favorite Air Asia will stop services from Chiang Mai to Singapore starting May 22 and a new player to the game, Scoot, will instate a Singapore-Bangkok route starting in July. Scoot is the budget operator for world-renowned Singapore Airlines. Thai Airways, another award winning international carrier, will launch its Thai Smile sub-brand that opens with a July 2012 route to Macau.
What does this mean for us? More competition between regional carriers, which ultimately leads to cheaper flights. There are concerns that Scoot airlines will take away business from Singapore Airlines according to Today, but judging by the steady business-oriented customer base of Singapore Airlines, we’re pretty sure they aren’t shooting themselves in the foot by offering a more budget-friendly option. Scoot will most likely attract the same demographic of travelers as Air Asia, which is usually a youthful crowd. Air Asia operates a fleet of Airbus 320s, and with Scoot planning to use the Boeing 777 wide-bodied fleet, the cost per seat/kilometer could potentially be lower than Air Asia. This means newer aircraft at a more affordable price.
Kudos, Singapore Airlines.
