SIA suspending New York route via Frankfurt from March to April

Singapore

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) will be reducing flight capacity on selected routes to and from the United States, the national carrier announced in a Facebook post on Friday evening.

The two flights affected are the outgoing and incoming flights between Singapore and New York with a stopover in Frankfurt. They will be cancelled from March to April, as well as on some days in May.

The airline group also operates direct flights between Singapore and New York.

The cancellations come as SIA evaluates the impact of the US travel ban on its operations. The US announced on Thursday that it will halt travel from Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom, for 30 days.

The flight cuts add to the latest reduction in flight capacity, which will temporarily remove 15.6 per cent of capacity from SIA's network. This affects flight destinations to Rome and China, with most lasting until May, while some flights to Christchurch and San Francisco will be affected in June as well.

As a result of the recent flight cancellations and the travel restrictions imposed by various countries, SIA's ticket offices and customer service agents are "experiencing extremely high volumes of queries and requests", the national carrier told The Business Times.

In response to BT's query on how it is managing the situation, an SIA spokesman said that it seeks "customers' understanding that it may take much longer than usual" for its agents to respond.

Customers affected by the cancellations will be re-accomodated on other flights and they will be notified via phone or e-mail, according to the spokesman. Those who have booked their tickets through travel agencies are also advised to contact their agents for assistance.

SIA shares shed 14 cents to close at S$7.20 on Friday.

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