ABOUT THIS COMPANY

ABOUT THIS COMPANY

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the national airline of Singapore, and it consistently ranks as one of the world's top airlines. The company is majority owned by Singaporean government-run investment firm Temasek Holdings, which holds over 54 percent of the airline. A who's-who of financial firms holds interests in the rest, including DBS (at about 19 percent, counting its stake through subsidiaries), Citibank, HSBC, United Overseas Bank (UOB), Raffles, and Morgan Stanley Asia.

While there are larger airlines, Singapore Airlines has remained one of the most profitable in Asia. The airline company operates a regional airline (wholly owned subsidiary SilkAir) and also operates through a number of travel-related subsidiaries. These include tour operator Tradewinds Tour and Travel, engineering services firm SIA Engineering, cargo carrier SIA Cargo, and ground-handling firm SATS. In addition, Singapore Airlines is a major stakeholder in U.K.-based carrier Virgin Atlantic and Singaporean budget airline Tiger Airways, with a 49 percent stake in each.

Flying to 103 destinations in 41 countries, Singapore Airlines is highly regarded by both passengers and the industry. The airline cleaned up at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2008, taking home the prestigious Airline of the Year award (as voted by passengers), as well as Best Business Class, Best Airline Asia, and Best Airline South East Asia. Singapore Airlines ranked No. 21 on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list.

What's in a name?

The national airline of Singapore may have taken off in 1947, but owing to historical reasons, it didn't take on its current name until 1972. Back in 1947, it was known as Malayan Airways -- named after the Malayan Union of states, including Singapore. The airline flew domestically to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Penang. As the years went by, Malayan Airways acquired more planes and expanded their destination routes.

The Federation of Malaysia was established in 1963, and the airline changed its name to Malaysian Airways. Following Singapore's break from the Federation of Malaysia, the name changed again in 1966 to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. In 1972, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines split in two, forming today's Singapore Airlines.

One of the first airlines to offer complimentary drinks and headsets, Singapore Airlines has been leading the way in a number of flight trends that most passengers take for granted nowadays. In the 1980s, Singapore Airlines became the first airline in the world to operate an international commercial flight across the Pacific Ocean. The 1990s brought the world's first airphone service with the KrisFone. In 2004, the airline set distance records with a nonstop Singapore to Los Angeles flight, and later that year, broke its own record with a nonstop flight between Singapore and New York City.

One jumbo step for jets

First to use the world's largest passenger plane, Singapore Airlines debuted the Airbus A380 in October 2007. Its inaugural flight, SQ380, carried 455 passengers from Singapore to Sydney. Tickets were sold on eBay, with the largest bid coming in at over US$100,000 for one first-suite-class ticket. The global auction raised US$1.3 million for charity and earned Singapore Airlines priceless publicity. Routes for the A380 have now expanded to London and Tokyo, and plans are in the works to add more destinations. In February 2009, Singapore Airlines celebrated a milestone as its millionth customer boarded the A380, a mere 16 months after its inaugural flight.

The A380 has the widest cabin in the world, enough to fit four aisles and twin decks. Due to its giant size, the plane has been nicknamed "Superjumbo." However, the plane uses 20 percent less fuel than Boeing 747s on a seat-to-mile basis. It also boasts the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per customer compared to any other plane, provided it flies at full capacity.

One of the A380's perks as the world's biggest airplane is that there is enough room for a new class of luxury. One level higher than first class, those who can pay for "suite class" can enjoy a hotel-like compartment with walls and a door. The "room" comes complete with a leather armchair, queen-sized bed and LCD television.