New 'home away from home' SilverKris Lounge debuts in Sydney

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has unveiled its new-concept SilverKris Lounge in Sydney, as part of a multi-million dollar investment programme to upgrade all of the Airline’s airport lounges around the world.

Designed by renowned architectural and interior design firm ONG&ONG, the new-concept SilverKris Lounge is thoughtfully designed and modelled after elements of a home, following extensive research that included focus groups with customers.

The new design concept will be progressively introduced to all of SIA's SilverKris Lounges in 15 cities over the next five years at an estimated cost of around $100 million.

Following renovation of the Sydney lounge, which has just been completed, planning work is underway to upgrade lounges at London, Hong Kong and Singapore (Terminal 3) in 2014.

Lounge customers can look forward to distinct personal spaces that provide a sense of ‘being home’, as well as more personalised services from lounge staff and a delectable selection of food and beverages to complement SIA's in-flight offerings.

"Our customers frequently tell us that they have a feeling of ‘home’ as soon as they board our aircraft, and our aim is to extend this experience to the ground. Through our new 'home away from home' concept, the intention is for our customers to experience the feeling of being taken care of at every step of their journey," said Mr Tan Pee Teck, Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Product & Services.

"Each space is thoughtfully designed to create the ambiance of ‘home’ that is familiar and comforting, adding to the warm, authentic and personalised service that Singapore Airlines is well known for."

First introduced in Sydney, the new 'home' concept SilverKris Lounge showcases SIA's unique heritage distinguished by a customised batik design screen in the welcome foyer that customers can recognise from afar.

Inside, the lounge features tastefully selected art pieces, sourced locally and from Singapore.

Customers can make use of personal spaces tailored for different needs, ranging from a living room, kitchen and dining room to intimate coves for rest and relaxation.

Specially designed productivity pods will enable customers to work in privacy and comfort before their flight, while signature SIA armchairs will be a new feature at all refurbished SilverKris Lounges.

A familiar ‘taste of Singapore’ concept will also be progressively introduced at all SilverKris Lounges, with iconic dishes from Singapore such as laksa and mee siam offered alongside delectable food choices from around the world and a wide range of premium wines and spirits.

To complete the ‘home’ experience, Passenger Relations Officers, trained to deliver the personal SIA touch, will be on hand to host each customer and assist with their travel needs.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is Australia's largest foreign carrier and operates 121 weekly services from the following cities, representing an 18% increase since 2011. The flights have been scheduled to offer seamless connectivity between Australia and the airline’s global network of 107 destinations in 39 countries:

• Sydney 4 flights daily Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300 & 777-200ER aircraft
• Melbourne 4 flights daily Airbus A380 & A330 and Boeing 777-300 & 777-300ER
• Perth 4 flights daily Airbus A330 and Boeing 777-200
• Brisbane 3 flights daily Airbus A330
• Adelaide 12 flights weekly Airbus A330
• Darwin 4 flights weekly Airbus A320/A319 (operated by SilkAir, the regional wing of SIA)

In 2013, the airline unveiled its US$150m investment in the next generation of First / Business / Economy class seats to be featured on eight new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the first of which began service in September. The seats come complete with Panasonic’s new eX3 in-flight entertainment system, of which SIA is the launch customer.

SIA has also unveiled a suite of competitive products to drive greater value for Australian customers, including S$40 vouchers for customers transiting through Changi, an expanded Singapore Stopover Holiday package, as well as regular promotional fares for customers across Australia.

The roll out of the alliance with Virgin Australia continues, with SIA codeshare to 39 domestic destinations and VA codeshare and interline to a total of 89 destinations across the SilkAir/Singapore Airlines network. The airline owns a 19.9% stake in Virgin Australia.

The Group has 197 aircraft on firm order and planned capital expenditure of S$14.25 billion over the next five years. Singapore Airlines operates a modern passenger fleet of 99 aircraft with an average age of 6 years 7 months, SilkAir operates 24 modern aircraft with an average age of 6 years 9 months and Singapore Airlines Cargo operates 9 747-400 freighter aircraft with an average age of 11 years 11 months.

www.singaporeair.com

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