SINGAPORE, June 1 — The recent public backlash over the food served in Singapore Airlines’ economy class has taught the flag carrier that it should respond more swiftly to customer feedback, said its chief executive Goh Choon Phong, as he outlined strategies the airline is implementing to ensure it is still thought of as a great way to fly.
Among the new moves that SIA is making in its effort to boost service quality is to offer free unlimited Wi-Fi for all passengers from July, he added. As more flights resumed, the airline received feedback from passengers saying they would like to have the appetisers and a “fuller tray”, which eventually led to the airline reinstating the food items.
Upon reflection, Goh said, it was not only important to consider the taste and quality of the food, but also the image portrayed when using paperware during in-flight services. Goh also said that for this financial year, the budget for in-flight meals has risen by about 20 per cent compared with pre-Covid times.
The offering will be rolled out in July and requires a customer to sign up for a complimentary KrisFlyer membership and key in the account details at the point of booking or at check-in. “The way we look at costs and productivity is that we do not want to cut costs where it adversely affects our customers’ experience. That wasn’t and hasn’t been our intention,” he said.
Goh recapped how in the early stages of the pandemic, SIA had to raise fresh funds through rights issue and sale of convertible bonds. A reader recently wrote in to national broadsheet the Straits Times, saying that the national carrier should consider contributing part of its record profits back to the national reserves.