Singapore Airlines keeping mum about its new low-cost carrier
Singapore Airlines' new low-cost subsidiary is taking to the skies at the right timeWhat's in a name?
Plenty, according to Singapore Airlines (SIA), who are keeping quiet till November 1 over the name and routes planned for its new low-cost carrier.
Previous reports have picked oh-so-cute "Scoot Airlines" as the new carrier's name.
The domain name scootairlines.com was registered in Singapore by SIA's advertising agency TBWA in late June.
- More on CNNGo: SIA's Scoot Airlines set to launch in April 2012
Scheduled to start operating in April 2012, the carrier is tipped to fly to Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe using Boeing 777-200s, but no destinations have been confirmed.
SIA won't be the only carrier tackling the competitive low-cost carrier market next year.
Thai Airways' Thai Smile Air begin operations by mid-2012 with 11 new aircraft, four of which will be 174-seat Airbus A320s. The new airline is positioned as a regional carrier, and will offer business and economy class services.
SIA is no newbie to the budget market as the largest shareholder of budget carrier Tiger Airways.
And the timing could not be better. According to The Straits Times, traffic related to low-cost carriers grew 26 percent in the first nine months of 2011, as compared to the same period the year before.
Changi Airport handled 3.82 million passengers in September 2011 and a total of 34.2 million people passed through its gates in the first nine months of 2011.
