SIA cuts 4 single-class flights

SINGAPORE Airlines' non-stop, business-class- only flights to the United States have become the latest casualties of a global downturn in travel.

A drop-off in passengers has prompted the carrier to axe four of the 14 such services it offers to Los Angeles and New York weekly.

From Feb 17 to March 25, there will be no flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. What happens after will be subject to review, the airline told The Straits Times.

According to some travellers, the 100-seat Airbus 340-500s used on the routes were flying with over 70 per cent of their seats empty on some days.

Details of the Singapore-US flight cuts come more than a week after it was revealed that SIA is cutting 214 other flights, mainly regional services, until the end of March. This follows a marked downturn in global travel sparked by the financial crisis.

According to the latest data compiled by the International Air Transport Association (Iata), demand for first- and business-class seats fell 12 per cent last November, compared with the same month in 2007. Overall demand fell 5 per cent during the same time.