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Paul Faith/PA Wire

Long-haul budget airline 'to lower fares by using iPads'

Singapore Airline’s new ‘Scoot’ off-shoot says iPads are much lighter than traditional in-flight TVs, and therefore save fuel.

SINGAPORE’S NEW long-haul budget carrier Scoot has taken off for the first time, using a novel way of saving fuel – by replacing its in-built TVs with iPads.

The airline set off on its maiden voyage to Sydney from the city-state yesterday, as part of its parent Singapore Airlines (SIA) bid to tap Asia’s growing demand for no-frills travel while battling surging fuel costs.

Business class passengers were handed iPads pre-loaded with movies, TV shows and games, while those in economy were given the option of paying Sg$22 (€13.70) to use the tablet computers.

“One of the reasons for using iPads for in-flight entertainment is that they are lighter than the traditional inflight entertainment systems and hence saves on fuel,” a spokesperson told AFP.

Fuel is one of the biggest expenses for the airline industry and carriers including SIA and Dubai’s Emirates have blamed rising oil prices as a major factor for slumping profits.

SIA launched Scoot in November 2011 as a budget alternative to regular airlines offering fares that would be up to 40 per cent cheaper.

A day after the maiden flight Scoot said it would expand its network, with two new daily flights to Tokyo and Taipei, which are scheduled to start from the third quarter.

It has a fleet of four Boeing B777-200 aircraft and currently offers flights from Singapore to Australia’s Gold Coast, Sydney, Bangkok and China’s Tianjin city.

- © AFP, 2012

Read: 12 things you never knew you could do with your iPad

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15 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute conor hickey
    Favourite conor hickey
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    Jun 5th 2012, 9:41 AM

    Most passengers have their own iPad as hand luggage anyway.

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Abi Dennis
    Favourite Abi Dennis
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:04 AM

    own ipads?? i cant even afford to replace my old laptop! not everybody owns (or is that pushed) ipads

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patrick Moran
    Favourite Patrick Moran
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    Jun 5th 2012, 8:55 AM

    How heavy can an in-flight entertainment system be ? Is it made of lead or something ?!

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Culligan
    Favourite Jason Culligan
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    Jun 5th 2012, 9:10 AM

    TV system, mounting brackets, miles of cables filled with copper and computer control systems. Not quite made of lead but still a significant portion of an aircrafts overall weight.

    127
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DisgruntledCitizen
    Favourite DisgruntledCitizen
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    Jun 5th 2012, 10:16 AM

    several tonnes actually and also far more expensive to maintain and repair than ipads or other tablet devices

    57
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Twomey
    Favourite Michael Twomey
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    Jun 5th 2012, 10:48 AM

    IFE on aircraft is very heavy system and its expensive to maintain as there is always snags,weight is everything,most newer aircraft even have flight crew manuals in electronic form instead of the heavy bags full of manuals

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Adrian de Cleir
    Favourite Adrian de Cleir
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:22 AM

    Awwwkwaft?

    8
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    Mute Michael Twomey
    Favourite Michael Twomey
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:32 AM

    haha hi Adrian,vewy low woltage!!!

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andrew Telford
    Favourite Andrew Telford
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    Jun 5th 2012, 10:10 AM

    Alaska airlines was the first airline to introduce inflight entertainment with digiplayers (primitive iPads) and still do today, every lb counts for fuel the glass wear in first class, the inflight magazine in every pocket airlines are trimming weight where ever they can

    16
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    Mute Patrick Moran
    Favourite Patrick Moran
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    Jun 5th 2012, 10:56 AM

    I stand corrected.

    11
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    Mute Karl Doyle
    Favourite Karl Doyle
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    Jun 5th 2012, 1:29 PM

    Or alternatively(even better) give them a 7″ Chinese tablet saving even more money and fuel plus if some jackass decides to rob it then it won’t put as big a hole in the airlines budget.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Damien Kelly
    Favourite Damien Kelly
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:30 AM

    Singapore to Sydney on a budget carrier – ouch!

    10
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    Mute Tony Stanley
    Favourite Tony Stanley
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:45 AM

    It’s only an 8hour flight! Now it’ll be painful if they start doing tickets from say London to Sydney via Singapore. But hey, if it’s cheap people will use them!

    8
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    Mute Tony Stanley
    Favourite Tony Stanley
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    Jun 5th 2012, 11:47 AM

    The crowd I work for has been usual g iPads in first and premium cabins in certain aircraft and routes for a couple of years now and senior crew members are issued with them for “customer service enhancement”! Handy piece of kit but I’m sure they are still pricey enough and when Apple seem to upgrade to a new product every year how long before the older ones are considered archaic!

    7
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    Mute Economicopoly
    Favourite Economicopoly
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    Jun 5th 2012, 1:10 PM

    It’s far more efficient, hand them out and fit a bracket to the seat that people can slot them into for viewing. The older IFE systems are bulky and often faulty, purchase, installation, maintenance costs and the weight issue suggest the handout model is the way to go, next up will be purchasing content on the flight direct maybe.

    4
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