Goodbye SilkAir, Hello Singapore Airlines – Carriers Merge Into One Airline Today!

Today on January 28, 2021 SIA subsidiary SilkAir will cease to exist and will now operate under Singapore Airlines as one airline.

SilkAir has operated as a regional carrier for Singapore Airlines over decades and was often a bit complicated as it wasn’t a Star Alliance carrier and didn’t confer any benefits for of their elite tiers.

The merger of the two carriers into one airline was already planned for quite some time and helps to streamline the entire operation.

In their email today Singapore Airlines wrote to their KrisFlyer members:

For more than 30 years, SilkAir has been the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, flying to cover 40 destinations in Asia Pacific, often chosen for its service reliability and its promise to make every journey a joy to fly.

From 28 January 2021, SilkAir will start its integration into Singapore Airlines – part of a planned merger announced in 2018. You can now enjoy a world class experience, no matter how short your journey.

SilkAir’s aircraft will progressively join the Singapore Airlines fleet with a freshly painted livery, newly upholstered seats and served by Singapore Airlines cabin crew.

You can look forward to delicious in-flight meals created by Singapore Airlines team of chefs, which feature a great variety of dishes on rotation. Our Book the Cook service is also available on selected flights when travelling on Business Class.

I’ve only taken SilkAir maybe a handful of times in the last 20 years. My most recent experience was in October of 2019 where I had a connection flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on my Lufthansa ticket to connect to their Frankfurt-bound flight.

The ground handling in KL (just like previously in Shenzhen and Bali) was a disaster and of course despite the connection being in Business Class and me being Star Gold there was no lounge access. Thankfully I have Priority Pass but this whole situation will from now on be a thing of the past.

For over 30 years, SilkAir has made every journey a joy to fly.

As SilkAir continues its journey as Singapore Airlines, you can be assured of world-class service no matter how short your journey. pic.twitter.com/czayplQZqN

— Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) January 28, 2021

The only Elite Members who were able to receive priority treatment on SilkAir flights were Krisflyer Gold/PPS/Solitaire members.

Conclusion

SilkAir and Singapore Airlines are finally one item. This is a much better solution because finally Star Alliance elite members can receive the same benefits as if they’d fly on Singapore Airlines and other full member carriers.

It also helps SIA to streamline their operations and have one corporate identity rather than SilkAir being the red-headed stepchild of the company.