Singapore Airlines takes the ‘kiddie party’ to the skies

Always at the forefront of innovations, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is introducing its latest inflight entertainment tailor-made for its young travelers. SIA assures that young passengers will be treated to a “kiddie party” every time they are onboard, complete with food, games and toys.

SIA serves up its young passengers with their favorite meals even when miles away from home with "Yummy!", the Airline’s new Book-The-Cook service for children.

"Yummy!" allows young passengers in First and Raffles class to pre-order their meals up to 24 hours before flight departure. The menu boasts of a selection of 12 tasty, yet healthy dishes, including Sausages and Pancakes, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Seafood Fried Rice.

The "Yummy!" menu was specially developed following an extensive customer research and feedback survey, during which children of varying ages were invited to sample a variety of dishes and to pick what they liked best. This allowed SIA to prepare a menu that would keep both children and their parents happy.

Young passengers from Manila, Cebu and Davao can place their orders online at www.singaporeair.com (for tickets booked online) or by telephone or fax. The service is available to passengers traveling on flights from Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Newark, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

Nickelodeon, the leading entertainment brand dedicated to kids, will also introduce SpongeBob SquarePants inflight toys onboard all SIA flights (except the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route). Young travelers aged 12 and below will be treated to one of the seven exclusively created SpongeBob SquarePants premiums to keep them busy throughout the journey.

What’s more, the much-anticipated SpongeBob SquarePants Movie will keep kids entertained throughout the flight on SIA’s award-winning inflight system, KrisWorld.

"Providing inflight toys is a first-ever for Nickelodeon and SpongeBob SquarePants and we’re excited to be partnering with one of the world’s best airlines," said Indra Suharjono, vice president, Consumer Products of MTV Networks Asia.

"Our partnership with Singapore Airlines is significant and we look forward to partnering with SIA on this exciting initiative. Given the opportunity of SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends, we are certain that the inflight toys will bring much fun to children of all ages (even adults) especially on the long-haul flights. We are confident that this partnership will prove to be most rewarding," she added.

Created by Stephen Hillenburg, the television series, SpongeBob SquarePants, features the adventures of an earnest and happy-go-lucky sea sponge. Since its premiere in 1999, it has become one of the most-watched TV programs among kids and adults around the world, the number one rated kids’ television show in the US and one of the top five kids programs in Asia Pacific.

Other amenities that will keep young passengers entertained while their parents relax are 48 interactive games to choose from, 36 Nintendo and 12 PC games.

Also available in every seat and every class of KrisWorld are movies such as "The Incredibles" and "Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events"; a wide selection of popular TV kiddie favorites like "HI-5", "Johnny Bravo" and "Samurai Jack"; tunes from popular cartoons like "Little Mermaid" and "Elmo and Friends"; plus storytelling recordings of "Cinderella", "Little Mermaid" and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". Parents may also request a "restricted viewing" option for their kid’s KrisWorld.

Meanwhile, SIA will be the first airline in the world to operate the impressive double-decker Airbus A380 aircraft which will be joining the fleet in 2006. To herald its arrival, it recently launched a new logo with the taglines, "First to Fly the Singapore Airlines A380" and "Experience the Difference in 2006". The logo reflects the most outstanding feature of Airbus, that is, its twin rows of windows and underlines SIA’s commitment to remain the most innovative and service-oriented company in the air travel industry.

The SIA route currently covers 60 destinations in 32 countries around the world with 87 aircraft.