Singapore Airlines will soon be cutting one of its fifth freedom flights to the United States, which is a shame. I can’t say I’m that surprised, though, since this route has seemed questionable.
Singapore Airlines suspends Houston fifth freedom flights
Since 2016, Singapore Airlines has been operating a route from Singapore (SIN) to Manchester (MAN) to Houston (IAH). Currently, the route operates 5x weekly with an Airbus A350-900, with the following schedule:
SQ52 Singapore to Manchester departing 2:25AM arriving 9:10AM
SQ52 Manchester to Houston departing 10:40AM arriving 2:30PM
SQ51 Houston to Manchester departing 6:45PM arriving 9:40AM (+1 day)
SQ51 Manchester to Singapore departing 11:15AM arriving 7:40AM (+1 day)
This route has operated both to serve the market between Singapore and Houston, and also as a fifth freedom flight, allowing passengers to travel exclusively between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately the sector between Manchester and Houston will be suspended as of April 1, 2025. While it’s not being marketed as a permanent cut, there’s no indication of if or when the route will return. The route between Singapore and Manchester will continue to operate as before.
With this update, Singapore Airlines will go from having three fifth freedom flights to the United States, to only having two. The airline will continue to fly between New York (JFK) and Frankfurt (FRA), as well as between Los Angeles (LAX) and Tokyo (NRT). This complements the carrier’s nonstop service between the United States and Singapore.
Is this Singapore Airlines route cut surprising?
Singapore Airlines is a conservative airline when it comes to growth, and it tends to only stay in markets where it’s succeeding. That being said, I’ve long found this route to Houston to be questionable, and am not surprised to see it cut.
For some context, prior to 2016, Singapore Airlines’ service between Singapore and Houston was operated via Moscow (DME). That route seemed logical enough, given that Houston and Moscow are cities that have a connection in terms of oil and energy. However, as the economy in Moscow got worse, Singapore Airlines decided to reroute the service via Manchester.
That seemed quite random, frankly, and even more so when you consider how Singapore Airlines has increased its nonstop service between the United States and Singapore. There are two main reasons I’m not surprised to see this route being cut:
- For those traveling between Houston and Singapore, the travel time from Houston to Singapore is comparable via Los Angeles or San Francisco (compared to via Manchester)
- I can’t imagine the Houston to Manchester market is that huge, especially on a year-round basis; if it had significant demand, you’d think it’s a route that United would operate, and United has a huge advantage, given its transatlantic joint venture and loyal customer base in the area
So my assumption has been that the route is just performing okay(ish), with a moderate amount of demand between Houston and Manchester, plus substantial demand between Houston and Singapore. Furthermore, obviously Singapore Airlines is committed to the Manchester to Singapore market.
I think the only thing that really surprises me here is that Singapore Airlines is waiting until after the winter season to cut this service. You’d think that this is a route that would be cut ahead of the winter season, when demand between Houston and Manchester is especially weak.
Bottom line
As of April 2025, Singapore Airlines is discontinuing its route between Manchester and Houston. The route has been operated since 2016, and replaced the route between Moscow and Houston. Singapore Airlines will maintain service between Singapore and Manchester, so clearly it was just the fifth freedom route that was performing poorly.
What do you make of Singapore Airlines cutting its Houston route?
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