From late May 2025, Singapore Airlines will launch a fifth weekly non-stop flight to Seattle, hiking capacity by 25% and finally fulfilling a long-awaited pre-COVID plan.
You have to cast your mind back over six years to recall the November 2018 announcement that Singapore Airlines was launching non-stop flights between Changi and “tech town” Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
The route officially debuted in September 2019 with three weekly (then four weekly flights) using Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft, recording such impressive load factors that the airline quickly moved to increase its frequency to five times weekly from March 2020.
Unfortunately, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic cut those plans short, forcing the route’s complete suspension just six months after its launch, which at the time made it SIA’s shortest-lived passenger route ever (previous record holder Las Vegas had lasted eight months).
Fast forward to today, and Seattle is firmly back on Singapore Airlines’ network, with the carrier finally set to fulfil its long-awaited plan to operate five weekly non-stop flights from 2025 – over five years later than originally envisioned.
SIA’s Seattle route timeline
Here’s a recap of Seattle’s timeline on the Singapore Airlines network.
November 2018
- Singapore Airlines announces plans to launch non-stop flights between Singapore and Seattle.
September 2019
- The route begins with three weekly non-stop flights using Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft, quickly increasing to four times weekly operation a month later, achieving strong load factors in excess of 95% in some months.
Late 2019
- Singapore Airlines adds a fifth weekly non-stop Seattle flight to its schedule, operating every Monday from March 2020.
March 2020
- Service is completely suspended as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts global travel, making Seattle the airline’s shortest-lived passenger route ever at the time.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks)
2nd December 2021
- Flights resume as part of a Singapore – Vancouver – Seattle – Vancouver – Singapore routing, operating four times weekly, leveraging the newly launched Vancouver route, which was reinstated by SIA after an absence of over 12 years.
2nd June 2022
- Seattle flights are quickly de-linked from Vancouver, resuming as dedicated non-stop Singapore – Seattle – Singapore services, operating three times weekly.
2nd June 2024
- Seattle frequency is hiked to four times weekly. Vancouver flights had been abandoned seven months earlier.
30th May 2025
- Seattle service increases to five weekly flights, fulfilling SIA’s original plan from March 2020.
The schedule
Here’s how SIA’s current Seattle flight schedule looks.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Seattle
Now – 29th March 2025
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
SQ28 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SIN 09:00 |
SEA 08:10 |
||||||||
| Duration: 14:10 | |||||||||
|
SQ27 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SEA 09:40 |
SIN 17:40* |
||||||||
| Duration: 17:00 | |||||||||
* Next day
Some slight timing changes then take effect at the start of the northern summer scheduling season on 30th March 2025, with four weekly services retained.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Seattle
30th March 2025 – 29th May 2025
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ28 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SIN 09:00 |
SEA 08:45 |
||||||||
| Duration: 14:45 | |||||||||
|
SQ27 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SEA 10:15 |
SIN 17:35* |
||||||||
| Duration: 16:20 | |||||||||
* Next day
From 30th May 2025, the service increase to five times weekly takes effect, with additional Friday operation highlighted.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Seattle
From 30th May 2025
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ28 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SIN 09:00 |
SEA 08:45 |
||||||||
| Duration: 14:45 | |||||||||
|
SQ27 A350 LH |
||||||||
| SEA 10:15 |
SIN 17:35* |
||||||||
| Duration: 16:20 | |||||||||
* Next day
= Additional flight
Note that this is not the same as SIA’s originally proposed increase to five times weekly operation on the route back in March 2020, which saw additional service on Mondays, instead of Fridays.
All flights on this route will continue to use SIA’s 253-seat three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft, configured as follows:
- 42 Business Class (2013 J)
- 24 Premium Economy Class (2013 PY)
- 187 Economy Class (2013 Y / 2017 Y)
(Photo: MainlyMiles)
Singapore Airlines tends to prioritise its A350 Long Haul+ sub-variant on Seattle flights, since they have longer range than older aircraft in the fleet. These benefit from the latest 2017 Economy Class seats, rather than the older 2013 version seen on the carrier’s other A350 aircraft.
Overall, Singapore Airlines will operate 57 flights per week to and from the USA once this frequency increase for the Seattle route comes into effect, based on June 2025 schedules.
- Los Angeles: 17/wk
- New York: 14/wk
- Newark: 7/wk
- San Francisco: 14/wk
- Seattle: 5/wk
However, this is less than the 61 U.S. flights per week the airline is currently operating, because services to Houston will be axed from late March 2025.
(Photo: Singapore Airlines)
SIA’s Seattle flights are busy
Before the pandemic, Seattle was proving to be a big hit for Singapore Airlines with four times weekly flights recording up to 90% load factors.
Singapore Airlines
Seattle Route Performance
(Sep 2019 – Mar 2020)
| Month |  Passenger Load Factor |
|
| Singapore Seattle |
Seattle Singapore |
|
| Sep ’19 | 93.4% | 83.1% |
| Oct ’19 | 87.3% | 90.2% |
| Nov ’19 | 88.1% | 86.6% |
| Dec ’19 | 89.3% | 90.3% |
| Jan ’20 | 95.3% | 87.1% |
| — COVID-19 impacts global travel — | ||
| Feb ’20 | 83.1% | 65.0% |
| Mar ’20 | 64.8% | 43.6% |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
COVID-19 put a stop to that early success of course, as the figures reflect from February 2020 onwards, but the airline must have been buoyed by the demand it was seeing to and from the U.S. “tech town”.
Seattle had already witnessed significant non-stop international flight expansion from other Asian carriers like ANA and Cathay Pacific in recent years, before the pandemic hit.
How has the performance been more recently? Well looking at the first 10 months of 2024, it’s certainly positive.
Singapore Airlines
Seattle Route Performance
(Jan 2024 – Oct 2024)
| Month | Passenger Load Factor |
|
| Singapore Seattle |
Seattle Singapore |
|
| Jan ’24 | 91.1% | 85.2% |
| Feb ’24 | 90.4% | 86.4% |
| Mar ’24 | 94.8% | 86.4% |
| Apr ’24 | 96.7% | 87.4% |
| May ’24 | 94.1% | 91.6% |
| Jun ’24 | 94.0% | 99.5% |
| Jul ’24 | 96.2% | 92.8% |
| Aug ’24 | 95.2% | 87.4% |
| Sep ’24 | 95.0% | 88.6% |
| Oct ’24 | 92.1% | 90.2% |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
SIA is no doubt pleased with Seattle’s route performance, which has seen load factors over over 95% some months, hence the introduction of a fifth weekly connection later this year, which will increase seat capacity by 25% from 2,024 per week to 2,530 per week.
Cathay Pacific notably launched four weekly Hong Kong – Seattle flights in 2019, but has yet to resume the route post-pandemic. This delay potentially presents Singapore Airlines with an opportunity to capitalise on the reduced capacity between the Pacific Northwest and Asia caused by its Oneworld competitor’s prolonged absence.
Singapore Airlines also codeshares on a variety of flights operated by Seattle-based Alaska Airlines across the USA and Mexico, allowing connectivity to several destinations it does not serve directly.
KrisFlyer awards
These are the one-way KrisFlyer miles redemption rates for flights between Singapore and Seattle on these SIA flights.
| KrisFlyer Redemption (one-way) Singapore ⇄ Seattle |
||
| Saver | Advantage | |
| Economy | 42,000 | 70,000 |
| Premium Economy | 75,000 | n/a |
| Business | 107,000 | 128,500 |
Taxes and fees of around S$90 are payable in the Singapore – Seattle direction on top of your KrisFlyer miles, though only around S$8 is charged in the Seattle – Singapore direction.
If you intend to book a firm ticket in an eligible booking class, here’s how many miles it will then cost you to upgrade one-way on the Seattle route, assuming saver upgrade award availability in your proposed cabin class.
| Upgrade using KrisFlyer miles Singapore ⇄ Seattle |
||
| Upgrading to → |  Premium |
 Business |
| Existing booking ↓ | ||
| Economy Standard (Class: M, H, W) |
50,500 | 90,000 |
| Economy Flexi (Class: Y, B, E) |
33,500 | 71,500 |
| Premium Economy Standard (Class: P, L) |
→ | 64,500 |
| Premium Economy Flexi (Class: S, T) |
→ | 50,500 |
Seattle has occasionally featured in recent monthly KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes deals, with Economy Class award tickets priced at 29,400 miles (a 30% discount off the usual saver rate). With the increased flights in 2025, here’s hoping the city makes more frequent appearances in these offers.
Singapore Airlines is hiking its Seattle schedule Seattle from late May this year, with a capacity boost of 25% from a fifth weekly non-stop flight, fulfilling a pre-COVID plan delayed by several years by the pandemic.
With impressive passenger demand and consistently high load factors, the route continues to demonstrate strong potential and we wouldn’t be surprised to see further increases in future, particularly as competitors like Cathay Pacific continue to delay their return to Seattle.
(Cover Photo: Stephen Plopper)
Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of Singapore, has announced that it will be expanding its service to Seattle with the addition of a fifth weekly flight. This move comes in response to the increasing demand for travel between Singapore and Seattle, as well as the growing popularity of the airline’s premium services.
The new flight will operate on Wednesdays, adding to the existing four weekly flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This additional frequency will provide more flexibility for travelers looking to fly between the two destinations, as well as offer more options for connecting flights to other destinations in Asia and beyond.
Singapore Airlines is known for its exceptional service, comfortable cabins, and top-notch amenities, making it a popular choice for travelers looking for a luxurious and seamless travel experience. With the expansion of its Seattle service, the airline is further solidifying its commitment to providing world-class service to its customers.
Travelers can now book their flights on the new Wednesday service and experience the renowned hospitality of Singapore Airlines on their journey to and from Seattle. Whether traveling for business or leisure, Singapore Airlines continues to be a top choice for discerning travelers seeking a premium travel experience.
Tags:
- Singapore Airlines
- Seattle service
- Expands
- 5th weekly flight
- Flight schedule
- Airline news
- Travel updates
- Seattle route
- International flights
- Passenger experience
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