Singapore Airlines versus Qatar Airways: For travellers, it boils down to price, comfort and service

In response to a commentary on Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) loss of the top spot in the 2019 Skytrax World Airline Awards to Qatar Airways, TODAY readers had mixed views on how the Republic’s national carrier can reclaim the honour.

Suggestions include reviewing its pricing, offering free Wi-Fi and improving its cabin crew members' English. Others threw their support behind the airline, saying its service remains consistently good, while some were sceptical of such rankings.

First thing to do: Match your ticket price with the world No 1. DAVID LEE HON FEN 

Well, probably, SIA needs to improve on the food, leg space and all the cabin crew must know how to speak English well. KATIJAH IBRAHIM

The staff should learn how to speak proper, understandable English. That will go a long way. Right now, it is totally unintelligible. And they can be a little more caring. But seriously, their English pronunciation is atrocious. KALYANI CHATTERJEA 

SIA is no longer “a great way to fly”. Those were the days. It is good for them to be second so that they can improve and not be complacent. DAVID HO

I have been on Qatar and Emirates. Their services are excellent. Food is good, and the flight attendants are alert and polite. Lastly, the airfares are reasonable. SIA used to be good and, if they work harder, they could retain the No 1 spot. Go get it, SIA. ROLAND C FERNANDEZ 

Qatar is very good. I have been flying with them for years. They have fantastic service with competitive pricing. Things like free Wi-Fi and good spacing. Check out their business class. It is as good as others' first class. SIA no doubt is also very good, but I think they lose out on competitive pricing. MARCUS SHAWN 

Took Air New Zealand back home last week. They are already using the digital in-flight services on the TV screen, while SIA is still using manual requests for in-flight services... not convenient and friendly. JEFFREY TAN 

SIA’s in-flight entertainment and crew are great. However, other airlines are matching them quite closely and at a lower price. SIA's loyalty programme sucks, too. Double whammy. Not surprising that SIA is ousted. TAN HENG LIANG

Honestly, these rankings matter little to the average passenger going on a holiday in economy class. The bottomline is price and, if it comes to a point where prices are equal, I'll choose Emirates or Qatar over Singapore Airlines anytime... the seating space and quality of food served are miles apart. Where SIA does well is service and timeliness, but I think many companies have already more or less caught up to a level where the margin of difference is little. SARGUNAN ILANGOVAN 

Pricing of SIA, especially for economy class, is super premium, but service quality, meals and seat spacing are third-world standard. I personally find Malaysia Airlines’ economy class value for money compared with SIA's... You pay Marina Bay Sands rate, but get the experience of normal restaurant stuff on SIA. For other airlines, you pay hawker rate and get restaurant stuff. This is why people are upset with SIA. JOSEPH LIU

Joseph Liu, I have to disagree with you on the service and meals. Based on my experience with other airlines, including Qatar, the meals provided on SIA are still the best. This is because of the choices and the amount of food they provide. They are also not stingy with the amount of drinks served… As far as my experience goes, I've yet to experience a bad SIA flight. JASLYN LIM

I have flown on SIA many times and most recently on the Singapore-Los Angeles non-stop service. SIA’s service is top notch and a class above many. Most importantly, this service quality is consistent, more consistent than any airline I have flown with. I, too, have flown on Qatar on many long sectors, and yes, service is good, but certainly nowhere as consistent as SIA's. It is for me the best of all the Middle Eastern carriers. In any case, I am highly sceptical of airline rankings published by various organisations. KOK CHWEE SIM 

SIA is still the best. I flew on Qatar Airways twice. I didn't find anything good about it. The business-class service is nothing to shout about compared with SIA's. GERARD HOOI 

The only reason SIA comes under scrutiny for minute details is because of how far we've come in the aviation industry for a little island like Singapore. Hence there’s a bar one should always adhere to. JAI KAPOR 

My own experience is that SIA is still a great way to fly. There's always room for improvement, but learning never stops. SIA is still my preferred airline. H S LI

Healthy competition is good for business. I am sure SIA will bounce back. They usually do. SANKAR KANASAN 

These comments were first posted to TODAY's Facebook page. They have been edited for clarity and length.