How did Singapore Airlines become one of the best airlines in the world?

According to their competitors they did it by being a de-facto governmental entity who can borrow at sovereign level interest rates.

I think that that excuse is way off. The same could be said for Alitalia, British Airways, and many more national flag carriers which are atrocious. There are several much better explanations, each of which is a part of the answer.

• No captive customer base: unlike in the US where customers are in a sense locked in to a single airline because of the hub and spoke system and the European system which was very heavy on flag carriers until recently, Singapore Airlines (SQ) has to fight tooth and nail for every customer.
• Its ‘cool’ to be a ‘Singapore Girl’: by ensuring that a large number of their female cabin crew satisfy certain standards of physical appearance and mannerisms (made easier by the non-existent workplace equality laws in Singapore), SQ maintains a level of prestige which leads its cabin crew to be much happier to work there than other airlines.
• Service levels are highly systematized: SQ tells their male and female cabin crew and airport staff how to cut their hair, what color makeup to wear, how many teeth to show in a smile, when not to smile (hint: never), how to make even the plebians in economy feel like they are getting great personal service etc. Most western firms could never get away with this but it creates a far better flight experience.
• Happy customers pay more: all of the points mentioned above lead to a better experience and people pay for it. Most people I know in Singapore (local and expat) are generally willing to pay a 50% premium to fly SQ on a long flight over another airline.
• Cheap labor, no unions: SQ doesn’t have pricey unions to deal with. There is a huge supply of semi-skilled manual labor in Singapore and SE Asia that allows them to operate with far lower labor costs.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has maintained its rank among the top 5 airlines not without good reason.

Most airlines management despite being aware that their airlines are deplorable, know people look more at the price than the experience. I know an airline executive who avoids traveling on aircrafts run by the company he works for. They attempt to keep the prices attractive. Singapore Airlines does not do that.

On a recent Emirates Airline flight in the JFK-DXB sector, a flight attendant kept getting rude with passengers in economy, particularly with a middle aged couple carrying a baby. I am the sort of traveller who buries his head in a book or computer soon after take-off. Despite the way I cut off using noise cancellation gadgetry and stuff that I come prepared with, her misbehavior disrupted not just me but the entire section of the aircraft I was in. She upset them so much, they had to report it to the lead attendant, who eventually signalled her junior to back off. It was evident, the attendant in question did not like passengers. That might never happen on an airline like Singapore.

Singapore Airlines in my opinion, is one among the best for:

1. Safety record
2. Sense of reliability they have managed to instill in the minds of passengers with standards in safety, promptness, service quality and efficiency.
3. Customer interaction - on board and ground, air crew display a willingness to serve passengers and be like one among them, unlike most commercial airline crew. They radiate genuineness, warmth and enthusiasm in their work. Over the years, I have observed them work towards making the journey memorable for the passengers in a good way (unlike the eastern European Emirates attendant mentioned earlier.)
4. Value for money for the whole package - on ground and on board. They throw in several products and services to the package at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).
5. Good selection and quality of food and beverages.
6. Inflight entertainment that’s one among the best.
7. Well kept aircrafts that are comfortable to fly in.
8. Very good coach class. Industry leading first and business class.

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