Demand has been overwhelming for behind-the-scenes tours of the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Training Centre after bookings opened on Sunday morning, said the national carrier.
More than 6,800 bookings were received and registrations were closed after nine hours owing to high demand, SIA said on Sunday evening.
Bookings opened at 10am that day and closed at 7pm. Up to five people could be registered under one booking.
Those who have secured a slot for the Inside Singapore Airlines tours will be able to tour the training facility in Upper Changi on one of four days over the last two weekends of this month. There is a maximum capacity of 500 customers on each day.
Announced on Sept 29, the tours are part of a trio of initiatives launched by SIA to engage its customers even as the Covid-19 pandemic has sharply reduced the number of flights that the national carrier can operate.
The other two initiatives involve letting customers dine in an SIA A-380 plane at Changi Airport and delivering first-or business-class meals to customers' homes.
SIA said on Sunday that add-on experiences for the Inside Singapore Airlines tours also received a huge response and were oversubscribed.
These include a flight simulator experience with very limited slots for each day, tasting sessions for SIA's wine selection, grooming workshops on how to get the Singapore Girl look, and experiences for children to learn what it is like to be a pilot or a crew member in an A-380 business-class cabin.
The Inside Singapore Airlines tours cost $15 for children aged between three and 12, and $30 for adults, excluding goods and services tax.
The add-on experiences, excluding GST, range from $38 for the wine appreciation session for one person, to $500 for a flight simulator experience for up to three people per booking.
Customers who successfully booked slots for the tours and add-ons will receive an e-mail within three working days. They must then submit their payment within 48 hours to confirm their bookings.
All tours and add-on options will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and confirmed on payment.
"SIA is grateful for the extremely strong support from our customers, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Inside Singapore Airlines experience," said the airline.
