I remember availing myself of the Singapore Airlines direct Canberra – Changi flight in August 2017. No stop-over in Sydney or anything like that – a genuine “direct” flight. Really, really convenient. It departed at 11.30pm and I think we touched down in Changi about 6.30am. My travel agent organised a surprise gift for me on arrival. I spotted one of those people who hold up a sign with your name on it, as I came down the escalator. “Yes, I’m Tony Magee”, I said. “What’s all this about?” “Good morning Mr Magee, I have a Mercedes limousine waiting for you outside to take you to your hotel.” said the man. Very nice indeed! My Singapore stopover was just two days, which I enjoyed, but my real destination was the Chopin Music Festival in Warsaw, which was just fantastic. I hope Qantas come to the party with this new Canberra – Singapore proposal and that customers avail themselves of the service in large quantities to make it viable for them. Certainly, Singapore is a fantastic gateway to hundreds of destinations around the world and a great stop-over city for a day or two, as I found out.