Singapore Airlines began flying the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet from New York JFK on Monday, swapping it for service on its JFK-Frankfurt route that the carrier previously flew with Boeing 777s.

Singapore, of course, is renowned for its premium service - especially on the A380. In addition to the airline's well-regarded business class, Singapore's A380 are perhaps most known for the private suites it offers in its premium cabin.

To help fill its premium cabin -- where ticket prices for the suites can run into the tens of thousands of dollars -- Singapore is hoping a partnership with private aircraft operator JetSuite can expand its reach from JFK now that its A380s fly from there.

Here's how it works:

Once a passenger has a reservation on Singapore Airlines, they can call JetSuite -- which flies twin-engine four-passenger Embraer Phenom 100 jets -- to arrange his or her own private connection.

JetSuite will arrange to fly Singapore passengers from their preferred airport. They'll be flown to JFK and transferred by chauffeured car service directly to Singapore's terminal. Passengers connecting via JetSuite will have access to a preferred security line, and then can proceed to the gate as soon as they clear the checkpoint.

U.S.-bound customers holding JetSuite connections will be met as soon as they exit Customs for a limo escort to their JetSuite aircraft.

Singapore Airlines bills the partnership as a way to extend its premium service by offering "suite-to-suite" service for its top-end customers.

Singapore and JetSuite have already rolled out the program at Singapore's other U.S. gateways: Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston Bush Intercontinental.

Officials from both companies say they've been pleased by the response in those cities.

Additionally the companies have also expanded the partnership to Newark, where Singapore flies Airbus A340-500 aircraft to its Singapore hub. The addition of Newark was concurrent with Singapore's launch of A380 service from JFK.

And, as it did at Singapore's gateways in the western U.S., the partnership greatly extends Singapore's potential reach from New York, where JetSuite can "connect" passengers either to general aviation airports or to those with regularly scheduled commercial service,

"You could basically draw a 900- to 1,000-mile circle with Kennedy at the center of it," JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox says to Today in the Sky. "We can reach most of those places, nonstop. That's literally hundreds of airports, whether or not they have commercial airline service. They all are now viable entry points to the Singapore network via this service."

Cost

The price for a JetSuite connecting varies by itinerary, though the discounted rate for Singapore Suites customers flying via JFK starts at flat rate of US$2,600 each way (plus tax). Singapore's economy passengers also can book the service, though that begins at a flat rate US$3,100 each way.

The cost is for the entire plane, which seats up to four passengers. Each additional Singapore Suites customer on the flight reduces the rate by another US$500 - meaning a party of four Suites customers would pay about US$1,100 (plus tax) each way for their "Suite-to-Suite" connection.

The airports included at the US$2,600 price level (US$3,100 for economy fliers) cover a wide range of options. Possible connections include small airfields like the Francis S. Gabreski Airport that caters to Long Island's tony Hamptons communities or New Hampshire's Dillant-Hopkins Airport near Keene. And, of course, JetSuite also can pick up customers from more airports that may be more recognizable to most fliers, such as Washington Dulles, Boston Logan and Hartford's Bradley International.

Connections from airports farther than an hour from JFK -- such as Detroit Metro or the Toronto-area airports -- cost more, with prices based on a rate that roughly mirrors US$3,000 per hour (plus tax), according to Gary Waldman, JetSuite's Chief Commercial Officer.

Still, he notes the rate for all connections is a flat rate. Additionally, he says the price for JetSuite customers does not change if the flight lengthens for reasons such as weather-related or air-traffic delays at JFK. That, Waldman says, "is virtually unheard of in private aviation."

Additionally, should there be a delay to an arriving Singapore flight, Waldman says JetSuite will hold its aircraft at the airport for up to three hours -- at no extra charge -- to facilitate the connection for Singapore passengers.

Still, even at those prices, the service isn't for budget travelers - though Singapore Airlines says that's somewhat by design.

"From our perspective, we looked at it as just a natural progression of our ultra-premium service from our gateways on the coasts to the interior points in the U.S. -- as well as in Canada and Mexico -- where we don't have direct service," says Ken Bright, Singapore's Vice President of Marketing - Americas. "Now -- with this option -- we can essentially provide a very similar high-quality service to those passengers."

And, for the deal hunters out there, there is one bargain -- relatively speaking -- to be had in the JetSuite-Singapore partnership.

The airlines currently are offering a special promotion for Singapore's Suites customers in which JetSuite connections are free for flights to/from Las Vegas.

The round-trip fare for a seat in the Suites cabin of a Singapore Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Tokyo (via Los Angeles): US$11,927 (as of a Jan. 18 search). That includes the free private jet connection from Las Vegas.