BNE to Kuala Lumpur on a Virgin partner - any recommendations?

[Rdarby]

Hi

I need to go from Brisbane to KL in a couple of weeks for work. On the Virgin website it gives me Singapore/Silk Air, via Singapore.

Can anyone recommend an airline that gets me there ideally directly, and gives me my Plat benefits? Is Silk the only way?

Thanks

 

[Formal Hall]

There is nothing non stop, other option would be Etihad to SIN than Silk Air to KUL, but this would probably have to be separate tickets. I think Singapore operates some services SIN-KUL on its own metal, so perhaps seek these out (although Silk Air is also very good, just single aisle rather than wide body aircraft).

 

[mannej]

No VA partner operates the BNE-KUL leg direct AFAIK.

 

[notzac]

In terms of VA partners, both SQ and EY publish BNE-KUL fares (though EY codeshares on MH for SIN-KUL, which would mean no points or benefits for that leg).

I'd book with SQ and try to get SQ metal for BNE-SIN and SIN-KUL.

 

[Zerosignal]

I do MEL to KUL on SQ often, the short silk air flight if you get it is not much of a concern after all it is only one hour.

 

[Rdarby]

I'm now booked through VA and flying Singapore.

What do I get as a Platinum? Can I use points to upgrade to J? Lounge, priority boarding etc?

Thanks for any help. This is the first time I am flying Singapore.

 

[ap_spd]

hey rdarby, you should get
1. Extra luggage
2. Lounge access
3. Priority boarding
4. Express departure at SYD and remember to ask for express arrival card when boarding at SIN

 

[Meggsy]

I'm now booked through VA and flying Singapore.

What do I get as a Platinum? Can I use points to upgrade to J? Lounge, priority boarding etc?

Thanks for any help. This is the first time I am flying Singapore.

You cannot upgrade with points unfortunately. For long haul international you have to be on VA metal and flight number which means upgrades to Abu Dhabi or LA only.

 

[AviatorPJ]

You will also get 2 VA eligible sectors towards your 8 VA eligible sectors needed to re-qualify for VA platinum

I'm now booked through VA and flying Singapore.

What do I get as a Platinum? Can I use points to upgrade to J? Lounge, priority boarding etc?

Thanks for any help. This is the first time I am flying Singapore.

 

[Rdarby]

Is there any way to select seats early? I can't do it via the Virgin site, and can't figure out how to do it via the Singapore site.

 

[JohnK]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I am looking at ways of doing a KUL-AUH-SYD(?) on the same aircraft as a business award with Velocity points.

I tried this morning on the Velocity website and gave up. Is the only way to do it via the call centre as I cannot see AUH as an option.

Is what I want to do even possible?

 

[iambents]

Is there any way to select seats early? I can't do it via the Virgin site, and can't figure out how to do it via the Singapore site.

Hi Rdarby, call the Platinum desk (or email them if you have plenty of time before the flight) and ask them for the SQ PNR (which will be different than the one VA issue), this should then let you select seats via the SQ site or by calling SQ directly.

 

[notzac]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I am looking at ways of doing a KUL-AUH-SYD(?) on the same aircraft as a business award with Velocity points.

I tried this morning on the Velocity website and gave up. Is the only way to do it via the call centre as I cannot see AUH as an option.

It might be - KUL-AUH is operated as an EY flight, so regardless you'll need to book via the call centre. You can check for award availability here: Book flights with Etihad Guest Miles (whatever EY makes available, VA can see so far as I know).

There's no VA code on that flight, so it needs to be booked on the EY code (flight number is EY 411). Whether you can then combine it with VA 30 AUH-SYD is totally up in the air - my guess is that it won't be available as a straight through connection, but you could make an end-on-end booking in the one PNR, which should cost 141800 points plus whatever in taxes.

 

[JohnK]

It might be - KUL-AUH is operated as an EY flight, so regardless you'll need to book via the call centre. You can check for award availability here: Book flights with Etihad Guest Miles (whatever EY makes available, VA can see so far as I know).

There's no VA code on that flight, so it needs to be booked on the EY code (flight number is EY 411). Whether you can then combine it with VA 30 AUH-SYD is totally up in the air - my guess is that it won't be available as a straight through connection, but you could make an end-on-end booking in the one PNR, which should cost 141800 points plus whatever in taxes.

Thanks heaps.

Virgin website is misleading. I was under the impression Etihad flights should be included in the search.

Anyway 141800 points is not what I expected. Far from it. I was hoping for a bargain.

Back to the drawing board. Perhaps BKK-SYD with SQ.

 

[notzac]

Thanks heaps.

Virgin website is misleading. I was under the impression Etihad flights should be included in the search.

You're welcome and EY flights are included .. kinda sorta. Because SabreSonic is .. awesome rolleyes, it isn't able to display flights with another airline's code - VA's workaround has been to codeshare on award flights. Really.

So if VA put their code on to the flight in question, and they had availability in their own award fare bucket (which is separate to what EY have available AFAIK), it'd show up.

Anyway 141800 points is not what I expected. Far from it. I was hoping for a bargain.

That figure comes from calculating individual flights in J; I can't imagine that KUL-AUH-SYD is valid routing for KUL-SYD so it would price per sector. I don't know whether that's definitely the case - you might get a cheaper price if you called - but I suspect that KUL-SIN-SYD would be the only valid routing on a VA partner.

 

[JohnK]

That figure comes from calculating individual flights in J; I can't imagine that KUL-AUH-SYD is valid routing for KUL-SYD so it would price per sector. I don't know whether that's definitely the case - you might get a cheaper price if you called - but I suspect that KUL-SIN-SYD would be the only valid routing on a VA partner.

Prices cheaply as a revenue ticket so thought that glitch may filter through to award flights. Perhaps not.

I am trying to find some value getting to/from BKK but I can see that is going to be a difficult exercice. Don't really want to head to the USA as that wastes precious annual leave time I could use going to Thailand.

 

[serfty]

Note that on EY411, the PE section of the aircraft is sold as Economy - so that may be an option for the single segment rather than Business.