Book Singapore or Virgin?

[drdpr]

Hi all, I mainly fly Q and OW so not quite across everything in VA/SQ FF world. I should hit Plat in July with VA so that may slowly change A clarification for an upcoming flexi saver W booking on SQ for the 3 of us to the Maldives. Do I book the tickets logged into my SQ Kris flyer account or book the flights for which during the process will ask what FF partner I am with and then I add my Virgin FF details. Or it does not matter? If the second option is applicable, I assume I would then add the SQ flight to my Kris FF account just to do the seat selection which from above can not be done via Virgin?

PS I could not see MLE (Male) come up under Virgin's website anyhow to do a VA codeshare.
PSS Does family pooling still work for our SQ flight. I could see anything explicitly under T&Cs of section 13

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Hi all, I mainly fly Q and OW so not quite across everything in VA/SQ FF world. I should hit Plat in July with VA so that may slowly change A clarification for an upcoming flexi saver W booking on SQ for the 3 of us to the Maldives. Do I book the tickets logged into my SQ Kris flyer account or book the flights for which during the process will ask what FF partner I am with and then I add my Virgin FF details. Or it does not matter? If the second option is applicable, I assume I would then add the SQ flight to my Kris FF account just to do the seat selection which from above can not be done via Virgin?

PS I could not see MLE (Male) come up under Virgin's website anyhow to do a VA codeshare.
PSS Does family pooling still work for our SQ flight. I could see anything explicitly under T&Cs of section 13

I think you can do it either way, but popular consensus is to book through the SQ booking engine and nominate VFF if that is your preferred FF account. VA do codeshare with SQ to MLE but to book with VA you have to phone them. If you nominate VFF for points and SCs and have family pooling activated, you will receive all the points and SCs.

 

[MarkD]

Further to that, if you book VA you dont get seating selection, and its near impossible to get it later, resulting in down the back of the bus every time (Downstairs on A380). Having said that, Singapore is really a first class airline, even down the back they are just awesome.

 

[JohnK]

Further to that, if you book VA you dont get seating selection, and its near impossible to get it later, resulting in down the back of the bus every time (Downstairs on A380).

This is a concern. I struggle to comprehend some of these limitations.

Having said that, Singapore is really a first class airline, even down the back they are just awesome.

Are SQ still a first class airline in a middle seat down the back?

 

[MarkD]

Service is first class, seats are comfortable But im easily pleased

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Are SQ still a first class airline in a middle seat down the back?

Not from my experience. Whilst I acknowledge most seem to disagree, I found the A330 down the back to be no better than an LCC. The service was the minimum and nothing exceptional and I'm left wondering what the great service can possibly be in whY down the back......an upgrade to the pointy end? I said it earlier, and was ridiculed for it, but my one and only SQ experience was uninspiring. Not terrible, not great.....in fact pretty boring. It wouldn't see me refusing to book on SQ again but I sit here shaking my head at comments like "don't expect anything special and you won't be disappointed" but then people absolutely raving about the experience but in very general, undefined terms. I wonder if some are confusing SQ whY with SQ J or F..........

I also noted in CMB, the flight I took was showing on the departure boards as an SQ and VA codeshare with the VA flight number alternating with the SQ one, yet not one brass razoo of acknowledgement from them that I was a VA plat (yes I politely slipped the card across during check-in for her to get the name spelling correct), no priority anything, no seat selection, exceptionally poor seat allocation, no lounge....in fact I have no doubt that non FFer pax would have had far better seats than we were given.

 

[JohnK]

It wouldn't see me refusing to book on SQ again but I sit here shaking my head at comments like "don't expect anything special and you won't be disappointed" but then people absolutely raving about the experience but in very general, undefined terms. I wonder if some are confusing SQ whY with SQ J or F..........

Don't get me started on people raving on about certain products. The ones I have tried are not worth the effort raving on about but people still find ways to rave on about them.

 

[plspoon]

Swanning-it, I quite agree with your observations about SQ. last year hubby and I booked Perth-Tokyo Osaka-Perth via SIN with VA code share flight numbers (economy). I was velocity gold. Unable to choose seats and we finished up sitting apart but did manage to get aisle seats. This year flew Perth-Copenhagen and return via SIN this time booked with SQ and SQ flight numbers. Still velocity gold, chose seats online, still no decent seats, still sat apart all 4 sectors but did manage to get aisle seats.


So absolutely no status benefits from SQ seating-wise but did get lounge access in Perth and Singapore. Lounge in Copenhagen is a star alliance lounge so no access. We did go down the priority boarding queue and did get priority tags on bags.


Best benefit is with family pooling I am now platinum which meant I got 1C on my flight to Port Hedland on Monday!


Aircraft from Perth to Singapore and Singapore to Copenhagen and return all quite old 777 with old AVOD systems and small screens. I even had to do without any in flight entertainment from sin-CPH but they did give me an inflight duty free voucher for sgd75 as compensation.


So not really impressed with those aircraft. The A380 from Singapore to Tokyo last year was ok but we were sitting a long way apart.


Don't know what we will do for our next trip. Don't fancy etihad 10 seats across in whY.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Swanning-it, I quite agree with your observations about SQ. last year hubby and I booked Perth-Tokyo Osaka-Perth via SIN with VA code share flight numbers (economy). I was velocity gold. Unable to choose seats and we finished up sitting apart but did manage to get aisle seats. This year flew Perth-Copenhagen and return via SIN this time booked with SQ and SQ flight numbers. Still velocity gold, chose seats online, still no decent seats, still sat apart all 4 sectors but did manage to get aisle seats.


So absolutely no status benefits from SQ seating-wise but did get lounge access in Perth and Singapore. Lounge in Copenhagen is a star alliance lounge so no access. We did go down the priority boarding queue and did get priority tags on bags.


Best benefit is with family pooling I am now platinum which meant I got 1C on my flight to Port Hedland on Monday!


Aircraft from Perth to Singapore and Singapore to Copenhagen and return all quite old 777 with old AVOD systems and small screens. I even had to do without any in flight entertainment from sin-CPH but they did give me an inflight duty free voucher for sgd75 as compensation.


So not really impressed with those aircraft. The A380 from Singapore to Tokyo last year was ok but we were sitting a long way apart.


Don't know what we will do for our next trip. Don't fancy etihad 10 seats across in whY.

Personal experience, I haven't booked SQ via VA codeshare, only SQ direct (using my VA FF number - am SG) and on the occasions that I haven't been able to select good seats during the booking phase, I've kept an eye on the seating and managed to get my choice (usually close to the front in Y) at worst about 4 days prior to the flight (have found that seats seem to open up no later than then). Only downside not booking VA codeshare is the eligible sectors, but as I travel enough domestically hasn't been an issue. So far so good.

 

[Cryptarcadian]

Do I book the tickets logged into my SQ Kris flyer account or book the flights for which during the process will ask what FF partner I am with and then I add my Virgin FF details.

Anyone got an answer to this when booking on the SQ site? Or alternatively, are there any issues changing a KrisFlyer number to a VA one when you call them?

As much as I'd like to be able to manage my booking through my KrisFlyer account while having it credit to VA (like you can with bookings via NZ), I think I'll log out before booking just in case I can't change it… would be a catastrophe if the SCs credited wrong!

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Anyone got an answer to this when booking on the SQ site? Or alternatively, are there any issues changing a KrisFlyer number to a VA one when you call them?

As much as I'd like to be able to manage my booking through my KrisFlyer account while having it credit to VA (like you can with bookings via NZ), I think I'll log out before booking just in case I can't change it… would be a catastrophe if the SCs credited wrong!

It really does not matter if logged in or not. If you log into KF then search flights, select flight and continue it defaults to KF details however you can alter the program no problem when entering the passenger details into the booking. It is very easy to select a different program.

You can even do a dummy booking on the site and continue to passenger details page and you will see where to select FF program of choice

 

[AnthFlyer]

Just note that this does NOT extend to VA codeshare flights. You must have booked the flight through Singapore Airlines.

Don't forget about the SGD40 voucher when transiting SIN on SQ:
Ends soon but they've extended it before...

 

[mavrick9]

Has anyone got recent feedback on how quickly SQ status credit to your VA Velocity account.

I am going to book on SQ via the SQ website, and credit to my Velocity account, the trip via SIN should tip me to Gold on the way out. So thus, on the way back a week later I hope to have lounge access etc.

 

[Ozmutz]

Has anyone got recent feedback on how quickly SQ status credit to your VA Velocity account.

I am going to book on SQ via the SQ website, and credit to my Velocity account, the trip via SIN should tip me to Gold on the way out. So thus, on the way back a week later I hope to have lounge access etc.

Yes I have done two BNE to SIN return flights booked on SQ website and put in my VA number. The SC's took no longer than 2 days to show up. In 2 sectors they showed up next day.

First trip was in Jan this year and last trip was in Aug this year.

 

[Willsmere]

Should be fine, I was only away for 5 days,the outbound leg was credited while I was there.

 

[Cryptarcadian]

Has anyone got recent feedback on how quickly SQ status credit to your VA Velocity account.

On my recent trip booked on SQ, next day for one set of flights, 2 days for the rest.