New Singapore Air website

[Cynicor]

Tried to book some flights couple of nights ago, was slow and kept throwing up errors.

In the end I gave up and booked through expedia... Same price but I always prefer to book directly with the airline. It's as if they don't want the extra money. I presume they must pay expedia something, as the cost was the same to the decimal point. In fact, worked in my favour as I realised I was going to book the room through expedia, selected both as a package and received a further discount of $150!

 

[somebol]

Still no joy with mix class redemptions.

 

[Cynicor]

Mixed Class? Sheer bloody luxury!

I can't even book a simple paid point to point.

 

[lmere12]

Still no joy with mix class redemptions.

they told me it's not going to happen online you have to call up and lose the 15% discount

 

[albatross710]

Checking the site last night for our next flights shows only the legs to SIN and no ongoing flights - however I do have e-mail confirmations.

This issue looks like it has been worked on. In Manage My Booking I can still only see the first leg of each booking (interesting BNE-SIN which doesn't help much) but now at least it clicks through to a complete itinerary.

And now for a gripe, as I went in to check my facts for this post I was treated to this little popup window: grrrr

Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Sun 01 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Sun 01 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Sun 01 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Sun 01 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Brisbane on Tue 20 Dec 2011 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Brisbane on Tue 20 Dec 2011 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Mon 02 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Mon 02 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Brisbane on Tue 20 Dec 2011 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Brisbane on Tue 20 Dec 2011 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Mon 02 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you. Schedule change | Booking ref.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Your flight leaving Singapore on Mon 02 Jan 2012 has been re-scheduled. You can view and manage here, call our local office or wait for our agent to contact you.

Can't wait to work out what has changed by 5 minutes.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

Recently booked mixed class BNE to SFO on line with points but had to book separate legs, eg BNE to SIN and SIN to SFO'
The problem is two PNR's and some confusion re baggage allowance. Could not select seats or "Book the Cook " on SIN - SFO leg - had to ring.
In browsing the site recently I could have booked a mixed class on line ex Adelaide on a paid ticket so it would seem SIA have a long
way to go with the web site. Strange that an airline that is so good in most areas can make such a mess.
Can anyone who has recently had a mixed booking tell me what luggage allowance and lounge access they received.
Thanks.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Mixed Class? Sheer bloody luxury!

I can't even book a simple paid point to point.

Agreed.

I don't normally fly SIN but the current sale had me (trying) to look up some prices and dates.

I gave up after 30 mins....shocker of a website, in this day and age with a company such as SIN - what a joke.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

Update on my latest experience with the SIA Website.

In attempting to Book a flight to SFO early next year and wishing to leave SFO on SQ 1 (Fits in with domestic US flights) to return I find that seats are on waitlist on this flight to Sin, and seats SIN to Sydney are OK. (SQ1 shows OK but without an onward connection SIN to SYD)
If I then check SFO to Melbourne seats on SQ 1 are now available. Same date, same flight different availability ?

However this is the least of my problems. My points transfer from AMEX to KF last week is lost in the ether - gone from AMEX but not at KF.
Several lengthy phone calls to KF and no joy yet !

Anybody else had points lost or am I too impatient ? Normally AMEX transfers to SIN have only taken 24 hours now waiting 4 days.

The new site seems to open more quickly but from then on it seems anything can happen - generally not good ! I wonder if the IT people
who organised the new site are on an hourly rate and keeping it going as long as possible - like private consultants working on Aus Govt
inquiries.

Shame about the new metal and the decreasing availability of "Saver" fares.

 

[lmere12]

I normally have to wait 4 - 5 days for points transfer

 

[serfty]

...
In attempting to Book a flight to SFO early next year and wishing to leave SFO on SQ 1 (Fits in with domestic US flights) to return I find that seats are on waitlist on this flight to Sin, and seats SIN to Sydney are OK. (SQ1 shows OK but without an onward connection SIN to SYD)
If I then check SFO to Melbourne seats on SQ 1 are now available. Same date, same flight different availability ?...

What this means is the SQ have different availability on SQ1 for those travelling SFO-MEL as distinct for those travelling SFO-SIN/SYD.

It's a commonly facility available in Major GDS thing and is often used due to different perceived "Markets". In this case, the SIN/SYD markat as against the MEL market.

 

[cove]

I used to be concerned that I might fall foul of the 3 year points expiry but with the availability to go whenever we choose (pretty much) my concerns are very much reduced.
Everyone loves a bargain and yes it is nice to pull Saver seats but if you relax a bit and use Standard seats from time to time you will be on board more often and loving it!
With Westpac Amex Platinum Kris Flyer the points automatically transfer each month versus direct Amex and Citibank cards where you can warehouse points.
I felt very relaxed with the 180k points use to get to LHR from PER as that is a wonderful deal for J and First.

 

[Chesty]

I used to be concerned that I might fall foul of the 3 year points expiry but with the availability to go whenever we choose (pretty much) my concerns are very much reduced.
Everyone loves a bargain and yes it is nice to pull Saver seats but if you relax a bit and use Standard seats from time to time you will be on board more often and loving it!
With Westpac Amex Platinum Kris Flyer the points automatically transfer each month versus direct Amex and Citibank cards where you can warehouse points.
I felt very relaxed with the 180k points use to get to LHR from PER as that is a wonderful deal for J and First.

180k, was that booking two seperate legs, as you cant do mixed class redemptions? was that PER-SIN in J and SIN-LHR in F?

 

[cove]

Yes that was Saver J and Standard First.
I book SIN to wherever first then do the connection second and i check between QF and SQ for the best connection/value.

 

[hgwells01]

i've been trying to redeem for weeks, got the points across, had my eye on flights, tried to add redemption nominees for 2 weeks, finally got them on, then the 1215 flight to Singapore ex Syd which has been a 777-300 suddenly turned into a 9am flight and was replaced with a lunchtime A380 flight, so I had to swap to the 0900 flight (less points on saver redemption), got the redemption, went to book and pay for two extra flights and lo and behold its the reverse still when I try to book? Now its back to how its been for months, lunchtime 777 flight and A380 at 0900, good grief, will they get it right sometime soon? So I can't work out if i've scored the 0900 A380 flight on saver redemptions and until they tell me about the return waitlist flight out of Paris to Singapore can't book my tickets so I make sure i'm on the same flight, trying to give em close to 20 grands worth of flights and fees should not be this hard, 2 business class redemptions and buy two tickets. Sigh... I shall continue, got a friend who's a travel agent, have called her to see if she can work out what they are doing there.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

I am taking it all back.

For any negative comment I have made on this site about SIA I apologise to the airline.

You may have read my earlier posts being critical of booking on line on the new Singapore web site, these were made out of pure frustration -
but I should have known better. Singapore have come through in the professional manner that we have been used to.

A phone call this afternoon resulted in finding my "lost points" and a new booking to my requested change of flights.
Not only that but the new flights were charged at saver rates - a saving of well over 300,000 points over the original flights that
were charged at standard rates and included a flight that was not available on the redemption web site ! (All in 300ER,s or refitted 300's)

It confirms to me why I like SIA. I was wondering if another carrier should be my 1st choice but I am happy to say that this was only
a momentary lapse.

Yes they have problems with the web site and yes there can be a fair wait on the phone as a result but when you get through and they
understand the problem my experience is that they will pull out all stops to make amends.

 

[cove]

Tired Old Flyer is now the phone call guru of Kris Points! Well done and I bet you are very happy with that call! 300,000 points saved here,300,000 points saved there and SQ may need an extra number field or two in the millions. I am excited for you.
By the way what route do you take to SFO and have you tried variations?

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

By the way what route do you take to SFO and have you tried variations?[/QUOTE]

Hi Cove - I'm excited as well - not so much for the saving of points but because SIA lived up to my expectations !

We live on the Gold Coast and for several years have gone to SYD to Depart from there, two reasons, Grand Children in
Sydney and better availability. We normally end up with good connections from SIN to SFO outbound and an overnight in SIN inbound.
I had decided to go ex MEL on the trip just booked until SIA came through. I note your comment earlier about connections and would
appreciate any advice.

(A couple of weeks ago we went BNE to Milan via SIN, mixed class same cost as F all the way - so no way. (Again))

 

[cove]

We look for the best timed flight out of SIN and we look at J and First,then we work on the getting to SIN. It is the long haul that really matters. PER-SIN is less than 5 hours so that is less important.
You are lucky with the choices of BNE,SYD and MEL being close to your starting point.
We have really been helped by the call centre and they have better visibility of availability. My sons have benefitted the most as they do last minute long hauls for sports events and the SQ call centre really are exceptional.

 

[albatross710]

A phone call this afternoon resulted in finding my "lost points" and a new booking to my requested change of flights.
Not only that but the new flights were charged at saver rates - a saving of well over 300,000 points over the original flights that
were charged at standard rates and included a flight that was not available on the redemption web site ! (All in 300ER,s or refitted 300's)

Now I am wondering if I should always add a call centre phone call to my booking checklist. If they can't find anything better than what is available on the website then it hasn't cost anything. If they find a creative solution then I guess I can choose to use up the extra miles.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

Now I am wondering if I should always add a call centre phone call to my booking checklist. If they can't find anything better than what is available on the website then it hasn't cost anything. If they find a creative solution then I guess I can choose to use up the extra miles.

Whilst the web site is unreliable SIN seem happy to give the on line 15% discount to phone bookings. It seems to me that they are trying hard to retain credibility.