No Y seats available to select SQ237 10th Jan.. Upgrade?

[Dannyism]

Hi All,

I have two questions actually....

I am flying Singapore to Melbourne on SQ237 on the 10th of Jan, I went to select my seat online, there isn't a single seat available... Does this mean it's overbooked? What are my chances of begging for an upgrade? I begin my journey in shanghai....

Which brings me to my second question...

Premium seats on the A380... on SQ 833 Shanghai to Singapore on the 10th of Jan... I want one, but don't want to pay 55AUD, I want to sit in 81A on the upper deck.. What are my chances of requesting this at check in and not having to pay ?

Thanks for your help !!

 

[Fiches Mouser]

Hi All,

I have two questions actually....

I am flying Singapore to Melbourne on SQ237 on the 10th of Jan, I went to select my seat online, there isn't a single seat available... Does this mean it's overbooked? What are my chances of begging for an upgrade? I begin my journey in shanghai....

Which brings me to my second question...

Premium seats on the A380... on SQ 833 Shanghai to Singapore on the 10th of Jan... I want one, but don't want to pay 55AUD, I want to sit in 81A on the upper deck.. What are my chances of requesting this at check in and not having to pay ?

Thanks for your help !!

Hi Dannyism! Welcome to AFF.

You'll find SQ don't open up the seat map until 72 hours (I think) before departure which is very frustrating, I know.

That said, it means it's not open to anyone (except premium pax) which will give you a good shot at check-in. My strategy is to check at 72, 48 and 24 hours to see if there are any openings. I get as good as I can online, and then at check-in ask for a bulkhead window if in Y.

On the A380, 71A is my favourite if you get can get it. No window, but that's always okay for me at night. Only one neighbour too.

The view into J is a bit cruel though...

SQ833 is good because you won't need to sleep on board so you can just enjoy the legroom.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dannyism]

Thank you very much

 

[johnny_yh2000]

I do find it strange that SQ open most seats 72-48hrs before departure. On some occasions that I can chose seats after I got my booking confirmation. (Usually months before departure) and there are actually lots of seats to chose from. As times goes less seats are available to chose, then suddenly 72-48hrs before departure. BOOM! There are lots of seats available to chose from! So you should just follow what mrsmart said, check again at 72-48hrs before departure!

 

[Fiches Mouser]

I do find it strange that SQ open most seats 72-48hrs before departure. On some occasions that I can chose seats after I got my booking confirmation. (Usually months before departure) and there are actually lots of seats to chose from. As times goes less seats are available to chose, then suddenly 72-48hrs before departure. BOOM! There are lots of seats available to chose from! So you should just follow what mrsmart said, check again at 72-48hrs before departure!

It's totally all over the place – it seems like the quieter routes open up early on, while the busier routes (like most Australian flights) seem to delay until the T-72 mark.

 

[Rareified Air]

For the 1st question - as the other answers, you can't choose a seat until closer to check in. your KF status will determine the time window.
About an upgrade at the airport - no chance! SIA never do that. It won't be overbooked.

For the 2nd question - only really possible to get a premium seat for free by asking at the counter check in, you would also need to be KF gold or a PPS member.

 

[Dannyism]

Greetings from China

First of all, thanks for the tips about bulk head seats. Had great aisle bulk head seats at the front of Y for both legs over. (even though they were reserved)

Interesting observation, 96 hours out a whole bunch of seats just opened up on the first return leg, the A380 leg. I note that all the priority rows are 'taken' though... Really interesting... The seats haven't opened up yet, but it's 98 hours out as of posting this, so I will check again in a few hours.

So, thanks Mrs smart and Johnny.

Rare, thanks for your feedback. I noticed even though Y was totally full on one flight, J was almost empty, upgrades are hard to come by...
With regards to the second question... VA SG must be equivalent to KF SG.... Partner gold right...? That's what it says on my boarding passes...

 

[Fiches Mouser]

Greetings from China

First of all, thanks for the tips about bulk head seats. Had great aisle bulk head seats at the front of Y for both legs over. (even though they were reserved)

Interesting observation, 96 hours out a whole bunch of seats just opened up on the first return leg, the A380 leg. I note that all the priority rows are 'taken' though... Really interesting... The seats haven't opened up yet, but it's 98 hours out as of posting this, so I will check again in a few hours.

So, thanks Mrs smart and Johnny.

Rare, thanks for your feedback. I noticed even though Y was totally full on one flight, J was almost empty, upgrades are hard to come by...
With regards to the second question... VA SG must be equivalent to KF SG.... Partner gold right...? That's what it says on my boarding passes...

Great to hear Dannyism!

There is often no rhyme or reason (that we can see) which is why it always pays to check, check and check again if it's important to you. But again, any good seats will just have to be done at check-in. They don't seem to consider status at that stage, as I suppose KF elites will have already selected seats. Would be nice if VA elites got access to premium seats with SQ in advance. Can keep dreaming about that one I'd say!

Indeed, your BP will say 'Partner Gold' if you are VA SG, and 'Partner Priority' for WPs.

 

[Rareified Air]

SIA generally don't give out upgrades as they are offering a premium service and it could 'cheapen' that image. Only time I have been boosted into their J class is via points upgrade.

If you have a VA gold card you should stand a good chance, make sure you check in at the business counter and ask, the desk staff at economy may not be able to access those seats. Or as is also common in China they may say 'no, that's not possible' just so they don't have to speak to someone more senior and loose face.