QF vs SQ vs CX
P1 vs PPS Solitaire vs Diamond
I thought id share some of my experiences from the last few years. I lived in Australia, then moved to Hong Kong, then Singapore and now back in Australia. Wherever I was based I always decided to give as much of my business as possible to the home airline. I’m travelling normally about 140 nights of the year, 90% Internationally and apart from short haul always in business. Hope you enjoy and find insightful, hopefully may help some in choosing between airlines and loyalty programs….of course this is just my experience and views….im sure others will have differing views which is totally cool. ENJOY!
Qantas and Platinum One
Flying:
My least favourite of the three airlines. I love their business class product, seat is great, entertainment is great, bed is great and pyjamas and amenity bag all do the job. Also I really like their food – feels healthy and some wonderful tastes. Why are they my least favourite then? No wifi on International flights? Not good enough when on business trips and im trying to be efficient. I find the service on board also so hit and miss. Sometimes they are just the best but sometimes they are just the worst! I also think they could do a lot to improve the timing of their service. It all feels so slow and for the shorter overnight flights to and from Asia it feels like they just waste so much time when sleep is such a premium. The other thing, especially at the moment, is just how many delays and issues they seem to be having. Maybe im just unlucky but for me definitely the worst of the three for punctuality.
Lounges:
Love the Sydney and Melbourne first lounges! The food, the service, the spa all just brilliant.
P1:
All things considered I have to say I think this is the best loyalty program. Absolutely love the VIP team in Hobart. Just an absolute joy and always willing to really lean in and help. With the usual requests but also the slightly out of the ordinary. For domestic travel in Oz I also have a really high free upgrade rate. Id say 60% of all my trips I’ve had lovely surprises at the airport with an upgrade. Have also received a few to First on long haul which has been special. Platinum card for my wife is very much appreciated too! Also when I’ve wanted to gets upgrades using points for holidays they more often than not come through.
My one wish:
Qantas gets its act together on its reliability. They desperately need their new planes.
Singapore airlines and PPS Solitaire
Flying:
An absolute joy. Every time I board a SQ plane I just know the service will be impeccable. The cabin crew are my favourites and you can just tell that their training is another level. Their care for you is off the chart and they really want to ensure your flight is as excellent as possible. The seats are great, the beds are a little hard if im really picky, the entertainment system is great, wifi perfect and again I just can not fault the service. No pyjamas which would be a great addition. As for the food on board really strong – book the cook is awesome and the usual menu always seems to be strong too.
Lounges:
They are really good but for me they just fall short of the Qantas first class lounges. There is nothing wrong with them at all they just miss a little something.
PPS Solitaire:
First class check-in at Changi is amazing. Wonderful experience. Never once had an upgrade so def not as good as Qantas there. Have been invited to a few events which have been great. I do also like the upgrade vouchers you can earn, great for family holidays and easy to use. My wife gets a Solitaire match which is amazing too. Other than that though it’s a bit underwhelming. The contact centre is great once you’re through but I don’t get the whole having to text them first and then they call you back. Sometimes its 5mins, sometimes 20mins, just doesn’t feel very special. Id also say the contact centre team are a little too clinical. Def don’t feel the same level of care as the Qantas team.
My one wish:
To get a contact centre as good as P1s! If they did I reckon the airline / programme would be unbeatable!
Cathay and Diamond (Not Diamond Plus)
Flying:
Have always really enjoyed flying CX and again service is right up there. Maybe a little sterile at times but always feels good. Love the seats and bed. Food is great, have enjoyed many good meals. Entertainment system I cant fault and wifi always does the job. They seem to prioritise sleep time which I’ve valued greatly too.
Lounges:
Love the Hong Kong lounges and those around the food. Always love the traditional food and always feels very luxurious. The Hog Kong lounges are very special too – baths, massages, doesn’t get much better but yes just misses out to Qantas for me.
Diamond:
So this is a bit of an odd one. Despite travelling an insane amount with them I was never invited to Diamond Plus. Unlike P1 and Solitaire there is no fixed qualification criteria. Instead it’s the top 1% of customers by spend each year. So I cant talk about their top tier but I can share my experience of Diamond and I have to say it was really good. Definitely the most amount of upgrades to first class. They also like to surprise and delight you. On a number of occasions I’ve been met off a plane by a very senior executive of the airline who has asked if its ok to walk with me to immigration. Nice chat about how my experience has been etc and then at the end has offered me free upgrade vouchers etc. Really nice touch and very impactful!
My one wish:
Diamond was amazing, I can only imagine how could Diamond Plus must be and wish they had a fixed criteria to qualify.
To close:
I feel very lucky to have been able to fly so much with three amazing airlines. All three are right up there and its been an absolute pleasure flying with the,. The three are all very close but if I did have to pick one to always fly with it would probably be SQ.
