SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[get me outta here]

I am prepared to see no saver awards for the 'foreseeable' future. We may need to stomach advantage awards for quite some time. Once there is a vaccine, the airlines will really take off so to speak - just my guesstimate along with all the others on here.

 

[amaroo]

You make some decisive assumptions there. Not saying true or false because I have no idea, just wondering how can anyone predict such a sharp devaluation of airline points, particularly KF miles.

It's a guess. If you run some pretty basic back of a fa_ packet numbers - this thing doesn't look good for governments, businesses, assets, most individuals, and international travel (business or leisure). As wealthy countries start to come out the other side of this, travel restrictions will remain, as a great majority of the globe will still be fighting the virus, maybe on an apocalyptic scale - think Africa, Asia, Sth America, Middle East.....

A vaccine (hopefully) is the solution, but how long will that take - 12+ months to develop, and then the massive task to manufacture, transport, and administer >7 Billion doses. Jeez, some on here will die of old age before that task is completed. The thing might mutate rendering it all useless.

If the above turns out 1/2 true, maybe Brazil and Sweden are the smart ones with their herd immunity strategy.

 

[RooFlyer]

I called SQ Sydney at 7:45 Sunday morning (ie just now); after long recorded message, I got onto someone almost immediately (sounded like Singapore centre). Cancelled my redemption booking, no penalties, and my miles good until Dec 2021, so that's a good result for me.

 

[get me outta here]

Still no joy for me after my reply to their first email, it is ambiguous but has not offered a full refund with no cost. After hours on the phone some time ago, looks like I will brave the call centre again early one morning :

Thank you for your email to Singapore Airlines.

Due to a high volume of request, our refund processing may take longer.

We would highly recommend you to retain the value in your ticket and keep the ticket open for travel to be completed by 31 March 2021.

We will waive off the rebooking fee once you are able to firm up the travel date.

Should you require immediate assistance, please contact us through our hotline.

Thank you for writing to us and we look forward to being of service to you again.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm wondering if the open dated tickets might give special access to saver award inventory? Would be easy to display advantage only awards for new bookings, but allow tickets in credit to be used via manual booking.

 

[get me outta here]

What would be in that for SQ? One view may be why make it easier for people to use those points rather than SQ just letting them lapse when some of them don’t get used by 31 March.

I'm wondering if the open dated tickets might give special access to saver award inventory? Would be easy to display advantage only awards for new bookings, but allow tickets in credit to be used via manual booking.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What would be in that for SQ? One view may be why make it easier for people to use those points rather than SQ just letting them lapse when some of them don’t get used by 31 March.

I think part of transferring miles to an open ended booking means those with points that would otherwise expire an preserve them, in effect with an extension.

What would be in it for SQ? They have a huge base of customers that they're not going to want to upset... many thousands of ordinary hard-working Singaporeans that will have invested in the airline and built up miles. And plenty of competition. So it makes sense on those grounds.

 

[RooFlyer]

I think part of transferring miles to an open ended booking means those with points that would otherwise expire an preserve them, in effect with an extension.

Yes, if your miles are expiring before March 2021, then preserving with an open booking would be the way to go. I'm expecting b-all Saver inventory to be available up to then, and there will be maybe 6-9 months worth of 'open ticket' redemptions looking for homes in whatever small window exists when they open up flights again until end of March. Unless they change policy, if you can't use your open ticket before end March, your miles are toast.

 

[get me outta here]

Still no joy from my 3rd email to ask for everything back and no fees. I’ll wait now till 72 hours before the flight :

“Thank you for your email to Singapore Airlines.

We have checked and noted that your flight in booking xx_ are not cancelled. Should there be any cancellation of the flight, you will receive a notification from us.

Subsequently, our current Travel Waiver Policy is to waive the rebooking fee for member to rebook for travel by 31 March 2021.

Any cancellation will be subjected to the cancel and redeposit fee USD75, we seek your understanding on this matter.

Thank you for writing to us and we look forward to being of service to you again”.

 

[get me outta here]

Please remind, me how many days in advance are awards visible (350 or 355)?

 

[Meggsy]

Please remind, me how many days in advance are awards visible (350 or 355)?

355 for SQ

 

[bernardblack]

I've been monitoring the end of the booking calendar to make some tentative award bookings for Easter next year (which we'll reschedule if needed depending on how the next few months go). For the last few days, the award availability hasn't seemed to move forward with the booking calendar. Nothing is available beyond 25-26/03/21 or so, regardless of the departure port, and even though the date selector has moved forward into early April.

If it were just no forward availability I would understand that, but having forward availability until almost, but not quite the end of the calendar, seems strange. Does anyone have insight?

 

[get me outta here]

I saw that too. In my long conversation w' SQ a week or so ago when they told me to rebook in May, they didn't mention that it would not be on the schedule.

What you see now : "There are no flights available for the criteria you selected. Please change the search criteria and try again. "

I've been monitoring the end of the booking calendar to make some tentative award bookings for Easter next year (which we'll reschedule if needed depending on how the next few months go). For the last few days, the award availability hasn't seemed to move forward with the booking calendar. Nothing is available beyond 25-26/03/21 or so, regardless of the departure port, and even though the date selector has moved forward into early April.

If it were just no forward availability I would understand that, but having forward availability until almost, but not quite the end of the calendar, seems strange. Does anyone have insight?

 

[Scr77]

I've been monitoring the end of the booking calendar to make some tentative award bookings for Easter next year (which we'll reschedule if needed depending on how the next few months go). For the last few days, the award availability hasn't seemed to move forward with the booking calendar. Nothing is available beyond 25-26/03/21 or so, regardless of the departure port, and even though the date selector has moved forward into early April.

If it were just no forward availability I would understand that, but having forward availability until almost, but not quite the end of the calendar, seems strange. Does anyone have insight?

This does seem unusual. From what I can see, the flights aren’t loaded, not just that rewards aren’t being released? I presume there is also no paid availability for the flights you are looking at?

 

[get me outta here]

It seems that it is 348 days from today to the end of the shown schedule cash or points availability, not 355 as usual. I am disappointed, but not surprised. Taking bookings unnecessarily early then having to deal with all the changes is a problem. Let's just hope it is a temp blip.

This does seem unusual. From what I can see, the flights aren’t loaded, not just that rewards aren’t being released? I presume there is also no paid availability for the flights you are looking at?

 

[bernardblack]

It seems that it is 348 days from today to the end of the shown schedule cash or points availability, not 355 as usual. I am disappointed, but not surprised. Taking bookings unnecessarily early then having to deal with all the changes is a problem. Let's just hope it is a temp blip.

Yes, it seems to be true even for cash bookings, and even in (ugh) Y.

 

[bernardblack]

I posted at FlyerTalk too and someone there said it's the cutover to their summer schedule and that often means some delay.

 

[tizey]

About to book a place holder flight next March for Mrs tizey and soon to arrive master tizey so we have something set to see family in ZRH next year if such a thing is possible then.

Do I book for Mrs and I now, and then closer to the time call to add master to the booking as an infant and pay the 10% of retail fare for 1 adult?

J Flex seems to be about $5,500 one way currently, so assuming it's $550 for master? Or is it off some other rate?

Planning on coming home via Tokyo flying JL using QF, so this should be the only 10% surcharge flight we incur. Not ideal, but still better than EK surcharges.

 

[LadyC]

About to book a place holder flight next March for Mrs tizey and soon to arrive master tizey so we have something set to see family in ZRH next year if such a thing is possible then.

Do I book for Mrs and I now, and then closer to the time call to add master to the booking as an infant and pay the 10% of retail fare for 1 adult?

J Flex seems to be about $5,500 one way currently, so assuming it's $550 for master? Or is it off some other rate?

Planning on coming home via Tokyo flying JL using QF, so this should be the only 10% surcharge flight we incur. Not ideal, but still better than EK surcharges.

Whilst it's been a while since I had to book this, you won't be able to book the infant ticket until your little one has arrived. So book the tickets for you and your wife now to make sure you get what you want.

Usually SQ is our preferred airline but the infant charge made it less attractive than QF back when I was booking for MasterC (5 years ago).

 

[bernardblack]

I posted at FlyerTalk too and someone there said it's the cutover to their summer schedule and that often means some delay.

And...sometime late yesterday afternoon they opened up bookings into early April.