SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

I have found this website is regularly updated and contains clear information for all countries. The rules did change significantly on Tuesday last week, 22 February.

Singapore Arrival, Departure and Transit
Some further details here also. The Changi one is now a lot simpler to read post the recent changes:

SQ echo similar info as above and the earlier post, plus some useful SQ specific info:
 
Thanks guys for the helpful links. I’ll have a look to get clear on what’s required. I guess under current rules, we’ll need to suck it up and hang out at Changi - 1st world problems.

If rules change by August as they might, we will go into the city for the day & stay in a hotel at the city.

I’ll try to get us onto an SQ flight with Suites if I can wangle award seats - I know this is more difficult now - as we’re currently booked in J so can’t access TPR - I’d like to see the new format if possible.
 
Thanks for the various replies much appreciated. I think I’ll book a hotel in the city. Redemption bookings are fully flexible so that will help.

Also, I’m traveling with my elderly mother. She’s too old to be covered by credit card insurance. Is there any insurance which you might recommend I have a look at which might suit? She’s 84.

I think for my father, same age, I used insureandgo. it might exclude covid for that age, but you’ll be able to get insurance for everything else.
 
But will the new TPR, or even a separate F Lounge be open by August? Presently the F 'lounge' is a seperate annex to the new J lounge, albeit with a desk to check your access privileges.
 
Some further details here also. The Changi one is now a lot simpler to read post the recent changes:

SQ echo similar info as above and the earlier post, plus some useful SQ specific info:

Not sure why, but your link does not work for me despite it working if I copy and past it in the browser (???)
 
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But will the new TPR, or even a separate F Lounge be open by August? Presently the F 'lounge' is a seperate annex to the new J lounge, albeit with a desk to check your access privileges.
In the new Covid world any plans beyond today are subject to change, modification or cancellation at the drop of a hat - maybe it will be open - maybe it won’t open - who knows.

On that very point of this new Covid world I see upthread suggestions to email SQ and express displeasure that ’The ol’ grey mare just ain’t what she used to be’ - in reality it certainly ain’t is it - but what is?

IMHO we as an international flying community are going to be very fortunate that most of the major carriers are indeed possibly going to survive and be able to serve us and hopefully one day get back to where they were.

I would humbly suggest we all excercise caution, respect and understanding of the dire predicament these carriers are in - let’s all do our bit to help them if we can rather than sink the slipper in - but as always YMMV 👍
 
Now, apologies for the delay but I've been rather busy at work and I am horribly out of practice in preparing for a 4 week overseas trip (made a big list...and forgot...masks....).

Dinner MEL-SIN

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Refreshment before landing

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Does anyone know if to board a VTL flight and transit in SIN, you need to have only been in VTL approved countries in the previous 14 days?

I can see from the government guidelines, there is no requirement for travel history - just proof of vaccination and possibly also a covid test to board.

However it is also mentioned on the Signapore Airlines website that 14 day travel history in VTL countries is required for VTL flights.

I wasn't sure if they are mixing up VTL/VTP requirements (for actually entering Singapore), or if SQ impose the additional restriction of 14-day travel history for VTL flights themselves?

Of course I've tried contacting SQ a few weeks ago by email, but have had no reply.

I am trying to plan a Europe trip in August, and was hoping to visit family in Portugal before flying back from AMS, but if this 14-day requirement is genuine, I'll have to re-arrange the order I do things in (Portugal is not listed as a VTL country).

Cheers.
 
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We too are very keen on a w/e in Sing but that will never happen whilst mask requirements are still in place - I hated wearing them in MEL so would never contemplate it in Sing heat and humidity
 
Well with an 8 week trip already booked mid last year for UK/France this year, MEL to LHR mid June 2022, and back from CDG in mid Aug 2022 for my wife and I, I have tonight bitten the bullet and booked 7 weeks in Spain/Portugal. MEL -BCN return (though booked as two one ways to allow greater ease to change if required) leaving late Sept 2022 and returning mid Nov 2022. Both trips all in J, and all on SQ.

We are looking forward to it as we have not yet travelled in Portugal.

I had thought about booking it as *A to have different arrival and departure points, but in the end decided to keep things simple in case changes must be made.

Now to start eying off possible trips in 2023. Hopefully Covid restrictions keep easing as I would like to do a *A RTW Award trip, but the current complexities make me reluctant to book complex itineraries at present.
 
Now, apologies for the delay but I've been rather busy at work and I am horribly out of practice in preparing for a 4 week overseas trip (made a big list...and forgot...masks....).


Refreshment before landing

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Good to see they've restored the prelanding refreshment. During most of Covid they only supplied one meal on MEL-SIN (presumably 228?) no refreshment - both in business (my partner) and economy (yours truly).
 
Well with an 8 week trip already booked mid last year for UK/France this year, MEL to LHR mid June 2022, and back from CDG in mid Aug 2022 for my wife and I, I have tonight bitten the bullet and booked 7 weeks in Spain/Portugal. MEL -BCN return (though booked as two one ways to allow greater ease to change if required) leaving late Sept 2022 and returning mid Nov 2022. Both trips all in J, and all on SQ.

We are looking forward to it as we have not yet travelled in Portugal.

I had thought about booking it as *A to have different arrival and departure points, but in the end decided to keep things simple in case changes must be made.

Now to start eying off possible trips in 2023. Hopefully Covid restrictions keep easing as I would like to do a *A RTW Award trip, but the current complexities make me reluctant to book complex itineraries at present.
Now I'm hungry - when I think of Portugal my mind goes straight to the bacalhau (salt cod) and the egg tarts.... ENJOY!
 
Rang to make a mixed class redemption booking yesterday. 3.5hrs on hold so just gave up. One thing I found odd was that after maybe 2hrs I stopped getting the periodic “you can try our chatbot Kris” etc type messages. It was just the music which appeared to reset to the start of the “track” every 30s or so. I’m sure it’s nothing but made me wonder if something had happened and I was just in a continual loop outside of the queue and would never be answered.

Will try again today possibly.

Rang again this morning at 9am EST. Just had the hold going while working so no big deal. Answered after 75min which was actually faster than I expected. Was bracing myself to still be on hold after lunch.

Anyway, managed to waitlist 3 different mixed-class redemption bookings without any problems at all. The agent was very helpful. Only issue was that when I asked what the miles cost would be he simply added the cost of the two individual legs rather than using cost of the higher class over the whole journey. Approx 25k miles per PAX difference each time. A discussion for if/when the wait lists clear.
 
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On the day they were released we booked J seats for SYD-LHR on SQ222/SQ322 which were only available as Advantage at 150K miles each for next February. A few days ago I noticed that F Saver seats were available for 163K so thought it worth trying to book in F for only an extra 13K miles each since we have never had the opportunity to travel in F. From doing searches it seems that there is only one F Saver seat available when I search for SYD-LHR. I then tried MEL-LHR and could also book one Saver seat from MEL. I then did some searches and it seems that usually only 1 Saver F seat is released for SYD-SIN and MEL-SIN flights but if you search SIN-LHR and try to book two F Saver seats that works.

We decided that if we could book them I would fly MEL to SIN and Mrs Ken1 from SYD to SIN and then we would both be on SQ306 from SIN to LHR. I called SQ on Sunday morning and asked to change our booking to these flights and he had new bookings set up for both SYD-LHR and MEL-LHR in F and he emailed them to me to check before he ticketed them. I said to him before he cancelled our original J seats that I wanted to be sure that we could change to these flights before cancelling. Mrs Ken1's SYD-LHR was confirmed but then he went to confirm my MEL-LHR and it was no longer available so someone must have booked MEL-SIN and/or SIN-LHR before he finalised it. He spoke to the relevant team and put it on waitlist for me and said he would call me back on Monday morning around 9am Syd time.

I didn't hear back from him on Monday so I called and explained what had happened and was told that the waitlist had been escalated and she said I should hear something in the next few days. I then called again yesterday and she told me that MEL-SIN is now reserved but SIN-LHR is still on waitlist. She mentioned that F waitlists do not always clear, which I understand since there are so few F seats. Since, although next February is a long way away, we would feel more comfortable with knowing we are definitely confirmed on flights, I asked if it was possible to restore our original J booking. She checked and said she could organise that so it is now also held while we wait to see if an F waitlist for SIN-LHR clears. For our SYD-LHR J booking I have until 8 March and Mrs Ken1 has until 11 March to ticket them so we will wait a few more days to see if an F waitlist seat is released.

Another option we are considering booking if the SIN-LHR F seat doesn't open up by next week is to book SYD-LHR on SQ242 that arrives in SIN at 00:20 and onto SQ308 that departs SIN for LHR at 09:00. We can book one F seat and one J seat both at Saver rates and Mrs Ken1 said she would be happy to fly J and I can fly F although I've told her I'd be happy to let her fly F and I fly J if we book these flights instead. I don't know if when we board one of the flights we could ask if we could swap so Mrs Ken1 could travel in my booked F seat and I travel in her J seat for the entire flight so we both get to experience F on a flight each.

I assume the lounges stay open throughout the night when connections like that are offered. Has anyone travelled with overnight layovers between flights like this and stayed in the lounges? I searched yesterday for SIN airside hotels and saw there was one in terminal 1 currently open but the hotels in terminal 2 and 3 are currently closed but who knows what will be happening next February.
 
@Ken1 It may be easier to take the F saver on your preferred flight and keep your advantage J seat and ask SQ to waitlist you into F. That way you still have confirmed seats on your preferred flights and do not have to overnight in SIN. The waitlist can clear at any time up to 14 days and if you read @Cruiser Elite comments up thread you can ask for chaser. On a recent booking BNE-SIN-SEA I also waitlisted MEL-SIN as this is an easier transfer and it took around 6 weeks to clear. Also the ticketing timeframe you have been given is the standard few days, IME if you ask they can extend out to around mid June.
 
@Ken1 It may be easier to take the F saver on your preferred flight and keep your advantage J seat and ask SQ to waitlist you into F. That way you still have confirmed seats on your preferred flights and do not have to overnight in SIN. The waitlist can clear at any time up to 14 days and if you read @Cruiser Elite comments up thread you can ask for chaser. On a recent booking BNE-SIN-SEA I also waitlisted MEL-SIN as this is an easier transfer and it took around 6 weeks to clear. Also the ticketing timeframe you have been given is the standard few days, IME if you ask they can extend out to around mid June.
Thanks @Matt_01. The Advantage J seats that we had on SQ222/322 do not show when doing an F search so I wouldn't be able to waitlist for those flights. Are these the flights you are suggesting that I could ask if they can extend longer before ticketing again?

Mrs Ken1 is already confirmed as "Reserved" in F Saver SQ242/306 but not ticketed yet. This is a combination with a 50 minute layover time in SIN. The SQ222 and SQ322 J flights that we originally booked and have been re-instated are showing as "Available for Confirmation" for both of us.

I am "Reserved" on F Saver SQ228 MEL-SIN and waitlisted SQ306 SIN-LHR. I asked about waitlisting SYD-SIN SQ242 so I could be on the same flight as Mrs Ken1 and originally I was told that this couldn't be done on the same day as the MEL-LHR flights I had waitlisted but now that I have the MEL-SIN flight "Reserved" my bookings now show SYD-SIN SQ242 as waitlisted so that was added after my call yesterday. They have also put in a waitlist request for Mrs Ken1 for SQ228 MEL-SIN so if my request for SYD-SIN doesn't clear and that does we could both fly via MEL although we would of course prefer to fly from SYD.

I have searched for two F seats for SIN-LHR and there are two Advantage seats still available with "Saver not available" so I guess I just have to wait and see if they release one of those as Saver. I changed the search to one adult for Saver and it shows Waitlist on the flight I am waitlisted on so it appears that they may consider releasing seats they are trying to sell as Advantage at Saver rates at some stage. The 777-300ER only have 4 F seats so one must have already been booked.

Both of our bookings are mixed up with the wrong combination of flights in my account since my call yesterday, with one F and one of the original J flights mixed together but hopefully so long as the individual flight segments are there I hope that shouldn't be a problem. I called back yesterday afternoon after I noticed this but after waiting two and a half hours I gave up.

When they reinstated the original booked J flights I received emails telling me that "the following waitlisted flight(s) is available for confirmation:". For Mrs Ken1 it said "Your waitlisted flight will be cancelled if no confirmation is received by 08 Mar 2022, 20:00 (GMT +8)."
The email for mine said:
"Your waitlisted flight will be cancelled if no confirmation is received by 11 Mar 2022, 20:00 (GMT +8).
For fully unticketed bookings with multiple similar and confirmed flight segments, only the latest confirmed flight will be retained. The other flight segments will be removed three days from your receipt of this email. The ticketing deadline will still apply for the remaining confirmed flight segments."
I'll have to call tomorrow to check on this sentence about unticketed bookings being removed after 3 days in my booking, which was not listed on Mrs Ken1s bookings.

So would you suggest that if the waitlists aren't opened up soon that I ask them to extend our original J SQ222/322 seats, possibly until June, and that I confirm Mrs Ken1's SYD-SIN-LHR F Saver and hold my MEL-SIN with waitlist SIN-LHR and hope that this clears by June, or that I confirm the original J flights and ask them to hold these F bookings?
 
@Ken1 - I would def confirm the Js so you are guaranteed but then also if you want to go to effort of calling again you can ask to have the TTL (Ticketing Time Limit) extended significantly or indeed removed totally - just ask nicely and they will accommodate you
 
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@Ken1 - If you want to go to effort of calling again you can ask to have the TTL (Ticketing Time Limit) extended significantly or indeed removed totally - just ask nicely and they will accommodate you
Thanks @Cruiser Elite. Do you mean for both the re-instated original booking and these reserved F bookings?

Edit: Sorry I didn't read properly the first part of your reply where you said to definitely confirm the Js when I was reading what you said about asking to have the TTL extended when I posted my question. So hopefully they can extend the TTL on the F reserved and waitlisted flights.

I do want to call about the section of the email about unticketed bookings being removed after 3 days so I will call tomorrow morning and ask about that as well as having the TTL extended. I called Sunday morning at 6.42am and was answered at 8.40am, on Monday I called at 10.49am and was answered at 11.54am and yesterday I called at 9.35am and amazingly was answered at 9.43am. When I called back at 12.07pm yesterday I gave up at 2.39pm so it seems to be better to call earlier in the day.
 
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