Thunderroad

To make my unnecessarily long story short, I've resolved issue #1 below, but include info from my original post just as background. The bolded issue #2 remains...

I'm trying to book a OW award for my wife and myself for next year, Langkawi (LGK)-SIN-HKG-SFO. LGK-SIN would be in J; SIN-HGK-SFO in F. All flights are available right now. I just got off the phone with a very nice CSR, who says that because one flight is in J and the others in F, the LGK-SIN and SIN-HKG-SFO portions must be booked as two separate tickets, which would cost more miles. (Just to be clear: There are no stopovers involved here; just connection times of a few hours along the way.) She's checking with her supervisor and will be calling me back.

My impression was that they could be ticketed straight through as an F award for 107.5 K miles each (which is the cost from Malaysia to the West Coast USA), and that the 15 percent online discount could be applied since it is not possible to book that combined J and F ticket online. Thus, the total mileage cost for each ticket, after the discount, would come to just under 91.5K miles.

But it's certainly possible that I'm misunderstanding the rules. For example, perhaps because the trip starts in LGK as a J ticket, I can't combine it with an F. Anyway, my questions:

1. Can these legs be combined into one ticket, for a basic cost of 107.5K miles each?
2. Will the 15 percent online discount apply, bringing the total down to 91.5K miles per ticket?

Thanks for any help!

PS: Since my original post, the SQ CSR called back and grants that the legs can be combined for 107.5 K miles each BUT claims that that the online discount does NOT apply. She apparently checked with a supervisor. The reservation is on hold for now, but I need to decide whether to fork over what would seem to be the extra miles. Any point to my calling back and asking to have a supervisor check this rule, since one already (apparently) did? I'm inclined to do so since the initial info I had (re question #1) was incorrect.

No complaints about the politeness and professionalism with which the CSR has handled this, but I'd still like to get the discount if possible...or cancel the LGK-SIN leg and simply buy a ticket for that leg to save the miles. The complicating factor here would be that I'd then try to book the SIN-HKG-SFO online for the discount, but that itinerary's availability could be gone.

Again, I'd appreciate any guidance regarding this situation.

luckyg777

Push harder. I've always received the discount when booking mixed awards given that website functionality doesn't allow it.

gpeso8

What call center are you calling?

I've had no problems with this in the past, although it has been about two months since the last time I booked a mixed reward.

gpeso8

I just checked another SQ board and it seems like a few other people have run into this problem lately....

The assumption (not mine) is that the system is now breaking the tickets apart and pricing them separately. People have reported success by asking the agent to refer to the published reward chart which will show that SFO-SIN and SFO-LGK are the same amount of miles.

I've really never had a problem getting the discount applied to mixed redemptions and have never had to get a supervisor involved. I am however always calling during regular business hours in Singapore.

Let us know how it turns out.

Thunderroad

Thanks very much for the useful feedback, folks. From the sound of the CSR's accent, I believe I reached the SIN office...though the time I called was kind of early for SIN (perhaps 8 a.m. there?) I'll try calling again later, when it's definitely during the SIN office hours.

I wonder whether getting issue #1 (combining the J and F legs into one award booking) resolved got in the way of addressing #2 (the 15 percent discount). That is, perhaps if the CSR talked to a supervisor she focused more on #1 regarding combining the J/F itineraries, which she'd originally gotten wrong.

Does anyone know if the 15 percent discount for mixed redemptions is an official SQ policy that's published somewhere, or simply a courtesy? And if I run into a problem when I call again, should I ask to speak to a supervisor...or do supervisors not talk to customers at SQ?

Anyway, if anyone has further advice, I'd welcome it. I'll report back, regardless.

Thanks again!

gpeso8

I haven't seen it explicitly published anywhere. I believe it has been a established courtesy due to the website's inability to price a mixed redemption.

Thunderroad

Well, there are certainly worse problems to have, but the mini-saga continues...Reached another helpful CSR at the KF desk in SIN, who says getting the 15 percent discount is fine, but that he is having trouble putting together the LGK-SIN and SIN-SFO flights into one award ticket...which brings us back to their being separate mileage redemptions. I told him that the agent the previous day had managed to combine them and he acknowledges that Malaysia to West Coast USA should be 107.5 K per ticket if including F, but he still seems to be having a problem.

I.e., it now seems that #2 from my origiinal post is resolved but #1 is a problem again. He's going to call me back.

Thunderroad

Well, to wrap things up...

A few hours after I last spoke with the aforementioned CSR, he called to say that the LGK-SIN and SIN-SFO legs could be combined BUT that it would have to be for 107.5K per ticket. I.e., no 15 percent discount. He was very polite (as was I), but that was not what I wanted or expected to hear. I reminded him of our previous conversation, in which he'd indicated that the discount could be applied. I added that, based on information from other SQ customers I was under the impression that the discount was applied under circumstances such as this. He then said he'd check, and put me on hold for about 15-20 minutes.

When he finally came back on, he said that he could in fact apply the discount. He added that since he needed to manually combine the tickets, in the future I would not be able to get the discount. But for this time he could do so. Happy with the result and with his helpful attitude, I certainly wasn't going to debate a hypothetical situation with him.

Bottom line: I've just been emailed two tickets for a total of just under 183K miles, consisting of J from LGK to SIN and F from SIN to SFO. Thanks very much for the advice to keep pushing and the information on how to do so!

gpeso8

Really happy to hear this worked out for you in the end. Enjoy the trip and the service on SQ!

Thunderroad

I certainly will. And thanks again for the help!

Thunderroad

[Due to FT glitch, see post below.]

Thunderroad

I don't know why my reply to ATL5's post is appearing before his/her post (at least in my view of FT)...but in any event: Very sorry to hear about your experience, which does sound just like mine. You're right to call back and try again. Drawing on the good advice I received and my own experience, I'd suggest:

1. Above all, be pleasant, polite and calm in making your points.
2. Emphasize that you were previously assured by an SQ CSR that it was in fact possible to book the combined J/F award ticket over the phone and get the 15 percent online discount. You might even say that you've been relying on this assurance in transferring your points and making your travel plans.
3. Also note that you are aware that many other SQ customers have done such bookings and have gotten the discount, but that it requires a manual booking.
4. Call during SIN business hours and, if you have any doubt, ask the CSR where s/he is based. If the CSR is not in SIN, try again.
5. Ask to speak to a supervisor if the CSR claims s/he cannot do this...or, at the very least, that the CSR check with a supervisor.
6. If you again bump up against a wall, politely end the call and try again later.
7. If gpeso8 or any other more experienced SQ flyers offer advice different from mine, listen to them rather than to me!

I think and hope this will all work out for you, as it did for me. Good luck!

ATL_Terp05

This issue just happened to me. I just tried booking LAX-SIN-HKT in First/Business. Per my conversation with a CSR on Wednesday I was told this would have to be done manually since it will be two different classes, but they could do it and apply the discount since their online system isn't able to handle this type of reservation. Of course I transfered the points over and am now told I need to purchase award as two separate tickets as one is first and the other business - very frustrating phone call. I have the LAX-SIN portion on hold as a courtesy to allow me to transfer over more points. However I think I will just call back later and hopefully find someone who can help me get it ticketed together.

ATL_Terp05

Well I just called back and talke to another CSR in Singapore. At first he was telling me the same thing the other agent told me which is that I need two separate tickets for flights with both classes. I was very courteous, but I continued to push, referenced their award chart as well as the fact that another CSR agent quoted me the 91,375 miles for the award before I transfered my Amex miles to my account. He then put both segments together that I requested and has put in for "management approval". I am told I will be called next week to let me know the status. I guess it just doesn't make sense that I would need more miles to downgrade to business - very frustrating. If anyone has any additional advice I'm open for suggestions - at the moment I guess I'll wait until I hear back from them.

gpeso8

Thunderroad has given you solid advice.

I would suggest you talk to a supervisor and have them refer to the language in the "General Notes" section of the reward chart. It states:

"SilkAir and selected Singapore Airlines flights have only Economy and Business class cabins. Business seats will be allocated to members who redeem their miles for award tickets on the Singapore Airlines Suites and/or First Class on Singapore Airlines flights which only have two cabin classes. The number of miles required for the entire trip trip may be determined at the redemption level of the highest class of service flown."

The last mixed redemption I have booked was in mid-feb and received no resistance.