friendlyplanet

I was under the impression that *A carriers, in general, offered the same availability to Starnet as they offered as saver awards to their own elite. However, I could book the SQ flight from SIN to LAX using MP miles, but am waitlisted on the same flights using KF miles. Using the ANA tool, I can see the flights are still available today on Starnet, but I was stupid and put my miles towards KF GE (never again!).

To add injury to insult, the tickets purchased through MP cost me US$39 in taxes, while if my KF tickets clear, I'll be paying S$621 in fuel surcharges and taxes.

Can anyone come up with a reasonable business explanation why SQ does this? There is a lot of controversy over on the MP forum about "Starnet blocking" (http://malcontentist.com/tag/starnet-blocking/), where UA will not allow its FF members to book some *A flights, even though they are available, to encourage MP members to use their miles on UA. But this is still more reasonable than the SQ policy, where they are effectively "Starnet blocking" their own FF members on their own flights- how does that make sense?

Why would SQ essentially treat other airlines FF members better than their own when booking SQ flights? Is it because they figure that most members are Singaporean, and a captive market who are just willing to go along with whatever restrictions they put up? Don't they know that people look around and compare the different benefits of the different FF programs? FF programs are supposed to encourage loyalty- KF seems to do just the opposite, when you dig under the covers.

rolov

Usually the situation is reversed, You check the *A tool and there is no availability and there are saver awards available on the exact same flights using KF miles for a saver award without waitlisting.

bmchris

KF has 3 award levels for SQ awards. MP only has 1. So SQ has chosen to differentiate themselves I think by having a low award that has less availability than the MP single level.

Would it be accurate to compare Starnet availability to Standard awards - in which case SQ availability trumps Starnet? Mileage costs aside.

Business wise - SQ and *A members I believe have an agreement to sell tickets to each other at a fixed costs - how each airline deals with the tickets is up to them. They can give it away as long as the flying airline is paid, for example. Due to anti-competition regulations, I doubt that SQ is allowed to dictate to *A carriers how much they are allowed to resell SQ awards for, or when they can or cannot resell them - otherwise, it may be construed as collusion. Would that be a valid business reason?

dannybhoy

IMO, SQ under current management barely tolerates the notion of an FFP. They seem to think it is possible to have customer loyalty without a(n attractive) FFP, that if the product it is good enough, there'll be bums on seats regardless. I guess they want to peg SQ as a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton equivalent of the sky and not a mere Starwood or Hilton.

fone

There is a seperate inventory for awards for KF members as well as for *net.
I like it this way when I have to book awards for a few passengers on the same flight.

As for the taxes part, it is mainly due to the fuel surcharge that SQ charges. UA does not have any fuel surcharge, thus the low low taxes that you have to pay.

friendlyplanet

Really? I checked a dozen flights last night, comparing Starnet availability and KF, and couldn't find one where a saver award was available, but not a Starnet booking. Perhaps it's my routing, I was looking at SIN- West Coast USA.

But the mileage costs are the same for KF Saver as a *A Starnet booking- both around 65K, so they should have the same priority level- it's not a low award, it's a standard award. But you are right, I think by changing the name and limiting availability, KF is driving KF members to have to pony up more miles to take a standard award instead.

Yes, SQ can only dictate the cost, not the price for Starnet tickets. But we are talking about availability, not price. MP members are up in arms because UA blocks off Starnet availability to avoid cash costs. KP members should be equally upset that SQ is choosing to sell the seat for Starnet compensation (which I believe is a lot less than normal ticket prices), rather than give the same seat for the same number of miles to their own elites.

Umm- but I'm buying tickets on the same SQ flight, remember? So SQ charges the full surcharge to its own elites, but not through StarNet. BTW, why is SQ still charging a S$500 fuel surcharge on this route? ANA has dropped all fuel surcharges.