Singapore Awards Now Back on United’s Website
Anya Kartashova October 08, 2017
It’s been several years since Singapore Airlines award flights were visible on United.com. MileagePlus members had to call United Airlines to redeem their miles on Singapore-operated flights. Travelers, rejoice because Singapore awards are back on United’s website!
Decent Availability
Before you get excited, remember that Singapore doesn’t release its First Class space to any partners, so you still can’t book the glorious Singapore Suites with United miles. However, you can certainly book business class seats on certain routes. Take a look at this nonstop flight from Sydney to Singapore, for example. A Business Saver award requires just 30,000 MileagePlus miles for an eight-hour flight. Still, the availability in economy is decent on many dates.
Award Chart Devaluation
Remember, United is devaluing its award chart on Nov. 1, and some regions are taking a serious hit. Singapore belongs to the South Asia region, and a one-way Star Alliance award between Australia and South Asia is going up from 30,000 United miles to 50,000 miles in business class. If you’re looking to book certain awards on Singapore-operated flights, I don’t recommend waiting too long. For the new United award chart, please click here.
New Mileage Accrual Structure
Additionally, Singapore KrisFlyer program recently changed its mileage earning rates on United flights. All fares used to credit 100 percent of the distance flown, and since United went revenue-based, it was a good idea to credit all flights to KrisFlyer. It’s no longer the case. The cheapest United fares now earn just 25 percent of the distance flown, which hurts those travelers who buy bargain tickets.
In Conclusion
When booking award travel, nobody ever wants to call the airline and deal with sometimes-incompetent agents. The process is already complicated enough. Perhaps not having the option to book online allowed for more availability to those who picked up the phone. The new mileage accrual levels leave a lot to be desired, but it’s great that we can see and book Singapore availability on United’s website again.
Do you like having the option to book Singapore awards with United MileagePlus miles online or did you like booking over the phone for more potential availability?
