Originally Posted by
CommittedLurker
The best thing to do in this situation is to go with whoever is cheaper - upto a certain point of course.
Airline status (esp EK Gold) is not worth maintaining at a more than 10% premium to other airlines. The benefits are simply not there, especially on paid business where op ups to F are very rare (~ 1 of out 12 sectors at best) to SFO.
This year, I already have 2 non EK (SQ and TG) trips booked between the US-India. I was able to get a cheap D fare on SQ for about US$4200 in June/July, and an even cheaper J fare on TG for about $3575 in October. EK wanted $5300.
It's not that I hate EK, but it is time to realize that blind loyalty to any airline is a thing of the past.
I agree with the first statement. For me, EK delivers the best bang for my buck out of SIN. It's an easy choice.
But not sure I agree with the next part. Status is worth something ex SIN, especially given that many of the flights are oversold. If I told you how many op-ups I've had in the last 2-years,
Ung1 would burst into tears. Or fly into a fit of rage. And that's from Y to J and J to F.
Sometimes, the flight to MEL will have 20 op-ups from Y-J. And what started out as zero in F, left as 8 out of 8. Status matters. To me at least.
Re the long-haul flights to the US (ie West Coast) I was told that most of these flights are weight restricted, hence no overselling of any cabin, hence very little op-ups. Which makes sense.