Even in economy class, you get to choose your seats as soon as you’ve entered your payment details, i.e., at the time you book on the website*. Note that this does not mean you’ll get the coveted exit rows. What it does mean is that you can at least specify how far forward or back you’d like your aisle / window seat to be. Of course, the specific row that is available depends on how many passengers booked ahead of you, and probably on your FF status within KrisFlyer. Still, this functionality is a big improvement over the past, when the best you could do was to register your preference for an aisle vs. window seat.

*Starting March 2006, it was supposed to be possible to do select specific seats in advance for all types of bookings, not just those made through the website. There has been no report that this is possible yet.

48 hours before departure, you can log in and see whether there’s a seat you’d prefer to the one you chose (or was chosen for you) initially. For economy class passengers who are not PPS, this is a good time to make a grab for the coveted exit row / bulkhead seats.

To use this facility, go on the home page and choose the 'Check-in' tab (it's right below the SQ Golden Falcon / Pigeon / Goose corporate logo). You'll be asked to enter your name, the SQ booking reference or your passport number or the ticket number, and the details of the particular flight. Then you go from there. (By the way, at this stage, you may also enter the partner FFP number to which you'd like to credit your mileage.)

Note that online checkin (OLCI) is available to most passengers on any booking or ticket type. The only way you won't be able to use OLCI is if you belong to one of the following groups:

• Passengers under the age of 12 who are travelling alone (unaccompanied minors)
• Passengers under the age of 17 who are travelling with passengers under the age of 17
• Passengers who have indicated for special or medical assistance to be provided
• Passengers who are travelling with infants
• Passengers travelling in a group of 10 or more

On every page, it is possible to log in using links on the upper right portion of the page. On the home page and the 'Loyalty Programmes' tab, you enter your KrisFlyer number and your password. On other pages, there is a Log-in button below the word Members.

This is useful for checking to whether your Elite Miles or your PPS miles / sectors have posted. It's your job to check up on this (and chase after the partners and FFPs involved, if necessary). For me, it's the way to keep KrisShop to their promise to award miles for my dutyfree shopping, which they don't do consistently enough.

(Also see FAQ sections on joining KrisFlyer and attaining PPS status) for details on the KrisFlyer FFP

I’ve found SQ to be pretty responsive to the feedback I’ve supplied. To send feedback via the website, click on the Feedback button on the bottom right of any of the website's pages. I’ve used it to praise exemplary service and to point out disappointing experiences. Giving constructive feedback about the latter has provided me thousands of KrisFlyer miles and a couple of inflight shopping vouchers as compensation.

(Do think carefully about the nature of your complaint. Apply these tests: could the airline have done something about the situation? Did they do something about the situation? Was the situation a departure from what a reasonable traveller would expect from the fare class you travelled in?)

If the complaint is rather serious (such as a malfunctioning seat in a premium class cabin), I also suggest sending a written complaint. In such a case, it is a good idea to supplement the web form with the paper form available from the cabin crew. Request one if you think the matter is something you will pursue later on.

Log into your account, and choose the 'Redeem Miles' tab. Enter the flight details (origin, destination, travel date), and the redemption engine will do the rest. It might initially tell you that you don't have enough miles, but when you've chosen your flights and just before you confirm passenger details, it will calculate the actual mileage required based on the online discount.

Be careful, however, about booking an award if your plans are still uncertain. If you change the booking, you forfeit the discount and have to pay a change fee, which depends on your tier in KrisFlyer.

(See FAQ section on Raffles Class travel for a description of BTC)

SQ is one of the most innovative airlines, so I find it fun to see what new products or services they’ve come up with or are thinking of offering. Use the clickable link to 'New Releases' at the bottom of any of the website's pages.

It's also good to see what kind of 'enhancements' have been brewed for KrisFlyer. Go to the tab 'Loyalty Programmes' and then click on 'KrisFlyer News'. (Or stay tuned to this forum and monitor the questions KrisFlyer members pose to others. )

Click on the Promotions link at the top of the website. The Singapore Stopover is a set of offers to woo passengers into a stopover stay rather than a quick transit through efficient Changi. Boarding Pass privileges get you reduced rates at selected hotels, restaurants and shops when you show your SQ BP within seven days of arrival at Singapore.

Current fare promotions from a particular origin airport will show up on the home page of a local website, in the middle part of the page. At the top right of the homepage, there is an arrow next to the country whose website you're currently viewing. Click on that arrow to open a window with a drop-down menu of the countries with local SQ websites. Click 'Save changes' to navigate to that website.

There are other ways to calculate the mileage between pairs of cities, but I like the way the website's calculator can help me anticipate the miles that will be deposited in my KrisFlyer account. The list of origin and destination cities include all cities to which SQ and its partners fly, which means it's a very comprehensive list.

Go to the 'Loyalty Programme' tab and click on Earn Miles. The first link on the left margin opens the Accrual Calculator. The economy class mileage is what other airlines would use as the base miles, give or take a few miles.