vsv, we welcome you to FT so that we now know that you are around.
Franny and I are also looking forward to a Raffles trip next month on the SQ nonstop EWR-SIN which was earned with (sshhhh) Star Alliance miles.
It seems to me that this year standard international business class awards for the first four or five months of '06 have been particularly easy for us to land on both SkyTeam and *A carriers.