Singapore Airlines (SQ) Redemptions - Limited Availability
#91
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Programs: Hyatt LT Globalist, Marriot LT Titanium, UA 2.4MM, HH Gold, AS MVPG
Posts: 3,400
Platinum and 1K are also supposed to get better award availability for select premium awards - although certainly not the level that GS get.
#92
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SJC / DPS
Programs: AS G75K, UA Silver
Posts: 1,757
I don't really see why they couldn't do this, even with partners. Create a subset of the actual partner availability that's available to everyone, and keep the entire pot available for MVPG and G75k's.
#94
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,452
With respect to SQ, the idea of differentiating availability makes little sense. SQ is not going to make available the seats that people really want (long haul J/F on 380, 350, 77W), and the incremental demand for SQ intra-Asia from MP members is not going to move the needle, given that inventory is already available for booking via UA, AC, AV, etc.
#95
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
Yes, Plat and 1K (and GS) do get better saver business availability. IN vs. I. The difference is less significant than XN vs. X, but there is a difference.
With respect to SQ, the idea of differentiating availability makes little sense. SQ is not going to make available the seats that people really want (long haul J/F on 380, 350, 77W), and the incremental demand for SQ intra-Asia from MP members is not going to move the needle, given that inventory is already available for booking via UA, AC, AV, etc.
With respect to SQ, the idea of differentiating availability makes little sense. SQ is not going to make available the seats that people really want (long haul J/F on 380, 350, 77W), and the incremental demand for SQ intra-Asia from MP members is not going to move the needle, given that inventory is already available for booking via UA, AC, AV, etc.
I agree, SQ is not going to make longhaul J/F available for AS. They hold them for themselves. They do not release those to other partners even in their own alliance so it would be beyond the stretch of my imagination to think they would release these for only AS. Where there is some hope is that AS may get access to Premium Economy awards (which are not available to Star Alliance partners) so availability might be decent on these.
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Eg, if there is CX availability, and you need to be MVPG to book through Alaska, but anyone can book that same seat through AA... exactly what does that accomplish? It just devalues AS vs AA.
What you were saying would make sense if AS had their own quota of space that no one else has access to. Then they could control access however they wished. But they don't.
What Alaska could do is offer discounts to elites (or, more likely, raise the price for non-elites to be more in line with other programs). That would make AS elite status very valuable.
#97
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: BART Platinum, AA Plat Pro
Posts: 1,158
Even if they could do this — which seems like a rosy view of AS IT — I don’t see how it would help. 99% of the time, it’s not an AS member who is taking the available award seat, it’s someone in another program. So restricting availability for AS non-elites will have virtually no impact on partner award availability for AS elites.
#99
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
I’m really starting to wonder if AS made some deal with SQ where AS miles can’t be redeemed on SQ...
As mentioned above, ample time has passed for them to introduce mileage redemptions onto SQ, and it has not materialized. So I’m wondering if this is a possibility?
As mentioned above, ample time has passed for them to introduce mileage redemptions onto SQ, and it has not materialized. So I’m wondering if this is a possibility?
#100
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
James
#101
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: BART Platinum, AA Plat Pro
Posts: 1,158
#103
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Well there has to be some reason AS has not released SQ and Aer Lingus awards.
I wonder if the cap purchasing of 150K miles for non-elites has to do with redemption negotiations? Even if it’s not long hauls it would be nice to have SQ as an option intra-asia.
I wonder if the cap purchasing of 150K miles for non-elites has to do with redemption negotiations? Even if it’s not long hauls it would be nice to have SQ as an option intra-asia.
#104
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
Honestly, given SQ's reticence in general (at the end of the day, I don't think SQ is going to release much of anything in a premium cabin except *maybe* some odd short-hop stuff), I'd really like to see AS just declare them an "earning only" partner and call it a day. To be fair, I think most of SQ's non-alliance partners might want to consider doing the same...SQ may be a nice "feather in the cap" partner for some of them because of their premium cabin reputation, but IIRC they're even stingy about their in-alliance availability (though I've heard a little bit does come out there now and again,lest *A consider dumping them), let alone with other partners.
#105
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
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