Help. Trying to get an award ticket on Singapore airlines
Apr 26, 2007, 8:28 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Programs: UA Premier, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 102
Help. Trying to get an award ticket on Singapore airlines
I have been trying vey hard to get a first class ticket on SQ from JFK to SIN using my DL miles. I am trying to leave on the first week of May and spend about two to three weeks in the region. I see some availability on the outbound, but it is impossible to find any availability on the inbound besides the economy class. I think SQ releases unsold seats at the last minute (3-4 days before the departure date) but I cannot afford to get stranded over there. Is there a solution for this type of situation? Do KE still offer first class award tickets for Skymiles members? If they do, can I fly SQ on the outbound and KE on the inbound?
Apr 26, 2007, 10:42 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wayne, PA USA
Programs: DL MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, HHonors Gold
Posts: 7,242
You cannot combine KE with an SQ award. That would be two SEPARATE awards.
KE Does not consider Delta SkyMiles "worthy" of redemption for First Class travel on their airline. The best you'll do with KE is their business class.
You're looking pretty late in the game if you want to travel in May 2007. Rumor has it that SQ only releases ONE FC seat per flight. Remember, SQ is part of the "We'll take everyone" (STAR) alliance, so you're competing against a large number of people for a very rare commodity.
Your best bet is to either be very flexible on your dates, or keep calling Delta back continuously.
Also, consider "splitting" your trip. For example, there may be an FC seat SIN-KHG on a Tuesday, but no FC seats on SQ from HKG-SFO until Thursday or Friday. Be willing to look segment by segment and hang out in the Asian connection cities (HKG, NRT, ICN I believe) for a couple of days, if necessary.
Be careful about considering the JFK-FRA-SIN path. There is a strange rule that you have to cross the same ocean both directions when using SQ awards, or else it's considered an Around the World ticket and thus not eligible for an award. I have no idea how they handle the EWR-SIN flight, since that flight is essentially a polar flight. It doesn't matter to you, since it doesn't offer First Class.
If worst comes to worst, consider flying First one way and Business the other way. you'll still have to redeem the miles for an FC award. There have been a few reports of people doing this, then being able to change their Business segments to First a couple of days before departure, or on the day of departure when checking in with SQ. No guarantees though. I definitely would NOT consider cashing in the miles for an FC award if one of your trans-oceanic segments is going to be in coach.
KE Does not consider Delta SkyMiles "worthy" of redemption for First Class travel on their airline. The best you'll do with KE is their business class.
You're looking pretty late in the game if you want to travel in May 2007. Rumor has it that SQ only releases ONE FC seat per flight. Remember, SQ is part of the "We'll take everyone" (STAR) alliance, so you're competing against a large number of people for a very rare commodity.
Your best bet is to either be very flexible on your dates, or keep calling Delta back continuously.
Also, consider "splitting" your trip. For example, there may be an FC seat SIN-KHG on a Tuesday, but no FC seats on SQ from HKG-SFO until Thursday or Friday. Be willing to look segment by segment and hang out in the Asian connection cities (HKG, NRT, ICN I believe) for a couple of days, if necessary.
Be careful about considering the JFK-FRA-SIN path. There is a strange rule that you have to cross the same ocean both directions when using SQ awards, or else it's considered an Around the World ticket and thus not eligible for an award. I have no idea how they handle the EWR-SIN flight, since that flight is essentially a polar flight. It doesn't matter to you, since it doesn't offer First Class.
If worst comes to worst, consider flying First one way and Business the other way. you'll still have to redeem the miles for an FC award. There have been a few reports of people doing this, then being able to change their Business segments to First a couple of days before departure, or on the day of departure when checking in with SQ. No guarantees though. I definitely would NOT consider cashing in the miles for an FC award if one of your trans-oceanic segments is going to be in coach.
Apr 27, 2007, 6:30 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
jimrpa is right.
EWR-SIN is treated as transatlantic and is thus combinable with JFK-SIN awards but not LAX-SIN, SFO-SIN awards. That's because the EWR-SIN nonstop replaced a EWR-AMS-SIN onestop.
SQ operates three dailies SIN-FRA. If you can get on one of the other SIN-FRA legs and stay less than 24 hours in FRA, it would be considered a connection, not a stopover (limited to one per itinerary). The B777-300ER with the new F and J products has started or will soon start operating SQ 326, so if you can get on that flight, get on it! If you can get the SIN-FRA leg, you should be able to get the FRA-JFK leg (lighter loads, usually). Note, however, that you cannot combine an SQ award with DL for the FRA-JFK leg.
EWR-SIN is treated as transatlantic and is thus combinable with JFK-SIN awards but not LAX-SIN, SFO-SIN awards. That's because the EWR-SIN nonstop replaced a EWR-AMS-SIN onestop.
SQ operates three dailies SIN-FRA. If you can get on one of the other SIN-FRA legs and stay less than 24 hours in FRA, it would be considered a connection, not a stopover (limited to one per itinerary). The B777-300ER with the new F and J products has started or will soon start operating SQ 326, so if you can get on that flight, get on it! If you can get the SIN-FRA leg, you should be able to get the FRA-JFK leg (lighter loads, usually). Note, however, that you cannot combine an SQ award with DL for the FRA-JFK leg.
Last edited by MegatopLover; Apr 27, 2007 at 8:00 am Reason: corrected by El Boocho; woops!
Apr 27, 2007, 7:18 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,677
jimrpa is right.
EWR-SIN is treated as transatlantic and is thus combinable with JFK-SIN awards but not LAX-SIN, SFO-SIN awards. That's because the EWR-SIN nonstop replaced a EWR-AMS-SIN onestop.
SQ operates three dailies SIN-FRA. If you can get on one of the other SIN-FRA legs and stay less than 24 hours in FRA, it would be considered a stopover, not a connection. The B777-300ER with the new F and J products has started or will soon start operating SQ 326, so if you can get on that flight, get on it! If you can get the SIN-FRA leg, you should be able to get the FRA-JFK leg (lighter loads, usually). Note, however, that you cannot combine an SQ award with DL for the FRA-JFK leg.
EWR-SIN is treated as transatlantic and is thus combinable with JFK-SIN awards but not LAX-SIN, SFO-SIN awards. That's because the EWR-SIN nonstop replaced a EWR-AMS-SIN onestop.
SQ operates three dailies SIN-FRA. If you can get on one of the other SIN-FRA legs and stay less than 24 hours in FRA, it would be considered a stopover, not a connection. The B777-300ER with the new F and J products has started or will soon start operating SQ 326, so if you can get on that flight, get on it! If you can get the SIN-FRA leg, you should be able to get the FRA-JFK leg (lighter loads, usually). Note, however, that you cannot combine an SQ award with DL for the FRA-JFK leg.
Apr 27, 2007, 8:04 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
El Boocho: You are correct that I had stopover vs. connection backward. Thanks for correcting me.
But the agent was incorrect. JFK-FRA-SIN is definitely trans-Atlantic, and it does not go over the North Pole but rather the more traditional transatlantic routes over the North Atlantic (furthest north would be up near Iceland and coming in or going out over Scotland). I can see why some people would consider EWR-SIN-EWR transpacific because it sometimes follows a polar routing and sometimes follows an Atlantic-Europe-India routing for EWR-SIN, while it always takes a South China Sea-Japan-Alaska-Canada routing for SIN-EWR, but under DL's FFP agreement with SQ, EWR-SIN-EWR is treated at transatlantic and thus combinable only with the JFK-FRA-SIN routing. It's a real PITA, but that's the deal. Now, you might get some agents who try to override that or ignore it, but I'm pretty sure that's the deal.
But the agent was incorrect. JFK-FRA-SIN is definitely trans-Atlantic, and it does not go over the North Pole but rather the more traditional transatlantic routes over the North Atlantic (furthest north would be up near Iceland and coming in or going out over Scotland). I can see why some people would consider EWR-SIN-EWR transpacific because it sometimes follows a polar routing and sometimes follows an Atlantic-Europe-India routing for EWR-SIN, while it always takes a South China Sea-Japan-Alaska-Canada routing for SIN-EWR, but under DL's FFP agreement with SQ, EWR-SIN-EWR is treated at transatlantic and thus combinable only with the JFK-FRA-SIN routing. It's a real PITA, but that's the deal. Now, you might get some agents who try to override that or ignore it, but I'm pretty sure that's the deal.
Apr 27, 2007, 9:10 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wayne, PA USA
Programs: DL MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, HHonors Gold
Posts: 7,242
Be careful on the flights out of Canada though, I don't believe they offer First Class.
Apr 27, 2007, 11:04 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SkyMiles PM/2MM, AA Plat, IC Diam. Amb., Peninsula regular, amanjunkie
Posts: 5,848
SQ 15 flies SFO-ICN-SIN, and SQ 16 flies SIN-ICN-SFO, both now operated (I believe daily, since March) by the B777-300ER with the new First and Business Class seats. The B777-200ER that formerly plied that route did not have a First Class, so if you've got a First Class seat, it's on the new plane.
Some FFP partners of SQ cannot get any seats on the new equipment, and SQ's Krisflyer has some funny award-seat requirements for the new equipment. But because of the old DL-SQ agreement, those restrictions might not apply to us as SkyMiles redeemers. If you do get an award seat, snap it up and don't let it go.
Some FFP partners of SQ cannot get any seats on the new equipment, and SQ's Krisflyer has some funny award-seat requirements for the new equipment. But because of the old DL-SQ agreement, those restrictions might not apply to us as SkyMiles redeemers. If you do get an award seat, snap it up and don't let it go.