Originally Posted by MegatopLover

The glitch with DL SkyMiles award tickets on SQ F is that you're supposed to get First Class all the way to wherever your SE Asian destination may be, not just as far as Singapore. When DL requests seats beyond SIN, SQ often comes back reporting unavailable. The very lucky rare few will get confirmed in C. More often, you'll get Y if you get anything at all. That happened to me. But when you ask SQ directly, they'll say they're showing FF redemption availability in C and F on the given flights and that they should be available even to partners like Delta. A solution devised by many FTers is to go to the SKL and hope you get someone who's familiar with the problem to waitlist you for C or F on a space-available basis. I was going to give it a go.

So after stopping briefly at the DFS wine shop in T3 to see what they had, I went to the T3 SKL. The front-door greeters let me in without a premium BP when I said I needed to go to the flight desk. I got a fellow there who was familiar with the problem somewhat and said he'd waitlist me. In the meantime, I could use the C side of the lounge, he said. I also asked about my baggage: Did it make the flight? Is it here in Singapore? He wasn't sure but suggested I check again as we get closer to departure for BKK.

As I was getting up to enter the lounge, one of the fiercest dragons I've ever seen jumps up from an adjoining desk and comes over and literally stands in my way, wanting to know why I was being allowed in. The fellow explained and she relented, but she clearly was unhappy. That's just the sort of thing I don't like. It's only a lounge. I know there are rules, and I'm happy to follow them. But when people make and issue out of whether I'm allowed in, I feel bad, like a beggar at the ball. I'd rather just go away.

So I went in and found a place to sit and read the paper. I had shaved on board SQ 001 just before landing and changed all of my clothes. So while a shower would have been nice, I didn't necessarily need one. (Others might have disagreed!) Thirty minutes or so later, I get paged. I'm hoping I've been cleared into C. Well, the same fellow says that I haven't cleared but I should check again with the gate agents over in Terminal 2 and since my flight departs from there maybe I should make my way over there sooner rather than later and he very politely tells me that he's not throwing me out but he's basically throwing me out. The dragon has struck! Ouch.

Got my stuff, finished a water, and headed off. I took advantage of the time to scope out Terminal 1 so I'd be very familiar with where mom and Hubby would arrive on their CX flight from Bangkok. Took the SkyTrain to Terminal 1, then walked all the way from T1 to T2. Spent some time skulking around T2, went through immigration to get a couple of passport stamps (I'm an avid collector-- more on that later), and stopped at the Transit Desk to ask if they could confirm whether my bags had made it to Singapore. The guy took my baggage claim checks and eventually said that it looked like my bags were indeed in Singapore but we couldn't be sure until they got scanned going onto the BKK flight. Checked my email at the free terminals and saw a lovely "Welcome to Changi, ja" email from Mr. Megatop, who'd been monitoring my progress. It was about an hour to departure, so I went out to Gate F60. I was one of the first there.

SQ 976 SIN-BKK
Equip: 777-300
Reg: 9V-SYA
STD: 2:15 pm
Seat: ???

No spoiler in that header! Keep reading for the gate drama.

Went through security, having put the liquids and gels from my amenity kit into my baggy. I asked the gate agent about the waitlist and he said "Not yet." I asked about my bags, and he said "Not sure." Check back later about both.

Cooled my heels in a seat near the window watching the big birds. They start calling boarding. I go up to the desk and check again. "Not sure, no update yet." Now I'm starting to really worry about my bags and I focus on that. "I don't understand. Don't blame Delta. My bags have been in the possession of your airline for nearly 24 hours. I left San Francisco nearly 24 hours ago. How can it be that you can't at least tell me whether my bags went on the same flight with me?" I got nowhere. They told me to take a seat near the desk. with 15 minutes to STD I went back and asked about the upgrade, knowing I'm surely a big PITA in their eyes and they won't do me any favors. Another agent looks and sees that it's an award ticket. She says they don't know whether Delta took enough miles to put me in F all the way to BKK. I assure her it's in my PNR. They eventually print out the PNR and, there it is, the note that I asked DL to put in 11 months ago. Problem resolved. Handwritten BP for Seat 2F issued, and I go aboard.