Experience with SQ Covid-19-related cancellations?
 

Does anyone have any experience with how SQ handled Covid-19-related cancellations (not voluntary cancellation by a passenger, but SQ cancelling the flight) that you can tell me about, e.g. how SQ handled it?

I have a SIN-SYD in A380 new suite (revenue), and while it has not been cancelled yet, I am wanting to know how SQ been handling COVID-19-related cancellations where EC261 does not apply.

Any info would be appreciated, such as how wide a choice you've been given with choosing an alternative flight (I'd really rather fly in the new suite, for distancing reasons), what sort of options were offered, and if you need to wait for a suitable alternative flight, what have SQ been doing with accommodation arrangements.

I am thinking that with Australian government putting everywhere in the world on "Reconsider the travel", I am expecting the demand to have dropped off quite a bit for SYD-SIN (thus affecting SIN-SYD-SIN) and so I'm wondering about the potential upcoming cancellations, and would prefer to have some info at hand in advance.

I've never had any SQ flight cancelled before, so I have no prior experience to fall back on. If it makes any difference, I'm a PPS.

I am PPS Solitaire member and it makes no difference what tier you hold with them, their agents are robots who take instructions from the top. No empowerment or creativity on crisis management. All SQ is doing is copying what other airlines are implementing. Never taking the lead.

OK, thanks. I do not have any problem with that, as I do not expect people to bend any rules for me (although some airlines have status-based rebooking policies for instance, so I was wondering about that).

What I'd like to know is how they handle cancellations.

SQ handles them poorly. See the existing threads.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/sing...cancelled.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/sing...aivers-15.html

Easy experience here. I had a HKG to MAN on SQ for this month booked back in January. I received an email that my HKG to SIN flight was canceled and rebooked for the day before, however my SIN to MAN was still the original flight. I did not want to spend 28 hours in SIN so I looked up flights that were still operating on the original day, picked the one I wanted and emailed the US SQ reservations. Within 40 hours I received a reply and confirmation that i was rebooked on the flight I chose. Easy and didn't have to wait on hold...

Thanks very much! This is exactly the sort of practical and specific info I was hoping to get. It's good to know how it worked out.

Booked to fly from US to UK next weekend... obv now subject to travel ban.

Attempted to canx online, but SQ website continuing to state flights are non-refundable - swines. Guess I'll be doing a chargeback on the credit card if I don't get satisfaction.

I can understand why you wouldn't want to travel overseas right now, but there is no travel ban from US to UK (nor in other direction). There are US entry restrictions for those who are not US citizens or permanent residents.

You make a fair point. It's rather frustrating, as I hear most US airlines are offering unconditional refunds for international travel. My understanding is that effective Tuesday, there'll be no entry into the country without a US passport or green card. I'm assuming this will apply to flight crews too, but would welcome any info folks can share!

I had an SQ booking PER-SIN and the flight was one of the cancelled ones. I just rang them up and they put me on another flight no fuss, no fees. All simple. Give their call centre a ring - there will probably be a bit of a wait as you would expect in these unusual times.

It's more complex than that. They have broad change fee waivers in place, but refunds are still limited to qualifying circumstances, unless you can talk someone into an exception. That said, I'd rather be dealing with a US carrier right now than either SQ or CX.
Well there are the restrictions on entry from Schengen zone, which has just been expanded to UK, which are effective as of today, plus China and Iran, but I'm not aware of broader restrictions than that, nor am I aware of anything specific changing on Tuesday (March 17).
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I don’t think SQ’s IT is equipped to handle exceptions. It needs to be manually overridden by some human.

the travel ban from UK to US was announced around 3 hours before your post. So you do expect airlines to immediately update their IT system to reflect that ?

Heavens - such aggression! Does somebody need a hug?!

To your question - yes, yes I do. I expect a rapid response from any customer-centric organization. This is 2020. If we're expecting people to do their jobs and then update "the computer" when it suits them, it ain't good enough.

But this isn’t normal. Frankly the airline people (any airline) must be absolutely stretched, so many moving parts so much new information coming through regularly that it’s difficult to impossible to keep up with customer expectations.

To be brutally honest, unless governments start stepping in very soon to prop up airlines there will be no need to worry about rescheduling,, miles extension or refunds as there will be no airline to provide any of that. Airlines without major domestic operations, like SQ, are looking down the barrel of a gun right now. They will get government support, it without there’s a real prospect of no SQ - or CX or TG or EK - within a couple of months.