Advice about cancelled award segment
 

Last Januari I've booked a Saver First award ticket from Jakarta to New York, with a stopover in Frankfurt. On the 12'th of March I've flown CGK-SIN-FRA. The FRA-JFK flight was planned for August this year but - ofcourse - it never happened.

The point is: SQ refuses to extend the ticket validity after the 10th of March 2021. They offer me a refund of 7/K Krisflyer miles, which is the difference between a Asia - Europe saver award and Asia - East Coast saver award. I can totally understand the difficult times we are in. But the fact that SQ refuse to extend the ticket validity is not really customer friendly. They don't operate the FRA-JFK flight anymore before March the 10th. Additionally they offer me to rebook on LH Business Class, but then I have to pay an additional 44/K miles.

In my opinion, EC261 also apply to the flight, as it leaves from Frankfurt. In that case, SQ should refund the amount of miles proportionally. This would be 3856/10.791 X 132.000 = 47.168 miles. It would be far more practical and customer friendly to simply extend the ticket validity in my opinion tough. So far, it seems to be impossible to reach someone at Krisflyer who don't give a robotized and bureaucratic answer.

Anyone who has an advice how to find a solution for this? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Sorry to hear about this. Honestly, this is exactly why I’m worried about booking with SQ late next year. They’re selling their pre-COVID schedule with no intention of flying that many planes. What happens when they inevitably change/cancel/downgrade my seat? They haven’t shown good faith with tickets like yours.

I’d file a complaint with the US DOT outlining the situation. Compare this to a revenue ticket - if they stranded you in Europe would they have the right to offer you only a refund between the historical prices of a ticket to JFK or FRA?

You outlined a perfectly reasonable resolution. If they would return a more appropriate number of miles I’d accept and write off the lost trip like so much else this year.

Not so fast. It seems that way. But for EC261/2004 to be triggered, the cancellation date is critical as well, which your flight must be cancelled within 14 days of departure. Also COVID-19 is an extraordinary situation.

I am not so sure that you can really trigger EC261/2004 in this case.

Without EC261/2004, your chance in this is practically none. As you have said, you booked a stopover.

Under SQ's terms of carriage, SQ is under no obligation to extend the validity of the ticket.

SQ is a SOE by Singaporean Government. You want no bureaucracy? Then don't fly SQ.

Regulators are kind of lenient during this COVID-19 situation. Not sure a complaint with DOT will help. Beside - OP intends to seek blood in this instance. So a complaint may not do OP any good.

That's true, but really only on enforcement action. I wouldn't expect this case to get anywhere near a fine, but just having a regulator forward the complaint to SQ and ask for background/rationale usually results in higher-level management reviewing the case. SQ agents may not be empowered to fix this amicably, but their HQ managers are.

...which I am not optimal. FWIW - OP did fly before the stopover flight was cancelled. Based on OP's own calculation, SQ would practically provide a discount.

The 14 days is for compensation. The proportional refund is regardless applicable. COVID-19 is for sure an extraordinary situation. Not SQ's fault that I was unable to fly to JFK. Only one or two days after I've flown the SIN-FRA segment entry ban for non US people was in effect.

Just to clarify: for myself, ticket validity extension would be my preferred solution.

Actually you are right and wrong. Indeed, the 14-day is not relevant. But Article 8 does not say "proportional" but "for the part or parts of the journey not made".

Unless you can cite a ECJ or German court ruling specifying this, I do believe it is within SQ's right to re-fare for the purpose of refund.

The good news is, I've just received an email from SQ that they will refund 47/K miles, the stopover fee of $ 100,00 and the unused part of the taxed (SGD 230,20).

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Good for you.