aspro

I'm now on my second multi-hour attempt to get through to the SQ call centre to book MEL-SIN-MUC (SQ) + MUC-LIS (LH) as a single Star Alliance award redemption (not possible on the website, but individual availability is there). Does anyone know if it is possible (as a workaround for the problems with the call centre) to:

1. Book online as SQ award MEL-SIN-MUC, and then
2. Via chat or email get them to add the *A(LH) award segment MUC-LIS and recalculate the miles (so that the end result is one *A award rather than two separate awards)

Does anyone have experience with this?

freed0m

*A award needs *A availability, which is near non-existent for MEL-MUC.

buy yourself a separate MUC-LIS to save your time.

aspro

Availability per se was not the issue, though. SQ availability on MEL-MUC was there, which was my desired longhaul component of the *A award. The issue was the hurdles involved in adding the intra-European LH segment (thereby making it a *A award) via the call centre. I also have to comment (for anyone else coming across this thread) that buying a separate ticket has the potential to cause all sorts of hassles, given that LH would have no obligation to protect that booking if the separately ticketed SQ flights were delayed. (And of course, a *A award MEL-LIS is only 117.5k in J, whereas two tickets would be 116k+30k, so much poorer value if one finds it hard to accumulate SQ points.)

freed0m

what you saw is Krisflyer availability, not *A availability. There is a stark difference between the two.

Check whether any *A program can see MEL-MUC in SQ J. I doubt there is any.

aspro

Correct me if I'm wrong, but SQ's own *A awards are taken from normally available reward inventory on their own metal. This is not the case for other *A airlines' programs looking at SQ inventory. I am getting SQ to book a *A award on their own metal because of the need for an LH segment in the award. I've not read before of SQ using two different buckets for its own inventory for Krisflyer SQ vs Krisflyer *A awards, but certainly a different inventory is offered to other programs.

freed0m

*A award can only be combined with *A availability in SQ, which is standard I for Biz, X for economy. Krisflyer award does not use I for biz and can’t combine with I for biz. That’s why sometime there is no availability in Krisflyer, but still got *A availability. They are two different fare buckets.

demue

Sorry, where are you getting the info that KF awards don't use X, I, O for redemptions? They certainly do for KF Saver awards. KF Advantage awards are a different story and come out of other fare buckets, e.g. D for Biz, A for First.

Now having said that, whether the KF availability for MEL-SIN-MUC can easily be combined with a *A segment and reissued as a KF issued *A award is another story. I tried myself in the past and didn't succeed, but that looked more like an availability issue with the *A segment. YMMV.

freed0m

maybe I have been wrong all along. However, Krisflyer saver awards have always had higher availability than *A X/I/O.

There are times that when *A I is available, but no Krisflyer saver awards and vice versa.

demue

Now that is fair enough, but I'd reckon that that may have other (related) reasons, e.g. KF almost never shows SQ flights when you do a *A award search online, but I have been able to stitch those together in person at Ion office using SQ long haul and say LH/LX shorthaul which could not be pulled up online. YMMV

freed0m

I have done extensive search for "irregular" routes. I am SIN-based, so I often tried to marry SQ with another *A partner for more beneficial booking because SQ has no YQ.

e.g. SQ for SIN-ICN instead of OZ, SQ for SIN-IST instead of TK.

It is rare because SQ releases little *A availability outside Asia. For example, there is pretty good availability for SIN-ICN. On the other hand, SIN-Europe has little to none.

stargold

SQ Saver is also X/I/O as is the space released to other *A. However, SQ can offer different availability depending on whether it's booked via SQ or a different airline. That's why you see the difference between KF and other programs.

Not sure whether SQ *A awards are relegated to the same availability as other airlines, however.

demue

Exactly, I also don't know, but this is my suspicion as well as the availability seems to vary quite drastically vs. KF awards.

Cryotia

Sorry to revive an old post, but OP did you manage to get the MUC-LIS segment added to your existing ticket?

I'm trying to do something similar right now. I have a confirmed booking SIN-FRA SQ saver award (booking class I) and want to add an FRA-MUC connection on LH. An hour on the call center resulted in variations of "it's not allowed", "I can't see the availability" (you can find it online on the SQ or any *A website), and "I can see it but it's only in economy so I can't ticket it." They also refused to escalate me to someone who could help out.

I could go to ION but I won't be back in Singapore for another 10 days so there's the risk that the FRA-MUC availability disappears. Of course it's ridiculous that in 2023 you have to go to a physical ticket office to get decent customer service.

odie11

Any word on this?

I want to book JFK-FRA-CPH. There are seats available in J class for 56,500 from JFK-FRA and then separate available to CPH but how can I book it together as one ticket?

demue

Isn't that a spontaneous escapes promo rate? AFAIK, this cannot be done. Those promo redemptions can't be combined with other segments.