Honestly, what is wrong with you, SQ?

Old Jun 24, 2009, 11:45 am
  #1  
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Honestly, what is wrong with you, SQ?

After suffering in the back of the bus between the US and Asia, and accumulating enough miles to reward myself and the family, I first learned the hard way that miles expire away after two years. That itself is ridiculous.

Now I'm trying to use what remains to bring a friend to the US for a visit, and the taxes and fees amount to $800 USD for two reward tickets! What the hell?????

This is simply outrageous. SQ has one of the best flying experiences in the world, and the worst FF program in the world.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 11:50 am
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What route and cabin were you trying to redeem ?
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 11:55 am
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Originally Posted by rolov
What route and cabin were you trying to redeem ?
J from S'pore to either LAX or JFK
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:08 pm
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The taxes and charges would have been the same no matter which FFP you use, except for AC and UA that do not charge fuel surcharges (in which case it would be much cheaper).

So, whether you used miles from SQ, LH, NH, OZ, etc etc, any other Star airline FFP than UA and AC would charge you the same extortionately high amount due to the fuel surcharge.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:11 pm
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Originally Posted by stargold
The taxes and charges would have been the same no matter which FFP you use, except for AC and UA that do not charge fuel surcharges (in which case it would be much cheaper).

So, whether you used miles from SQ, LH, NH, OZ, etc etc, any other Star airline FFP than UA and AC would charge you the same extortionately high amount due to the fuel surcharge.
I see. Nice revenue stream for them. Fuel prices slip back to normal levels, but the surcharge lives forever.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:17 pm
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I recently purchased a RTW ticket where the surcharge was over $1000! That's for one ticket. It has SQ segments but mostly on other airlines.

Thread title should have been What's Wrong With All the Airlines.

Last edited by TerryK; Jun 24, 2009 at 12:27 pm
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:20 pm
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Originally Posted by rbrenton88
I see. Nice revenue stream for them. Fuel prices slip back to normal levels, but the surcharge lives forever.
There is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:40 pm
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Originally Posted by rbrenton88
I see. Nice revenue stream for them. Fuel prices slip back to normal levels, but the surcharge lives forever.
They will tell you that the surcharge was calculated based on normal oil prices being US$18/barrel.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:48 pm
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Originally Posted by stargold
The taxes and charges would have been the same no matter which FFP you use, except for AC and UA that do not charge fuel surcharges (in which case it would be much cheaper).

So, whether you used miles from SQ, LH, NH, OZ, etc etc, any other Star airline FFP than UA and AC would charge you the same extortionately high amount due to the fuel surcharge.
And oh what a difference that fuel surcharge makes. I used UA miles for the following *A itinerary in Business:

MCI-DEN-LAX (UA)
LAX-NRT-SIN-MNL(SQ)

CRK-ICN-LAX(OZ)
LAX-DEN-MCI (UA)

Total Taxes and Fees: $27.50
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 12:55 pm
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The worst part is not having any choice. If I don't pay the extortionistic surcharge, my miles get bled away anyway through aging.

I want back the ~$40,000 my company spent to accumulate these miles. I need a time machine.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 2:10 pm
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Originally Posted by rbrenton88
...I first learned the hard way that miles expire away after two years. That itself is ridiculous.
...
Actually, no. You learned the hard way that they expire after 3 years
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/singa...ry-fading.html
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 2:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Savage25
Actually, no. You learned the hard way that they expire after 3 years
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/singa...ry-fading.html

Ah i forgot. I was actually wondering why they hadn't taken away more of them by now.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 4:17 pm
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Originally Posted by rbrenton88
The worst part is not having any choice. If I don't pay the extortionistic surcharge, my miles get bled away anyway through aging.

I want back the ~$40,000 my company spent to accumulate these miles. I need a time machine.
expense the fee to the company and they will have paid $40,075.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 9:40 pm
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How much are the fees and taxes for a paid ticker? I think they are similar to a reward flight.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 11:19 pm
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Normally, yes they are the same.

Which is why redemptions in Y are such shockingly bad value. The "fare" component of the current UK sale prices to SYD, for example, is actually under 100 - which means that the miles you use on the Y reward is not even "worth" 100, since you have to pay the remaining 300-odd whether you're using miles or paying in cash.
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