SIN>NRT Options Advice
 

Hello,

This is the first time for me using my BMI miles and the ANA availability tool to find two seats between SIN and NRT one way in F or J. (I've already booked flights in and out of SIN and NRT with BA).

I'd prefer to fly over night. Looking at the options availble to me in September there isn't good availbility on the new A380 (except ecoonmy). However there is availability on the ANA NH902 and the SQ632 with a 1 hour stop over in Bangkok. I've had a look at the J product offerings on line and it looks to me like the SQ business offering is much better than ANA. I'm thinking it would actually be better taking the 1 hour stop in Bangkok to travel SQ rather than ANA. Does anyone with experience of both have an opinion on this?

Also, whilst F doesn't look like it's ever offered for redemptions on the A380 it is showing that J is available subject to availability. Is there the possibility that availability in J on the A380 may free up later or am I best locking down my flights on the next best alternative.

Thanks for any help, MJS1972.

SQ do not offer J or F awards to *A partners (so in this case bmi) on their A380, 77W and A345 planes, so availability won't open up until they change their policy.

Also note that the SQ flight via BKK has (I think) the regional C seats and therefore is probably not as good as Club ANA Asia (which itself isn't great). Best option for seat comfort (although not overnight) is SQ12 (or is it 11?) that is operated by the 747 and likely to be 77W (new seats) soon.

If you are considering taking the via BKK flight then consider flying TG as an alternative option.

As this query is solely a routing query, let's follow it in the *A forum.

Thread moved. :)

thats not correct anymore, at least with LH M&M you can book C awards on all of the above. no suites or new F though...

Really? Is this discussed somewhere that I can look at?

I just called SQ. They confirmed that the SQ632 has Raffles buisiness class but not the fully flat bed from the latest generation of aircraft. Is this better than the regional C seats? The guy from SQ didn't seem to know what a regional C seat is!

The guy from SQ didn't seem to know anything... "Raffles business class" is meaningless, there hasn't been a "Raffles Class" for a few years now. Fully flat beds are available only 77W/A380, which you can't book using award miles. The best you could get is a SpaceBed, which is a non-fully-flat bed on some 777s and 747s, but as said, these aircraft are usually not operated on SIN-NRT.

I'll throw in a third option: fly OZ via ICN. Last I checked, OZ's SIN-ICN flights are overnight and always have SpaceBed-type inclined flat beds in business, and ICN-NRT is a very short hop where regional J is no big deal. Service isn't quite as stellar as SQ/NH, but it's not bad either and, if you're like me, on overnight flights it's the bed that matters. You will have a change of planes in ICN though.

The problem with SIN-ICN-NRT is that there is a 4 hour layover in ICN which, to me at least, is too much.

I know the OP said he wanted to depart in the evening, but in order to get a decent seat on the rather long flight, personal recommendation would be actually the SQ or NH morning flight - SQ flight has the Spacebeds, and NH regional seat will also be fine for the daytime flight.

OZ does also fly GMP-HND at 08:45, which will get you into central Tokyo several hours faster, but of course the ICN-GMP transfer is an additional hassle.

If you would like more variety, you could fly Swiss SIN-BKK.

Not unless he is flying in the next 17 days.. I am very sorry to say that LX have cancelled this route from 25th April :(


If you can bag F on SQ12 then get it done! (Btw, SQ only open 1 F seat at a time so if you are searching on ANA for 2 seats you will see nothing. Search for 1 and if it is available, book it and there is a high possibility almost instantly another will open up) Otherwise I would go for C on SQ12 or C on SQ632. F usually opens up during the week before departure so you can even make a few last minute adjustments to your booking.

Just remember another option is flying F with TG ex-BKK. Availability is very rare in F on this flight although if you book C, 99.9% of the time F availability opens up during the week before departure and will only cost £20 and a call to BMI to get it changed. TG F ground service in BKK is an experience in itself.. met at curb, check in lounge, escorted through fast-trak immigration/security to a waiting buggy and then driven to the fabulous first class lounge, then relax with an hour full-body massage at the royal orchid spa before being escorted to your seat on the plane.