Singapore Airlines (SQ) award booking experiences using United miles
Jan 6, 22, 9:19 am - Wikipost
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SQ awards can be booked online but SQ generally does does not release to its *A partners all routes or all cabins -- especially the more premium cases
Old information ================================================== ===========
Originally Posted by UA Insider
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give you an early heads up about an upcoming change to the Star partner award availability you see displayed online. Singapore Airlines and United have agreed to remove Singapore Airlines inventory from our award flight search results on united.com and on the United Mobile App. This will take effect starting tomorrow, December 13, You will still to be able to book and change award reservations involving Singapore Airlines by calling our reservations lines. Please let me know if you have any clarifying questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Aaron Goldberg Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning United Airlines
Originally Posted by UA Insider
As most have you has suspected, unfortunately we're not waiving the booking fee. The simple reason--and this is a consistent policy across all airlines which are not yet online--is that there is substantial additional work required to price and ticket these awards in our contact centers.
Aaron Goldberg Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning United Airlines Update: SQ's statement on the recent change:
Originally Posted by SQ
Each Star Alliance member carrier may choose how to fulfill such redemptions differently, which we have no influence over.
For example, some Star carriers may choose to allow their respective frequent flier programme members access to redemption online or offline, depending on their respective platforms. 
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Dec 14, 13, 8:16 pm
#258
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: back to Europe
Programs: FB Plat (8th yr) & Marriott Amb.
Posts: 233
Originally Posted by RTW1
Probably no source but a conclusion based on the SQ award availability that is currently displayed....
I do not see much change when re-running (with the ANA search option of course) older awardnexus searchs that were showing SQ business awards on intra-asia destinations
but can't find any SIN to Australia business awards from Jan 2014 onwards...
Dec 14, 13, 8:36 pm
#259
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 1,438
Originally Posted by RTW1
Probably no source but a conclusion based on the SQ award availability that is currently displayed....
This obviously sucks. I was just able to put a great trip for a friend and his wife to Australia with a couple of stopovers in south east asia (1 under 24 hours). Of course he didn't book it because they were being indecisive with their dates. Oh well, so much for them saving UR points for 2 years for this trip.
Dec 14, 13, 9:21 pm
#260
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,259
Originally Posted by arcticbull
The problem is that your open jaw can only be at your origin or your point of turnaround (which is defined as the furthest place away from your origin).
Originally Posted by arcticbull
the unflown portion must be the shortest segment
Originally Posted by arcticbull
(i.e. SFO-ICN-LAX is cool, SFO-ICN-LHR not so since the latter violates both the zone rule and the distance rule; you could book that as two one-ways though, but then you don't get the en-route stopover).
Originally Posted by arcticbull
EDIT As for the 4h stop rule, that applies ONLY to purely domestic itineraries. International itineraries allow up to 24h before the connection becomes a stopover -- even at domestic connection points. The problem with the UA reps is that once their computer fails to price the award they just make rules up as to why, instead of actually trying to help you. Probably because their computer doesn't tell them why it barfed, just that it did.
Originally Posted by arcticbull
Finally, connecting at REP (a spoke-spoke connection) is totally fine, taking OZ in and TG out. You don't have to connect exclusively at hubs. The same way I can get from SFO-ORD via FAR on a domestic award ticket. So long as you don't exceed the maximum permitted number of transfers on a South Asia award (4 each way on a round trip, 3 each way on a one-way) and don't exceed 3 award zones en route.
Dec 14, 13, 9:33 pm
#261
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: United 1K; AA Platinum
Posts: 326
Originally Posted by arcticbull
SFO-ICN-BKK (all OZ) STOPOVER
<Nested $50 Air Asia tix Bangkok Don Muang DMK-REP-DMK>
BKK-SIN(22-hour layover)-MLE(all SQ) POINT OF TURNAROUND
MLE-SIN(SQ)(10-hour overnight layover)-TPE(BR)-SFO(BR)
tl;dr It's because you can't have an en-route open jaw.
<Nested $50 Air Asia tix Bangkok Don Muang DMK-REP-DMK>
BKK-SIN(22-hour layover)-MLE(all SQ) POINT OF TURNAROUND
MLE-SIN(SQ)(10-hour overnight layover)-TPE(BR)-SFO(BR)
tl;dr It's because you can't have an en-route open jaw.
After ~7 total hours on the phone with them today with no success, I called up USAirways and used my miles with them for the above routing. Successful on the first try after a 30-min call.
Dec 14, 13, 10:20 pm
#262
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: Hyatt Glob; AA ExPlat; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 296
Originally Posted by blueheronNC
"SQ won't allow you to connect onward to BR on MLE-SIN-TPE", and/or "SIN-MLE-SIN isn't an available SQ route for *A awards."
Dec 15, 13, 1:06 am
#265
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,259
Originally Posted by blueheronNC
I attempted this with two separate agents (not having REP at all but just having BKK as my stopover and continuing on), and they reverted with the entire "SQ won't allow you to connect onward to BR on MLE-SIN-TPE", and/or "SIN-MLE-SIN isn't an available SQ route for *A awards."
After ~7 total hours on the phone with them today with no success, I called up USAirways and used my miles with them for the above routing. Successful on the first try after a 30-min call.
After ~7 total hours on the phone with them today with no success, I called up USAirways and used my miles with them for the above routing. Successful on the first try after a 30-min call.
Dec 15, 13, 10:54 am
#266
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: U.K.
Programs: UA 1K; QR P; HH D; MR G; IHG SpAmb
Posts: 717
Serves me right for not having checked FT for a few days, having seen the SQ flights i was looking at a couple of days ago disappeared i now booked TG via BKK. Guess have to call in to see whether i still can get direct connections...
Dec 15, 13, 12:06 pm
#268
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K, BA Silver, AC35k
Posts: 22,423
Originally Posted by Rhyick
What is the best way to view SQ availability now? Will we have to call in or are there other tools which we can use to do queries?
ANA tool, awardnexus, flisea.com, etc, etc
Dec 15, 13, 1:15 pm
#269
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: United 1K; AA Platinum
Posts: 326
Originally Posted by rankourabu
Aeroplan.com still has it.
ANA tool, awardnexus, flisea.com, etc, etc
ANA tool, awardnexus, flisea.com, etc, etc
Dec 15, 13, 1:32 pm
#270
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K, BA Silver, AC35k
Posts: 22,423
Originally Posted by blueheronNC
More like a combination of the above. I've found that Aeroplan is a bit underinclusive for SQ flights, whereas ANA is overinclusive, at least when it comes to availability that UA is seeing.
a) They tend to only display SIX options per routing per class of service
b) Aeroplan.com 'prefers' flights on carriers that attract a fuel surcharge.
So for example, if you were to search for PEK-SIN - you will get a variety of combinations of TG or OZ, and SQ/BR may be downgraded because AC does not charge a fuel surcharge on them. If there are more than 6 combos of the former, you may not see the latter at all.
