Miracles do happen: op-up on SQ!

[whughes3]

I flew SQ237 SIN-MEL last night on a paid J ticket, connecting from MNL. I had upgraded my previous outbound flight SQ238 MEL-SIN to F with points, but was happy to "slum it" for the return.

Scheduled departure was 2345, so I left the SKL around 2300; turned out the gate (C1) was a long way away, and the walk was nearly 15 mins. As well there was very long line of people waiting to enter the gate, and boarding wss nearly finished by the time I got through security (and needless to say I was not in the best of moods). But when I got to the BP scan position, to my surprise my BP "bpiunced" and they gave me an F BP instead: totally unexpected and very nice!

I was under the impression that op-ups on SQ ranked somewhere between transits of Halley's comet and apparaitions of the Blessed Virgin in frequency. I wonder what happened here? I noticed that availability on EF a few hours before departure was showing "F2 J0 Y0" (on a 77W) so was obviously heavily booked.

Anyway, while I have always night flights in F are a bit of a waste, I must confess that this was very pleasant indeed; had the best sleep I can ever recall on a plane.

(I am stocking up on Lotto tickrts for the weekend in the hope that my run of luck will continue!).

 

[dajop]

Definitely a full or oversold flight. It is most likely at this time of year due to lots of leisure traffic - at the moment people returning from holidays, and students travelling back to Australia to commence or recommence their studies. Probably some lucky folk got bumped from Y to J as well. Do you have any SQ status?

My partner is top tier and has had op-ups to F from J on med-long haul at least three times that I remember, and indeed got upgraded this week from SIN to PVG but alas only Y to Y+. I've had a Y to J once on SIN-MEL, but most of my luck for op-ups has been on SIN/MNL and SIN/CGK.

Despite the urban myth, my rate of upgrading has probably the same or better on SQ in the last 9 years, than the 9 years before that I spent as WP on QF.

 

[whughes3]

It may well be that the shorter regional routes, where there is less demand for J (and often no F cabins) and the J product is less fancy, are somewhat more likely to yield op-ups; but all the anecdotal evidence, both here and on FT, over a long period of time suggest that SQ is pretty careful about overbooking and op-ups are consequently less likely to be given out.

I am PPS which may well have contributed to my good fortune!

 

[TomVexille]

I am PPS which may well have contributed to my good fortune!

I would have thought that would be the minimum requirement

 

[dajop]

I but all the anecdotal evidence, both here and on FT, over a long period of time suggest that SQ is pretty careful about overbooking and op-ups are consequently less likely to be given out!

Particularly on FT - which is very US centric - I wonder how many of those providing such anecdotal evidence are those used to the candy handed out by their local carriers? Or those expecting upgrades because "they're star gold" (through Aegean) .... which is meaningless. PPS is the gateway. I've only had one upgrade since losing PPS (although I do have partner Solitaire status, that doesn't seem to work for upgrades).

My hit rate over the last 9 years has been 1 upgrade for every thirty flights for upgrades on SQ. But long hauls seem to be the domain of Solitaire pax. FWIW, similar or better than QF. But way worse than the ratios I have on KLM (2 out 6 flights ) and AC (1 out of 4 flights)

 

[seanpodge]

I did manage to get a minor up up from Y to Y+ from MEL to SIN just before New Years as a mere *G (OZ). Was quite surprised given SQ's reputation of being very stingy with upgrades.

Now I think I should have looked for a flight with no Y+ so I had a chance of J!

 

[penegal]

SQ actually op-up PPS members with some frequency in genuine overbooking scenarios, but for non PPS members, they tend to never happen.

 

[andyhui01]

Would have been a true miracle if you were a VA WP. lol

 

[Lemon_Party]

+1 and I had a PER-SIN op-up Y-J a couple of years back. Me as VA WP and +1 no status. Extremely lucky I guess...

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Congrats. PPS status or PPS Solitaire definitely helps with op-ups on SQ.

My op-up success rate on SQ is much better than QF (zero on about 400 flights if you don't count the welcome to P1 free upgrade).

 

[Austman]

I've been OP-UPed a couple of times on SQ. Y to J. One of them was even announced in the lounge in MEL (they paged me). *G was my only status.

 

[dajop]

If travelling back to Australia at the moment from SIN there’s almost certainly some upgrades happening. Over this weekend just about every flight to all six ports SQ flies to has been showing no seats available in Y .

 

[davidj]

SIA flights to Aust are almost always full, particularly around this time each year.

 

[peakhour]

Would have been a true miracle if you were a VA WP. lol

I got an op-up 2 weeks back sin to bne from y to j as a VA SG.

Not the same as J to F but still, in over 100 SQ flights (most as SQ SG) it was the first op-up and very welcome indeed!

 

[mel-world]

Consider yourself lucky - even as a TPPS, my upgrade rate is less than 1 in a 100 so it does not happen ever except if there is serious overbooking. I have even seen (some time ago) a Y pax moved to a J seat but provided with Y catering. All they got was a better seat and a faster exit after landing. My last few flights have been quite full in all classes but SQ seem to manage their bookings really well as I have never really seen any situations where they have to offload customers at the gate. The Cabin Manager on my most recent -totally full - SQ7 service ICN-SIN after the Winter Olympics said that loads are very healthy just now so SQ must be being more competitive on pricing than they have needed to be in the past.