SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[dajop]

Still offering that weird option of porridge as the evening refreshment on the day flight, I see...

That’s just in the name of efficiency - streamlined catering and cost cutting. Typical SQ in 2025 who at times seem to have no appreciation of the tastes of some of their key non-Singaporean markets (same dynamic that sees taller people struggle with the regular J seats).

SQ 217 has identical menu to the earlier SQ 207 but the order is swapped and refreshment served first, which actually makes sense - an oatmeal sweet porridge for breakfast. Corresponding SYD and BNE flights at same times have the same menu too.

Singaporean rice based savoury porridge would make sense for the evening refreshment but not western sweet oatmeal porridge. Maybe someone in catering doesn't quite understand the difference - or they just don't care.

That refreshment is actually fraught with two culturally confusing dishes Porridge and Carrot Cake are savoury dishes in SG and sweet dishes in Australia and the UK.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Still offering that weird option of porridge as the evening refreshment on the day flight, I see...

I cannot believe that - I expressed my displeasure in strongest terms possible IFM - he said he would include in his Flight report and I will definitely be sending feedback - it's just a joke

 

[stm1sydney]

That’s just in the name of efficiency - streamlined catering and cost cutting. Typical SQ in 2025 who at times seem to have no appreciation of the tastes of some of their key non-Singaporean markets

That refreshment is actually fraught with two culturally confusing dishes Porridge and Carrot Cake are savoury dishes in SG and sweet dishes in Australia and the UK.

These flights are ex-SIN (their home base), so the efficiency dividend from an identical menu must be miniscule. Wouldn't be costly to cater a gourmet pie or maybe those curry puffs for which Singapore is famous. Fortunately, I do love Singapore carrot cake (it is eaten there from lunchtime to the evening as a light meal, but ironically not usually at breakfast time). But I agree with both you and CE that it is an absolute joke to have porridge as the other option.

 

[dajop]

These flights are ex-SIN (their home base), so the efficiency dividend from an identical menu must be miniscule

Don't underestimate how petty and small minded management can get. There must be some reason all 6 flights to east coast Australia departing between 7 and 11am have identical menus. And porridge is a cheap item, which is consistent with their overall cheapening of their catering in recent years. You see it in their rapid expansion of cheap hawker food in the business class and even first class menus. Its popular, tasty, but probably also very cheap to produce.

I totally agree it is not an appropriate menu item for an late afternoon/early evening refreshment. Given the connections to the flight, maybe it's for the European origin travellers, as it is served at 8am, based time of origin.

 

[I love to travel]

Don't underestimate how petty and small minded management can get. There must be some reason all 6 flights to east coast Australia departing between 7 and 11am have identical menus. And porridge is a cheap item, which is consistent with their overall cheapening of their catering in recent years. You see it in their rapid expansion of cheap hawker food in the business class and even first class menus. Its popular, tasty, but probably also very cheap to produce.

I totally agree it is not an appropriate menu item for an late afternoon/early evening refreshment. Given the connections to the flight, maybe it's for the European origin travellers, as it is served at 8am, based time of origin.

Are SQ trying though to be a/the leading airline in the world anymore? Doesn't seem so, hence their comfort with the changes

 

[dajop]

I cannot believe that - I expressed my displeasure in strongest terms possible IFM - he said he would include in his Flight report and I will definitely be sending feedback - it's just a joke

It could be worse. You could be travelling into SYD on the similarly timed SQ 211, in the F cabin. Which is has exactly the same choice for the prelanding refreshment.

Oh well, the plebs up the back, for that meal, have a choice between a "Margherita Pizza Bar" and a "Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto Pizza Bar".

 

[stm1sydney]

"Margherita Pizza Bar" and a "Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto Pizza Bar".

LOL, basically the same!

 

[umberloidster]

Stopover question. We have a MEL-SIN-LHR-SIN-MEL redemptions in Business Saver next year. No stopovers were added when the flights were initially booked, as I figured I could add them later if we wanted to.

When I called this week and went to add a stopover, the rep told me I needed to pay a mileage fee of something like 226k miles (which he said was because we booked Saver, and that flight only has Advantage available.)

I didn't proceed because that sounded to me like it was going through as a Change and not the addition of a Stopover.

My understanding was that one stopover on a Saver roundtrip was free and another could be added for a fee. If I'm correct in that assumption (and I realise that I might very well not be), how do I get the rep to add as a stopover and not as a flight change?

 

[stm1sydney]

Stopover question. We have a MEL-SIN-LHR-SIN-MEL redemptions in Business Saver next year. No stopovers were added when the flights were initially booked, as I figured I could add them later if we wanted to.

When I called this week and went to add a stopover, the rep told me I needed to pay a mileage fee of something like 226k miles (which he said was because we booked Saver, and that flight only has Advantage available.)

I didn't proceed because that sounded to me like it was going through as a Change and not the addition of a Stopover.

My understanding was that one stopover on a Saver roundtrip was free and another could be added for a fee. If I'm correct in that assumption (and I realise that I might very well not be), how do I get the rep to add as a stopover and not as a flight change?

You've already booked the flights, so if you add a stopover there's a flight change.

 

[umberloidster]

Bugger. Okay thank you!

 

[lovestotravel]

@Cruiser Elite thus sounds fairly accurate from the SQ originating perspective. The one common discrepancy reported on FT is the lack of ability to throughcheck luggage to BA @ LHR. Seems to be problematic. (But OK to through check to BA @ SIN).

Yep my Mother in Law flies back to Scotland tomorrow and has to do the T2 to T5 baggage shuffle

Stopover question. We have a MEL-SIN-LHR-SIN-MEL redemptions in Business Saver next year. No stopovers were added when the flights were initially booked, as I figured I could add them later if we wanted to.

When I called this week and went to add a stopover, the rep told me I needed to pay a mileage fee of something like 226k miles (which he said was because we booked Saver, and that flight only has Advantage available.)

I didn't proceed because that sounded to me like it was going through as a Change and not the addition of a Stopover.

My understanding was that one stopover on a Saver roundtrip was free and another could be added for a fee. If I'm correct in that assumption (and I realise that I might very well not be), how do I get the rep to add as a stopover and not as a flight change?

You used to be able to pay $100 to add a stopover on savers - That went away in 2022 ish from memory

 

[dajop]

Stopover question. We have a MEL-SIN-LHR-SIN-MEL redemptions in Business Saver next year. No stopovers were added when the flights were initially booked, as I figured I could add them later if we wanted to.

When I called this week and went to add a stopover, the rep told me I needed to pay a mileage fee of something like 226k miles (which he said was because we booked Saver, and that flight only has Advantage available.)

Adding a stopover is more complicated than you would think.

Firstly on a Saver, you are permitted to include only one stopover, i.e in one direction. If you were trying to add two stopovers, then that is why it would need to be in Advantage award. You could, subject to availability in saver class, add a longer layover (but <24 hrs), for example fly into SIN on SQ 248 from MEL at 11:40am and depart the next morning on SQ308 to LHR at 9am (or SQ 238 at 3:15pm departing on SQ 318 at 12:45pm the next day and so on).

Also, I think that unless you have a rare rep who has the know how to (and has the ability to) override restrictions, you may be facing
"married sector" restrictions. So you have a MEL-SIN-LHR ticket that is based on MEL-LHR availability, not availability on the individual MEL-SIN+SIN-LHR sectors. You add a stopover, you are looking at the availability for MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR separately, this can cause problems even though you want to keep one of the original sectors you are already ticketed on. It may be worth doing some playing around to see if you can see separate availability for the sectors you want, in saver class.

Basically what I'm saying there is some black magic involved in all of this. But as always if at first you don't success try again, HUACA.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Adding a stopover is more complicated than you would think.

Firstly on a Saver, you are permitted to include only one stopover, i.e in one direction. If you were trying to add two stopovers, then that is why it would need to be in Advantage award. You could, subject to availability in saver class, add a longer layover (but <24 hrs), for example fly into SIN on SQ 248 from MEL at 11:40am and depart the next morning on SQ308 to LHR at 9am (or SQ 238 at 3:15pm departing on SQ 318 at 12:45pm the next day and so on).

Also, I think that unless you have a rare rep who has the know how to (and has the ability to) override restrictions, you may be facing
"married sector" restrictions. So you have a MEL-SIN-LHR ticket that is based on MEL-LHR availability, not availability on the individual MEL-SIN+SIN-LHR sectors. You add a stopover, you are looking at the availability for MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR separately, this can cause problems even though you want to keep one of the original sectors you are already ticketed on. It may be worth doing some playing around to see if you can see separate availability for the sectors you want, in saver class.

Basically what I'm saying there is some black magic involved in all of this. But as always if at first you don't success try again, HUACA.

Yes, but you’d also have to have saver award availability for the new onward sectors… which is what I think tripped up the OP.

All that was now available was advantage seats, and the increase in price.

If it worked as the OP thought it might, it would force SQ into releasing saver award availability on any flight once someone, at any time, decided to include a stopover.

 

[dajop]

Yes, but you’d also have to have saver award availability for the new onward sectors… which is what I think tripped up the OP.

That's what I was saying.

But there is some black magic due to the married sectors issue and the competency of the agent is also a factor, and I'm not sure if
1) You might lose the retained sector in the process of making the change when you "divorce" the married sectors (for the want of a better word) and would need both individual sectors to be available to be able to rebook with a stopover (the current saver booking on the retained sector being irrelevant), or
2) The retained sector is fine but the new sector must be available as part of a new married sector from MEL-LHR.

If lucky, and a saver is available just for the new sector, a good agent should be able to add it without relinquishing the retained sector. But anecdotal evidence suggests this is beyond some agents, and I think I've read scenario 1) is likely to be the problem.

 

[elanshin]

Are SQ trying though to be a/the leading airline in the world anymore? Doesn't seem so, hence their comfort with the changes

I'd argue that SQ ( or EK for that matter) are not "trying" to be the #1 anymore, but rather set what they think is appropriate standards for their respective markets and if that ends up being #1 then thats a bonus. But they both no longer actively chase it as they have strong dedicated loyal bases already.