A drift to Star Alliance

[simongr]

Well it looks like my overly complex 3 ticket trip to India and Hong Kong could be superseded by a SQ based trip to India and HKG.

Planning to fly in J and wondering whether to join SQ's program or get a BMI status match to my EXP status to maximise my short term lounge access etc.

if this continues then I will have at least 2 trips to India in 2009 on SQ in J again.

Any thoughts on the best program.

What I am looking for is:

- Reasonable availability of awards
- OpUps (hah)
- Top tier lounge access in SYD, SIN and BOM

Should I just resign myself to being disappointed and let my OWE status drift off into the sunset?

S

 

[MelUser]

There is another post about drifting to SQ although for safety reasons!

 

[dajop]

Probably best place to ask the question about which program is over on Flyertalk. But join SQ anyway and you'll at least get PPS credit for your J flights - even if your mileage goes elsewhere. Although with the state of the AUstralian Peso at the moment, achieving PPS status is much more difficult than it was a month ago, or for that matter 24 hours ago as it all depends on SGD spend.

If all your flights are in J - you won't get into any better lounges with star gold status (only way into SQ F lounge is to buy a F ticket or spend $250K SGD over 5 years in J/F cabins).

Sounds like a bmi status match is the way to go if you are going to spend any time up the back, and crediting flights to BMI also is very good with good earn and burn rates using bmi program.

The only reason I'd consider Krisflyer for crediting mileage is if you have a credit card with linkage to Krisflyer - which means you can top up with cc mileage. As a KF member, the main bonus is that you get access to SQ's new J class products on awards (these are double the points required for older J class - but depending on the destination even with this double - they can be more less the same rate as QF awards in J).

 

[JonnoP]

I agree with Dajop, at least you will get some form of lounge access with the BMI Gold status if youre ever in cattle class.

The lounges in Mumbai suck anyway..

 

[Keith009]

Join both SQ and BMI - flying SQ in premium allows you to 'double dip.' You can accrue PPS Value on SQ, yet send miles to BMI. This allows you the best of both worlds: PPS status on SQ the carrier you actually fly (once you accrue PPS Value of S$25000), better value redemptions using BMI miles.

Oh and do a status match to BMI of course. As BD*G, your 'excess' status miles get converted to award miles and you effectively get double award miles.

I wouldn't expect op ups on SQ though. If you thought QF was stingy.......

 

[simongr]

OK - more research required I think

Not sure what spend we will have next year. Quite annoyed that travel to India may mean a switch to *A...

 

[dajop]

I wouldn't expect op ups on SQ though. If you thought QF was stingy.......

Both as bad as one another. I am convinced though that my chances of upgrades on either airline would be better if I changed my name to put an a as the first letter!

Having said that on my bosses' last four SQ flights in Asia before he returned to the US for good (ironically) he scored 3 out of 4 upgrades (on shorter routes from SIN to MNL and BKK). Made me feel less guilty as I was on throughfares from MEL - and up the front and all 4 flights.

 

[aybee]

OK - more research required I think

Definitely - SQ have just "enhanced" their FF scheme and there a lot of unhappy PPS members around, reading the various fora.

 

[straitman]

There is another post about drifting to SQ although for safety reasons!

There is also a huge train of thought against SQ for safety reasons :!:

 

[Evan]

There is also a huge train of thought against SQ for safety reasons :!:

I work in Singapore and well yes i agree with Bill on this one... SQ engineering teaching is in one of the building in the complex one of our datacentres is in so i get and idea about these guys. Not convinced at all... Why do you think all the overseas talent is in Singapore ? because the locals seem totaly unable to do a good job in a lot of cases (although i also believe that is due to limited population pool, so you cant have all that many experts from a 4 million population)

E

 

[Evan]

I should point out i like Singapore and nothing at all against anybody here. And i still fly SQ to Asian destinations .... they have one of the most comfortable whY in the 777's i think.

Although even in J there wine list is a lost cause !

E

 

[Arthur Hodgson]

I work in Singapore and well yes i agree with Bill on this one... SQ engineering teaching is in one of the building in the complex one of our datacentres is in so i get and idea about these guys. Not convinced at all... Why do you think all the overseas talent is in Singapore ? because the locals seem totaly unable to do a good job in a lot of cases (although i also believe that is due to limited population pool, so you cant have all that many experts from a 4 million population)

E

I travel SQ reasonably often and find that their pilots in general tend to give the undercarriages a very hard time. Just another symptom of the above?

Note: I also fly UA an awful lot, and I truly think they have the best pilots in the world (at least in terms of flying and landing the metal).

 

[Evan]

I travel SQ reasonably often and find that their pilots in general tend to give the undercarriages a very hard time. Just another symptom of the above?

Agree ! but i guess thats also due to training, look at the Russian's, very very smooth landings i presume from lots of practise on snow or un-prepared fields (I say fields because thats all some of there runways are), and i would guess some Australian pilots get to expereince grass runways a number of times in there training if doing it not in the capital cities.

What i really am a little sad about is the reduction in service from SQ, they are no where anything like years gone by ! although a bit more friendly i think now which is a big improvment compared to the past.

SQ in my opinion has really dropped the standards recently.

Nothing like getting on a QF flight to get home for me just feels good.

E