Dipping the toe - Europe Holiday

[TheNovice]

After having lost enough points for a trip to Europe with the fall of Ansett, we decided to save points through Westpac and convert only when we wanted to use the points. 750,000 points later, we would like to make our first trip to Europe and fly business for the first time in our lives.

A bit of research led us to believe that KrysFlyer miles appears to give the most bang for the buck. It seems that we should be able to convert 450,000 points to obtain 225,000 KF miles which should permit 2 return tickets to Melbourne (with another 10k miles each for a stopover in Singapore since we're leaving from a different city in Europe to the one we arrive in?). This is using the Saver awards.

On trying to check that I understand the points correctly prior to converting, I've struck a snag at the very beginning. The Saver Award chart indicates 75k from Mel to Lon (UK) one way (prior to the 25% discount for online bookings) but when I entered the details into the redemtion calculator, it says it will cost 150k as Sin to Lon doesn't have Saver awards available (only Mel to Sin).

This seems quite odd and contradictory, so I decided to ask the experts and sign up to this site (which I only discovered today). Can anyone help with advice

PS We plan to leave in August '09.

 

[anat0l]

According to the rules, B777 and A380 SQ redemptions in J must be made at the Standard or Full level, not Saver. All SIN-LHR SQ flights are on these aircraft only. MEL-SIN, on the other hand, still have some B747 aircraft, so it is possible to redeem Saver awards on those. Even when most of the Australia-SIN flights turn to A330s, the rules don't preclude Saver awards on those aircraft.

Oddly enough, there has been anecdotal evidence suggesting that some B777 J saver awards have been floating around hither and thither. Witness this thread.

 

[Flashback]

Welcome to AFF TheNovice. As you have since found, SQ does not provide saver business redemptions on their 77W and A380 aircraft that service the route you are on. You could try different routes (maybe go from PER?), but if you want to keep it simple and go from MEL then double the miles may well be the only option.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

For Europe with saver awards in J you cannot get to all SQ cities as J savers are only normally available on their older planes and these to do not fly to all cities.

So if you want to fly into/out of England try Manchester where you can get to as a saver J award.

Online you normally save 15%.

Currently on some flights/routes this is be 25% or upto 50% .http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/krisflyer/redeem_miles/KFAnniversaryRedemption.jsp The August list is only SFL Hong Kong though.

All reductions kick in once you confirm the award....but have no fear you can still go back up untill the stage that you pay the fuel fines and aiport taxes. Unfortunately SQ is one of the few airlines to still charge hefty fuel fines.

However the current 25% discount for on-line booking offsets this.

 

[TheNovice]

Thanks for the prompt response. The change to Manchester in the calculator did the trick lovetravellingoz. The intriguing thing is that now that I've downloaded the actual current timetable, it shows SQ228 (B747-400) flying from Mel to LHR. Doesn't this mean that I should be able to fly on this flight on the Saver fare? Likewise, it shows 747's from Hamburg and Frankfurt to Mel but indicates the Saver fare is not available on these routes to get home.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thanks for the prompt response. The change to Manchester in the calculator did the trick lovetravellingoz. The intriguing thing is that now that I've downloaded the actual current timetable, it shows SQ228 (B747-400) flying from Mel to LHR. Doesn't this mean that I should be able to fly on this flight on the Saver fare? Likewise, it shows 747's from Hamburg and Frankfurt to Mel but indicates the Saver fare is not available on these routes to get home.

It can also be that others have already used up all the available Saver bookings.

also SQ even on the same flight Number does not always have the same number of Saver Seats (ie avaialibity can be different for different days of the week).

ie
I just booked 4 J Savers to Vietnam return this Xmas.

I used Expert Flyer to look at booked seats..and on many days the J cabins were completely empty...yet on some days I could book 4 J Savers and on others only 2...despite the cabin being equally empty.

 

[auriga]

Thanks for the prompt response. The change to Manchester in the calculator did the trick lovetravellingoz. The intriguing thing is that now that I've downloaded the actual current timetable, it shows SQ228 (B747-400) flying from Mel to LHR. Doesn't this mean that I should be able to fly on this flight on the Saver fare? Likewise, it shows 747's from Hamburg and Frankfurt to Mel but indicates the Saver fare is not available on these routes to get home.

Where are you checking for this information?
SQ 228 definitely does not go all the way to London!
SQ does not fly to Hamburg, so you are probably looking at a code share or something.
The only places in Europe you can get saver awards in business class are MAN, AMS, CPH, FCO, FRA.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The only places in Europe you can get saver awards in business class are MAN, AMS, CPH, FCO, FRA.

When I was looking recently for this Xmas you could get to other places such as Athens, Milan...and I think Barcelona.

 

[auriga]

Oops, forgot Athens and Istanbul are possible too.
Milan and Barcelona - operated with 77W, so not usually going to be available barring any glitches or relaxation of their policies.

 

[TheNovice]

It certainly is a learning experience trying to use points. In the end we had to use standard points (ie double) to get to LHR from SIN as although the Krysflyers line acknowledged that Saver flights were available from MEL all the way to LHR(not back), there were simply no seats available for all of August and Sept.

Likewise, on the way back, tickets were nominally available from a number of cities (including Hamburg), the only city where we could get 2 Saver tickets from anywhere in Europe to Singapore during September was AMS. The only way we found our way through the maze of "possible but not available" was to ring and check a combination of days, weeks and cities. It seemed to kind of defeat the purpose of booking online but if they provide the personal service, we were happy to save the 25% available for the technicality of an online booking.

The Saver tickets are fairly restrictive unless you are travelling by yourself but certainly excellent value if you invest the time and effort to piece it all together. Thanks again to all those that gave some guidance along the way.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The Saver tickets are fairly restrictive unless you are travelling by yourself but certainly excellent value if you invest the time and effort to piece it all together. Thanks again to all those that gave some guidance along the way.

Like most FF programs....to get the cheapest redemptions on popular routes at peak times one needs to book almost a year out.

Many programs do have the ability to book closer...but often at a premium points cost.


What I tended to do in the past was use my points for trips planned well in advnace, but often taken at peak times when tickets if purchased would be expensive.

Not everyone can book that far out though.

 

[TheNovice]

Like most FF programs....to get the cheapest redemptions on popular routes at peak times one needs to book almost a year out.

The tricky bit of course is that Saver awards can only be booked 6 months ahead. Still, fabulous value.

 

[futaris]

You can book a Saver award 350 days in advance. I can see availability and book for 3 May 2010 currently.

You're probably getting confused with the validity of the ticket, which is 6 months on a Saver, and 12 months for Standard/Full.

 

[TheNovice]

You're right. Excuse my ignorance, but where does the ticket validity fit in? I had taken this as only being able to be booked 6 months in advance.

 

[JohnK]

You're probably getting confused with the validity of the ticket, which is 6 months on a Saver, and 12 months for Standard/Full.

I don't quite understand the meaning of this statement. What do you mean by validity of the ticket?