SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[Dr Bob]

Daughter returned from UK (dual citizen) last weekend on her expiring (3 months left) Aus passport to get immediate entry. This triggered a 'please call' message and she spent 2hrs 50 mins on hold in London and was eventually told - yes you can board the plane to SYD but no you can not board your return (fair enough).
So I'll go into my redemption nominees and change her profile to her UK passport. So will this trigger, 1 a reissue of ticket or 2 a please call message? Trying to avoid the latter. I know it would be so easy to nick down to the PO (2 blocks away) and re-new but this is so not the intention of my SIL who wants to apply online in the UK - cheaper go figure.

 

[coriander]

I've had a classic award booking on CX through QFF since October last year- MEL-HKG-MAD-DBV (on one PNR) and have been watching with increasing alarm at the way the regime in HKG seems to trying to run CX into the ground. A month or more ago, I looked at booking an award flight on SQ to somewhere in EU as a "back up" if CX fell over: nothing was available to LHR, FRA or ZRH for the dates I wanted.

Yesterday, now an EG with SQ, I had another look and there was heaps of availability MEL-SIN-FRA. I've booked 2xJ saver which gets us to FRA at the same time as the CX flight would get us into MAD. There's J award availability on Croatia (OU) from FRA-DBV (for 2x30k points) so it looks like I have a complete alternate itinerary on SQ (albeit on 2 PNRs).
(As an aside I thought LH being a *A partner of SQ would have FRA-DBV award seats available, but nothing comes up on the SQ site.)

So, do I leave both flights (CX and SQ) in place and cancel one or the other a couple of weeks before departure? I do rather like CX and their A350s but I don't feel I can trust CX to still be flying in September.

 

[luxury-lizard]

@coriander - you should be able to tack on the FRA-DBV flight to your MEL-SIN-FRA bookings by calling SQ (*A flights not showing on the SQ website does not mean they are not available) - this would turn your ticket from an SQ award to a *A award and would change the taxes etc but worth giving it a go.

 

[coriander]

@coriander - you should be able to tack on the FRA-DBV flight

Thanks for the tip - I'll give them a ring and see how I go..

 

[kpc]

Thanks for the tip - I'll give them a ring and see how I go..

Be aware sometimes the phone agent can't see what's available online, or even it they can, can't book as one ticket...I have had this a couple of times and very frustrating esp after waiting a couple of hours on the phone!

 

[woodyren]

Considering dipping the toes in the water for our first trip away after borders have opened. We plan to book a few back to back cruises on Spectrum OTS in mid April from Singapore. This will include 3 nights in Singapore prior to the first cruise and then a flight directly home to Sydney in the evening after the last cruise.

Plenty of J saver award tickets on KF.

Under the current health protocols is this all reasonably manageable?

 

[woodyren]

Hi

Another question for a current redemption booking I have with KF.

Current booking SIN-MLE J saver.

I can now also see J saver availability SYD-SIN on the same day so I called the agent and after waiting on hold I asked if it was possible to book the SYD-SIN leg and have it ticketed with the existing SIN-MLE leg and charged at the saver points price for the SYD-MLE flight.

Agent stated that they could not see the saver award on their system and their system didn't match what was available on the website.

I then asked whether I could just book the SYD-SIN leg on line and then get them to combine them into the one ticket. Answer was "Yes no problem".

Then I asked whether they as a result would reduce the total points cost and taxes from that of the two separate bookings to what it would have been as one single booking. Answer was "No that is not possible".

Is this correct? I don't understand why the agent cant see the same availability as the online booking system.

Lastly I can see the SIN-MLE flights available on that day as saver waitlist. Should I just book the waitlist and see if it clears? Can I ask them to clear early if I have no KF status?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[kamchatsky]

I am looking at booking the following itinerary for 4:

SQ J SYD-xSIN-FRA
SQ J FRA-JFK
SQ J SFO-xHKG-xSIN-SYD

I have not yet confirmed where to go within USA yet. I have some idea though.

Is this a legal open-jaw? I want to check here first before spending hours calling KF centre and then to be told not allowed, given that I transit SIN twice and there is some backtracking on my last leg.

Now from my understanding, the above should cost me 250K per person. But with *A RTW at 240K, I guess I can just add UA/AC flights within NA to have it lower cost? However, my understanding is that for *A RTW, you cannot make any changes once the first flight is flown, but for all SQ open-jaw, I can still make changes after the first flight is taken? Right? I am trying to balance between cost and flexibility .....

 

[Peasant]

Hi

Another question for a current redemption booking I have with KF.

Current booking SIN-MLE J saver.

I can now also see J saver availability SYD-SIN on the same day so I called the agent and after waiting on hold I asked if it was possible to book the SYD-SIN leg and have it ticketed with the existing SIN-MLE leg and charged at the saver points price for the SYD-MLE flight.

Agent stated that they could not see the saver award on their system and their system didn't match what was available on the website.

I then asked whether I could just book the SYD-SIN leg on line and then get them to combine them into the one ticket. Answer was "Yes no problem".

Then I asked whether they as a result would reduce the total points cost and taxes from that of the two separate bookings to what it would have been as one single booking. Answer was "No that is not possible".

Is this correct? I don't understand why the agent cant see the same availability as the online booking system.

Lastly I can see the SIN-MLE flights available on that day as saver waitlist. Should I just book the waitlist and see if it clears? Can I ask them to clear early if I have no KF status?

Thanks in advance for any help.

@woodyren I can't speak for the discrepancy in online/agent availability but the information you've been given about merging tickets together is correct and consistent with what I've been told recently too.

Case in point: I had a JFK-FRA and FRA-SIN on separate waitlists. When both cleared - at different times - I asked for them to be merged. They were happy to do so, but indicated that I would still need to stump up the points for a JFK-FRA plus the FRA-SIN, it wouldn't be a simple and cheaper JFK-SIN. I don't recall this being the policy pre-COVID but it seems that it's being consistently applied now.

 

[Poojou]

Considering dipping the toes in the water for our first trip away after borders have opened. We plan to book a few back to back cruises on Spectrum OTS in mid April from Singapore. This will include 3 nights in Singapore prior to the first cruise and then a flight directly home to Sydney in the evening after the last cruise.

Plenty of J saver award tickets on KF.

Under the current health protocols is this all reasonably manageable?

Aussie in Singapore here!

Cruises have had a bad time with outbreaks here - and they have had a tendency to shut entire ships down (although the more recent relaxations would have me believing you'd just get thrown in the hold)

Current restrictions here are still very vigilant - so 5pax social gathering, checking in and out everywhere - and this has impacted what people expect from a cruise experience also (like, long queues for attractions, weird capacity limits on things... and i think perhaps the 1030pm ban on booze sales ... may not be on ships but who knows)

So I think as long nothing explodes in the next 8 weeks, it's definitely 'safer' here than in Aus...

 

[Poojou]

Just as an FYI - they've now scrapped the holding pen for transit customers as part of a wider easing of covid measures. Seems were a month or two behind Aus in terms of omicron surge so the govt is just beginning to roll things back.

Singapore scraps test requirement and ‘holding pen’ for transit passengers at Changi Airport

Transiting through Singapore Changi Airport has moved back towards a pre-COVID experience, with no testing imposed and the shutters finally pulled down on those uninspiring holding areas.

mainlymiles.com

 

[Kimster]

Daughter returned from UK (dual citizen) last weekend on her expiring (3 months left) Aus passport to get immediate entry. This triggered a 'please call' message and she spent 2hrs 50 mins on hold in London and was eventually told - yes you can board the plane to SYD but no you can not board your return (fair enough).
So I'll go into my redemption nominees and change her profile to her UK passport. So will this trigger, 1 a reissue of ticket or 2 a please call message? Trying to avoid the latter. I know it would be so easy to nick down to the PO (2 blocks away) and re-new but this is so not the intention of my SIL who wants to apply online in the UK - cheaper go figure.

Should not be a problem. I think there is a option to change passport details during online check-in. So essentially once a redemption booking is made with a certain passport number - that can be changed during check-in. I have, in the past - so it should be the same now.

 

[Poojou]

Should not be a problem. I think there is a option to change passport details during online check-in. So essentially once a redemption booking is made with a certain passport number - that can be changed during check-in. I have in the past - so it should be the same now.

yeah literally just did this with my other half - her passport was expiring and we had to book with her old passport number, and then just changed it later on in the usual place online.

no problems at all!

 

[woodyren]

I have a waitlisted booking saver J SYD-MLE in August. I have read on here about sending a chaser to see if the booking can be released.

Do I need to phone or can it me done by message or email?

Can all of the regular phone consultants deal with this request? My recent experiences tell me that the Philippine call centre staff are not trained in redemption bookings.

 

[Peasant]

I have a waitlisted booking saver J SYD-MLE in August. I have read on here about sending a chaser to see if the booking can be released.

Do I need to phone or can it me done by message or email?

Can all of the regular phone consultants deal with this request? My recent experiences tell me that the Philippine call centre staff are not trained in redemption bookings.

You'll need to call to send a chaser. Always worth a shot, but from some of the anecdotes on the forum lately you might want to make yourself a strong drink first before settling in for the hold. Or perhaps try calling first thing in the morning.

 

[mel-world]

I took your advice (thanks) and contacted them by WhatsApp - their only option. No gate delivery, only collection at the Information Counter in T3 - straight opposite Immigration. I have a midnight transit departure and they did say the counter may not be staffed but they provided an option to collect the duty free.

Hope that's useful if wanting to collect or buy Duty Free in Singapore. You need over 90 mins as a transit time to purchase at any outlet at Changi if transiting to Australia (or the US).

I know it's strange to quote your own post but can now report that the pre-ordered and pre-paid Scotch was delivered to the gate on Monday after midnight before SQ237 to MEL.

This was after me following their instructions but finding all counters closed and not answering the phone.

The price paid was significantly cheaper than Australian retail but I probably paid a premium to the regular duty free price at Changi. Mind you, I had no choice with less that 90 mins in Singapore and many outlets still closed, late evening.

 

[Peasant]

Good to hear it worked out @mel-world. Out of interest, did they honour the PPS discount? I was told a few weeks ago they’re not honouring it anymore for alcohol, but will do so for cosmetics. Totally agree with you on the competitive pricing though!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

FWIW - the Ette and I are planning 1 month in EU mid year so on Jan 15, 2022 I secured 1 x R/R Adv Rdpt SYD-SIN-LHR in my name and W/L a 2nd in the Ette's name - 2 x chasers over last week and this morn the 2nd R/R Adv Rdpt SYD-SIN-LHR confirmed

IMHO still good value in Adv rates if KF miles are cultivated at reasonable rates then rdpt prolly less than 40% of comm rates - but as always YMMV

 

[mel-world]

Good to hear it worked out @mel-world. Out of interest, did they honour the PPS discount? I was told a few weeks ago they’re not honouring it anymore for alcohol, but will do so for cosmetics. Totally agree with you on the competitive pricing though!

As this was ordered on-line, no PPS discount offered and I did not ask. I also believe that this discount no longer applies to alcohol but would be very happy if I am wrong.

 

[woodyren]

Waiting on hold as I speak. Called and asked the agent to send a chaser for my waitlisted Saver J SYD-MLE flights. Agent has no idea what I am talking about and said they will get redemptions to give me a call back. I told them I don't trust the callback system so will wait on hold.

Hopefully ends well.

I have a current saver J booking on the SIN-MLE leg which I plan to cancel if the waitlisted SYD-MLE flights clear. I will mention this to the agent as the SYD-SIN leg is currently available on saver but the SIN-MLE leg is waitlisted if you try to book individual sectors.