SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[sudoer]

What class?

 

[Mr H]

Hello Brains Trust! I haven't travelled on SQ since 2024, and I'm seeking some quick advice. Flying MEL-SIN should I be preferencing A350-900 Long Haul or Boeing 777-300ER? Or is there not much difference between the two, in which case I will concentrate on which timing works best for me of the flight options instead (SQ 248, SQ 208 or SQ 228)? Ta in advance!

The J seats are similar and both quite badly designed. The main difference between the two planes is that the 773 had first class. So if you are in J on a 773, you know there are people having more fun than you, whereas on the 359 you are king of the castle.

 

[lahlee]

What class?

Oops! Sorry for not including that crucial info: J

 

[daft009]

Hello Brains Trust! I haven't travelled on SQ since 2024, and I'm seeking some quick advice. Flying MEL-SIN should I be preferencing A350-900 Long Haul or Boeing 777-300ER? Or is there not much difference between the two, in which case I will concentrate on which timing works best for me of the flight options instead (SQ 248, SQ 208 or SQ 228)? Ta in advance!

I find both excellent in J and get plenty of sleep on either aircraft. Go with what suits your schedule

 

[Comoman]

A350 has lower cabin altitude and higher humidity so you land feeling better…..

 

[Quickstatus]

A350 has lower cabin altitude and higher humidity so you land feeling better…..

That's what the marketing says.
I'm yet to see the actual evidence of actual cabin altitude difference and actual humidity difference

And actual evidence that says "you land feeling better".

IMO, I don't notice any difference.

 

[Comoman]

That's what the marketing says.
I'm yet to see the actual evidence of actual cabin altitude difference and actual humidity difference

And actual evidence that says "you land feeling better".

IMO, I don't notice any difference.

Well IMO it makes a huge difference. I have Corneal Erosion issues (very painful) and I have much less of a problem and a better travel experience on a A350/A380/B787 than a B777 for medium and long haul.

Long haul on a B777 vs A350/A380 - I know which one I'd choose without a doubt.

 

[Quickstatus]

Well IMO it makes a huge difference

Great but what is the actual difference in cabin altitude and humidity?

 

[dajop]

That's what the marketing says.
I'm yet to see the actual evidence of actual cabin altitude difference and actual humidity difference

And actual evidence that says "you land feeling better".

IMO, I don't notice any difference.

I don’t know about those characteristics but have noticed the A350 to be quieter than the 777.

 

[Comoman]

Great but what is the actual difference in cabin altitude and humidity?

A350 - around 6000ft
777 - around 8000ft

A quick Google shows me the humidity etc. difference.

Anyway - I'm just giving my personal opinion.

 

[Quickstatus]

A350 - around 6000ft
777 - around 8000ft

Yes that's what the marketing says.
But what do the airlines actually set it at - same for humidity...

 

[BCons]

If upu

Hello Brains Trust! I haven't travelled on SQ since 2024, and I'm seeking some quick advice. Flying MEL-SIN should I be preferencing A350-900 Long Haul or Boeing 777-300ER? Or is there not much difference between the two, in which case I will concentrate on which timing works best for me of the flight options instead (SQ 248, SQ 208 or SQ 228)? Ta in advance!

Well if you’re doing Mel/Syd and it’s in J then I’d suggest the A350. Very quiet, biz seats go to full flat at a (longish) touch of a button whereas 777 J seats need to be manually folded down from the top. Also feel more comfortable sleeping in A350, something to do with how the seat segments join up. Steer clear of the medium/regional haul A350 - J seats are tight but they are not usually seen from EC airports. I was on a regional 787 today Per./Sin and did lots of elbow bumping. But after that minor inconvenience it’s much nicer now on sq318 to LHR in F.. The 777 is my choice for F any day over the A380.

 

[lahlee]

If upu

Well if you’re doing Mel/Syd and it’s in J then I’d suggest the A350. Very quiet, biz seats go to full flat at a (longish) touch of a button whereas 777 J seats need to be manually folded down from the top. Also feel more comfortable sleeping in A350, something to do with how the seat segments join up. Steer clear of the medium/regional haul A350 - J seats are tight but they are not usually seen from EC airports. I was on a regional 787 today Per./Sin and did lots of elbow bumping. But after that minor inconvenience it’s much nicer now on sq318 to LHR in F.. The 777 is my choice for F any day over the A380.

Thanks, I hate the flip over seats, that could be a deciding factor. My flight is MEL-SIN so if that A350 has the button controlled lie flat seat it would be preferable for me. My SIN-FRA will be in A380 - no choice for that leg, thankfully as I'm not the best decision maker.

EDIT - I just realised the long haul version has the flipped seat anyway - so not a lot of difference there. Will just pull the trigger on one of the options and move on to other planning.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[stm1sydney]

in J then I’d suggest the A350. Very quiet, biz seats go to full flat at a (longish) touch of a button whereas 777 J seats need to be manually folded down from the top.

SQ A350 LH J seats have to also be flipped over for bed mode. The 777 seats are more spacious than on the 350. But, yeah, the 350 has a much quieter cabin than the 777.

 

[Peanutbladder]

Thanks, I hate the flip over seats, that could be a deciding factor. My flight is MEL-SIN so if that A350 has the button controlled lie flat seat it would be preferable for me. My SIN-FRA will be in A380 - no choice for that leg, thankfully as I'm not the best decision maker.

EDIT - I just realised the long haul version has the flipped seat anyway - so not a lot of difference there. Will just pull the trigger on one of the options and move on to other planning.

Thanks for all the advice!

Remember on the 777 you have the smaller forward J cabin with no bassinet versus the larger forward J cabin on the A350.

 

[lahlee]

Remember on the 777 you have the smaller forward J cabin with no bassinet versus the larger forward J cabin on the A350.

Good point, I actually ended up going for the 777 (small forward cabin), as the timing was a little better.

I decided to take an earlier flight, which means it wont matter so much how much sleep we get on the first leg. I have enjoyed many decent snoozes on the long sofas in the back section of the SIN KF bus class lounge. I love it when you get offered a blanket and pillow. Earplugs are very handy in that case.

 

[zsw]

TLDR: KrisFlyer starting to use more detailed married segment logic for connecting flights.

I was experimenting with a redemption on Krisflyer flying SQ from Europe to Sydney in September next year, aiming to add a stopover in Singapore on the way through. I quickly discovered that Krisflyer seems to have strengthened their married segment logic for stopover redemptions (or I have just never noticed it before)

Searching for MXP - SYD there is Advantage Award all the way through to Sydney (available on multiple dates):


But add a stopover to the request and the Advantage Award is gone (for multiple dates):


Searching for just MXP - SIN aligns with the stopover rules:



This happened across a number of departure points across multiple dates: CDG, FRA, FCO, MXP.

Speaking to Agent they provided the following:
"Please be advised that this is as per flight availability of the routes. For flights that has stop over it has different inventory"
"I understand your concern regarding the stopover award seat availability. However this is system generated, availability varies depending on the routes if it has stop over".

Now I understand the logic behind married segments, I just personally haven't seen Singapore employ it to such an extent. It really seems they are holding 2x J rewards for flights from Europe for connecting flights rather than non-stop to Singapore. I then went a step further and discovered that these particular 2x J seats are only available for flights from MXP to Australian cities (I tested BKK, PEK, SGN, AKL and all of them came back with only waitlist). Now, I am not sure if this is an 'additional' 2x J availability they are holding for Australia (less likely) or if they are restricting some of the Advantage awards to only be for connecting flights through to Australia (more likely).

A few thoughts on this:

• This is clearly a plus in some form for those of us who are trying to book all the way through to Australia (in that the competition for these seats is only with other people in Australia)
• This significantly restricts the usability of the stopover program as the married segment logic is dropped when you add the stopover. I did ask if this was a recent change related to the new Krisflyer changes but they could not provide any information on this.
• Singapore is clearly becoming a lot more strategic in their releases of award seats this year: Restricting Partner releases into certain Australian cities, adding this stopover logic, restricted releases of saver awards depending on the destination and time of year/day of week (IST, CPT). I know these aren't necessarily new for frequent flyer programs on the whole but Krisflyer used to be exceptionally reliable for the number of seats available on each route.
• Obviously it is the end of September so it is a peak time to come back from Europe but the lack of availability was actually quite surprisingly low for seats that were only released in the past week or two

 

[dajop]

TLDR: KrisFlyer starting to use more detailed married segment logic for connecting flights.

I was experimenting with a redemption on Krisflyer flying SQ from Europe to Sydney in September next year, aiming to add a stopover in Singapore on the way through. I quickly discovered that Krisflyer seems to have strengthened their married segment logic for stopover redemptions (or I have just never noticed it before)

Searching for MXP - SYD there is Advantage Award all the way through to Sydney (available on multiple dates):
View attachment 474975

A few thoughts on this:

• 
  
• This significantly restricts the usability of the stopover program as the married segment logic is dropped when you add the stopover. I did ask if this was a recent change related to the new Krisflyer changes but they could not provide any information on this.
• Singapore is clearly becoming a lot more strategic in their releases of award seats this year: Restricting Partner releases into certain Australian cities, adding this stopover logic, restricted releases of saver awards depending on the destination and time of year/day of week (IST, CPT). I know these aren't necessarily new for frequent flyer programs on the whole but Krisflyer used to be exceptionally reliable for the number of seats available on each route.
• Obviously it is the end of September so it is a peak time to come back from Europe but the lack of availability was actually quite surprisingly low for seats that were only released in the past week or two

When adding a stopover, you're now basically stuck with "home market" inventory, that you have to share with Singaporean based travellers, which is much tighter than competitive inventory between outstations. I've noticed post-covid SIN-xx_ or xx_-SIN inventory has been much tighter and more difficult to get (I live in Singapore).

 

[ramamba]

Singapore is clearly becoming a lot more strategic in their releases of award seats this year: Restricting Partner releases into certain Australian cities, adding this stopover logic, restricted releases of saver awards depending on the destination and time of year/day of week (IST, CPT). I know these aren't necessarily new for frequent flyer programs on the whole but Krisflyer used to be exceptionally reliable for the number of seats available on each route.

This is spot on. Looks like non-release of previous sweet spot seats coincided with November enhancement announcement. I got tired of looking for IST savers and had to change plans and book FRA departure instead.