When can you select seats + linking award and non award bookings

[missy_fit]

We are planning a SYD-SIN-LHR (economy - return) trip. We are not frequent travellers so I'm hoping someone can help. I have already called Singapore Air ticket office but I am not sure if we understood each other correctly so I thought I'd ask here.

I plan to purchase:

a) 2 award adult tickets
via online redemption in singaporeair.com

b) 2 non-award child tickets
unable to purchase in singaporeair.com and have to get via ticketing office as we cant purchase child tickets online without an adult ticket.

My questions

1. Can award bookings select seats on booking or only 48 hours before flight?
How about online bookings?
How about travel agent/Singapore ticket office bookings?

2. Is there anyway of finding out seat availability for award and non-award economy seats for singapore airlines? It is not available in Expertflyer. I'm worried that if after I purchase award tickets, there wont be enough non-award tickets available.

At this stage, I'm planning to book award flights online while I am on the phone with the ticket office. However, I am not sure how it will impact seat selection.

Another option is just to get award tickets for 1 adult + 1 child and then purchase online for 1 adult and 1 child. However, this means I would pay around $300 more.

Krisflyer also advised that they can link my two booking after I have purchased both (award and non award) so I dont know how this impact seat bookings.

What do you guys think

 

[deluxeflyer]

You can select seats immediately with any online booking.
With bookings thru TA or SQ office you can only select seats at OLCI, which 48 hrs before departure.

The SQ office cannot tell you what seats are available on a flight, IME.

You would need to make the award booking first, as you will not be able to book the kids without this.
Then call the SQ CC or get your TA to book the kids seats, and have the bookings linked so that it is clear that you are all travelling together.

At OLCI, you can check the availability of seats, and attempt to seat the kids next to you.
If this fails, SQ at airport check in, and again in the cabin, will do everything possible to accomodate you all.

If you book sufficiently far ahead and you select the Airbus A380 all the way to LHR,
there should be no problem seating you all together.

Good luck.

 

[missy_fit]

Thank you.

I'll reconsider my options as I would prefer to be able to select seats on booking and not during OLCI (48hrs before departure). I might just book award seats for 1 adult and 1 child and then book online for 1 adult & 1 child.

I might ring tomorrow again and see what they can do for me. I'm hoping I can select the seats anyway for the 2 child tickets after they link it with the other 2 adult award flights bookings.

We will be travelling during the peak June/July 2011 season. My youngest son also has food allergies so I'm thinking of selecting seats away from the galley.