Booking Singapore Airlines via Virgin Flying Club

[ekposh]

Hi

Has anyone got any experience of booking award flights on SQ? I am looking at SIN-DPS but I read somewhere that SQ only offer certain routes for VS awards and economy only. Economy is fine but wondering if we knew what these “certain routes” are and if that’s even correct. And finally, are these tickets flexible?

Cash tickets aren’t expensive but I want to avoid Air Asia due to the transit to T4 so just looking at this as an option especially with the miles buy bonus.

Thanks

[BBbetter]

Generally, premium cabins on long haul are blocked. You’ll be fine with the DPS flight. I remember someone (froggee I think) who redeemed VS points on this route recently.
Yes, they are flexible subject to the cancellation fees.

[Froggee]

Yeah – I got my mum to book herself on that route.

As long as you’re booking far ahead there is plenty of availability.

And better value than booking with SQ as (from memory) it is 35,000 Virgin points vs 45,000 Krisflyer mikes return in business.

In my experience, you can check availability by doing a dummy redemption booking with United. No need to register there.

[ekposh]

Thanks, I’ll be combining with an Avios to SIN and back from KUL so I’ll be booking very far in advance 🙂

[Froggee]

Oh – and I meant to say that when you do book it, make sure you also get the SQ booking reference as the Virgin one isn’t recognised by SQ when you try to manage your booking.

[ekposh]

I was all for doing this in Economy but the SQ regional J class product looks great and perhaps coming off the LHR-SIN, I’ll appreciate the shower in the SQ lounge… Seems like buying VS in the sale is flat out better value than a revenue SQ ticket.

[Froggee]

ekposh wrote:

I was all for doing this in Economy but the SQ regional J class product looks great and perhaps coming off the LHR-SIN, I’ll appreciate the shower in the SQ lounge… Seems like buying VS in the sale is flat out better value than a revenue SQ ticket.

It is certainly a lot more civilised!

[BBbetter]

ekposh wrote:

I was all for doing this in Economy but the SQ regional J class product looks great and perhaps coming off the LHR-SIN, I’ll appreciate the shower in the SQ lounge… Seems like buying VS in the sale is flat out better value than a revenue SQ ticket.

Are you sure you are happy with the 737 max J? Also there is a possibility it can be the old J seat.

[ekposh]

Loaded question.

I think J on the 737MAX looks great as a product. Is it not?

Am I happy with a 737 MAX in general? I think so though I’d rather not….

Old J? Yes, that would be rubbish.

[levantine93]

Sorry to jump on this thread…but quick q

When you call Virgin to book singapore flights do you need to tell them to do anything specific to bookit/isit a case of hanging up and call again?

Because I wanted to find Cairns-SIN availability for June in economy and they told me no availability at all and I kept asking them to check every date in June and they said none available which for me doesn’t sound right especially as I can see availability on other star alliance members (United and TK)…now obviously virgin is only a SQ partner but anyone got any advice??

[BBbetter]

If it’s on a wide body plane, it’s likely blocked by SQ.
VS and SQ block the premium reward inventory for each other. Partners in name only.

[levantine93]

BBbetter wrote:

If it’s on a wide body plane, it’s likely blocked by SQ.
VS and SQ block the premium reward inventory for each other. Partners in name only.

Ye true but this was economy seats and also I don’t think CNS-SIN is wide body aircraft

[ekposh]

Have you checked the United wedsite for availability using miles?

Edit: you have!

No clue then. Try again?

[BBbetter]

levantine93 wrote:

also I don’t think CNS-SIN is wide body aircraft

It’s a 6.5 hours flight – why would it be a narrow body aircraft?
Obviously it’s an A350.

[levantine93]

BBbetter wrote:

levantine93 wrote:

also I don’t think CNS-SIN is wide body aircraft

It’s a 6.5 hours flight – why would it be a narrow body aircraft?
Obviously it’s an A350.

It’s a b737 so not wide body

[ekposh]

Both. But you’re quite right that’s it’s a 737 now. So it’s “obviously” not always an A350.

[dannyc]

Did you specify the exact date and flight number when talking to Virgin?

[levantine93]

dannyc wrote:

Did you specify the exact date and flight number when talking to Virgin?

Yep abd they checked around 10 dates and all said no availability….I don’t know if its because SQ doesn’t open up the availability or because the VA agent doesn’t know what they’re doing

[JonathanC]

VS helpline staff don’t try to deny that booking points seats for SQ is difficult when using their points as availability is heavily restricted.

We can hope that VS will invest heavily in their website so that looking for reward availability on their partner airlines and other SkyTeam airlines isn’t like it is right now, where a phone call must be made.
On a plus note, at least many of us will hardly need to be making any phone calls to BA’s csa department for fiddly bookings in the coming future, it’s taken them long enough to invest in their website, but they’ve finally recently announced a complete rebuild (near-enough) of the current system

[BBbetter]

JonathanC wrote:

We can hope that VS will invest heavily in their website so that looking for reward availability on their partner airlines and other SkyTeam airlines isn’t like it is right now, where a phone call must be made.

Their own systems are crap, forget about investing for partner availability.

Couple of changes to the itinerary and we couldn’t check in at the airport. The staff took 30 mins to sort it out.

[JonathanC]

Their own systems are crap, forget about investing for partner availability.

Couple of changes to the itinerary and we couldn’t check in at the airport. The staff took 30 mins to sort it out.[/quote]

We can hope that Shai will focus on the IT systems one day, since he tries hard to make a success of the airline. Although it’d require a lot of money being spent, it’d heavily reduce the amount of cs staff needed in Swansea

Things like it taking the airport staff 30 minutes to sort is unfortunate but part and parcel of old IT systems – occasionally

[ffwd]

We did KLM Sin-dps in J, it was a great flight