After a hiatus, lets hear it again from CHC on his most recent trip on SQ F to PVG on the 77WR (using the 2013 F cabin, but spotting just 4 instead of 8 seats).
After a hiatus, lets hear it again from CHC on his most recent trip on SQ F to PVG on the 77WR (using the 2013 F cabin, but spotting just 4 instead of 8 seats).
SQ 631 and Haneda ANA Business Lounge
The last leg of my flight was actually a break up of my original booking. Although no stopovers are allowed for a one way award saver ticket, there is an unwritten rule where you can top up USD $100 for a stopover. Is the $100 worth it? Here is the math for it:
LAX-SIN is 88,000 miles (+ USD $37.63) via NRT
LAX-NRT is 85,000 miles (+ USD $23.60)
NRT-SIN is 43,000 miles (+ JPY 2610)
It is quite clear cut that for additional $100 USD, it will save you 40,000 miles (which is almost an additional J ticket from Singapore to Japan!)
The tough part however, is the availability of flight and getting the right person on the other side of the phone that is willing to do it for you. Don’t be disheartened if you get rejected on your first call (they may tell you that stopover is strictly not allowed on saver ticket). Keep trying!
LAX used to be the other route operated on Airbus A380-800 besides JFK. Things changed as of October 2016 when it was downgraded to a 77WR with a second service to LAX added (SQ7 and SQ8, at the expense of SQ15 and SQ16). SQ11/12 operates via Narita and SQ7/8 operates via Incheon. While getting Suites on SQ11/12 was not easy, it wasn’t tough either. Since the change, it is almost impossible to get even one seat on First Class, let alone 2 (especially you have no status on Krisflyer)! With only 4 seats, getting 1 will definitely be tough. Business Class on the other hand, was still doable.
I was initially due to fly SQ7 via Incheon and onwards to Male. I decided to change my itinerary and switched over to SQ11 with a Tokyo stopover. SQ7 previously cost me about USD $370 per person while SQ11 cost me SGD $145. In total, I paid 68,000 miles (+ another $290) for my flight, which would cost otherwise 93,500 miles if I am not willing to pay USD $100 for the stopover. Currently, you pay 88,000 miles but you only pay $23.60 for tax! Flight timing has also changed, SQ11 previously leaves LAX in the evening, arriving Narita at 730pm and Singapore at 330am! With the change, SQ11 departs at 10am, arrives Narita at 130pm and Singapore at 9pm. This new timing is more palatable for those arriving in both Narita and Singapore for sure.
Looking forward to my upcoming long trip (after my last one in 2015). Will be doing the following reviews:
After 5 days in Bali, it is time to head home. Unfortunately, I was sick for half of my trip hence I didn’t take much pictures for this flight.
I arranged a private transfer from Club Med to Ngurah Rai Airport which took about half an hour. The new airport looked much cleaner and organized, but the efficiency somehow failed to catch up. We were dropped off at the departure gate and proceeded to the counter. Unlike most airports where the check in counters are in the public area, DPS airport has its check-in counters behind a security screen. There will be a security officer inspecting your passports and your belongings need to go through an x-ray machine before being allowed into the check in counters.
Finally, that time of the year again! However, this was just a short family getaway to Bali. As mentioned in my previous post, I bought 6 (4A + 2C) tickets early this year for $3.2k (using DBS-Expedia promo) and subsequently I found out that KLM was having an offer. Thankfully, I managed to cancel my old tickets at no cost and rebooked the same tickets at $2.2k (a massive $1k savings). So how does KLM’s World Business Class fare?
