With our conference being held in Gardens Hotel itself, naturally the delegates were housed here. Due to the less than ideal timing of the flights (SQ 118 and SQ 119), we had only 8 hours in our rooms!
With our conference being held in Gardens Hotel itself, naturally the delegates were housed here. Due to the less than ideal timing of the flights (SQ 118 and SQ 119), we had only 8 hours in our rooms!
One of the most common question someone new into redemption would ask:
ISN’T IT BETTER FOR ME TO DO A LONG HAUL ECONOMY/PREMIUM ECONOMY REDEMPTION INSTEAD OF REGIONAL/SHORT HAUL PREMIUM?
The answer is NO. The 2 rules I will tell my friends would be:
I have broken both rules before – and this was for a special reason – SQ22 Inaugural and SQ21 return.
Now, for the second part of the trip – the flight back from Melbourne. SQ 217 let her try a day time flight with the full service while SQ 218 allows her to try out the sleeping overnight in the Suites.
Total miles burnt was 160,000 miles per person for return (pre-January devaluation).
Melbourne is one of the location with a dedicated First Class Lounge. Here are some of the pictures:
There are currently 2 flights to Osaka daily (3rd one coming in April), either the red-eye at or a noon flight. Although I would have preferred to try out the Dreamliner, the timing was rather not conducive for my short travel as I end up losing one day. I opted instead for the ungodly hour of SQ618 which departs at 130am (for 5.5 hours flight).
I decided to put this up first as I felt that this review deserved the priority. I was initially booked on Business Class on both legs (SQ 618 and SQ 619) but 1.5 weeks out, Suites on the SQ 619 was still available and after some thoughts, I decided to make the plunge given the special nature of this trip (and giving in to my weak spot for Suites). I guess it was well worth it! What I experienced on this flight was a total contrast to my anniversary flight on SQ 308 last year.
With only one week to go, the cost for award redemption on Singapore Airlines is going up for both First and Business Class redemption (I shall only talk about Saver Award – lets be realistic, I doubt many of us can afford the Advantage Award ticket). The cost for Economy Class redemption remains the same and the margin between Premium Economy and Business is so small that Premium Economy is not worth considering (barring special circumstances).
2018 had been a pretty busy year, and from the look of things – 2019 will be the same. What bad news we have that another round of devaluation from Krisflyer is just around the corner.
It was only in March 2017 that we had one round of devaluation (the biggest being the removal of the 15% discount for online redemption). To soften the blow, Singapore Airlines removed the fuel surcharge. This round, there is nothing to soften the blow as Business Class and First Class award tickets starting from Zone 1! (while Economy Class redemption remained). Perhaps, the permanent feature of Spontaneous Escape will be this round’s cushion but only a select few will be able to take advantage of the Spontaneous Escape promotion).
I booked this trip for my family year end trip and the price was certainly attractive! I paid $470 per person (all inclusive) which is way cheaper than what I paid for my ticket to Wuhan. Both SQ 830 and SQ 833 is flown on the A380, specifically the new A38R. The last 5 A380-800 that was delivered last year spots the new Suites (6 Suites in the forward section of upper deck) and the all new Business Class (with the double bed at the bulkhead). The Premium Economy and Economy section however is the same as that of the 2015 and 2013 design. Besides Shanghai, the other destinations that utilizes the A38R include Hong Kong, Sydney, London and Zurich (I am still hoping for SQ25/26 to get this but I doubt this will be the case).
After 2 nights in The Big Apple, it is time to come back. A very short trip indeed, but this is all the time I could afford to be away from work.
I had both a confirmed advantage Business ticket and a waitlisted Business saver ticket. I was very much hoping for my waitlist to clear but by 12 October, I did not receive the clearance email. I know my waitlist was unlikely to clear. I had problem checking in online the day before flying as my saver waitlist was still active. I tried cancelling my waitlist and I had trouble doing it using the SQ app. I was prepared to go to the airport early to do it but by the night before flying back, my waitlist booking automatically disappeared and I could finally check in! On checking in, I noticed that the cabin is full!
The beauty 9V-SGB (picture courtesy of Singapore Airlines)
Wow, after so many months of waiting the trip is over in just 4 days. It may be short on days, but certainly not short in fun and excitement! I shall start my review on how this trip came to fruition.
That Time Of The Year! 