Christmas in July - FIRST CLASS Singapore Airlines Award Ticket

Due to due to Singapore Airlines updating their reservations system/website this weekend, there is currently a LOT of reward availability on Singapore Airlines.  Singapore Airlines is upgrading their computer systems this weekend, and as a result their website is down for 28 hours. Why should you care?  If you have been looking for a very nice international flight in business or first class to get you to Asia, or even Australia, this is your chance to book on Singapore Airlines.

Based on observations, it is very difficult for Star Alliance partners to find premium cabin availability on Singapore (outside of Business Class for Intra-Asia), but right now there is frenzy of bookings going on since last night.  It just so happens to be that ALL award availability that’s usually available exclusively to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members is now available to Star Alliance partners.  Usually Singapore keeps the First Class and Business Class award booking for their own SilverKris members and block everyone else from seeing it on Star Alliance... but the award availability was made available to Singapore Air’s partners including United and US Airways among others.  Singapore is THE stingiest airlines when it comes to releasing award space to Star Alliance partners. They have a policy of not releasing first class or longhaul business class (outside of Asia) award space to Star Alliance partners.

Singapore Airlines flies to many more locations than just to Singapore.  You may have to look segment by segment to get where you want to go and then call the Star Alliance airline of your choice with the flight details to actually ticket (ANA website does not show premium award space for Singapore (SQ) flights).  You can use a Star Alliance partner, such as United or US Airways, to book these flights.

 

I used my US Airway miles for First Class round trip on SQ for another trip to Hong Kong (my favorite city in the world now).  The cost was 120,000 miles plus $50 reservation fee plus about $120 for taxes.  It would have cost 140,000 UA miles plus the $120 for taxes (due to 1K status, I would be exempt from the reservations fee) for the same flights.  UA miles are more valuable to me and I can book Lufthansa flights using those miles plus have to flexibility to cancel/change flights for award travel with my UA miles.

The thinking is that this glitch will be promptly shut down when the workweek begins in Singapore Monday morning so I wanted to get in on the action before it ends.  I made several calls to US Airways throughout the day but got it done after getting off from work.

I got the US Airways confirmation number, United confirmation (for the domestic segments, and Singapore confirmation as well).  I am looking forward to going back to Hong Kong and also flying First Class on Singapore Airlines.

Here is the routing:

DFW-SFO United Airlines First   Travel Time: 3h38m Boeing 737-800
SFO-(stop in Seoul)-SIN Singapore Airlines First  Travel Time: 19h40m Boeing 777-300ER
SIN-HKG Singapore Airlines Business   Travel Time: 3h45m Boeing 777-200

HKG-SIN Singapore Airlines First   Travel Time: 3h40m Boeing 777-300ER
SIN- DME Singapore Airlines First    Travel Time: 10h40m [Continuing flight] Boeing 777-300ER
DME-IAH Singapore Airlines First   Travel Time: 12h25m Boeing 777-300ER
IAH-DFW United Airlines Economy    Travel Time: 1h16m Airbus A319