Singapore Airlines quickly became my favorite international airline earlier this year when I flew their Suites Class from New York to Frankfurt. That flight was truly an incredible experience and I’ve been wanted to fly Singapore Airlines (SQ) again ever since. The thing I regret most about that trip was the amount of time on board.
The flight from New York to Frankfurt is just under 8 hours. Given how incredible the Suites Class experience is, I didn’t feel like enough time. I felt rushed to quickly eat so that I could sleep. During the rushed meal service I also felt the need to drink the top-tier alcohol quickly rather than enjoy it. All in all I had a fantastic experience, but wish I had more time to enjoy it.
Flying Singapore Airlines Home From Vietnam
As I began planning my insane American Airlines mileage run to Vietnam, I was left with an open-ended return. I’m flying back to Vietnam one final time in late November and still need to figure out how I’m getting home. You might remember I had a similar dilemma when trying to figure out how to get to Vietnam to begin this adventure. I’ve settled on flying Asiana Business Class with my step-brother and his girlfriend. I chose this option because, well why not, and because I could then review 2 of Asiana’s business class products. Since I opted to use miles to get to Vietnam I don’t yet have a return flight. I could have avoided this pitfall if I just booked the $600 Asiana Economy round trip from Chicago, but that would be too sensible. Instead I still have one last flight to figure out.
As I started searching various award flights yesterday the saver award space stars aligned on Singapore Airlines. SQ listed a bookable saver business award from Singapore to Houston (via Manchester) on the exact date I needed. I nearly booked the 92,000 mile award on the spot. This deal is especially exciting because I’d fly on the new Singapore Airlines A350 aircraft with the new business class product. It all seemed too good to be true. Well, after a bit of digging, I realized it was.
Better Ways To Use Singapore Airlines Miles
The issue is that after doing a little bit of research, I’ve noticed most people don’t love the A350 business class seat. Apparently the seat feels a bit cramped in the upright position and it looks that way from the photos. Also, the seat faces squarely forward while the foot cubby is angled. This leads to a rather awkward sideways lounge position. Many have reported the bed is quite comfortable and of course the service is impeccable. While that is all great, I just don’t think spending 92,000 KrisFlyer miles is worth it.
KrisFlyer miles are extremely valuable because they represent the only way to book the Singapore Airlines Suites Class. I simply have a hard time spending 92,000 of those miles for a nice business class seat, when I could (in theory) spend just 112,000 for Suites class back to the US. Also, when flying Suites Class out of Singapore Changi airport you get access to the Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge and the Private Room. Overall, I simply have a hard time using 92,000 miles when I know there is a superior product offered.
How Do I Get Home?
This brings me back to my current issue. I don’t know how I’m going to get home from Vietnam. Originally wanted to buy a round trip from Vietnam with a return leg in 2018, but those prices are a bit steep. I don’t necessarily want to tie up anymore capital with this trip. Paying for an economy trip now means I might miss out on another mistake airfare deal (like the one going on right now!).
The best option at the moment would be to use AAdvantage Miles to get home. I’m earning a ton of redeemable AAdvantage miles with this mileage run. That means the return leg really won’t ‘cost’ me anything. Unfortunately finding any sAAver award space on American right now is nearly impossible. I’m definitely not paying for an AAnytime award given the outrageous prices.
That brings me to my final option. I may end up flying Delta’s A350 back to the US. Delta currently has a decent one-way fare from Southeast Asia back to the US via Tokyo. I’d connect from Vietnam to Tokyo and fly the A350 from Tokyo back to Detroit. It would give me an opportunity to review that aircraft’s economy experience very early into service. It’s a great option, but I’d prefer not to spend 20 hours in economy when flying to/from Asia in a weekend.
Final Thoughts
I can’t believe how lucky it seemed for that Singapore Airlines award space to be available. I’d love to try out their A350 Business Class product, but for 92,000 miles I’m not sure it’s worth it. At the moment I’m trying to hang on to KrisFlyer miles because Singapore is expected to launch a new Suites Class in late 2017! I’d love the opportunity to spend just 80,000 miles to fly their new suites class between Singapore and Sydney in early 2018. Perhaps I’ll use those miles to fly to Sydney for my birthday in 2018.
Since I’ve opted not to fly SQ business class I’m again left with a dilemma of how to get home. The most sensible option is to book the relatively inexpensive one-way economy ticket, but what’s the fun in that. Hopefully I’ll find some last-minute sAAver award space on a OneWorld partner soon instead.
Featured Image Courtesy Of Singapore Airlines
