Travelling from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore, I decided to try to do a two-flight hop via Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines. Malaysia Airlines uses predominantly the Boeing 737-800s on its regional services and offers good value even in Business class for the price you pay.
DBS has quietly added Qantas as a frequent flyer redemption partner last week, making it only the fourth partner one can transfer DBS points to. The exchange rate is 1 DBS point to 2 Qantas points, at a rate similar to Krisflyer miles and Asia Miles. Redemption has to be made in blocks of 5,000 DBS points to 10,000 Qantas points. Each transfer will incur an administrative cost of $26.75. What can I use my Qantas Points for? Apart for redeeming for Qantas flights, you can also use Qantas points for oneworld partner flights. You can also use your Qantas points for Jetstar flights (PSA: don’t do it) and more importantly, for Emirates flights. Comparable rates to Krisflyer miles for redemptions For a while now, Qantas has been known to have very generous earn rates, but terrible redemption rates and availability when compared to competitors flying on the same route, or even across oneworld frequent flyer programmes. Ever since Singapore Airlines has devalued its Krisflyer programme (once in 2017, and a second time in 2019), …
It’s been a while since I last took a Singapore Airlines business class flight, so when the opportunity presents itself for me to make a redemption booking to Beijing, I decided to try to score a seat on the Boeing 777-300ER, as I have not tried the product before. In the first instalment of the permanent Spontaneous Escapes, Singapore Airlines ran a very generous offer: redeeming a business class seat at the price of an economy class redemption. Singapore Airlines operate 4 daily services to Beijing using a mix of aircraft, including the A380 and Boeing 777-300ER. I decided on a Friday evening flight which was operated by the Boeing 777-300ER featuring the 2013 version business class seats. Arriving at Changi Airport terminal 3, I made my way to the business class check-in counters. As I was checking in, the agent informed me that the aircraft has been changed to a Boeing 777-200 due to “operational requirements”, much to my dismay. I then went to the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge and drowned myself in champagne …
British Airways is the latest airline to jump on the new seat bandwagon, revealing a brand new business class seat and layout for the new A350s that it will receive later this year. Direct-aisle access, flat beds, more storage, larger in-flight entertainment screens are some of the improvements BA mentioned that the new suite will offer, but the biggest win for this new product is a suite door which can be closed for more privacy, similar to Qatar’s Qsuite. The new A350 will offer 56 of these Club Suites, along with 56 premium economy seats – World Traveller Plus – as well as 219 economy class World Traveller seats for a total of 331 seats. The seat The new seat is a customised version of Collins Aerospace ‘Elements’ Business Class seat, which can be found on some other airlines including China Airlines and Virgin Australia. However, BA has gone a step further and is the first airline to install the privacy door, effectively calling it a suite. In a reverse herringbone layout, the seat faces …
Singapore Airlines will offer COMO Shambhala’s award-winning wellness cuisine on select Singapore Airlines flights later this year, according to a media announcement made earlier this month. The wellness initiative is part of a longer term partnership between the airline and COMO Shambhala. The inclusion of the wellness dishes will be progressively made available in Singapore Airlines’ Book the Cook service. What else? In the announcement, Singapore Airlines mentioned a wider range of initiatives for “future collaborations”, which may include “on-board amenities, as well as in-flight entertainment content relating to wellness, among others”. This sounds like there isn’t really a plan yet. Wellness dishes Currently, Singapore Airlines is already offering several ‘feel good’ dishes under its ‘Deliciously Wholesome’ range, which is all the rage among airlines in recent times. In business class, customers can now select from some of the healthier options, including: Marinated Free Range Chicken on a Spring Salad Bouquet with Cheese Shavings, Roasted Walnuts and White Balsamic Dressing Spring Salad Bouquet of Haricot Verte Beans, Artichokes, Asparagus and Tomatoes with Hard Boiled Eggs …
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