Shanescape

travel better, travel smarter

Tag: Covid-19

  • Singapore to restart travel bubble arrangement with Hong Kong from 26 May

    Singapore to restart travel bubble arrangement with Hong Kong from 26 May

    Will it be a second time lucky?

    The long awaited Air Travel Bubble (ATB) between Singapore and Hong Kong is finally set to take off from 26 May 2021, announced by both Singapore and Hong Kong on 26 Apr.

    This comes almost six months after the plans for the quarantine-free all-purpose travel arrangement was delayed just hours before its launch in November, and subsequently scuppered in December last year, due to a reflux of local cases in Hong Kong as new infections occured.

    What are the new requirements?

    By and large, the requirements remain the same as what was proposed last year, including:

    • Travellers must have stayed in Singapore or Hong Kong wholly for the preceding 14 days before travel. This excludes select groups of foreign workers (Holders of Work Permits or S Passes working in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors), as requested by the Hong Kong government.
    • Travellers must take mutually recognised COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and will need to have negative test results.
    • Travellers will not be subject to any quarantine or Stay-Home Notice requirements, or a controlled itinerary.
    • Travellers must travel on dedicated flights for this ATB, i.e. these flights will only fly point-to-point between Singapore and Hong Kong and carry only ATB travellers. No transit passengers nor non-ATB travellers (e.g. travellers on business green lane arrangements) will be allowed on board.

    There’s some new requirements, including mandatory vaccination status for Hong Kong residents using Hong Kong-issued passports.

    Vaccination requirements

    The circumstances and situation in both cities have changed much since six months ago, as both cities are progressively vaccinating their citizens since early this year.

    As such, one key speculation was whether vaccination was a requirement — this may be good or bad news, depending on where you live.

    Bad news first: Hong Kong residents travelling using a Hong Kong passport can only take the ATB-approved flights from Hong Kong at least 14 days after they have had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

    Hong Kong residents travelling to Singapore under the ATB will need to be vaccinated if they meet all of the following criteria:

    • Above 16 years old
    • Not exempted from vaccination based on medical grounds
    • Using a Hong Kong travel document
    • Have stayed in Hong Kong for more than 90 days

    This means that non-Hong Kong citizens are effectively excluded from the vaccination requirement when visiting Singapore, including Singaporeans who are working/living in Hong Kong.

    Fortunately, Singapore residents travelling to Hong Kong will not need to be vaccinated.

    Recap: testing requirements

    No change from the previous requirement, there will be a total of 3 or 4 PCR tests required if you are departing from Singapore, depending on how long you are going to stay in Hong Kong. The tests and approximate costs are as follow:

    TestCost
    Singapore pre-departureBetween $135 and $200
    Hong Kong arrivalAbout $85
    Hong Kong pre-departure*Between $40 to $320
    Singapore arrival$160
    COVID-19 PCR tests and costs

    *Note: If you are departing Hong Kong within 72 hours of taking the test upon arrival in Hong Kong, you will be exempt from taking a pre-departure test from Hong Kong. Children under the age of 12 are also exempt.

    Other requirements

    Both the Singapore and Hong Kong ATB website have been updated with the latest rules and process details.

    Other requirements that travellers will need to fulfill include:

    • For travellers to Hong Kong, they muse use the “LeaveHomeSafe”(LHS) mobile application to scan LHS QR codes when visiting premises during the stay in Hong Kong, and retain the records for 31 consecutive days after leaving Hong Kong.
    • For travellers to Singapore, travellers must apply for an Air Travel Pass between 7 and 30 days before arrival to Singapore.
    • Visitors to Singapore must install and use the TraceTogether app, and are also required to retain the TraceTogether app with the data for 14 consecutive days after leaving Singapore. 

    Flights for ATB

    As with before, the ATB will be served by home carriers of both territories: Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Both airlines will be running one single inaugural flight on 26 May 2021.

    Subsequently, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines will operate on alternate days for the first two weeks of the bubble arrangement. Each carrier will then increase frequency to a daily service from 10 Jun 2021.

    The full schedule is as follow:

    Singapore Airlines

    SectorFlight No.DepartureArrivalAircraftDates Operating
    SIN-HKGSQ88208401240A350-900R26, 28, 30, 31 May
    SQ88208401240B777-300ER2, 4, 7, 9 Jun
    Daily from 10 Jun
    HKG-SINSQ88314251820 A350-900R 28, 30, 31 May
    SQ88314251820 B777-300ER 2, 4, 7, 9 Jun
    Daily from 10 Jun
    Cathay Pacific A350

    Cathay Pacific

    SectorFlight No.DepartureArrivalAircraftDays Operating
    (From 7 Dec)
    SIN-HKGCX73414451900A350-90027, 29 May
    1, 3, 5, 6, 8 Jun
    Daily from 10 Jun
    HKG-SINCX75909101300 A350-900 26, 27, 29 May
    1, 3, 5, 6, 8 Jun
    Daily from 10 Jun

    Both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are showing the above listed flights as ATB designated services until 30 Sep 2021 at the time of writing.

    Final thoughts

    After a false start last year, it’s great to see that there is a firm date for Singapore’s very first ATB to take off.

    Particularly for Singapore residents, the waiver of a vaccination requirement at this juncture is also a good development – at least for now – given that the vaccination rate in Singapore is still pretty low at this point in time.

    The ATB also came at a welcomed time as we draw close to the school holidays. At the time of writing, ATB flights are fully booked out for at least the first two weeks, so those looking for a getaway to Hong Kong can now only wait till late June or later for their travel fix.

    As we press closer to the inaugural flight date, I guess the only thing to do is to hold our breaths and see if it truly takes off.

  • Travel bubble between Singapore and Australia may open in July 2021

    Travel bubble between Singapore and Australia may open in July 2021

    Singapore and Australia is reported to explore a travel bubble for general travel by July 2021, according to Australian media.

    Australian and Singapore governments have confirmed that they are working on a reciprocal travel bubble for vaccinated travellers, targeted to be launched as early as July 2021. This was first announced by the Sydney Morning Herald, and subsequently reported in many other Australian and Singapore media.

    Proposed Australia – Singapore Travel Bubble

    Sydney, Australia

    Under the proposed bubble, Australian residents would be allowed to travel to Singapore for work or leisure without approval from the Australian Department of Home Affairs if they have been vaccinated.

    Similarly, Singapore residents who have received their Covid-19 vaccination will be able to travel to Australia for work, study or holidays, without the need for isolation.

    IATA Travel Pass

    What is critical to this plan is a form of vaccination passport, similar to IATA’s Travel Pass Initiative, which Singapore Airlines is currently testing. Australia is not using the Travel Pass Initiative, but instead is using a different digital certificate called ExpressPlus Medicare. There will be issues of mutual recognition to be sorted out before details of the rollout can be announced.

    According to reports, more discussions above the details will take place in the coming months between both governments. 

    Which airline is operating between Singapore and Australia anyway?

    Singapore Airlines has currently announced its schedule up till May 2021. Flights currently planned for Australia include:

    CityWeekly flights
    Adelaide3x per week
    Brisbane6x per week (Daily from April)
    MelbourneDaily
    PerthDaily
    SydneyTwice daily (17x per week from April)

    Scoot operated Sydney and Melbourne services for a while last year, but these have since been suspended.

    Non-Singapore based carriers are not expected to operate flights to Australia for now. Qantas is not expected to resume scheduled international passenger flights until October 2021, even though it’s currently operating cargo-only flights, which can be quickly converted to passenger services if the travel bubble takes off.

    British Airways has suspended its Singapore-Sydney leg indefinitely, while Emirates’ Singapore-Melbourne leg is also on hold.

    Final Thoughts

    While Singapore’s air travel bubble arrange with Hong Kong failed to take off, this new development with Australia is looking to be promising, although if there’s anything to be learnt from past experiences is: don’t count your eggs until they are hatched.

    As it stands, Singapore has currently given out just over 600,000 doses of the vaccines, and only 200,000 people have received both doses. This means that majority of the population in Singapore have still yet to receive them. If vaccination is mandatory in order to be eligible to travel under this Singapore-Australia air travel bubble, the take-off will almost certainly be much slower in the first couple of months.

  • Singapore Airlines extends Krisflyer Elite and PPS Club status for another year

    Singapore Airlines extends Krisflyer Elite and PPS Club status for another year

    Krisflyer Elite Miles and PPS Club Reserve Values will also get another year’s validity

    Singapore Airlines announced last week that it will be further extending the status for KrisFlyer and PPS Club members, due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting uncertainty over travel plans for its frequent flyers.

    KrisFlyer and PPS Club status due to expire between March 2021 and February 2022 will now be automatically extended from between March 2022 and February 2023.

    On top of this, Singapore Airlines has also made additional concessions, such as PPS Reserve Value extension and Elite Miles rollover to provide subsequent tier renewal support.

    KrisFlyer Elite status extension

    If your existing KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Elite Gold membership expires between March 2021 and February 2022, your membership will be automatically renewed for another year. This is the case for all members even if you are unable to accrue the usual Elite Miles required, which will be the case for most members this year given the current travel outlook.

    This is on top of the first status extension applied by the airline in April 2020.

    This new support will supersede the earlier initiative announced on 1st September 2020, where members will be credited with 50% of the required Elite miles to assist with qualification between March 2021 to February 2022.

    KrisFlyer Elite Miles will be rolled over for another year

    To give members another boost to maintain their status, KrisFlyer will also roll over Elite Miles earned in the current membership year (with a start date of March 2020 to February 2021) over to their next membership year. This includes Elite Miles earned through flying (if you have been flying at all), and through non-air promotional activities that Singapore Airlines have pushed out last year.

    This is how the Elite Miles will be credited:

    • At the end of your current membership year, your Elite Miles will be reset to zero at the beginning of your next membership year.
    • The Elite Miles earned in the current yea will be re-credited within two months.
    • Each KrisFlyer Elite member will be eligible for a one-time re-crediting of Elite miles.
    • Only Elite miles accrued within your membership year (with membership start date from March 2020 till February 2021) will be re-credited.
    • If you are currently a KrisFlyer Elite Silver member and you get upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold tier before the KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership end-date, you will also be eligible for a one-time re-credit of Elite miles within two months of the upgrade date.

    It’s all a bit confusing, but here’s an example:

    You are currently a KrisFlyer Gold Elite member, with your membership cycle beginning in June 2020. Between June 2020 and May 2021, you earned 5,000 Elite Miles. When June 2021 comes around, you get a free year of Gold Elite status, and you will also receive the 5,000 Elite Miles re-credited into your account.

    PPS Club membership extension

    In a previous renewal support programme announced in September 2020, only 50% of the PPS Value was due to be credited for PPS Club members with tier renewal end dates through August 2021, so existing PPS and Solitaire PPS Club members would have to earn the other 50% within the year prior to their status expiring.

    Singapore Airlines have now upped the support, giving 100% of the value required to ensure that members get at least another year of PPS Club membership, on top of the previous one-year extension.

    This is happening in two parts: for those who have already gotten their one-year extension as of 8 Sep 2020, and for those who have yet to as of 8 Sep 2020.

    For those who have received their one-year extension as of 8 Sep 2020

    For members whose tier renewal dates have been extended to expire between March 2021 and August 2021, they will receive their PPS value in two tranches:

    Membership tier
    (as of 8 Sep 2020)    		1st tranche
    PPS Value credit
    by 31 Oct 2020    		2nd tranche
    PPS Value credit
    by 31 Jan 2021
    Solitaire PPS Club 
    (qualified after 1 Jun 2018)    		25,00025,000
    Solitaire PPS Club 
    (qualified after 1 Jun 2018)    		12,50012,500
    PPS Club12,50012,500

    For those who have yet to receive their one-year extension as of 8 Sep 2020

    For those who have yet to receive their one-year extension, or received it after 8 Sep 2020, the full value will be credited on 31 Mar 2021:

    Membership tier
    (as of 8 Sep 2020)    		New tier renewal
    expiry date
    (after one-year extension)    		PPS Value to be credited
    by 31 Mar 2021
    Solitaire PPS Club 
    (qualified after 1 Jun 2018)    		Sep 2021 to Feb 202250,000
    Solitaire PPS Club 
    (qualified after 1 Jun 2018)    		Sep 2021 to Feb 202225,000
    PPS ClubSep 2021 to Feb 202225,000

    One important thing to note: credited PPS value under this programme will not count towards the tracking of PPS value required to achieve PPS Rewards.

    PPS Reserve Value extension

    On top of giving the 100% PPS value, Singapore Airlines will also be extending the expiry date of all PPS Reserve Value members are currently holding.

    Members with Reserve Value expiring between March 2021 and February 2023 will have them all extended till February 2024. The extension will be processed only in March 2021.

    Final thoughts

    Even as the world rolls out vaccination programmes, the pandemic is not yet abating, which means that leisure travel is still a far way off.

    Singapore Airlines is definitely erring on the side of being generous, with this latest round of extensions offered to its frequent flyer members. This round of another one year extension, plus the rollover of Krisflyer elite miles and PPS Reserve Values also points to the fact that Singapore Airlines is expecting the lack of travel to persist for a while more.

  • Singapore-Hong Kong ATB will not proceed until 2021

    Singapore-Hong Kong ATB will not proceed until 2021

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore officially announced yesterday (1 Dec 2020) that the Air Travel Bubble will be further delayed

    Singapore and Hong Kong have further reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong, and given that local unlinked cases are still high, both parties have decided to defer the commencement of the Singapore – Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble (ATB) to beyond December 2020. The exact start date of the ATB arrangement will be reviewed in late December.

    Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1 December 2020

    Second deferment

    The ATB was originally scheduled to launch on 22 Nov 2020. However, Hong Kong started to see a new wave of Covid-19 cases, and at the eleventh hour, authorities from both countries announced late on eve of the inaugural flights that the ATB will be postponed by two weeks, with details to be announced this week.

    Fast forward two weeks later, we are now looking at an early 2021 launch, given that the cases in Hong Kong remain high, with the seven-day average of unlinked cases hovering above 15.

    Cancellation policies

    If you’re already booked on one of Singapore Airlines’ or Cathay Pacific’s ATB flights, both airlines now offer a full refund with all fees waived for affected customers. Alternatively, you can also rebook a different date for no fee (fare difference may apply).

    Singapore Airlines customers who no longer wish to travel on the ATB flights can request for a refund, or rebook their flights through SIA’s Assistance Request form. Any refunds will be accorded to the passengers’ original mode of payment.

    For Cathay Pacific customers, they may request for full refund, exchange the value of the ticket towards Cathay Credits, or rebook the flights free of charge. Affected customers will be preliminarily rebooked on non-ATB flights, so be sure to check your email or contact your travel agent for next steps.

    Final thoughts

    This is not completely unexpected, to be honest. Most countries with a new wave of cases often see weeks go past before the cases resolve. For Hong Kong, two weeks to resolve the fresh outbreak would have been unrealistic, and would have been risk and irresponsible on the authorities’ part if they had allowed the flights to go on.

    Seems like everyone’s going to spend New Year in their home countries!

  • Singapore-Hong Kong ATB launch deferred by two weeks

    Singapore-Hong Kong ATB launch deferred by two weeks

    The travel bubble bursts for now, bubble slated for re-start on 6 Dec 2020

    Travellers hoping to catch the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble (ATB) will now have to wait another two weeks for it to begin, as Hong Kong is facing a possible ‘fourth wave’ in Covid-19 cases.

    The ATB was originally slated to commence today (22 Nov), but a decision was made on Saturday afternoon to postpone it by two weeks given the unstable situation in Hong Kong.

    ­Hong Kong

    On Saturday (21 Nov 2020), Hong Kong saw a total of 13 unlinked cases, bringing the seven day average of unlinked cases to 3.86. While this did not reach the mutually agreed threshold of 5, both countries agreed that it would be unwise to commence the ATB at this point.

    Given the evolving situation in Hong Kong, Secretary Edward Yau and I discussed further this afternoon, and decided that it would be better to defer the launch of the ATB, by two weeks. We will review within two weeks on the new launch date and update again.

    Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung

    While the initial deferment is for two weeks, both governments are said to announce details of the new launch dates in ‘early December’.

    Hours earlier: new on-arrival test requirement in Singapore

    Just a day before the postponement was announced, Singapore has installed a new testing requirement for travellers from Hong Kong as the latest measure. Passengers travelling on ATB flights from Hong Kong to Singapore previously only needed to take a test before departing Hong Kong.

    This brings the total number of tests for a round-trip journey to four: one before departure from each point, and one upon arrival at each airport.

    Under the original arrangements of the ATB, there were only three tests required:

    1. Pre-departure test from Singapore to Hong Kong (between S$160 to S$200)
    2. On-arrival test taken upon arrival in Hong Kong (HKD499, or S$83)
    3. Pre-departure test from Hong Kong to Singapore (between HKD750 to HKD2000, or S$120 to S$325)

    There was previously no requirement to take a test upon arrival in Singapore. With the new requirement, the new requirement adds another S$196 to the costs of tests, bringing the total for a round-trip journey to at least S$600.

    The exception will be for those who have spent less than 72 hours in either city, given the pre-departure test is no longer required if the arrival test was taken less than 72 hours before the return flight.

    Children under the age of 12 are not required to take the pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test when travelling from Hong Kong to Singapore (both pre-departure and upon arrival), but is required to do so when travelling from Singapore to Hong Kong.

    It’s unclear at this moment if this fourth test will continue to be required when the ATB launches on 6 Dec 2020.

    Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific offer refunds

    Given such late notice of the postponement of the flights, both airlines have offered free refunds or rebooking of the flights for those hoping to travel between 22 Nov and 5 Dec.

    Singapore Airlines customers who no longer wish to travel on the ATB flights can request for a refund, or rebook their flights through SIA’s Assistance Request form. Any refunds will be accorded to the passengers’ original mode of payment.

    For Cathay Pacific customers, they may request for full refund, exchange the value of the ticket towards Cathay Credits, or rebook the flights free of charge. Affected customers will be preliminarily rebooked on non-ATB flights, so be sure to check your email or contact your travel agent for next steps.

    Seats availability very low from 6 Dec

    With the bubble deferred for two weeks, passengers who were originally planning to travel between 22 Nov and 5 Dec will be scrambling to rebook flights.

    Unfortunately, seats are scarce. On Singapore Airlines, there are no longer any seats available for booking on the ATB-designated daily flights SQ890 and SQ891 from the entire month of December. This is more likely to be a pre-emptive measure on SIA’s part, to accommodate affected customers who wish to rebook their flights.

    For Cathay Pacific, there are barely a few seats available on select days in December, but these are expected to be fully taken up with the rebookings for the coming days. However, economy class fares have breached the S$1,000 mark, with round-trip tickets for the week of 7 Dec going at about S$1,200.

    Final thoughts

    Many people have probably joked about how the bubble will burst even before it begins at one point or another, no thanks to the term ‘bubble’.

    The unfortunate thing has indeed happen, tragically hours before the first flight was slated to take off.

    With the whole world keeping an eye on how the ATB will work out, it is indeed unfortunate that the arrangement has to be postponed as a result of a potential fresh outbreak. As Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung puts it: “it is a sobering reminder that the virus is still with us”.

    Even as details of the new launch dates come up in the weeks ahead, how Hong Kong manages its cases will also be very critical. If the situation doesn’t come under control, it’s likely that the ATB will be further delayed, perhaps till 2021.

    For now, we can only wait.