Tag: Featured

Standard Chartered Bank offers 100% bonus for transferring points to Emirates Skywards

Limited time promotion runs until 8 March.

Standard Chartered bank is offering a 100% conversion bonus for its cardmembers for transferring points into Emirates Skywards miles from now until 8 March 2020.

Standard Chartered Bank X Infinite Visa card

While the promotion is targeted at the X Infinite Visa cardholders, as long as you have a Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) credit card that allows you to earn points, you are eligible for the promotion.

Emirates Skywards programme

Emirates Skywards miles aren’t usually good value due to the number of miles required for redemptions and the fuel surcharges that come with it. Moreover, Emirates doesn’t belong to any alliances, so your options are pretty much limited.

However, with this offer, the awards become a lot more sensible. you can make a number of redemption options that are comparable to what you might normally spend on Singapore Airlines’ Krisflyer.

Emirates A380 business class cabin

If you have been converting your SCB 360 Rewards points to Krisflyer all these while, your effective mpd of 1.2 for Krisflyer is now worth 1.7 mpd if you are converting them to Emirates Skywards. Overseas transactions, which gives you 2 mpd if you are converting to Krisflyer, will be effectively 2.9 mpd for Emirates Skywards under this promotion.

For those lucky enough to lap up the 100,000 miles sign-up bonus (in the form of 250,000 360 Rewards points) last year, if you have kept your points, you can now change them for 140,000 Emirates Skywards miles – more than enough for a one-way business class trip to Europe.

Note that Emirates Skywards miles have a validity of 3+ years. Miles earned or transferred expires at the end of your birthday month after the third year mark from the time they are earned.

For example, if your birthday is in June and you earned the miles in February 2020, your miles will expire on 30 June 2023.

What can I use Emirates Skywards miles for?

The obvious answer will be for Emirates flights. Apart from Dubai, Emirates also flies to Melbourne from Singapore, as well as Penang from April 2020.

For 17,500 miles, you can redeem a one-way economy class ticket to Penang from Singapore, but don’t – it’s poor value. Instead, opt up for 27,500 miles in business class, or if you are feeling fancy, 37,500 for first class.

If you want to fly further, you can also opt for business class or first class tickets to Melbourne, at 62,500 and 85,000 miles respectively. This option is operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, so the business class is a 2-3-2 configuration, similar to this one that I took from Dubai last year.

Emirates B777-300ER business class

Emirates doesn’t belong to any alliances, but they have a handful of partners you can use the miles on, including Qantas.

Qantas redemptions to Sydney or Melbourne are most useful in business or first class, at 60,000 and 90,000 miles respectively, plus fuel surcharge and taxes.

Qantas first class suite

One shortcoming of using Emirates Skywards programme is the high fuel surcharges you have to shell out.

Final thoughts

If you are a holder of this card and a fan of Emirates, this represent excellent value for redemptions on Emirates, given that there isn’t really many options to redeem Emirates flights from this part of the world.

With the 100% bonus, this offer has also become a much more attractive way of redeeming Emirates tickets, and in some cases, cheaper than using Krisflyer miles to redeem a similar itinerary on Singapore Airlines. The obvious downside is the huge fuel surcharge that comes with redemption, but in some cases, such as a first class experience on the A380, it’s definitely worth every cent.

26 February 20
Earn double status credits on Qantas Frequent Flyer

Register for the promotion and book a flight from now until 25 Feb 2020, 9pm Singapore Time.

For the minority of you who are Qantas Frequent Flyer members, Qantas is running its double status credits promotion again. The promotion runs until 25 Febuary 2020 9pm Singapore Time, for travel between 28 February 2020 and 14 February 2021.

How to register for the promotion

The mechanics are fairly simple:
1. Register for the promotion here. Needless to say, you need to be a Qantas Frequent Flyer member first. You will receive an email confirmation, after which you are good to book your flights.

2. Book your flight between 20 to 25 February 2020. Your flight(s) must be between 28 February 2020 and 14 February 2021. Note that the deadline for booking is 11.59pm AEDT (Sydney time), so that means 9pm Singapore time.

3. Only Qantas-operated flights with a Qantas flight number (QF XXXX) are eligible for the promotion. So if you booked an Emirates-operated flight with a QF flight number, or a Qantas flight with a codeshare number, tough luck.

4. Travel and wait for your bonus status credits to come in!

Now the fine print…

Only flights booked after you registered for the promotion will count. So be sure to receive the confirmation email before you start booking.

Confirmation email for your registration

You can book as many flights as you want during this promotion and all of them will qualify for bonus status credits.

Unlike the previous promotion, you will have to fly on a Qantas-operated flight this time round to qualify for this bonus. This means a flight that is operated using a Qantas aircraft, using a Qantas crew with a Qantas flight number.

What does this do for me? Can I use them for flights?

As with many other Oneworld programmes, Qantas has two separate currencies: Qantas points which you can use to redeem for award flights and use them as cash, and Status Credits which accumulate towards a higher membership tier, opening up benefits such as lounge access.

While you can get points pretty easily through non-flight activities, such as transferring from credit cards (DBS and Citibank are transfer partners here in Singapore), status credits are hard to come by as you will need to physically fly in order to accumulate them.

So how many status credits will I need?

For Qantas, 300 credits will get you Silver (oneworld Ruby), 700 credits to Gold (oneworld Sapphire) and 1,400 credits to Platinum (oneworld Emerald).

So of course, silver is rather lame in my opinion, with the only re benefit being the 50% bonus Qantas Points you will earn with every flight.

Gold is where the real deal begins. With Gold and oneworld Sapphire, you will get access to Qantas business lounges (except when travelling domestically in Australia, you will get Qantas Club access instead), as well as oneworld business lounges, such as the incredibly good Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong.

Best part of being a QFF Gold member based in Singapore is that if you are flying Jetstar Asia (3K), you can also access the Qantas Singapore lounge before your flight.

You also get 75% more points on all eligible flights, so that’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

Platinum is where you probably want to be if you are a serious flier. However, it’s gonna be really hard to hit 1,400 status credits in a single year unless you visit London five times a year in Business class. That’s way too much money to spend on prestige, but if you have that kind of money, you will get access to oneworld First Class lounges, including Qantas’ flagship First lounge in Sydney and their latest first class lounge right here in Singapore. You will also enjoy 100% bonuses on all Qantas points earned.

Qantas Singapore First Lounge

How many status credits will I earn under this promo?

This promotion offers 100% bonus, so that is pretty hefty. If you can clock just 350 status credits before the 100% bonus, that will launch you straight to gold.

Flying business class on Qantas from Singapore to Sydney and back? That’s 120 status credits one way, so giving you a total of 480 status credits with the double status credits promotion.

If you don’t mind taking a little detour, plan your trip with a transit via Melbourne, and you will get 160 status credits each way for a total of 640 roundtrip, after the bonus. That’s just a little shy of gold.

My strategy – keeping it around $5 per status credit

As most of my travel are spent on my own dime, I often try to find flights that work out to around $5 per status credit. Qantas flights are typically expensive for the number of status credits they offer, but with this double status credit promotion, it comes close to that sweet spot of $5 per SC.

I’ll be taking this chance to try Qantas’ premium economy cabin on the new(-ish) Dreamliner come May, which has gotten great reviews since it was launched two years ago.

Qantas Dreamliner premium economy (photo: Qantas)

My flight was about $1,700 roundtrip to Sydney (via Melbourne) and I’ll be netting 320 status credits, translating to an average of $5.31 per SC. Still a little off the mark, but good enough.

Final thoughts

While I’m a fan of Qantas Frequent Flyer because of the ease of accumulate status credits using Jetstar flights, Qantas’ own flights tend to be a little expensive when it comes to their own services.

It’s been a long while since Qantas offered an open status credit promotion, since the last one back in August 2018. Qantas has been experimenting with targeted status credit promotions since, and sadly most offshore members are not included in the targeted promotions.

This promotion is probably timely, given the global slowdown in air travel given the ongoing Covid-19 issue, so this will help to give that much needed boost to bring people back in the air. And hey, it’s never too early to plan for year-end holiday right now.

22 February 20

Singapore Airlines Spontaneous Escapes March 2020 offer now on

Singapore Airlines have unveiled its offerings for the March edition of Spontaneous Escapes, with 55 destinations on sale.

Surprisingly for a school holiday month, there seems to be a bumper crop of destinations on offer, although there are also plenty of restrictions. One possible reason for the extraordinary availability could be Covid-19, although China is (obviously) not on offer at all.

The promotional mileage is 30% off the usual redemption rates, down from the one-off 51% discount last month.

As usual, bookings must be made by 29 February 2020, for travel between 1 to 31 March 2020, barring blackout dates.

What is good this month?

If you still dare to travel in the month of March, you can consider the following:

Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Rome and Zurich are all available in Business Class available at 64,400 miles plus taxes.
San Francisco on SQ1/2, going at 66,500 miles each way. Note that SQ1/2 will be operating non-stop to/from SFO between 17 Feb and 28 Mar to avoid Hong Kong.

Full list of destinations and details below:

Singapore Airlines

Southeast Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur	5,250	SQ104, SQ106, SQ112, SQ116, SQ118	–	13,300	SQ104, SQ106, SQ112, SQ116, SQ118	–
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore	5,250	SQ105, SQ107, SQ113, SQ117, SQ119	–	13,300	SQ105, SQ107, SQ113, SQ117, SQ119	–
Singapore to Jakarta	5,250	SQ950, SQ958, SQ960	–	13,300	SQ950, SQ958, SQ960	–
Jakarta to Singapore	5,250	SQ953, SQ967	–	13,300	SQ953, SQ967	–
Singapore to Surabaya	5,250	SQ930, SQ932	–	13,300	SQ930, SQ932	–
Surabaya to Singapore	5,250	SQ931, SQ933	–	13,300	SQ931, SQ933	–
Singapore to Bali	–	–	–	13,300	SQ938, SQ940, SQ942, SQ946, SQ948	–
Bali to Singapore	–	–	–	13,300	SQ939, SQ941, SQ943, SQ947, SQ949	–
Singapore to Bandar Seri Begawan	–	–	–	13,300	SQ148	–
Bandar Seri Begawan to Singapore	–	–	–	13,300	SQ147	–
Singapore to Yangon	8,750	SQ998	–	15,050	SQ998	–
Yangon to Singapore	8,750	SQ997	–	15,050	SQ997	–
Hanoi to Singapore	8,750	SQ175, SQ187	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City	8,750	SQ184, SQ186	–	–	–	–
Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore	8,750	SQ183, SQ185	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Bangkok	8,750	SQ970, SQ976, SQ978, SQ982	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020	15,050	SQ970, SQ976, SQ978, SQ982	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020
Bangkok to Singapore	8,750	SQ973, SQ981	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020	15,050	SQ973, SQ981, SQ983	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020
Singapore to Manila	8,750	SQ912, SQ916, SQ918	–	15,050	SQ912, SQ916, SQ918	–
Manila to Singapore	8,750	SQ915, SQ919, SQ921	–	15,050	SQ915, SQ919, SQ921	–
Singapore to Phuket	8,750	SQ992	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020	15,050	SQ992	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020
Phuket to Singapore	8,750	SQ993	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020	15,050	SQ993	13-15 March, 20-22 March 2020

North Asia – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Seoul	17,500	SQ602	13-16, 21-23 Mar	32,900	SQ602, SQ608	–
Seoul to Singapore	17,500	SQ603, SQ609, SQ607	–	32,900	SQ603, SQ607, SQ609	–
Singapore to Fukuoka	–	–	–	32,900	SQ656	18-30 Mar
Fukuoka to Singapore	–	–	–	32,900	SQ655	–
Tokyo to Singapore	17,500	SQ631, SQ635, SQ637, SQ639	19-22, 25-29 Mar	32,900	SQ11	–
Nagoya to Singapore	17,500	SQ671	4-14 Mar	32,900	SQ671	25-29 Mar
Osaka to Singapore	17,500	SQ621	18-22 Mar	–	–	–

North Asia – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Tokyo to Singapore	24,150	SQ11	–

South Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Ahmedabad	12,950	SQ530	–	27,300	SQ530	–
Singapore to Kolkata	–	–	–	27,300	SQ517	–
Kolkata to Singapore	–	–	–	27,300	SQ516	–
Dhaka to Singapore	–	–	–	27,300	SQ447	–
Singapore to Malé	12,950	SQ452	–	–	–	–
Malé to Singapore	12,950	SQ451	–	–	–	–

Australia & New Zealand – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Adelaide	19,600	SQ279	1-10 Mar	43,400	SQ279	–
Adelaide to Singapore	19,600	SQ278	26-31 Mar	43,400	SQ278	–
Singapore to Brisbane	19,600	SQ255	–	43,400	SQ255, SQ265	–
Brisbane to Singapore	19,600	SQ236	–	43,400	SQ236, SQ266	–
Singapore to Canberra	19,600	SQ288	–	43,400	SQ288	–
Canberra to Singapore	–	–	–	43,400	SQ288	–
Singapore to Melbourne	19,600	SQ207, SQ227, SQ237	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Sydney	19,600	SQ211, SQ221, SQ231	–	43,400	SQ231, SQ241	–
Sydney to Singapore	19,600	SQ222, SQ232, SQ288	–	43,400	SQ288	–
Singapore to Wellington	19,600	SQ247	–	–	–	–
Wellington to Singapore	19,600	SQ248	–	–	–	–

Australia – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Canberra	32,900	SQ288	–
Canberra to Singapore	32,900	SQ288	–
Singapore to Melbourne	32,900	SQ217, SQ227, SQ237	–
Melbourne to Singapore	32,900	SQ218	–
Singapore to Sydney	32,900	SQ221, SQ231	–
Sydney to Singapore	32,900	SQ212, SQ232, SQ288	–

Africa & Middle East – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Dubai	17,500	SQ494	–	34,300	SQ494	–
Dubai to Singapore	17,500	SQ495	–	34,300	SQ495	–
Singapore to Johannesburg	17,500	SQ482	–	34,300	SQ482	–
Johannesburg to Singapore	17,500	SQ481	–	34,300	SQ481	–

Africa & Middle East – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Dubai	25,900	SQ494	–
Dubai to Singapore	25,900	SQ495	–
Singapore to Johannesburg	25,900	SQ482	–
Johannesburg to Singapore	25,900	SQ481	–

Europe – Economy & Business

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Paris to Singapore	26,600	SQ333	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Barcelona	26,600	SQ388	–	64,400	SQ388	–
Barcelona to Singapore	26,600	SQ387	–	64,400	SQ387	–
Düsseldorf to Singapore	–	–	–	64,400	SQ337	–
Singapore to London	26,600	SQ308	–	–	–	–
London to Singapore	26,600	SQ305, SQ317	20-31 Mar	–	–	–
Milan to Singapore	26,600	SQ355	20-31 Mar	–	–	–
Rome to Singapore	26,600	SQ365	21-28 Mar	64,400	SQ365	–
Singapore to Zürich	26,600	SQ346	–	–	–	–
Zürich to Singapore	26,600	SQ345	–	64,400	SQ345	–

Europe – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Paris	45,150	SQ334	–
Paris to Singapore	45,150	SQ333, SQ335	–
Barcelona to Singapore	45,150	SQ387	–
Düsseldorf to Singapore	45,150	SQ337	–
Rome to Singapore	45,150	SQ365	–
Zürich to Singapore	45,150	SQ345	–
Frankfurt to New York	32,900	SQ26	–
New York to Frankfurt	32,900	SQ25	–

USA – Economy & Business

Dates	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to San Francisco	26,600	SQ2	–	66,500	SQ2	–
San Francisco to Singapore	26,600	SQ1, SQ31	–	66,500	SQ1	–

USA – Premium Economy

Sector	Miles required – Premium Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Los Angeles	47,600	SQ36, SQ38	–
Los Angeles to Singapore	47,600	SQ35, SQ37	–
Singapore to San Francisco	47,600	SQ2	–
San Francisco to Singapore	47,600	SQ1	–
New York to Singapore	51,100	SQ21	–

SilkAir

South East Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur	5,250	MI322, MI324, MI326, MI328, MI330, MI340, MI342	–	13,300	MI326, MI328, MI330, MI340, MI342	–
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore	5,250	MI321, MI323, MI325, MI327, MI329, MI339, MI341	–	13,300	MI321, MI323, MI325, MI341	–
Singapore to Penang	5,250	MI346, MI348, MI350, MI352, MI354	13-15, 20-22 Mar	13,300	MI346, MI348, MI350, MI352, MI354	–
Penang to Singapore	5,250	MI345, MI347, MI349, MI351, MI353	13-15, 20-22 Mar	13,300	MI345, MI347, MI349, MI351, MI353	–
Singapore to Bandung	5,250	MI192, MI194, MI196	15-31 Mar	–	–	–
Bandung to Singapore	5,250	MI191, MI193, MI195	15-31 Mar	–	–	–
Singapore to Bali	–	–	–	13,300	MI176	–
Bali to Singapore	–	–	–	13,300	MI175	–
Singapore to Surabaya	5,250	MI226	–	13,300	MI226	–
Surabaya to Singapore	5,250	MI225	–	13,300	MI225	–
Singapore to Lombok	5,250	MI124, MI128	–	13,300	MI124, MI128	–
Lombok to Singapore	5,250	MI123, MI127	–	13,300	MI123, MI127	–
Singapore to Medan	5,250	MI234, MI238	–	–	–	–
Medan to Singapore	5,250	MI233, MI237	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Davao City	8,750	MI562	–	15,050	MI562	–
Davao City to Singapore	8,750	MI562	–	15,050	MI562	–
Singapore to Cebu	8,750	MI562	–	15,050	MI562	–
Cebu to Singapore	8,750	MI559	–	15,050	MI559	–
Singapore to Phuket	8,750	MI750, MI756, MI758	13-15, 20-22 Mar	15,050	MI750, MI756, MI758	13-15, 20-22 Mar
Phuket to Singapore	8,750	MI749, MI751	13-15, 20-22 Mar	15,050	MI749, MI751	13-15, 20-22 Mar
Singapore to Koh Samui	–	–	–	15,050	MI774	–
Koh Samui to Singapore	–	–	–	15,050	MI771	–
Singapore to Yangon	8,750	MI518	–	15,050	MI518	–
Yangon to Singapore	8,750	MI519	–	15,050	MI519	–
Singapore to Siem Reap	8,750	MI614, MI616	–	15,050	MI614, MI616	–
Singapore to Phnom Penh	8,750	MI602, MI606, MI608	–	15,050	MI602, MI606, MI608	–
Phnom Penh to Singapore	8,750	MI601, MI605, MI607	–	15,050	MI601, MI605, MI607	–

North Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Hiroshima	–	–	–	32,900	MI868	–
Hiroshima to Singapore	–	–	–	32,900	MI867	–

South Asia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Chennai	12,950	MI436	–	27,300	MI436	–
Chennai to Singapore	–	–	–	27,300	MI435	–
Singapore to Hyderabad	12,950	MI472	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Kochi	12,950	MI468	–	27,300	MI468	–
Kochi to Singapore	–	–	–	27,300	MI467	–
Singapore to Colombo	12,950	MI428	–	–	–	–
Colombo to Singapore	12,950	MI427	–	–	–	–
Singapore to Kathmandu	–	–	–	27,300	MI416	–
Kathmandu to Singapore	–	–	–	27,300	MI415	–
Singapore to Malé	12,950	MI480	–	–	–	–
Malé to Singapore	12,950	MI479	–	–	–	–

Australia

Sector	Miles required – Economy	Flight no.	Blackout dates	Miles required – Business	Flight no.	Blackout dates
Singapore to Cairns	19,600	MI811, MI813	–	43,400	MI811, MI813	–
Cairns to Singapore	19,600	MI812, MI814	26-31 March 2020	43,400	MI812, MI814	–

18 February 20

Alaska Airlines plans to join Oneworld by June 2021
The non-affiliated airline is finally hopping on the alliance bandwagon.

2020 is proving to be a really exciting year with a lot of unexpected twists.

After so many years of cultivating eclectic airline partnerships and wow-ing the world with crazy miles-buying deals, Alaska Airlines has announced a deepened partnership with American Airlines, and along with it, its intentions to join Oneworld by Summer 2021.

By ‘summer’, it can means anything between June to September.

Deeper partnership with American Airlines

The pledging of allegiance to Oneworld comes on the back of its latest partnership with American Airlines. Effective immediately, Alaska Airlines passengers and Mileage Plan elite members have greater access to American Airlines inventory, as well as benefits.

What this means for Alaska Airlines and its customers:
- Customers can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on all American Airlines flights (subject to award availability),
- Alaska Lounge members can access American’s nearly 50 Admirals Club locations,
- Customers can also continue to earn and redeem miles on Alaska Airlines’ current partners, including Singapore Airlines & Emirates.
In a few months’ time, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can also earn miles on all American Airlines flight, both domestic and international.

Oneworld benefits come Summer 2021

Of course there are perks when Alaska Airlines officially joins Oneworld. These include a mapping of Alaska’s own frequent flyer tiers to the Oneworld tiers, as well as its corresponding benefits.

Alaska Airlines
Mileage Plan tier Oneworld tier
MVP Ruby
MVP Gold Sapphire
MVP Gold 75k Emerald
Alaska Airlines tier mapping to Oneworld

What does this means for Alaska’s own partners?

Alaska Air has some of the most interesting mix of partners, which are all individually negotiated. This has resulted in a very special award pricing, where each award partner gets their own award chart, and a mixed carrier chart is somewhat impossible (with the exception of Alaska’s own metal plus a partner).

Also, the earn rates are incredibly generous at the moment. Just a case in point: a customer flying business class on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to London and back will earn a whopping 26,892 miles if they accrue their miles on Mileage Plan, while getting only 16,620 miles on Asia Miles.

On the redemption front, Alaska Airlines is also incredibly generous now. For 25,000 miles, you can redeem a one-way business class ticket on Japan Airlines within Asia, while a Oneworld member (e.g. Cathay Pacific) can charge up to 45,000 miles for a similar trip.

So with Alaska Airlines joining the Oneworld ‘family’, they will almost definitely be forced to keep in line. This could go a few ways:

1. Earn rates will definitely go down, while burn rates will definitely go up.

On a reciprocal basis, Alaska Airlines will be more than definitely be forced to ‘align’ their earn and award charts to what other member airlines are offering. So if you have been hoarding Alaska Airlines miles, time to use them, quickly.

2. Changes to partnerships with non-Oneworld airlines

While being a Oneworld member does not mean they have to cut off ties with non-Oneworld aligned carriers, you can almost imagine that these partnerships may just widening in time to come. Some partnerships may fall through, while others may be diminished.

Final thoughts

As the saying goes, good things don’t last. In this case, the benefits of being an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan member – especially in this part of the world – is slowly eroding.

While you still can and is looking to burn your miles, credit your premium cabin revenue tickets to Alaska to bump up your mileage balance, but be sure to use them quickly before summer next year.

Time for another Tokyo run, perhaps?
15 February 20
Cathay Pacific to close three Hong Kong lounges temporarily
Customers will still have access to two business class and one first class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport.

Cathay Pacific has taken yet another measure in the face of Covid-19: lounge closure of half its lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.

This came not too long after it announced that it will be reducing flights worldwide.

The lounges that will be closed until further notice are:
- The Deck (near Gate 6)
- The Bridge (near Gate 35)
- The Pier First Class Lounge (near Gate 63)
Customers, Marco Polo Silver members and above, as well as oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can still access the remaining three lounges:
- The Wing business and first class lounges (near Gate 2)
- The Pier business class lounge (near Gate 65)
First Class passengers now have only one lounge – The Wing, located near Gate 2. This is directly accessible right after immigration, on the left side.

Map of Cathay Pacific lounges at Hong Kong International Airport

Cathay Pacific is one of the few airlines that offer an excellent lounge experience in their home port. For First Class passengers and Oneworld Emerald members, they had the option of two lounges, one nearer to the immigration counters (The Wing) and one that’s at the other end of the terminal (The Pier).

With the closure of The Pier first class lounge, these top tier passengers can only use The Wing, which means a very long trek to the other end of the terminal if their flight departs from there.

Changes to lounge operations

Along with the closure of the three lounges, there will also be slight changes to the operations at the other three lounges, as well as lounges in Shanghai and Beijing.

While the noodle bar will continue to serve cooked-to-order meals, the buffet spread will now be replaced with disposable food packs. This is obviously not the most environmentally friendly option, but given the current climate this is probably the best way forward.

Final thoughts

Well, given the increasing number of countries that does not even want to admit passengers who transit through Hong Kong, it’s no wonder their passenger numbers are plummeting, so closing some of the lounges is definitely a right move.

I’m just wondering what does this mean for the number of staff employed at these lounges, given that the lounge operations is outsourced to SATS.

This is definitely a bummer for elite Oneworld members and premium cabin customers, but even with the reduced number of options, I would certainly expect significantly less people in the remaining lounges.
14 February 20

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan tier	Oneworld tier
MVP	Ruby
MVP Gold	Sapphire
MVP Gold 75k	Emerald

Tag: Featured

Standard Chartered Bank offers 100% bonus for transferring points to Emirates Skywards

Limited time promotion runs until 8 March.

Emirates Skywards programme

What can I use Emirates Skywards miles for?

Final thoughts

Earn double status credits on Qantas Frequent Flyer

Register for the promotion and book a flight from now until 25 Feb 2020, 9pm Singapore Time.

How to register for the promotion

Now the fine print…

What does this do for me? Can I use them for flights?

So how many status credits will I need?

How many status credits will I earn under this promo?

My strategy – keeping it around $5 per status credit

Final thoughts

Singapore Airlines Spontaneous Escapes March 2020 offer now on

Singapore Airlines have unveiled its offerings for the March edition of Spontaneous Escapes, with 55 destinations on sale.

What is good this month?

SilkAir

Alaska Airlines plans to join Oneworld by June 2021

The non-affiliated airline is finally hopping on the alliance bandwagon.

Deeper partnership with American Airlines

Oneworld benefits come Summer 2021

What does this means for Alaska’s own partners?

Final thoughts

Cathay Pacific to close three Hong Kong lounges temporarily

Customers will still have access to two business class and one first class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport.

Changes to lounge operations

Final thoughts