I always assumed that status matching, like upgrades, lifetime status, giving elite economy class flyers a half decent lounge in Singapore or caring about mileage brokers, was something that SQ simply didn’t do.
Well, shows what I know, because in the course of poking around my company’s intranet I came across this document.
That’s right, this is an application for a status match with SQ. Now before you get all excited, it’s only for Krisflyer Gold status, and you need to come from an eligible company in order to submit the form. I have no idea what companies are eligible, but I’m guessing they’d have to be fairly sizable.
As per the T&C, submitting the form does not guarantee the status match. If you do get matched, you have Gold status for 12 months and need to requalify in the normal way subsequently.
You need to present proof that you hold the equivalent of Elite Gold status in another FFP, although it doesn’t specify which FFPs are acceptable. You also need to hold a senior position within your company and/or travel regularly in the next 12 months. The form asks you for your future travel, and says that you should have forward bookings on SQ and show future commitment.
I always suspected that if Krisflyer had a status match program they’d be super niao about it. Although it’s “only” Krisflyer Gold status, they’re not going to give it out without a fight. I mean, when you have airlines like airberlin who will match your status with a simple email (need to put your home country as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, Netherlands and USA though), or Delta which will do pretty much the same, or Alitalia which was doing it for a limited period no questions asked, it’s quite amusing how many hoops Krisflyer wants you to jump through.
But if you desire to be part of the same club that Joseph Schooling is in (airline, not swimming), and if you’re working in a fairly large-sized company with status in another airline, and if you think you can catch the Krisflyer membership department in a good mood, why not give it a try.
He said, rhetorically.
