Singapore Airlines ends unlimited complimentary changes policy

Back in March 2020, Singapore Airlines introduced a complimentary rebooking policy that waived all rebooking fees for new tickets issued from 5 March 2020 onwards. This gave passengers greater flexibility to adjust their travel plans without incurring change fees, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The complimentary rebooking policy was initially meant to last till 30 April 2020, but ended up being extended for more than two years- a testament to the sheer marathon that COVID-19 has turned out to be.

The most recent extension lapsed on 31 July 2022, and in light of border reopenings in Singapore and most of the world, Singapore Airlines has decided not to renew it further.

However, passengers holding cash or award tickets issued by 31 July 2022 will still be entitled to one free change.

SIA ends complimentary rebooking policy

“We understand that travel plans may change given the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a ticket issued on or before 31 July 2022, you can now rebook your flight without a fee and may transfer your purchased additional baggage or seats, if any, to the new flights” -Singapore Airlines

Complimentary Rebooking Policy

The latest iteration of SIA’s complimentary rebooking policy ended on 31 July 2022, which means that from 1 August 2022 onwards, change fees will apply as per the underlying fare or award type.

For tickets issued on/before 31 July 2022

If your cash or award ticket on Singapore Airlines was issued by 31 July 2022, you will still be entitled to one further complimentary change as per the table below:

Any booking changes must be made before the original travel date (at least 2 hours before departure), or within a year of the ticket’s date of issuance, whichever is earlier. Dates, flight numbers and destinations can be changed:

• Travel dates and flight numbers can be changed via the Manage Booking function on the Singapore Airlines website
• Destination changes will require contacting Singapore Airlines

If your booking was made through a travel agency or partner airline, you will need to contact them directly for assistance. 

Passengers who have paid for add-ons such as additional baggage or seats have the following options:

Fare differences may apply

While change fees are waived, you will still be required to pay any fare differences. To illustrate, suppose I originally booked a SIN-LAX itinerary for travel in March 2022.

Subsequently, I wish to travel in July 2022 instead. While I won’t pay any change fee, I’ll need to top-up S$812 in fare and S$13.30 in taxes (taxes normally won’t change, but in this particular case the USA International Arrival Tax is based on a percentage of the fare).

Do take note that in some cases, fare differences can be substantial. 

Changes to award tickets

As mentioned above, award tickets on Singapore Airlines issued on/before 31 July 2022 will also be entitled to one further complimentary change. However, there’s another variable at play here: the 5 July KrisFlyer devaluation.

If you redeemed a ticket using your KrisFlyer miles on or before 5 July 2022, you will enjoy one free change and not be required to top-up miles provided you’re only changing the date or flight number. All other types of changes will require a top-up of miles.

A side note: Singapore Airlines’ website makes it very clear that no top-up of miles is required for date changes made on or after 5 July 2022. 

Unfortunately, some CSOs have not gotten the message, and will still insist on a top-up of miles. If pointing them to the website does not work, the only solution is to hang up and call again, or visit the ION Orchard service centre to speak to someone in person.

Important caveat: date changes can require top-ups of miles if the new travel date is >1 year from the date of original issuance. For example, if you issued a KrisFlyer award ticket on 5 March 2022 (before the devaluation) but you want to change the travel date to 31 July 2023, you will need to top-up the difference in miles because the ticket must be reissued (your ticket is only valid till 4 March 2023). 

Do also note that no-show fees are not covered by the fee waiver. If you forget to reschedule your award flight and fail to show up, you’ll have to pay a no-show fee (US$100-300, depending on cabin) before you’re allowed to reschedule (free). Be sure to make the changes before your travel date comes round!

How do Singapore Airlines no-show fees work?

The waiver also does not apply to partner airline bookings (e.g. with Lufthansa, SWISS) made with KrisFlyer miles.

Conclusion

After 29 months, Singapore Airlines has finally called time on its complimentary rebooking policy.

All passengers with tickets issued on or before 31 July 2022 will enjoy one final free change, but after that it’s back to the usual rules. This means a US$25 fee for date changes on Saver tickets, and a strict no-change policy for Economy Lite tickets, among other things. 

While it’s unfortunate that the permanent elimination of change fees we saw in the US didn’t find its way here, I suppose it does mark the end of an era. Most of the world has reopened, and provided you’re fully vaccinated, travel has effectively returned to pre-COVID conditions for the vast majority of destinations.