Opening a KrisFlyer account for your child today is a rather joyless affair.
There’s very little fanfare involved. They receive the same generic blue membership card as everyone else — and not even a physical one, since those were phased out in 2017. When they fly, they earn the same Elite miles or PPS Value (yes, there are toddlers with Solitaire PPS). When they fly more, they unlock the same KrisFlyer Milestone Rewards or PPS Rewards. As far as the system is concerned, they’re basically grown-ups with a different fare code.
But 30 years ago, things were very, very different. Every now and then, I stumble upon something that reminds me how truly old I am, and today’s relic is my passport from the Singapore Airlines Young Explorer Club, circa 1994.
This special programme for kids predates even KrisFlyer, which launched in 1999. It hails from a simpler time when KrisWorld and its Super Nintendo games were still many years away, and the only inflight entertainment came in the form of colouring books, Othello sets, and model aircraft the doting stewardesses would shower upon you.
With so few distractions to occupy you, flying in those days felt extra challenging— though I shouldn’t complain as I was privileged enough to be in Business Class!
The Young Explorer Club was eventually discontinued in 2006 and merged into KrisFlyer, but those of us lucky enough to have been part of it will always remember it fondly.
Unfortunately, there’s very little information about the programme online, and even Singapore Airlines didn’t have any photos or materials to share from their archives when I reached out to them.
So here’s my attempt at preserving this little core memory of mine…
What was the Young Explorer Club?
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A different frequent flyer programme is taking to the skies. It’s called the Young Explorer Club and it’ll bring back the adventure of flying for young passengers aged 5 to 16. Membership brings a host of exciting rewards from a welcome kit full of goodies to an exclusive quarterly magazine packed with fun and adventure. From discounts at stores worldwide to an international pen-friends club. From colourful T-shirts and accessories to crazy games and puzzles. And joining is easy. No fees, no fuss. Any child anywhere simply needs to take four flights with four different flight numbers aboard Singapore Airlines. Just ask for an application form from the nearest Singapore Airlines office or travel agent. But you’ll have to be quick. Kids don’t stay young for long. |
The Young Explorer Club was launched in 1994 and open to travellers aged 5-16. But like any great club, they didn’t let just anyone join.
To even qualify as an entry-level member, you had to travel at least four sectors on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir within 12 months (excluding Singapore to Malaysia). Then, you had to mail in an application form with your boarding passes and ticket stubs. If you were approved, you’d receive a two-year membership and a welcome pack containing:
- A personalised Young Explorer membership card
- A logbook to record your flights
- Personalised luggage tags
- Young Explorer badge
- A jigsaw
- A travel diary
- A whirligig (yes, I had to Google it)
The greatest feature by far was having your very own membership card that you’d proudly plonk on the counter at check-in, just like a grown-up.
Your membership card isn’t just any old membership card, this is possibly the most valuable thing on earth. Firstly, it shows you’re no groundhog couch potato. You get up! You get out there! You EXPLORE!
-Young Explorer
Mind you, this was way before the digital revolution— you needed a magnetic-stripe physical card to get your miles credited.
Or should I say kilometers? Young Explorer had a total of four tiers, and qualification was based on kilometers instead of miles. This may sound strange today, but remember, KrisFlyer’s predecessor Passages was also kilometers-based.
| Tier | Qualification Requirement |
 Explorer |
4 flight sectors in 12 months |
 Expert Explorer |
50,000 km |
 Ace Explorer |
75,000 km |
 Master Explorer |
100,000 km |
Say what you will about Singapore Airlines, but they really knew how to create a kid-friendly gateway drug for the lifelong status chase. I distinctly remember my first taste of status anxiety, when as an Ace Explorer I bugged my dad to schedule another flight that year just so I could requalify.
Young Explorer elite status didn’t grant you lounge access or priority baggage. Heck, your kilometers couldn’t even be redeemed for flights. But who needs that, when there were awesome qualification gifts up for grabs!
Fly 50,000 km and we’ll promote you to an EXPERT Explorer! We’ll give you a funky pen, a certificate and a new card.
Fly 75,000 km and you’ll become an ACE Explorer! Say hello to a wacky watch and another certificate and card.
Fly 100,000 km and you’ll be looping the loop. YOU’LL HAVE MADE IT. You’ll be a …wait for it… MASTER Explorer! And because you’ll have travelled further than most dudes on the planet, we’ll go wild and give you a personal stereo player.
-Young Explorer
Try as I might, I never qualified for Master Explorer, so I can’t tell you if that stereo player was any good.
The pilot signed your passport on every flight
As a Young Explorer member, the cabin crew knew to make you feel extra special.
Midway through the flight, they’d kneel at your seat and ask you if you’d like to visit the cockpit. Of course you would, so you’d be escorted to the flight deck and introduced to the Captain
He’d show you all the dials and buttons and what each of them did (while you battled intrusive thoughts to turn the transponder to 7500 or perhaps treat the whole cabin to a barrel roll), tell you some fascinating facts about flying, and maybe give you a lapel pin, if he had one handy.
Before you left the cockpit, he’d sign your Young Explorer passport, certifying your flight number, aircraft type, route, flight time and distance flown. This was purely cosmetic, as your details would already have been recorded on the computer at check-in, but to me it was the most satisfying part of the entire experience.
9/11 put an end to cockpit visits, sadly, but the crew would still bring your passport to the Captain who would sign it in his free time.
Scrutinising my Young Explorer passport throws up some fascinating tidbits. For example, the Maurice De Vaz who signed my passport on 29 May 1995 is the same De Vaz who later went on to serve as Chief Pilot and then SVP of Flight Operations at SIA, as well as a board member of the now-defunct Tiger Airways. There’s even a short piece on him in a biography about former SIA MD Lim Chin Beng:
Similarly, the Ganapathy L JO entry on MI758 refers to Leslie John Ganapathy, who later became Chief Pilot at SilkAir. He was a key witness in the inquest into the MI185 crash, especially with regards to Captain Tsu’s history of disciplinary incidents.
Finally, a piece of trivia for Avgeeks: see the 14 November 1996 entry from SIN to SEL/SEL to SFO?
“SEL” was the old airport code for Seoul, back when Gimpo was the primary international airport. Incheon was only opened in March 2001, and subsequently became the main international airport for Seoul with the IATA code ICN. Gimpo was later renamed GMP.
You had your own quarterly magazine
Young Explorers received their own quarterly magazine packed with kid-focused travel content, activities and contests.
Every quarter, you’ll receive The Young Explorer Magazine. Packed with fun, features and articles from all around the world, it’ll make you laugh in London, smile in Sydney and howl in Hong Kong! There’s even a pen pals section so you can hang out, cool down and get groovy with other Young Explorers
-Young Explorer
This was an opportunity to showcase some of SIA’s more exotic destinations, and perhaps get kids to bug mum and dad to bring them there. You can see on the covers some destinations that SIA no longer serves, like Cairo and Madrid.
The Explorer even had a pen pal section where you could write in and share about your travel experiences. Sadly, they never published my letter on how the US-Singapore Open Skies Agreement would be of negligible benefit to SIA without an aircraft capable of making non-stop flights, as well as my crayon drawings of what such a contraption might look like.
You received special on-ground discounts
Young Explorer membership wasn’t just about perks in the air. Singapore Airlines actually took the trouble to curate a wide range of kid-focused benefits at theme parks, gift shops, restaurants, and edutainment venues.
Young Explorers could play three games for the price of one at Timezone White Sands, enjoy discounted tickets to Fantasy Island on Sentosa (remember that?!), and save 15% off party supplies at Party Land.
Benefits weren’t just limited to Singapore; members could even save on KFC in Bangkok, save on passes to Yongin Farmland in Seoul (now known as Everland), or buy teddy bears at a discount in Christchurch— a truly global membership!
I remember bringing my card to the Singapore Science Centre and proudly showing it to the cashier to get a discount on the ongoing dinosaur exhibition (just S$1.20!).
There were special members-only events
Just like PPS members, Young Explorers also had special events of their own. I remember that as an Ace Explorer, I received a free pair of tickets to watch Space Jam when it first came out in 1996.
Yes, Space Jam. The dramatic vehicle that turned Michael Jordan from basketball also-ran to veritable thespian.
There were also other gatherings for Young Explorers which dovetailed with important SIA events, such as the launch of a new aircraft or new destination.
What happened to Young Explorer?
When KrisFlyer launched in 1999, it continued to run Young Explorer as a sub-brand, but adjusted the age of participation to 2-12 years (instead of the previous 5-16).
KrisFlyer welcomes young members in a very special way. All KrisFlyer Members between 2 and 12 years of age will automatically be enrolled into the Young Explorer Club and are called Young Explorers. Young Explorers will be able to earn and redeem miles for free travel awards just like other KrisFlyer Members.
In addition, Young Explorers will enjoy special promotions, activities and receive their very own magazine.
-Singapore Airlines
Young Explorers were now able to redeem miles for free flights, but in many ways, this also marked the beginning of the end for the programme. It began to feel a lot more corporate, with the kid-friendly graphics and Young Explorer branding backgrounded in favour of more prominent KrisFlyer branding.
KrisFlyer progressively started winding the programme down, until eventually in 2006 it was eliminated altogether.
Singapore Airlines launched the Young Explorer Club (YEC) in 1994. The aim of YEC was to inculcate the joy of international travel in our younger customers. The membership was opened to all SIA customers from age five to 16 years old. As the benefits for YEC were similar to the KrisFlyer programme, however, the YEC programme was eliminated in 2006.
-Singapore Airlines spokesperson
Conclusion
The Young Explorer Club was a genuinely special chapter in Singapore Airlines’ history. I can’t think of many airlines that have put that much thought into cultivating loyalty so early, and who knows how many of those kids are now Lifetime Solitaire PPS Club members?
Unfortunately, it eventually fell victim to the inexorable march towards efficiency and scale, and that’s why everyone today sports the same boring blue KrisFlyer card.
Still, I’ll always remember the Young Explorer Club fondly. It was the perfect introduction to the manic world of miles and status chasing, and in hindsight, probably an early warning sign that I’d one day develop an unhealthy interest in qualification thresholds and requalification windows.
And until you step onboard Singapore Airlines again, just remember this one amazing fact. If you wanted to fly to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to our Sun, on board a Singapore Airlines Megatop, guess how long it would take: 4,223,744 years! Pack an extra toothbrush!
-Young Explorer
Does anyone have Young Explorer stories to share?
Lucky you, Aaron.. Premium Travel during a time when “Premium” was even more Premium.. and, the fact that you were privileged enough to have experienced all this at such a young age, didn’t make you a future travel-brat, and you now do your best (and help others too) in Flying Better For Less..
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
We were very blessed! My dad’s company picked up the tab because most of it was flights between Sin and sfo where he was posted
Omg… this is the best throwback ever. I don’t remember the tiers (probably because I never qualified back then, haha!) but I remember the card (I thought I was so cool), the cockpit visits (always the highlight of my flights), and those old J seats (back when it was still called Raffles Class). Alas no more cockpit visits after 9/11. I might be a few years younger than you though, I don’t recall a time without IFE (maybe I was just too young). When was KrisWorld first introduced?
Great throwback! Love nostalgia posts about travel in the days gone by…
Holy shit, this is one hell of a throwback. I’d almost forgot I was part of this. Getting the pilot autograph was the highlight of my five-year-old life.
There’s a picture of toddler me on the tarmac with a pilot cap on. Wonder if that was actually someone’s donated hat.
Very cool! Emirates runs the Skysurfers program for children. However, a quick glance at their website now and it appears more linked to the Skywards program that it used to be when I flew with a lot back in the early 2000s and a teenager. Back then it was a stand-alone program I think.
https://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/skysurfers.aspx
I was part of the British Airways equivalent. Somewhere I must still have my travel log with the pilot’s initials (such excitement to visit the flight deck!) and my membership badge (gold wings). Obviously 9/11 was bad for much more serious reasons but it’s sad to think how much it took away from the younger generations. I don’t recall any benefits to BA’s kids program (no magazine or stereo player).
quite right- before 9/11 you could even sit in the cockpit as the pilot landed the plane!
Hi Aaron, you might want to update the URL on this page to the story “Orchard Rows: The story of SIA’s ill-fated jackpot machines”. Thanks for sharing these interesting history!
done! thanks for spotting that.