Back in December 2017, Singapore Airlines announced that service fees for award tickets booked with KrisFlyer miles would be changing with effect from 1 March 2018. However a few days prior to the intended implementation date of 1 March 2018, Singapore Airlines quietly amended the date to 1 May 2018 and attributed the delay to “technical problems”.
Here’s what’s changing from 1 May 2018:
What happens if I hold an award ticket issued before 1 May 2018, but want to make changes after 1 May 2018?
As per the Singapore Airlines website, as long as your ticket was issued before 1 May 2018, you’ll be subject to the old service fee structure. However, if you perform a date change for your ticket after 1 May 2018, the first date change would be complimentary. Subsequent date changes for a Saver ticket will be subject to a service fee.
To further illustrate, let’s say I booked a Business Saver ticket in March 2018 for departure in August 2018. If in July 2018 I decide to do a date change, this particular date change will be complimentary. However, if after changing my flight date once I wish to change the dates of my flight again, I will be subject to a USD25 change fee. This new fee will not affect Advantage award tickets as dates changes will remain complimentary for this category.
If you choose to refund an award ticket issued before 1 May 2018, you’ll be subject to the old set of refund fees as opposed to the new ones.
If you’re holding onto a waitlisted Singapore Airlines award booking and that waitlist clears after 1 May 2018, then the ticket would be subject to the new service fee structure. This is regardless of when you performed the waitlist booking as the fees will be applied based on the ticket issuance date.
Concluding thoughts
The new service fees are still reasonable by the standards of other FFPs, although they do represent a significant step up from existing ones. If you’re on the fence about booking an award ticket now or later, it may make sense to do so now in order to lock yourself into the existing set of fees for your first change at least.
Has anyone confirmed with sq? I get similar but not reassuring responses when I queried their call agents earlier this month. The gist of the message is that the old fees will apply if you need to reissue the ticket, as long as your ticket is not reissued you’re on the fee structure applicable on date of redemption. I looked at the website and it says the first change to ticket is under the old fees – I’m not sure in airline speak that a change in date is a change in ticket since there’s no reissue.
If one has a ticket issued after 1 May, but has a separate waitlist booking for the same itinerary. When/ if the waitlist clears and you want to change the date to the cleared waitlist dates, is that a change?
I have the same question, any updates?