Singapore Airlines is Changing Its Waitlist Policy and Adding Flexible Date Search, in addition to the KrisFlyer Award Chart Devaluation coming later this month. The former is likely bad news, although it will depend on how it's implemented.
Singapore Airlines Award Waitlisting Will End 14 Days Before a Flight, Starting Q2 2019
Here's the Singapore announcement:
“At least two weeks prior to the flight, all successful waitlist redemptions will be confirmed, and unsuccessful ones cancelled.
This change is aimed at removing the uncertainty of being on a redemption waitlist, and to give more time to make alternative travel plans should your waitlist not be successful. It will come into effect in the second quarter of 2019.”
While the above sounds good, the problem is that historically, on Singapore Airlines' popular routes, the waitlist for Singapore Suites, Singapore First Class and Singapore Business Class saver awards has often only cleared a few days before departure. With this change, anyone waitlisted will have their waitlist cancelled 14 days prior to departure, so you'll have to be extremely vigilant about checking multiple times a day in the days before your preferred departure, to see if any saver award space opens up.
Optimists can argue that Singapore may seek to confirm more waitlists 14 days out, which would be great if it happens. That said, I expect that Singapore will simply keep things as they are now for its popular routes, and try to sell seats right up until departure, with the odd seat being opened up as an award a few days before departure, bookable by whoever finds it first.
Flexible Date Searching
Starting January 31, 2019, you'll finally be able to look at KrisFlyer award redemption availability for the day of your search as well as 3 days before and 3 days after that date. Currently it's a tedious process of looking at one date at a time, so being able to view a week at a time is certainly an improvement, although not as good as, say, American AAdvantage or United MileagePlus, where you can view an entire month of availability at a time.
Have you ever successfully waitlisted for a Singapore Suites, First Class or Business Class Award? If so, how far in advance of departure were you confirmed?
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