Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has today finally released details of its long anticipated update to its airbus A380 premium cabins including images of its new Suites Class, Business Class and Premium Economy cabins.

This was my first time experiencing Singapore Airlines First Class....and it wasn't just First Class....it was Singapore's "Suites Class" on the A380 and, waiting in the Hong Kong KrisFlyer Lounge, I was almost giddy with anticipation.

One of the most popular Traveling For Miles posts of the past 18 months was a post I wrote (and occasionally updated) detailing the Singapore Airlines A350 routes as the airline rolled them out with each new aircraft delivery. I have to admit to having allowed that post to go stale but, as people still seem to be visiting it in significant numbers, I thought I'd revive the post and bring it completely up to date (and hopefully keep it that way). So here we have it....

While I’m up a mountain and with almost no internet access I’m having to catch up with the news on a less regular basis than I’d ideally like to…..but news is news so here are some of the stories that have appeared over the past few days that you may or may not have seen.

Singapore Airlines Suites (the airline's First Class cabin on its A380 aircraft) are undoubtably one of the most highly coveted awards in the miles & points hobby. Etihad First Class awards are right up there too but there's something special about the Singapore Airlines suites that I think makes them just a little bit more special. Rumors coming out of Singapore now seem to suggest that booking this amazing cabin with points may soon be a lot harder.

A few of the stories that have caught my eye recently but that didn't warrant a post of their own. Includes a one-off opportunity to fly on a Delta 747 between Honolulu and the mainland, news of El Al's greatly increased service to Newark, Singapore Airlines launching a corporate loyalty program and Emirates adding back flights to Orlando.

Singapore Airlines is continuing to use its new Airbus A350 aircraft to improve efficiencies throughout its network but, as of later this summer, the introduction of another A350 to Europe will see First Class eliminated from one of the airline's European routes.

Singapore Airlines has announced some significant changes to the cost of its awards and, in an attempt to soften the blow of the award chart devaluation, it has also announced that it will no longer levy fuel surcharges on award bookings.

Singapore Airlines offers some of the more aspirational awards out there so any opportunity to earn a few extra miles is very welcome....and right now there's a promotion that could help you books your KrisFlyer balance quite nicely. Singapore Airlines is offering UK-based travelers (or anyone willing to start the journey in the UK) an opportunity to earn double KrisFlyer Miles when you book a flight to any of the airline's 11 destinations in Australia and New Zealand.

A fifth freedom route/flight is one where an airline from one country flys between two other countries to which it is not related - these are usually add-on flights to complement a flight originating from the airline's home base. Examples of fifth freedom routes include Cathay Pacific's Vancouver to New York route (an add-on to the airline's Hong Kong - Vancouver route) and LAN's Madrid to Frankfurt route which adds-on to the airlines Santiago - Madrid flight.