With more Vaccinated Travel Lane countries added to the list, fully vaccinated Singaporeans are beginning to start travel plans once again. For would-be travellers, Singapore Airlines (SIA) launched a new product – Flight Pass, that will allow customers to purchase discounted flight tickets in advance with greater flexibility.
Tickets in each Flight Pass bundle can be shared with family members, friends, colleagues or anyone else that the buyer chooses. This allows the travellers to enjoy cost savings by pooling together their travel.
Flight Pass is currently offered on SIA services between Singapore and France, Italy, Rome, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. More countries will be added progressively to the list.
What Is The Flight Pass And How Does It Work
Flight Pass allows customers to pre-purchase discounted airfares for multiple flights, and then decide on their travel dates at a later time. It is designed for frequent fliers, allowing them to save more the more they fly.
Purchasing Flight Pass also provides peace of mind as the fares are fixed once it’s paid upfront in full. According to SIA, Flight Pass has no hidden restrictions and no hidden fees. The Flight Pass is fixed by the conditions selected at the time of purchase. Therefore, travellers do not need to worry about paying additional charges even if the prices of the flights increase during peak periods.
Customers will first need to choose their preferred destination(s), number of flights, number of passengers, travel period, fare type and how early in advance do they want to book a flight.
Travellers should note that the Flight Pass is for single destination round trips to and France, Italy, Rome, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Once you buy a Flight Pass to South Korea for example, you won’t be able to change your destination after. The only time you can mix and match your destinations is when you purchase the multi-Europe destination Flight Pass, which will then allow you to fly to either Barcelona, Milan, Rome, and Paris.
Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Travel Via Singapore-Malaysia VTL, Land Or Air
The More Flights You Book, The Greater The Savings
The minimum number of flights that can be booked with the Flight Pass is 6 flights. But that doesn’t mean you can select 10 passengers to share 6 Flight Pass. The number of passengers allowed to share a Flight Pass depends on the number of flights selected as there need to be at least 4 flights per passenger. For example, for a Flight Pass with 3 passengers, you have to buy at least 12 flights. For 30 passengers, you’ll have to select 120 flights.
Of course, SIA gives you greater the amount of savings and flexibility, the greater the number of flights booked.
The Shorter the Travel Period, The More Savings
The travel period selection will also determine the amount of savings and flexibility you’ll get when booking the Flight Pass. As the departure dates of all flights booked via Flight Pass need to be within the travel period, travellers should select a longer travel period for more flexibility if they’re undecided on when to travel. The longer the travel period, the lesser the savings.
Save More If You Can Book A Flight In Advance
Fare Type selection will affect how early in advance the traveller has to book a flight. There is the Lite, Standard and Flexi. Each Fare Type offers a different range of booking conditions.
Lite travellers will have to book 120 days to 21 days in advance before travel and changing or cancelling of flight is not allowed. Check-in baggage is also kept at 25kg. Lite travellers have the biggest savings, but the least flexibility in terms of booking a flight. Lite travellers earn only 50% KrisFlyer miles.
Standard travellers can book 45 days to 14 days in advance before travel and changing or cancelling of flight will be subjected to some fees. Check-in baggage is kept at 30kg. Standard travellers will not get as much savings compared to Lite travellers, but they will get to check in heavier baggage and have the option to cancel or change their flights, thus affording them more flexibility. Standard travellers earn 75% KrisFlyer miles for their flights.
Flexi travellers can book 30 days to 7 days in advance before travel and changing or cancelling of flight will be free. Check-in baggage is kept at 30kg. Flexi travellers has the smallest margin of savings, but they will be able to plan and book last-minute trips. They also earn 100% KrisFlyer miles for their flights.
Read Also: Cost Guide To Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs)
How To Maximise The Discount Off The Flight Pass
For anyone to become the biggest saver here, that traveller has to:
#1 Minimise the number of passengers – the fewer the passengers, the more savings you enjoy.
#2 Maximise the number of flights – The more flights you select on your Flight Pass, the more savings you enjoy. Combine and pool your travel needs with friends and family members to share the cost of the Flight Pass.
#3 Select 6 months for your travel period – Travelling within the shortest period will give you the most savings. If 6 months is too short, select 12 months which is the next cheapest option.
#4 Select Lite as your Fare Type – choosing Lite has a higher advance booking condition which will give you the cheapest fare. Otherwise, pick Standard, the next cheapest option.
For travellers looking for the greatest flexibility, (especially considering how unpredictable border measures are during a heightened period of the pandemic):
#1 Maximise the number of passengers – Even if you can’t fly, you won’t be able to transfer your Flight Pass. By adding more users to the Flight pass, it will provide you with better chances of the flights being utilised.
#2 Maximise the number of flights – The more flights you select on your Flight Pass, the more flexibility you enjoy.
#3 Select 18 months for your travel period – Space out your trips across 1.5 years and get to enjoy the same season or a different season.
#4 Select Flexi as your Fare Type – Book a trip 30 to 7 days before travelling. If border measures are stopping travellers from entering, cancel or change your flight for free.
Who Benefits The Most From This Flight Pass
When booking a personal Flight Pass, at least one passenger name needs to be filled during the purchase. Names of the remaining passengers have to be filled in within 24 hours. Having a Flight Pass is great for people who have family members who are based overseas or have a second home that the family uses for holidays. Buying multiple flights and adding multiple passengers’ names will help with cost savings and flexibility.
For example, buying a Flight Pass for 2 pax with 8 flights to Seoul, South Korea, on Standard Fare Type and a travel period of 12 months would cost $4,440. This averages out to $1,110 per pax, per each round trip. For anyone without a Flight Pass, the price for a round trip to Seoul can cost between $623 to $2,012 per person.
For corporate customers with a valid SQ corporate ID, enjoy the additional flexibility of providing remaining passengers names anytime after the purchase, and right up to the point of flight booking. Companies that require to send employees to their head office in one country regularly would benefit from the Flight Pass. They can also opt for the multi-Europe destination Flight Pass, which will allow travellers to fly to either Barcelona, Milan, Rome, and Paris.
For example, a company buys a Flight Pass for 30 pax with 120 flights to multiple Europe countries (Barcelona, Milan, Rome, and Paris). Selecting Standard Fare Type and 18 months for travel period, this will cost them around $139,000. Without the Flight Pass, making 60 trips to these 4 European countries will cost them roughly between $112,000 to $184,000.
Should You Buy It?
Overall, it can be a great solution for both leisure and business travel. Travellers get to lock in their fares even if the price of flight tickets increase in the future. Having a Flight Pass does hedge against peak period prices. It also spares one the effort of price watching for the best deals online, by providing a reasonable discount off regular airfare. However, if your goal is to score the greatest possible deal off your flight tickets, watching for promotional deals may be a better choice.
Read Also: What’s The Price Difference Between VTL And Non-VTL Flights?
