BANGKOK, 7 May 2018: Singapore Airlines stokes interest in bargain travel through Facebook posts that point to promotions loaded on its website pages.
Among a slate of discounted fares for travel, worldwide, the latest Bangkok-Singapore roundtrip pegs the price at THB, 4,990, which is tempting especially if you fancy treating yourself to a flight on an airline credited to be best in the world.
With variations in travel validity, Singapore Airlines is currently offering Discover the World fares for travel to Indonesia, Japan, Europe, South Africa New Zealand and Australia. But you have to make your mind up and book by May 18. The travel periods vary depending on the destinations. The travel period for the THB 4990 roundtrip fare, Bangkok- Singapore, expires 31 May, but most of the deals are valid for travel through to 31 August.
With the exception of the Singapore fares (valid only from Bangkok), all ‘Discover the World’ fares are applicable for travel out of Phuket, Chiang Mai or Samui.
Sounds cool and the airline’s website (see Plan Travel) makes it easy to browse additional content such as tours, hotels, car rental and transfers. SQ’s website is a leader in offering auxiliary content, all part of a policy to use its website to build a direct customer base. But most of the add-on value items featured under ‘Plan Travel’, such as packages and even a zoo pass, still require you to make contact with SQ sales staff or a travel firm to actually buy the service. Online shopping beyond buying a fare is still very limited.
But does the airline deliver on its fare promise? We decided to find out and book a Bangkok-Singapore roundtrip offer at THB 4,990, for the last week of the travel period.
The chances of snaring the deal improve if you tick the flexible date box and resist the temptation to upgrade, a constant nuisance that is built into the SQ website to up-sell at every possible turn and twist of the process. But if you keep clicking on the lowest fare option and for the return trip tick the zero additional fare selection a THB 4,950 return fare is bookable for a trip 23 to 26 May including tax and fees.
The flight on SQ973 departs Bangkok at 0940 and arrives in Singapore at 1305. For the return trip, 26 May, SQ 978 departs Singapore at 1835 and arrives in Bangkok at 2000. The fare is for a minimum stay two nights and a maximum stay of five nights. For us it happy travels on a cheap fare and a chance to check if Singapore Airlines’ service is up what it cracks up to be.
However, the urban legend on SQ’s website deals suggests we were lucky. You will always tend to pay more than what the airline tells you in its Facebook sales pitches. One frequent flyer told me they grew tired of exploring the SQ website because none of the great deals materialised. It was a teaser to reel you in and sell you a higher fare. That’s probably due to the airline’s up-sale strategy that permeates the site and could ultimately deter repeat visits. So the message is don’t be too clever with the fare teasers. In our case just weeks before the Bangkok-Singapore fare runs out we got lucky and secured the jackpot.
As for the other destinations, they require a change of plane in Changi airport and a layover of around two hours minimum to connect to the onward flight. Invariably the direct flights out Bangkok will win. However, the fares to Indonesia are competitive at THB 8,100 to Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar (Bali). A Perth, Australia, roundtrip fare in economy sells at THB 16,900 and to Auckland, New Zealand THB 24,500. A bonus on the return leg is you get a chance to buy duty-free at Changi airport where prices leave King Power dead in the water.
http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/th/plan-travel/local-promotions/discover-the-world/
