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Date with a Dreamliner comes true

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BANGKOK, 18 June 2018: Singapore Airlines is promoting its Dreamliner flights between Bangkok and Singapore on Facebook with the lowest roundtrip fare pegged at THB 5,450.

It looks pretty straightforward according to a promotion that pops up on my Facebook home page.

But you have to act fast to check the details if your Facebook page is anything like mine. It has the irritating habit of reshuffling the messages and last in at the top is not the yardstick.

The teaser here is not so much the low-fare, but the opportunity of flying SQ’s new Dreamliner 787-10 that features the newest business and economy cabins.

That’s what grabs your attention in the Facebook message or is it an advertisement?

Yes, we are impressed that the Dreamliner’s business class seats are arranged in a forward-facing 1-2-1 staggered configuration to provide every customer direct aisle access. The seat reclines into a 76-inch full-flat bed with lowerable armrests. Unfortunately, the two-hour and 25 minute flight is mite too short for a sleep.

We are probably even more impressed with the new economy class seat with its ‘ergonomically-designed’ contour backrest, a six-way adjustable headrest and foldable wings to provide more neck support.

So you opt for a Dreamliner economy-class experience on SQ and you go searching for the THB 5,450 roundtrip fare thinking the fare will be the teaser. The airline is about to suck you into a Dreamliner seat for more than the advertised fare?

In fact it doesn’t.  The sale period is open until the end of June and the travel period is valid until 30 September and the fare is bookable.

I managed to book the roundtrip fare without any fuss and it was actually THB 25 lower than the advertised offer at THB 5,425 including all fees and taxes.

A pop-up message tells me 30 people bought the fare on the same day as I was checking off the boxes and 300 people were viewing the page.

That techno nugget could have distracted me.  SQ offers six daily flights between Bangkok and Singapore and if you click on the “details” they indicate you will have a five-to-one chance of not flying the Dreamliner.  Five flights are served by an A330 or a Boeing 777 and the  cheap fare applies whatever the aircraft type.

So back to the beginning and this time click on details for each of the six flight options and sure enough the Dreamliner experience is yours for THB 5,425 return on the single late evening 2025 departure  (SQ982) arriving in Singapore at 2330.

The single return flight (SIN-BKK) using the flash new Dreamliner departs at 1730 and arrives in Bangkok at 1900.

The fare up for grabs on all the six daily flights, but if your dream is to try the Dreamliner, which is the Facebook post’s theme, you are stuck with the late evening departure from Bangkok.

For THB 5,425, the Economy Lite fare gives you a 30 kg baggage allowance, but it will cost you THB 1,610 if you need to change dates. There is no refund if you cancel.

The fares are valid on flight numbers SQ97, SQ98, SQ98, SQ97, SQ976, SQ982

There are a few other niggling items that the airline plants to wobble you towards a higher fare. The ticket must be issued seven days before departure date.  The minimum stay is two days and maximum five days.

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