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SQ Facebook deals fail to impress

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BANGKOK, 10 October 2019: Singapore Airlines invites us to grab “amazing deals” for flights to Singapore from Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in its latest Facebook campaign with a booking window closing 14 October.

Roundtrip fares start as low as THB4,950 for the Bangkok-Singapore route but with just seven Facebook likes when we checked the offer, it looks as if consumers are not convinced there is a travel deal behind the storyline.

Most airline deals posted on Facebook give you the runaround.  Teaser fares are rarely available and the conditions are too restrictive. For travellers who believe brand loyalty pays off, they may be tempted to book a Singapore Airlines deal but for those who habitually compare deals on popular websites such as Skyscanner, SQ deals are not that special.

For example, SQ’s TH4,950 roundtrip fare from Bangkok to Singapore has a minimum stay of two days and a maximum of seven days as a booking condition. The fare is available for travel through to 30 November, but invariably when you check the website you will be presented with a more expensive option.

When you check the SQ website to book the fare the best offer turns out to THB5,415. For fares out of Bangkok, Skyscanner’s best offer is on Scoot at THB5,031.

The best SQ Amazing Deal fare on the Phuket-Singapore route is TH4,600 roundtrip with the same minimum and maximum stay days but the travel period cuts off 26 October. However, when you visit the airline’s website the best offer turns out to be THB6,980. Out of Phuket, the fare comparison site offers a roundtrip fare also on Scoot at THB4,021.

From Chiang Mai, the best Amazing Deal according to the Facebook post is THB5,500 with a minimum stay of two days and a maximum of one month. The travel period ends on 26 October. 

But when you follow the Facebook link to the airline’s website you are in for a shock. SQ quotes a roundtrip fare of THB12,790, way out of kilter with the airline’s Facebook offer. When you check Skyscanner the best fare is THB14,488 on Silkair.

The small print explains flights are operated by Singapore Airlines, Scoot or Silkair depending on the city, so the quality of inflight service and dining will vary.  But we can understand now why the sponsored page had only seven likes. In the case of Bangkok and Phuket Skyscanner quotes for SQ group airlines are better. 

As for Chiang Mai, the airline’s website fare is THB1,680 cheaper than the Skyscanner quote, but considerably more expensive than its own teaser fare posted on Facebook. It leaves us wondering why the fare out of the northern city is more than double the fare quoted for the Bangkok-Singapore route.

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