Singapore Airlines flies from Houston to Manchester, U.K. and from there on to Singapore. This is the flight that used to stop in Moscow. Operated by an Airbus A350, award availability is wide open in business class from November through end of schedule.
These flights can only be booked with Singapore Airlines miles. The airline doesn’t make the awards available to partner airlines. But since Singapore is a member of Star Alliance, it’s possible to include United Airlines domestic award seats to get to and from Houston in the same itinerary, and possible to book on European partners beyond Manchester on the other side of the Pond.
As a result these seats are a way to get to and from Europe in business class most days of the year right now. They may be the seats you want anyway for a quality transatlantic business class experience on points. But even if they’re not the most convenient flights for your needs, they’re a way to construct an award when you need it.
The flight operates five days a week on the following schedule:
- Houston – Manchester, 6:50 p.m. – 9:30 a.m.+1, Singapore Airlines SQ51, Airbus A350-900 [Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun]
Manchester – Houston, 10:05 a.m. – 2:25 p.m., Singapore Airlines SQ52, Airbus A350-900 [Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun]
Singapore Airlines business class awards are 72,000 miles each way between Houston and Manchester. Most of you have access to Singapore Airlines miles since the Krisflyer program is a transfer partner of all of the major bank transferable currencies.
I would have bet anybody $100 a year ago that Singapore would be open by now any award booked for today would be useable . . . yet Singapore now has a 14-21 hotel quarantine still in place for non-residents, even those who have been fully vaccinated. Who knows when the quarantine will be gone, but the lifetime of a quarantine is subject to a power law such that every day it continues increases the probability that it will continue longer. I wouldn’t bet anything on when it will end at this point – its already way past having any rational basis or endpoint.
@ Mak — Gary is not talking about traveling to Singapore, but to Europe via Manchester, UK.
@ Gary — What is the pricing for something like ATL-IAH-MAN-CDG? You allude to this type of routing, but do not mention the cost. Is it still the 72k, or is it more? If more, I don’t think AA at 57.5k is really THAT bad. Lie-flat is lie-flat if you just plan to sleep/watch movies.
@Gene – American’s transatlantic saaver space is pretty horrific most of the time, unless you’re referring to British Airways metal and heavy taxes/fees out of LHR….
@ Evan — It’s been pretty good lately (or I’ve just been lucky).
I live in Houston/ have taken this flight J class both paid & miles. FYI, I would avoid at all costs! Not the ‘normal’ SIA service.
1) Transfer in MAN to Germany, France, Europe etc. very bad experience. MAN airport horrible/ the connection process torture. AVOID at all costs!.
2) The cabin crew on this flight segment very poor/ passive lazy service. Why? a friend at SIA told me IAH is not a city ‘senior’ flight crew want to travel to/ least desired destination for SIA crew…they rather fly NYC, CDG, FRA, LON etc. So you end up getting passive, lazy crew that clearly do not want to be working the MAN/IAH flight. Which is true…I was shocked by crew laziness/ dissapear to galleys, never to be seen again.
Three round trips in J in the last 4yrs/ very poor service. Buyer beware.
I have flown this route too in business class and not impressed. The service and food were weak.
Gary, will adding the domestic leg to IAH require more points to redeem on top of the 72 000 points? Thanks!
i didn’t realize the crew and service were bad but would avoid (most SQ J in general) because of the strange seats — built for wide, short people who like to sleep at an angle with their feet in a little cubby in the corner; and i always need help making the seat flat and upright because that doesn’t happen with a button like other airline seats