A pleasant surprise - PPS benefits enhancements!

[MAN Flyer]

If you have no status & arriving in Singapore in First or Suite class, you can access The Private Room too just by showing your boarding pass.

They are not intending to announce this new change from what I heard from the lounge dragons....

You can already do that now if you are flying onwards in J on SQ. This must mean they will allow F pax to use TPR as part of the new rules allowing lounge access on arrival.

[feb01mel]

If you have no status & arriving in Singapore in First or Suite class, you can access The Private Room too just by showing your boarding pass.

They are not intending to announce this new change from what I heard from the lounge dragons....

[barbene]

Whilst these enhancements were nothing revolutionary, I did manage to take advantage of one of them today and it was greatly appreciated. I am TPPS and needed to change a Y redemption booking date whcih was showing as WL. I thought I would try out their priority access to saver awareds and so I gave them a call and it was all confirmed in less than 1 minute. No change fee, no extra airmiles, just a very friendly chap on the other end of the phone who made it painless. Thank you ver much

[Durian]

Enhancement

I think it is general benefits enhancement.

No it's not accross the board, sadly
I'm PPS ("regular" not Solitaire) and I received this email... so yours makes me very jealous

Dear Mr Durian,

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation for your support for Singapore Airlines. You inspire us to go the extra mile to bring you the best when you travel with us. Thus, your feedback has been invaluable in ensuring that the PPS Club stays relevant and rewarding for our customers. Today, we are pleased to share with you new and exclusive privileges that have been specially designed for you.

1. In response to your feedback, and in recognition of your continued loyalty, we are delighted to inform you that we will be introducing Reserve Value to all our PPS Club members from today. With this new benefit, you can be assured that the amount you spend in excess of the S$25,000 in PPS Value needed for membership renewal will now be recognised (as Reserve Value) and counted towards your requalification in subsequent years.

Once you have Reserve Value in your account, it will be used first towards the PPS Value of S$25,000 required for membership renewal. If the Reserve Value available is less than S$25,000, your Current PPS Value will then be used to make up the remaining amount required for membership renewal. Any remaining Current PPS Value will be credited as new Reserve Value. As a PPS Club member, your Reserve Value will be valid for three years from the month in which it was credited.

2. As a further enhancement to your current suite of travel privileges, we will be happy to guarantee your Economy Class booking on any Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flight in either S or Y fare classes up to 24 hours before flight departure. You will no longer need to be waitlisted in First or Business Class, as required previously, before being confirmed in Economy Class.

These new benefits are the latest in a series of improvements to our PPS Club and KrisFlyer programmes including the ability to earn PPS Value on the fuel surcharge component of your Singapore Airlines Suites, First Class or Business Class tickets on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir from 1 July 2013.

and this is it, less items and less interesting than your email

[eminere™]

Hi Eminere,

They are the tiers in SQ's loyalty program.

QPP=Qualified PPS
TPP=Solitaire PPS

Ah of course! Thank you for your help.

[CarbonMan]

Hello! Newbie here, what does QPP and TPP stand for?

Hi Eminere,

They are the tiers in SQ's loyalty program.

QPP=Qualified PPS
TPP=Solitaire PPS

[eminere™]

Hello! Newbie here, what does QPP and TPP stand for?

[StarG]

*Mod hat on*

Let's keep discussions on topic please.
This thread is about the latest enhancements to PPS benefits.
Thank you.

*Mod hat off*

[SMK77]

But I'm sometimes frustrated by the answers given. I'll appreciate if they just give me the impression (whether or not thats the case in reality) that they'll try. But sometimes, I get stupid answers like : "the Savers award is full, but if you use more miles instead you can snag a Standard award". Hello?? I know that. In fact, if I'm desperate/stupid enough, I can even buy a one way ticket instead of making a redemption booking. These kinds of comments, coming from a PPS Coordinator, is of no value added.

Waitlist clearance is not a published benefit (Economy is now for Solitaire!), so you have to play along... Yes, I could do Standard but I prefer Saver. Yes, I know there is no guarantee, I would still like to wait.

As long as loads permit, SQ is very generous with waitlist clearances for PPS members. While they are now confirming later and later to make a little bit more money out of the nervous ones, they still treat PPS with highest priority.

As long as you are aware of the booking situation, SQ will not let you down. I even got the last and 8th seat in F as Saver Award for a flight which confirmed three days into departure.

My Suite Saver to Melbourne later this month got cleared yesterday, the same day I made the request. What else can I ask for?

[Dickson]

For a short while, I was AA highest tier (emerald? can't remember the name). Even then, when I travel on CX - which is just a OneWorld partner airline, I was treated very well. Got upgraded a couple of times. Always greeted by name even when travelling on Y.

Re : Calling the PPS Coordinator

My experience so far is mixed. When I'm waitlisted (either commercial or redemption booking) and I needed that slot desperately, I always make it a point to call them. No harm getting someone to give that extra push.

But I'm sometimes frustrated by the answers given. I'll appreciate if they just give me the impression (whether or not thats the case in reality) that they'll try. But sometimes, I get stupid answers like : "the Savers award is full, but if you use more miles instead you can snag a Standard award". Hello?? I know that. In fact, if I'm desperate/stupid enough, I can even buy a one way ticket instead of making a redemption booking. These kinds of comments, coming from a PPS Coordinator, is of no value added.

Nice story, jagmeets.
Sounds like CX got two customers for life.

I know CX treats its DMs very well. I used to be GO myself.
My friend who is a DM, never bother to buy F anymore. He gets upgraded 'most of the time' on the route he does.

SQ does open up award inventory for redemption to PPS members - usually one needs to get waitlisted first. When flights aren't full, they do get those confirmed.
PPS members should get in touch with their PPS coordinators, which can do more for them than the normal call center.

Good stories on SQ do happen from time to time, in my experience.
It all depends on who you get in touch with, be it in the call center, on the ground, or in the air. The ones with good customer service spirits always make me can't wait for my next flight on them.

[StarG]

not exactly

"if you have Reserve Value in your account, that Reserve Value is used first in the PPS Value count for membership renewal. If more PPS Value is then still required to achieve $25,000, that amount is taken from your current PPS Value. Any remaining current PPS Value is subsequently credited as Reserve Value for that membership year. Reserve Value expires 3 (now 6) years from month of credit"

my reserve value has always been rolled forward and would appear to keep accumulating until times get really bad

I think TerryK got it right.
The quoted part you got is how PPS Reserve Value works in general.
Six years PPSV validity applies only on new PPSV earned since the announcement.

[StarG]

Nice story, jagmeets.
Sounds like CX got two customers for life.

I know CX treats its DMs very well. I used to be GO myself.
My friend who is a DM, never bother to buy F anymore. He gets upgraded 'most of the time' on the route he does.

SQ does open up award inventory for redemption to PPS members - usually one needs to get waitlisted first. When flights aren't full, they do get those confirmed.
PPS members should get in touch with their PPS coordinators, which can do more for them than the normal call center.

Good stories on SQ do happen from time to time, in my experience.
It all depends on who you get in touch with, be it in the call center, on the ground, or in the air. The ones with good customer service spirits always make me can't wait for my next flight on them.

[jagmeets]

Sigh.

And CX for Emeralds?

Guess you meant Diamonds, for thats what CX calls their own in that OW tier.

Curiosity got the better of me and I spent some time/logged in on this forum after dog years today (after ending up reading the related thread on FT, a divergence from the massively useful credit cards thread there that I try to follow).

So what does CX do:
- Upgrades on birthdays (not just cakes..), Club milestones, overbooking scenarios
- Seat guarantees in reasonable biz & coach fareclasses
- Opens up award inventory for redemption (in coach, biz and first) - note..'opens up'..not 'priority access'
- Respond to feedback with actual human (non-form) replies
- Rush me through immigration/security etc when needed (seen this at CMB, SIN, HKG, SFO, JFK)
- Gives me lounge access when travelling any metal. Gives me FCL lounge access when travelling oneworld metal

My favorite story, and this when I wasn't DM, just a 'fresh' CX GO. I was based in HKG, and (the then) girfriend (now wife) was returning to SIN from DXB on an SQ redeye flight landing a friday morning. Original plan had been for her to catch up with some work before coming to HKG for the weekend and she was booked on the evening CX flight to HKG (separate ticket, and she had no status with CX).

Plans changed and she decided to skip work that day and head to HKG right after landing. As luck would have - all flights to HKG were booked rock solid - CX & SQ.

Meanwhile, I had been discussing an issue with Cathay Marco Polo Club that week, where they'd messed up a bit (dont recall exactly what, but must've been minor enough that I dont recall what had been) and they'd been profusely apologetic with a 'If there's anything reasonable that we could do to make up, we would'.

This was that thursday evening.

A bulb lit up somewhere and I told them: 'My girlfriend lands tomorrow morning from DXB on SQ and is booked on 716 to HKG. Flights are booked out solid, but if you can get her to HKG in time for us to enjoy lunch together, I'll call it even.'

Guess what - there's a CX rep waiting at her arrival gate in T2, to escort her to T1 (and she had no clue, since i'd asked them after she'd boarded), with a 'Ma'am the flights are booked out solid, but we've put you as the highest priority for standby'.

Sure enough, we had an excellent dimsum lunch that friday, and a love affair began - with Cathay that is (ours had been on for a while).

I moved to SIN, got married, and both of us are happy flying CX to North America/ Europe. Work doesn't require SEA travel, so i stick to non-SQ options (on account of some nasty experiences with SQ). CX treats me well (as I am sure SQ treats its PPS members) - just that that gold dust that I had heard of, but never seen, with SQ, does come around fairly often with CX.

[SMK77]

Oh do we really need to compare how many inches?

My boarding passes still print with QPPS, and SQ's best, most experienced agents still say "Hello Mr. milehighj, how can we help you?" when I dial 62244122.

Nice, but I don't think that's good enough for me as a customer, or for this airline which I still love to compete.

Sigh.

So what does EK for Golds? And CX for Emeralds? I am both and still prefer SQ. Why? SQ is the only airline I can approach and there are people with brains looking into my requests. Are they perfect? No. But they score higher than any other airline taking into account what I am looking for.

[StarG]

As I wrote in my original post, I think these are excellent moves in the right direction.
Does this make PPS programme perfect? Nope.
I want easier access to J/F Savers as a TPP. But so far my waitlists for Saver awards have been mostly cleared. Of course by using Saver awards, I am usually more flexible in flight time/date choices. So far, their waitlist clearance have been quite reasonable.

From what I have been told, there may be some changes coming. What those are, I don't know yet. I like that they are listening to our feedbacks nowadays (YQ PPS value inclusion, arrival access to lounges, extension of Reserve Value validity, etc), rather than the genius bean counters who made them cut costs everywhere to survive.

For me, the only TPP benefits I can remember still missing from the 'golden era' are:
- Anytime SKL access (when flying other airlines -- with no guest allowance)
- Unpublished benefits like birthday gifts, which is a nice touch to remind SGD25k annual spenders that they are appreciated.

Things that I think will help to make us feel more loved :
- More consistent onboard recognition (CX is very good at this -- although with not so sociable crew-in-charge, we risk having to endure a lame conversation at the beginning of the flight )
- Complimentary upgrades for special occassions. Okay, if upgrades during/near birthdays are too many and too costly, maybe do that for some PPS milestones? Every five years in the club perhaps? I am quite happy with the way SQ 'protects' the premium cabins, upgrading only when operationally necessary.