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Whats the advantage being a PPS...

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  • Whats the advantage being a PPS...

    ...is the question I ask myself more and more often in the past 6 month.

    Iam a QPPS for 6 years in a row, flying about 50 sectors on SQ each year with 50/50 in J/Y. During the past 6 month I noted a steep decline in appreciation of the status by the crew particularly in Y in the past 6 month. In C I never seen any advantage being a PPS, but in Y at least on Long Hauls the crew would pay special attention. Greeting by a senior crew member as well as priority meal selection and distribution, the small unpublished perks which you could count on, seem to have vanished. I even didn't hear the usual welcome back greeting on the door the last few times. I wonder what's wrong?

    Anway, these experiences made me wonder what advantage I really have being a QPPS compared to a ordinary passenger w/o status. Which perks I really make use of?
    And I realized:
    - None if I fly in C. The perks I require are anyway part of the C-Ticket package.
    - Limited perks in Y: Lounge Iam anyway out with a family of four, Luggage allowance we hardly exceed the 30kg/pax, Prio boarding with small kids anyway ahead of C/PPS, for Priority luggage I have also learnt that SATS can cock this up and let us and others wait for half an hour. Onboard: no one bother if iam there or not. So seat reservation is the only perk left.

    So I made my decision: My privately paid flights will be booked on price considerations only (booked a flight on JL in Sep and on LX in Dec). Upcoming flight for business I will also look into KE and OZ.

  • #2
    You are absolutely correct about the general perks of being a PPS being inclusive in a C ticket. As competition heats up,I don't see the value of the PPS program as well and what keeps me in the program are not the perks of PPS but the convenience of direct routes and shorter connections. I can live without Priority magazine. I can do without the lifestyle perks which looks useless to me anyway,the PPS Club Reserve programs require exorbitant amount of miles and I can't spare the time to participate sometimes.

    I have been researching sometimes an alternative carrier which provides better value within SEA but sadly most carriers in our region do not offer the connections that I need or I can't see the value of trading off an extra 3 hours Travelling time va a direct SQ route to save a thousand dollars and here I am,stuck with SQ.

    The only time that I genuinely felt happy and appreciated the existence of SQ is when you have an extraordinary set of Crew that really makes you feel like home The moment you sit down till you disembark. It is the crew members that make me see the value of sticking with SQ and not the useless PPS program

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    • #3
      Fully agree the on-board recognition is pretty much non-existent these days and absolutely crew dependent. I'm not so much irked by the lack of greetings/meal priority etc. but more so the inconsistency of service. I rather they do it on all flights or not at all and I've given this feedback many times to SQ but it's just fallen on deaf ears. If more of us feedback similarly then maybe they might bother to do something about it.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Tonitan View Post

        I am,stuck with SQ.
        ..and SQ knows very well that many of us Singapore based folks can't do without them. So even if the menus disappear, meals are down-sized, perks and recognition disappear, we will still vote for (oops, I mean fly with) them.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Tonitan View Post
          I have been researching sometimes an alternative carrier which provides better value within SEA but sadly most carriers in our region do not offer the connections that I need or I can't see the value of trading off an extra 3 hours Travelling time va a direct SQ route to save a thousand dollars and here I am,stuck with SQ.
          I think that's pretty much the same excuse I used to express. Honestly, SQ has (on some routes) the edge of providing the frequency which gives most of us more flexibility. But SQs network is on the other hand pretty limited (looking for example at China with 4 entry ports incl. HKG). Iam able pretty much on most of the routes I frequently fly to find an alternative which flies directly (some airlines might be not be my choice though).

          Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
          ..and SQ knows very well that many of us Singapore based folks can't do without them. So even if the menus disappear, meals are down-sized, perks and recognition disappear, we will still vote for (oops, I mean fly with) them.
          If I look around me, I get more and more the feeling that I have become the last Unicorn among my colleagues and friends. They seem to start moving away from SQ for a while now, especially on flights paid from their own pocket.

          So for next year, my project will be to reach LH Sen Level and say bye-bye to KF and PPS. I can do it without SKL in SIN if iam in Y

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          • #6
            Originally posted by jonleong View Post
            Fully agree the on-board recognition is pretty much non-existent these days and absolutely crew dependent. I'm not so much irked by the lack of greetings/meal priority etc. but more so the inconsistency of service. I rather they do it on all flights or not at all and I've given this feedback many times to SQ but it's just fallen on deaf ears. If more of us feedback similarly then maybe they might bother to do something about it.
            Fully agree. The inconsistency (or shall I say substandard service) has become a norm. For instance, i was shocked to see that they have removed the pre-meal drink service in Y on 12hours flight (or the crew just skipped it). I was inclined to complain, but I learnt already in the past were this would end pretty much nowhere.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by SQ025 View Post
              For instance, i was shocked to see that they have removed the pre-meal drink service in Y on 12hours flight (or the crew just skipped it). I was inclined to complain, but I learnt already in the past were this would end pretty much nowhere.
              Have they scrapped the bar service in Y regardless of the flight length? The bar cart is now a very rare sight I must admit.

              This year, on a MUC-SIN flight, the bar cart made a brief appearance after take off. However, there were very limited selections on it - just the standard juices, and alcohol. Asked for a Citrus Delight and was told to wait as it had to be prepared in the galley!!!??

              Really made me wonder what they stored in the cart.

              Anyway, SQ is good... just no different and sometimes not as a good as other airlines nowadays.
              Last edited by icn.sg; 6 July 2017, 09:17 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by jonleong View Post
                Fully agree the on-board recognition is pretty much non-existent these days and absolutely crew dependent. I'm not so much irked by the lack of greetings/meal priority etc. but more so the inconsistency of service. I rather they do it on all flights or not at all and I've given this feedback many times to SQ but it's just fallen on deaf ears. If more of us feedback similarly then maybe they might bother to do something about it.
                More often than not,I feel the smile is faked and the warmth is lacking in service. And the crew can't wait for the aircraft to arrive at destination and get rid of us. For those of us still in a world of delusion,this is the real reality that EVERY crew has felt at some point of their career. And sadly the frustration is more visible as passenger demand increases and employee perks decreases.
                So I can totally live with a set of crew that carries no smile and makes no small talk so long the basic meal services are conducted. What I cannot tolerate are crew that rush through the meal service and congregate inside the galley to chit chat,causing annoyance to passengers. I have sent in multiple feedbacks regarding this issue and sadly all I received are standard replies.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
                  ..and SQ knows very well that many of us Singapore based folks can't do without them. So even if the menus disappear, meals are down-sized, perks and recognition disappear, we will still vote for (oops, I mean fly with) them.
                  Until SQ faces a credible competitor in SEA,the sad reality is many Singaporean will still be stuck with SQ. On a separate note,80% of SQ traffic are transit passengers hence the effect of Singaporeans on the bottom line is pretty negligible despite Ex-SIN fares being significantly higher.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Tonitan View Post
                    Until SQ faces a credible competitor in SEA,the sad reality is many Singaporean will still be stuck with SQ. On a separate note,80% of SQ traffic are transit passengers hence the effect of Singaporeans on the bottom line is pretty negligible despite Ex-SIN fares being significantly higher.
                    That's probably true in the premium sector, even that SQ is offering a quite average product on regional routes. The Legend dies last....

                    Interestingly most Singaporeans I know have told me, they would fly SQ only if the price is right. Some of them have never flown SQ despite flying regularly to overseas destinations.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
                      Have they scrapped the bar service in Y regardless of the flight length? The bar cart is now a very rare sight I must admit.
                      I believe they haven't. It just that some crews have their own agenda and more important things to do than taking care of their customers.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by SQ025 View Post
                        I believe they haven't. It just that some crews have their own agenda and more important things to do than taking care of their customers.
                        SQ's Inflight Services Department dictates the service procedures on each route, unlike some other airlines where it is really up to the crew of the day to decide whether to implement certain services or not.

                        I believe if bar service is not done, it is because HQ says so.

                        I've experienced crew rushing through the pre-meal bar service on a 13 hour flight, which I cannot understand why. It's almost as if they were trying to ration the drinks...

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                        • #13
                          I took 7 flights in Y this year. I noticed it on 3 out of 7, but I cant really say for sure whether on the other 4 the pre-meal drinks service was done or not.

                          Anyway, decision is made, I will re-qualify for another QPPS-year soon, so PPS is secured until Mid 2019. For 2018 I plan to qualify for LH-Sen.

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                          • #14
                            Good points made by the OP. SQ should listen and take meaningful action, otherwise more and more premium customers will just as easily arrive at the same conclusion as the OP.

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                            • #15
                              No more seat priority in Y for PPS members

                              Just found out after speaking with Singapore Airlines that what used to be a privilege for PPS members in having the first few rows blocked out in Economy has gone out the window with the introduction of paid seat selection for all Economy passengers when booking their flights.

                              I was wondering why I could hardly select certain seats 3-4 weeks out for my 2 upcoming flights when in the past it was readily available and that is why

                              Anyone else experiencing this

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