Englishmum

Just wondering if anyone knows of websites (or even consolidators) which offer cheap/er long haul flights from Singapore?

I'm trying to work out if it's going to be cheaper to buy return tickets with the travel originating in Singapore, or to just buy tickets with departures from the US?

(I'm eligible for a one-way biz class ticket from New Jersey to Singapore paid for by my husband's employer, but I'm going to regularly have to fly back to our house in NJ).

When I last lived in Singapore (left in mid-2000) most people there were still in the main buying tickets via travel agencies, but they did add 2% to 3% on to the price of the ticket if paying by credit card.

Kooky.

You might want to check out zuji.com.sg and wego.com.sg. Zuji is the more established site but it drives me mad every time I try to use it, although may have improved lately. wego is relatively new (although has been in existence a little while, just rebranded) but has some experienced industry people behind it. Disclaimer: I know/knew one of them through business, but am in no way connected.

Most people I know book flights directly with the airlines these days, EM. If you know what you want, it's often less stressful.

I do know some people have return flights starting in the UK, and just keep adding side trips, stopovers, and changing dates, as they say it is cheaper that way. Not sure how it all works but it sounds like what you're talking about.

katongkaren

Amex Travel (if you have an Amex card) used to get some consolidated deals. We used to travel Sing to London and Sing to the Middle East regularly not US I'm afraid.

I'm sure you probably know this but I'll state it anyway - if you choose a carrier where you've got a stop-off or two, it'll make it a lot cheaper. We used to fly biz class Sing to London with Finnair (yes I know they've stopped flying from Sing) but we paid half the price compared with Singapore Airlines.

As seasider said, Zuji is good if only for research but it used to drive me nuts too - hope it's improved.

Englishmum

Thank you for your suggestions.

This time I've booked on SQ from JFK via Frankfurt by transferring some Amex membership reward points to my husband's new Krisflyer account. However, I'm waitlisted for my return flight from Sing but I don't care about that right now! The SQ flights are sooo expensive. Malaysian Airlines flies from Newark but that would be 2 stops (Stockholm then transfer at KL) but their airline isn't in Star Alliance, One World etc. so their FF miles aren't worth much unless I were to fly with them a lot.

When I flew to Singapore 3 weeks ago the journey wasn't so great; I flew with Continental Airlines from Newark (15 mins from my house) to Tokyo and they had the most miserable old bags as flight attendants. They were as old as my mother (well into their 60s) and not a single smile from them, then one of them disappeared down the back to do her knitting! Those with seniority get the pick of the routes and just choose to work a few days a month. On Continental the 777 planes just have their entertainment on a 21/2 hour loop on only about 6 channels.....showing the same progs again and again and again...

I then had a 4 hour layover in Tokyo and transferred to United Airlines; the cabin crew were mainly young Japanese women who were lovely.

The return trip was a bit problematic; there was a nasty storm in Singapore and the plane departed an hour late as rainwater had leaked from the seal of the cabin door all over the carpet so there was a large pool of water - and the cabin crew thought it was a safety issue so it had to be drained off. I already had a 2 hour connection, but by the time I got off the plane in Tokyo it was down to 45 mins and I had to get to the other end of the terminal after clearing the security line (which was very long!). United held their flights for the connection from Singapore but I was transferring to Continental....I made that flight by the skin of my teeth after running and running and queue-jumping. What a palaver and I don't want to do that again and get stuck overnight in Japan... (Oh, and it was the same miserable cabin crew as on my initial flight! ...

I just wish that SQ still had economy seats into Newark - it's biz class only these days, not even economy plus - so I will have to trek out to JFK, 50 miles and a pain to get to via either Manhatten or Staten Island. Ho hum.