Singapore Airlines has announced that members of its frequent flyer program, KrisFlyer, will be able to book award seats with all Star Alliance partner airlines online at singaporeair.com from 7 December 2017.

Until now, KrisFlyer members could only book Singapore Airlines award seats online. To access the global partner network, you had to call the KrisFlyer call centre.

This is a welcome change and will make it easier to access Star Alliance award seats.

Now that it’s possible to book online, using the call centre will incur a fee of 25USD or 2,500 KrisFlyer miles (this will be waived where a booking can’t be made online).

Unfortunately, Singapore Airlines has also announced that it is increasing the cost of many Star Alliance award bookings.

Here is the current price chart (effective to 6 December 2017):

And here is the new chart from 7 December 2017.

Most of the changes are in premium cabins, though not all routes are affected.

Australia is in the South West Pacific zone and you can see most long-haul routes are increasing in price – for example, it will cost about 20% more to fly to North America.

It’s not surprising that Singapore Airlines has increased these costs, as it comes on the back of unfavourable changes to its own award chart earlier this year and similar moves by competitors.

The KrisFlyer program remains one of the best options for Australians to access the Star Alliance network.

Singapore Airlines serves Australia well, has a partnership with Virgin Australia (which sadly isn’t a member of the alliance … yet) and Australians can earn KrisFlyer miles through credit cards, like my personal favourite, the American Express Explorer Card.

If you’ve been thinking about using your KrisFlyer miles for a Star Alliance booking, you may want to act before the changes kick on 7 December!

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American Express is set to open a lounge at the new ICC Sydney Theatre on 1 December 2017 – the third in the company’s network of lounges at major events venues in Australia.

Open to American Express card members and up to 3 of their guests with tickets to an event at the ICC Sydney Theatre, the lounge has been designed as a place to relax before the show, with waiter service offering food and beverages freshly made to order.

With a substantial amount of space and impressive million-dollar views out across Darling Harbour and the Sydney CBD, it’s a wonderful spot to kick off your festivities.

American Express provided a selection of VIP guests (including us!) with a sneak peek into the lounge last week prior to a show by the Pretenders and Stevie Nicks. Here are a couple of snaps from the event.

Pre-show lounge access is just one benefit that AMEX provides to card members, along with concert, theatre and event presales, and film and dining experiences.

Director of Brand, Sponsorships and Customer Experience at American Express, Naysla Edwards says, “If there is one thing that we have learned over the years, it’s that our card members love lounges. Complementing our ticketing program, we have seen great success with our lounge program globally and are extremely excited to be partnering with one of Sydney’s newest assets at the ICC Sydney Theatre.”

American Express card members can also enjoy lounges at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Sadly, the lounge at the Perth Arena closed permanently earlier this year.

To gain entry to the lounge, simply show your American Express card at the door. All lounges are open from the time the main venue doors open until the start of the main act.

Entry is subject to capacity and granted on a first come first served basis, so make sure you get there early.

And if you’re not yet an American Express card member and you’re interested in becoming one, here are reviews of our favourite cards:

• Qantas AMEX Ultimate Card – AMEX’s highest Qantas Points-earning card, with 55,000 bonus points on offer
• AMEX Velocity Platinum Card – AMEX’s top-tier Velocity card, with 50,000 bonus points available
• AMEX Explorer Credit Card – our favourite card for earning flexible points, with 50,000 bonus points on offer.

Emirates today unveiled new interiors for its Boeing 777 aircraft – the mainstay of its fleet along with the A380 – including newly-designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins.

The biggest innovation is in first class, where Emirates has introduced fully-enclosed suites arranged in a 1-1-1 layout.

The new, fully-enclosed first class suite

With floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, travellers will have total privacy. Emirates says there will be enough space for passengers to change into their pyjamas even when the seat is fully reclined into a bed and made up.

The seat itself is made of leather and can also be placed in a “zero-gravity” position, purportedly inspired by NASA technology to give a feeling of relaxation and weightlessness. It sounds a bit gimmicky, so we’ll wait and see!

The first class cabin interior uses a whole new colour palette of soft greys, cream and champagne, conveying a contemporary and luxurious feel – a big improvement over the airline’s current aesthetic.

The new first class seat

The design stems from a collaboration with Mercedes Benz, which extends to Emirates using a fleet of S-Class cars as part of its complimentary Chauffeur-drive service.

First class design feature

To ensure all first class customers have a view, Emirates is introducing the industry’s first “virtual windows” for suites located in the middle aisle. These virtual windows project the view from outside the aircraft using real time camera technology.

A first class suite with ‘virtual windows’

In suites with real windows, binoculars will be available for customers who want to explore the sky outside.

Emirates has retained and updated features like the personal mini bar for drinks and snacks within each suite, and wireless controls to adjust seating positions and navigate the inflight entertainment system.

Customers will enjoy a 32-inch Full HD entertainment screen and Bowers & Wilkins Active Noise Cancelling E1 headphones created exclusively for Emirates and reportedly optimised for the cabin environment.

Each suite is fitted with an inspiration kit which features a luxury Byredo skincare collection, Hydra Active moisturising pyjamas, and Bulgari amenity kits.

As with any Emirates flight today, first class customers will enjoy a dine on demand service.

Emirates first class dining

While the new first class cabin looks impressive, Emirates has opted to retain a 2-3-2 layout in business class, which is far from competitive these days.

Emirates introduced a new business class seat design for its B777 aircraft last year, so the current refresh is minor and mainly focuses on making the cabin look consistent with the rest of the aircraft.

The new business class cabin – still in a 2-3-2 layout!

The business class seat has a pitch of 72 inches and moves into a fully-flat sleeping position. It also has touchscreen controls for the seat and inflight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest, and a personal mini-bar.

Unfortunately, there’s still lots of ugly wood grain for passengers to look at.

The new business class cabin

The Economy Class cabin now features a colour palette of soft greys and blues, with seats arranged in a 3-4-3 layout. The seats come with new leather headrests that have flexible side panels and can also be adjusted vertically for optimum support.

The first Emirates 777 aircraft with these new features will enter commercial service on 1 December, making its debut on flights to Geneva and Brussels.

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Westpac is the latest major bank to announce a big shake-up of its American Express credit cards.

The bank has announced that its current AMEX cards, which are issued and serviced by Westpac, will close in April 2018.

To replace them, Westpac and AMEX say they will launch a range of new rewards credit cards in early 2018, under a new partnership. These new cards will likely carry the Westpac logo but be issued and serviced by AMEX Australia.

We don’t know any details yet about the new cards or how existing Westpac cardholders will be transitioned to them, but nonetheless, this could be good news for Westpac customers.

All of the banks have been forced to respond to new laws that have made high-end cards, especially AMEX cards, no longer viable for them. However, Westpac, unlike ANZ and NAB, isn’t simply cutting its AMEX cards completely. Instead, it’s opted for a new partnership with AMEX Australia.

Since cards issued by AMEX Australia are not subject to the new laws that affect bank-issued cards, AMEX Australia is able to continue to offer generous perks. (In fact, AMEX has been increasing the perks it offers, to woo new customers).

It seems likely that the new Westpac AMEX cards, being issued by AMEX Australia, will also provide decent benefits. We don’t know any details yet, but yesterday’s press release states that the new cards will offer “an accelerated reward points earn rate, uncapped points, complimentary retail and travel insurance, and other benefits offered exclusively by American Express” – which sounds promising.

Westpac cardholders will also continue to have the choice of accruing points to either their existing Westpac Altitude Rewards or Qantas Frequent Flyer account.

More information about the new cards and the transition process for Westpac cardholders is expected in early 2018.

Singapore Airlines has pulled back the curtain on its eagerly-awaited new A380 business and first class cabins.

The big reveal comes as the airline faces tough competition from Middle Eastern and Asian carriers in the premium travel market. Singapore Airlines no doubt hopes the cabin upgrades will help it maintain its allure.

Singapore Airlines first class passengers are set to enjoy spacious new suites arranged in a 1-1 layout on the superjumbo’s upper deck.

A 21-inch leather armchair that reclines to 45 degrees and swivels is accompanied by a separate fold-down bed measuring 193 cm by 68 cm.

The new Singapore Airlines A380 first class suite

With just six suites in total (down from the current 12), the design is reminiscent of Etihad’s first class offering, which is regarded by many as industry-leading.

Couples travelling together will have the option to combine the suites in rows 1 and 2 by lowering the dividing wall between them, in effect creating a double bed. Unlike in Etihad first class though, it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to dine together as the seats are quite far apart.

Combine the suites in rows 1 and 2 into a luxurious space for two

Each suite has a 32-inch full HD monitor that can swivel for the different viewing angles in seat and bed modes, a full-sized personal wardrobe, customised handbag stowage compartment, amenity box and mood lighting.

Plenty of storage in the new suites

Unlike some of its competitors, Singapore Airlines has opted not to install first class showers. Instead, two spacious and stylishly appointed bathrooms will be located at the front of the cabin, one of which will have a sit-down vanity counter.

One of two stylish first class bathrooms

Filling out the remainder of the A380 upper deck will be 78 new business class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 layout.

The new Singapore Airlines A380 business class seat

Singapore Airlines has opted for a denser configuration and narrower seats compared to its existing A380s, no doubt to increase revenue.

Measuring 25 inches in width and reclining into a 78-inch full-flat bed, the new business class seats are an evolution from the airline’s current products on Boeing 777-300ERs and A350s.

The new Singapore Airlines A380 business class seat

A new feature is that the middle two seats behind a bulkhead (three rows in total) can be transformed into a ‘double bed’ for couples – but it doesn’t look like you’ll have much privacy.

A ‘double bed’, of sorts, in business class

Other features include USB ports and in-seat power, an enlarged dining table, an 18-inch entertainment screen and more stowage space.

In premium economy and economy, passengers can expect a minor refresh from what the carrier currently operates on its newer aircraft.

Sadly, Singapore Airlines has opted to not provide a social space on its A380s (such as a bar or lounge) where passengers can enjoy a change of scenery or mingle, unlike what you’ll find on some of its competitors’ planes.

The revamped cabins will be installed on the five new A380s Singapore Airlines has on order while its 14 existing A380s will be retrofitted between 2018 and 2020.

The first A380 with the new cabins will debut on the Singapore-Sydney route in December, with Singapore-London tipped to be next in early 2018.

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