Singapore Airlines goes year-round on its new Vancouver route (VTL)

Just three weeks ago Singapore Airlines launched its inaugural flight on the Singapore – Vancouver route, restoring service to and from Canada for the first time in over 12 years and representing the first time the two countries have been linked by a non-stop passenger flight.

The original plan for the new link, which also continues to and from Seattle on all four days of operation per week, was to operate the flights on a seasonal basis from early December 2021 to mid-February 2022.

Bookings must have been encouraging, because before SIA gave the route a six-week extension through to the end of the winter season, even before the first flight even departed.

Vancouver will be retained all summer

In the latest schedule update for the summer 2022 season, SIA has revealed that the four times weekly Singapore – Vancouver – Seattle flights will continue to operate four times per week for the foreseeable future, and at least until the end of October 2022.

The flights retain their days of operation, with only slightly adjusted timings, offering a morning departure from Singapore on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Singapore Vancouver Seattle
Flight Schedule
(29 Mar 2022 – 29 Oct 2022)

	SQ28 A350-900		Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
SIN 09:00		YVR 08:45
YVR 09:55		SEA 10:45

On the way back to Singapore it’s wheels-up from Seattle on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays around midday then from Vancouver at 2.30pm following a brief pit stop, with arrival in Singapore shortly before 10pm the following day.

Seattle Vancouver Singapore
Flight Schedule
(29 Mar 2022 – 29 Oct 2022)

	SQ27 A350-900		Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
SEA 12:15		YVR 13:00
YVR 14:30		SIN 21:40*

* Next day

Singapore Airlines does not have traffic rights to carry passengers solely between Vancouver and Seattle, so those on board for the short hop across the border will either be Seattle-bound passengers who boarded in Singapore in the case of SQ28 or Singapore-bound ones who boarded in Seattle for SQ27.

Fun fact: The service between Vancouver and Seattle is Singapore Airlines’ shortest operating passenger flight on the network, at just 50 minutes gate-to-gate. The two cities are even closer together than Singapore and Kuala Lumpur!

Flights will continue to use 253-seat three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft, configured as follows:

• 42 Business Class (2013 J)
• 24 Premium Economy Class (2013 PY)
• 187 Economy Class (2013 Y / 2017 Y)

KrisFlyer rates

Here’s a reminder of the one-way KrisFlyer award rates for SIA flights between Singapore and Vancouver (or Seattle), which is designated in Zone 12 (USA West Coast & Canada) on the latest award chart.

KrisFlyer Redemption (one-way) Singapore ⇄ Vancouver / Seattle
	Saver	Advantage
Economy	38,000	70,000
Premium Economy	68,000	n/a
Business	95,000	125,000

If you intend to book a firm ticket in an eligible booking class, here’s how many miles it will then cost you to upgrade, assuming saver upgrade award availability in your proposed cabin class.

Upgrade using KrisFlyer miles Singapore ⇄ Vancouver / Seattle
Upgrading to →	Premium	Business
Existing booking ↓
Economy Standard (Class: M, H, W)	49,000	85,500
Economy Flexi (Class: Y, B, E)	32,500	68,000
Premium Economy Standard (Class: P)	→	61,000
Premium Economy Flexi (Class: S, T)	→	48,000

Purchasing a cash ticket and upgrading using KrisFlyer miles isn’t usually good value, but it can work nicely if your company is purchasing your base ticket, especially if they opt for a ‘Flexi’ fare category.

Vaccinated Travel Lane flights

All SQ27 flights from Seattle to Singapore and Vancouver to Singapore operate as designated Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) services, allowing quarantine-free arrival in Singapore for fully vaccinated travellers with an appropriate 14-day travel history.

The full VTL flight schedule for these routes from now until the end of October 2022, including days of operation and timings in the current winter season, is available below (click to expand):

Lounges

When we first wrote about the new Vancouver route, Singapore Airlines had not finalised lounge arrangements for its Business Class, PPS Club, KrisFlyer Gold and Star Alliance Gold passengers prior to departure from Vancouver.

Now that the route has started, it’s been confirmed that the airline is inviting lounge-eligible guests to the Plaza Premium Lounge within international departures, located at concourse D after the security screening point.

There’s a much better option, however, with Air Canada having now reopened its Maple Leaf Lounge, at concourse D near gate 52. As a Star Alliance facility, it welcomes all lounge-eligible travellers on SIA’s flight to Singapore, even though you’ll be directed by the check-in staff to use the Plaza Premium lounge.

Priority Pass holders have the option of the SkyTeam Lounge at concourse D, whose opening hours also coincide with SIA’s departure times.

It’s good to see there’s certainly no shortage of lounge options for those who prefer to escape the main departures concourse for some pre-flight relaxation, drinking or dining.

It was fantastic news to see Singapore Airlines serving Canada again after more than a decade, and this latest confirmation of year-round services will offer both summer and winter options for travellers.

Continued designated VTL flights throughout the period to late October next year will remain the sole quarantine-free non-stop option from Canada to Singapore, avoiding a connection in the USA or Europe en-route.

Those starting or ending their journey in Seattle will continue to suffer the slight inconvenience of a transit stop en-route in both directions, but will also benefit from VTL status when travelling through to Singapore.

Singapore Airlines has not yet confirmed its final winter schedule from late October 2022 to late March 2023, so it’s possible the Vancouver route could be dropped after the upcoming summer season, then perhaps reinstated in time for the Christmas and New Year period again in early December.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a continued year-round Canada option.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)