KrisFlyer Singapore Airlines

What’s the best KrisFlyer redemption per minute of flight time?

We've crunched the numbers on how many KrisFlyer miles you're spending per minute on Singapore Airlines Saver award redemptions by route in 2022, and some of the results may surprise you.

Back in early 2018 we analysed how many KrisFlyer miles per minute you were spending on Singapore Airlines routes to and from Singapore by cabin class. While the analysis was really a bit of fun (‘value’ is based more closely on money saved than time spent), the article turned out to be a lot more popular than we expected.

ADVERTISEMENT

Following the devaluation of the KrisFlyer scheme in 2019 we repeated the analysis, and with another unfortunate hike in award rates taking effect back in July, here’s the updated version for 2022.

The analysis

It’s pretty simple – how many KrisFlyer miles does it take to redeem a round-trip ‘Saver’ award flight from Singapore per minute of scheduled flight time, by cabin class?

Head for Points in the UK ran a very similar article in February 2017 relating to the British Airways Avios frequent flyer scheme, and we effectively replicated the analysis for the KrisFlyer program.

Methodology

Where flight times differ slightly between Singapore Airlines services on the same route, we’ve assumed the shortest flight is chosen in both directions for fairness, based on flight schedules for the northern winter 2022/23 schedule.

For example on Bali the shortest flight is scheduled at 02:40 on the SIN-DPS sector (even though most are 02:45), and 02:35 is the shortest scheduled time on DPS-SIN (even though most are 02:40 or 02:50). We’ve therefore used 05:15 as the shortest round-trip timings you can get for that route.

It becomes more important on long-haul east-west routes where flight times can differ significantly, such as Singapore to Amsterdam which is 13:50, while Amsterdam to Singapore is 12:30, so using a total of 26:20 takes account of the difference on a round-trip redemption.

ADVERTISEMENT

For routes with a stopover, such as Singapore to Cape Town where the aircraft stops in Johannesburg for an hour, the time spent on the ground in both directions has been deducted from the total – since you usually have to get off the plane anyway during these stops, and even if you can stay on board there is little or no service offered.

Flight schedules were sourced from the GDS timetables, but can also be found on the Singapore Airlines website. KrisFlyer saver award miles requirements were sourced from the latest 2022 redemption chart at the Singapore Airlines website.

Of course average or cheapest fare is the true determining factor of the ‘value’ you are getting from your miles – this article does not attempt to do this and simply analyses the time-based redemption costs. If you’re interested in our analysis of the cash value of your miles see our guide here.

Economy Class

Economy Class redemption rates increased by around 8 – 16% in the 2022 KrisFlyer devaluation.

Here’s how the miles per minute calculation works out for Economy Class saver round-trip redemptions from Singapore, the average across all routes being 66 miles per minute.

Economy Class
Route Total
Duration
Miles Miles per
Minute
Houston 46:20 88,000 32
New York (SQ26) 42:05 88,000 35
Cape Town 25:20 58,000 38
Los Angeles (SQ12) 36:10 84,000 39
Los Angeles (SQ36/38) 33:00 84,000 42
Istanbul 21:55 58,000 44
San Francisco 32:05 84,000 44
Chengdu 12:20 33,000 45
Seattle 30:55 84,000 45
Vancouver 31:05 84,000 45
Johannesburg 21:00 58,000 46
Barcelona 28:20 84,000 49
Auckland 20:30 61,000 50
Chongqing 10:55 33,000 50
Christchurch 20:30 61,000 50
Xiamen 10:55 33,000 50
Manchester 27:20 84,000 51
London 26:30 84,000 52
Amsterdam 26:20 84,000 53
Cebu 08:30 27,000 53
Davao 08:30 27,000 53
Paris 26:35 84,000 53
Bali 05:15 17,000 54
Frankfurt 25:35 84,000 54
Zurich 25:45 84,000 54
Copenhagen 25:30 84,000 55
Milan 25:05 84,000 56
Munich 24:55 84,000 56
Rome 25:05 84,000 56
Beijing 12:40 43,000 57
Delhi 11:45 40,000 57
Shenzhen 09:40 33,000 57
Taipei 09:30 33,000 58
Ahmedabad 11:20 40,000 59
Manila 07:20 27,000 61
Mumbai 10:55 40,000 61
Surabaya 04:40 17,000 61
Kathmandu 10:35 40,000 63
Tokyo (NRT) 14:15 54,000 63
Sydney 16:00 61,000 64
Brunei 04:20 17,000 65
Dubai 14:55 58,000 65
Hanoi 06:55 27,000 65
Tokyo (HND) 13:55 54,000 65
Brisbane 15:20 61,000 66
Shanghai 10:50 43,000 66
Melbourne 15:05 61,000 67
Hong Kong 08:00 33,000 69
Nagoya 13:05 54,000 69
Seoul 13:05 54,000 69
Osaka 12:55 54,000 70
Perth 10:10 43,000 70
Fukuoka 12:25 54,000 72
Adelaide 14:00 61,000 73
Male 09:10 40,000 73
Yangon 06:10 27,000 73
Cairns 13:35 61,000 75
Bengaluru 08:45 40,000 76
Darwin 09:25 43,000 76
Da Nang 05:45 27,000 78
Dhaka 08:25 40,000 79
Kolkata 08:20 40,000 80
Jakarta 03:30 17,000 81
Chennai 08:10 40,000 82
Cochin 08:00 40,000 83
Colombo 07:50 40,000 85
Bangkok 05:00 27,000 90
Hyderabad 08:50 50,000 94
Penang 02:55 17,000 97
Medan 02:50 17,000 100
Siem Reap 04:30 27,000 100
Ho Chi Minh 04:15 27,000 105
Phnom Penh 03:45 27,000 120
Phuket 03:40 27,000 123
Kuala Lumpur 02:00 17,000 142

The longest routes come out best for economy saver redemptions at around 30 to 35 KrisFlyer miles per minute – Houston and New York, while the shortest flight to Kuala Lumpur is by far the worst at 142 miles per minute. That’s close to the average Business Class miles per minute rate.

Airbus A380 Economy Class from Singapore to New York on SQ26 will set you back only 35 KrisFlyer miles per minute, plus taxes and fees of around S$116. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)

Close-by destinations like Penang, Phuket, Medan and Ho Chi Minh also come out particularly poorly at around 100 – 125 miles per minute, owing to their proximity to Singapore and high redemption rate.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s not all bad news for closer destinations though, Bali is a very respectable 54 miles per minute, 20% below the network-wide average by this metric.

Premium Economy Class

The average Premium Economy redemption cost came out at 88 miles per minute (formerly 82 miles per minute, before the 2022 devaluation).

Premium Economy Class
Route Total
Duration
Miles Miles per
Minute
Cape Town 25:20 86,000 57
Houston 46:20 161,000 58
New York (SQ26) 42:05 161,000 64
Istanbul 21:55 86,000 65
Johannesburg 21:00 86,000 68
Los Angeles (SQ12) 36:10 150,000 69
New York (SQ24) 36:20 161,000 74
Newark 36:20 161,000 74
Los Angeles (SQ36/38) 33:00 150,000 76
San Francisco 32:05 150,000 78
Vancouver 31:05 150,000 80
Seattle 30:55 150,000 81
Auckland 20:30 102,000 83
Christchurch 20:30 102,000 83
Barcelona 28:20 142,000 84
Manchester 27:20 142,000 87
Tokyo (NRT) 14:15 75,000 88
London 26:30 142,000 89
Paris 26:35 142,000 89
Amsterdam 26:20 142,000 90
Tokyo (HND) 13:55 75,000 90
Beijing 12:40 69,000 91
Zurich 25:45 142,000 92
Copenhagen 25:30 142,000 93
Frankfurt 25:35 142,000 93
Milan 25:05 142,000 94
Rome 25:05 142,000 94
Munich 24:55 142,000 95
Dubai 14:55 86,000 96
Seoul 13:05 75,000 96
Delhi 11:45 69,000 98
Mumbai 10:55 69,000 105
Shanghai 10:50 69,000 106
Sydney 16:00 102,000 106
Hong Kong 08:00 53,000 110
Melbourne 15:05 102,000 113
Adelaide 14:00 102,000 121

Cape Town is the obvious standout on value once you move into the premium cabins – 57 miles per minute in Premium Economy on that route is less than most Economy Class rates!

Hong Kong, Adelaide and Melbourne come out worst in this cabin, at over 110 miles per minute – that’s around the rate than payable for a suites redemption to New York.

Mumbai, Shanghai and Sydney also fare poorly in this cabin.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s not all bad news in the Australia and New Zealand zone for premium economy though, as you’d expect for the same miles rate Auckland and Christchurch come in at a much more reasonable 83 miles per minute.

Business Class

The KrisFlyer miles rate for saver business class redemptions worked out as 139 miles per minute on average (122 miles per minute prior to the 2022 devaluation).

For the Business Class table we’ve also added colour coding to represent the seat types you can book on each route. It’s designed to help you easily see where you can get the best value redemptions on the latest products, like the MAX RJ, 2017 J and 2018 RJ seats.

It also exposes the routes on which you’re paying through the nose for an older seat, like the 738 RJ recliners.

Key to Business Class Seat Types
738 RJ
MAX RJ
2018 RJ
2013 J
2017 J

For a more specific guide to which Singapore Airline Business Class seats are flying by route and individual flight number, see our regularly updated list here.

Business Class
Route Total
Duration
Seats Miles Miles per
Minute
Cape Town 25:20         113,000 74
Houston 46:20         223,000 80
Istanbul 21:55         113,000 86
New York (SQ26) 42:05         223,000 88
Johannesburg 21:00         113,000 90
Chengdu 12:20           68,000 92
Cebu 08:30           48,000 94
Davao 08:30           48,000 94
Los Angeles (SQ12) 36:10         214,000 99
New York (SQ24) 36:20         223,000 102
Newark 36:20         223,000 102
Chongqing 10:55           68,000 104
Xiamen 10:55           68,000 104
Los Angeles (SQ36/38) 33:00         214,000 108
Manila 07:20           48,000 109
Auckland 20:30         137,000 111
Christchurch 20:30         137,000 111
San Francisco 32:05         214,000 111
Beijing 12:40         86,000 112
Seattle 30:55         214,000 115
Vancouver 31:05         214,000 115
Hanoi 06:55       48,000 116
Shenzhen 09:40         68,000 117
Taipei 09:30         68,000 119
Barcelona 28:20         207,000 122
Delhi 11:45     86,000 122
Tokyo (NRT) 14:15       104,000 122
Tokyo (HND) 13:55         104,000 125
Ahmedabad 11:20         86,000 126
Dubai 14:55         113,000 126
Manchester 27:20         207,000 126
London 26:30       207,000 130
Paris 26:35         207,000 130
Yangon 06:10       48,000 130
Amsterdam 26:20         207,000 131
Mumbai 10:55     86,000 131
Nagoya 13:05         104,000 132
Seoul 13:05         104,000 132
Shanghai 10:50       86,000 132
Bali 05:15       42,000 133
Perth 10:10         81,000 133
Osaka 12:55         104,000 134
Zurich 25:45         207,000 134
Copenhagen 25:30         207,000 135
Frankfurt 25:35       207,000 135
Kathmandu 10:35         86,000 135
Milan 25:05         207,000 138
Munich 24:55         207,000 138
Rome 25:05         207,000 138
Da Nang 05:45         48,000 139
Fukuoka 12:25         104,000 140
Hong Kong 08:00       68,000 142
Darwin 09:25         81,000 143
Sydney 16:00     137,000 143
Brisbane 15:20         137,000 149
Surabaya 04:40       42,000 150
Melbourne 15:05       137,000 151
Male 09:10       86,000 156
Bangkok 05:00       48,000 160
Brunei 04:20         42,000 162
Hyderabad 08:50       86,000 162
Adelaide 14:00       137,000 163
Bengaluru 08:45       86,000 164
Cairns 13:35         137,000 168
Dhaka 08:25       86,000 170
Kolkata 08:20         86,000 172
Chennai 08:10       86,000 176
Siem Reap 04:30         48,000 178
Cochin 08:00         86,000 179
Colombo 07:50         86,000 183
Ho Chi Minh 04:15       48,000 188
Jakarta 03:30         42,000 200
Penang 02:55         42,000 240
Medan 02:50         42,000 247
Phnom Penh 03:45       48,000 213
Phuket 03:40         48,000 218
Kuala Lumpur 02:00   42,000 350

Cape Town rules the roost again in business class – an excellent value redemption at 74 miles per minute of flight time – just a 10% more than the average economy redemption rate.

Houston is second followed by Istanbul, New York (via Frankfurt) and Johannesburg.

Istanbul benefits from being a relatively long flight which avoids the Europe pricing zone, instead falling into the ‘Africa / Middle East’ award pricing region.

At the bottom of the table – no prizes for guessing that a Business Class redemption to Kuala Lumpur is a complete waste of your miles – coming in at an eye-watering 350 miles per minute which is more expensive than any redemption on the network including for First Class / Suites.

ADVERTISEMENT

If you’re looking at that route to try out the new Boeing 737-8 MAX regional Business Class seat, we’d strongly recommend flying to Da Nang or Darwin instead (around 140 miles per minute), rather than some of the shorter routes like KL and Penang.

Some of our readers often mention how redeeming to or from Bali in Business Class isn’t good value, but in pure miles per minute terms (133) it is actually cheaper than the average Business Class redemption on the network (139), and comes in at a lower rate than awards to destinations like Sydney and Brisbane.

Redeeming the 2018 Regional Business Class seat to and from Bali is a decent proposition in miles per minute terms. (Photo: The Shutterwhale)

First Class / Suites

The average KrisFlyer rate in Singapore Airlines’ most exclusive cabins – First and Suites, is now 181 miles per minute, up from 162 miles per minute before the latest devaluation.

First Class / Suites
Route Total
Duration
Miles Miles per
Minute
New York (SQ26) 42:05 297,000 118
Los Angeles (SQ12) 36:10 293,000 135
Auckland 20:30 187,000 152
Delhi 11:45 117,000 166
London 26:30 282,000 177
Paris 26:35 282,000 177
Mumbai 10:55 117,000 179
Tokyo (NRT) 14:15 154,000 180
Shanghai 10:50 117,000 180
Zurich 25:45 282,000 183
Frankfurt 25:35 282,000 184
Hong Kong 08:00 90,000 188
Sydney 16:00 187,000 195
Melbourne 15:05 187,000 207
Jakarta 03:30 61,000 290

Fewer surprises here – New York, the longest route with a Suites cabin, is the best value at 118 miles per minute. Los Angeles also comes out strongly, as does Auckland, both of which have the 2013 First Class seat.

You can sip champagne at whatever pace you like in the SIA Suites cabin from Singapore to New York – safe in the knowledge it’s only setting you back 118 KrisFlyer miles per minute. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)

Jakarta is the worst value – it’ll set you back 290 KrisFlyer miles per minute of flight time for a saver redemption. You’ll literally have to gulp the Champagne back to do justice to that!

Melbourne also comes out quite poorly as one of the shorter Australia routes in the higher award band – 207 miles per minute is on the steep side.

Yes, it’s simplistic

Remember this is a relatively simple analysis based on flying to and from Singapore. We know it’s possible to beat these miles-per-minute rates on more complex routings, and when stopovers are added.

For First Class saver redemptions the best we could think of was from Auckland to Singapore to Frankfurt to New York, which comes in at just 96 KrisFlyer miles per minute (188,000 miles for nearly 33 hours in First Class).

For Business Class – Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore to Delhi will cost you just 81 KrisFlyer miles per minute (123,000 miles for about 25 hours in Business Class).

Neither of those routings are likely to be much use to many people though! If you can come up with any better value routings, please do mention them in the comments section.

ADVERTISEMENT

Remember there are a few routing anomalies too, for example New York with a transit stop in Frankfurt comes in at a better miles per minute rate than the non-stop flight to New York – even with the time on the ground excluded – but you would probably prefer the non-stop if it’s available.

Tokyo (Narita) comes out at a better rate than Tokyo (Haneda), purely because the flight is a bit longer, but if you’re heading downtown you probably won’t be choosing a flight to Narita for that reason alone!

Finally

Don’t take it too seriously, the tables are supposed to be a bit of fun and aren’t intended to help you choose your next redemption destination.

If you want to go to Rome in Business Class, telling you that it’s half the number of KrisFlyer miles per minute to go to Cape Town instead is very interesting, but isn’t likely to make you want switch continents for your next vacation… or is it?

ADVERTISEMENT

31 comments

  1. Appreciating the persistence you put into your website and in depth information you present.
    It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while
    that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Wonderful read!

    I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  2. I always take advantage of the same amount of miles needed from MEL to SIN and MEL> SIN > HKG. Both route is 58k one way, which represents good value if you add HKG in!

    Just came across this post. Very useful content here. Appreciate your effort!

    1. Absolutely right Tom, especially if you manage to get the new A380 with the latest Business Class seats on the SIN-HKG leg.

      You can even add a stopover in Singapore (up to a year!) for US$100 on a saver award ticket if you don’t want to fly straight out. Check our $100 stopover trick article if you didn’t see it.

      Cheers.

  3. Very useful post Andrew!

    One hidden gem for krisflyer is that it considers Central Asia as part of South Asia. Need to argue that backtracking is the most direct route possible with the agent though.

    Just flew CGK – SIN – IST – TAS with 42,500 miles on J – 39.5 miles / minutes. 18 hours flying time on business with SQ and TK.

  4. That redemption cost per minute for CGK might be high but if you check in 48 hours early and eat and drink as much as you can in TPR for 2 days…

    1. That’s very true! Though technically TPR closes for a few hours overnight. You can do that and stay at the Aerotel like we did once.

      Had breakfast, lunch and dinner in TPR! Certainly maximises the value of the miles.

  5. TPR = The Private Room..?

    I haven’t gone through the entire menu, but I’ve yet to have anything from, that was even decent.. Do share.. what’s good..? (Not being sarcastic.. I’d really like something nice the next time)

    Tho at least pouring DP (again)… but there IS such a thing as too much campers, no..?

  6. Hi
    I am proposing to book a reward flight from Singapore to Auckland in December 2023 with my wife, does she have to be a nominee on my Krisflyer account for me to book her flight and does she have to have her own Krisflyer account?

    Thanks

    Nigel

Leave a Reply