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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?