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 rather than than time spent), the article turned out to be a lot more popular than we expected.

We’ve therefore kept the analysis up to date following KrisFlyer miles devaluations over the last six years.

With some routes discontinued and others recently added to the network, plus some flight timing and aircraft type changes, here’s the updated version for 2024.

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 (since updated to a value per miles flown analysis), and we effectively replicated the miles per minute version for the KrisFlyer programme instead.

Methodology

We used round-trip timings on each route for this analysis. That’s more important on long-haul east-west routes where flight times can differ significantly, such as Singapore to Los Angeles which is 15:10, while Los Angeles to Singapore is 17:40, so using a total of 32:50 takes account of the difference on a round-trip redemption.

• Where flight times differ slightly between Singapore Airlines services on the same route, we’ve assumed the shortest flight time is chosen in both directions, based on flight schedules for the northern winter schedule, where necessary.
• For example on Bali the shortest flight is scheduled at 02:35 on the SIN-DPS sector (even though most are 02:40 and one is 02:55). 02:35 is the shortest scheduled time on DPS-SIN (even though most are 02:40 or 02:45). We’ve therefore used 05:10 (02:35 + 02:35) as the shortest round-trip timings you can get on that route.
• 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. Even if you can (or must) stay on board, there is little or no service offered – hardly the best use of your hard-earned miles!
• 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 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 such a calculation, and simply analyses time-based redemption costs.

Economy Class

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

Economy Class
Route	Total Duration	Miles	Miles per Minute
Houston (via MAN)	46:35	88,000	31
New York (via FRA)	42:05	88,000	35
Cape Town (via JNB)	25:15	58,000	38
Los Angeles (via NRT)	36:10	84,000	39
New York (non-stop)	36:50	88,000	40
Los Angeles (non-stop)	32:50	84,000	43
San Francisco	32:00	84,000	44
Istanbul	21:55	58,000	44
Seattle	31:10	84,000	45
Johannesburg	21:05	58,000	46
Barcelona (via MXP)	28:15	84,000	50
Christchurch	20:30	61,000	50
Auckland	20:15	61,000	50
Manchester	27:35	84,000	51
London	27:00	84,000	52
Barcelona (non-stop)	26:45	84,000	52
Paris	26:35	84,000	53
Chongqing	10:25	33,000	53
Brussels	26:30	84,000	53
Amsterdam	26:20	84,000	53
Copenhagen	26:15	84,000	53
Frankfurt	25:35	84,000	55
Bali	05:10	17,000	55
Zurich	25:25	84,000	55
Milan	25:25	84,000	55
Sapporo	16:15	54,000	55
Chengdu	09:55	33,000	55
Munich	25:10	84,000	56
Rome	25:05	84,000	56
Beijing	12:30	43,000	57
Delhi	11:25	40,000	58
Taipei	09:25	33,000	58
Ahmedabad	11:20	40,000	59
Cebu	07:35	27,000	59
Xiamen	09:15	33,000	59
Surabaya	04:40	17,000	61
Manila	07:20	27,000	61
Mumbai	10:40	40,000	63
Brunei	04:30	17,000	63
Hanoi	07:05	27,000	64
Shanghai	11:05	43,000	65
Shenzhen	08:30	33,000	65
Dubai	14:55	58,000	65
Sydney	15:40	61,000	65
Tokyo	13:50	54,000	65
Brisbane	15:35	61,000	65
Guangzhou	08:25	33,000	65
Melbourne	15:00	61,000	68
Nagoya	13:05	54,000	69
Kathmandu	09:40	40,000	69
Busan	12:55	54,000	70
Yangon	06:25	27,000	70
Seoul	12:50	54,000	70
Perth	10:10	43,000	70
Hong Kong	07:45	33,000	71
Osaka	12:40	54,000	71
Fukuoka	12:25	54,000	72
Male	09:10	40,000	73
Cochin	09:00	40,000	74
Darwin	09:35	43,000	75
Hyderabad	08:50	40,000	75
Bengaluru	08:50	40,000	75
Adelaide	13:25	61,000	76
Da Nang	05:45	27,000	78
Cairns	12:55	61,000	79
Kolkata	08:20	40,000	80
Jakarta	03:30	17,000	81
Dhaka	08:10	40,000	82
Chennai	08:05	40,000	82
Colombo	07:50	40,000	85
Bangkok	04:55	27,000	92
Medan	02:55	17,000	97
Penang	02:50	17,000	100
Siem Reap	04:30	27,000	100
Ho Chi Minh	04:15	27,000	106
Phnom Penh	03:45	27,000	120
Phuket	03:45	27,000	120
Kuala Lumpur	02:05	17,000	136

The longest routes – Houston and New York – come out best for Economy Saver redemptions at 31 to 35 KrisFlyer miles per minute, while the shortest flight to Kuala Lumpur is by far the worst at 136 miles per minute. That’s basically close to the average Business Class miles per minute rate!

Close-by destinations like Penang, Phuket, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh also come out particularly poorly at around 100 – 120 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 55 miles per minute, over 15% below the network-wide average by this metric.

Premium Economy Class

The average Singapore Airlines Premium Economy redemption cost comes out at 86 miles per minute.

Premium Economy Class
Route	Total Duration	Miles	Miles per Minute
Cape Town (via JNB)	25:15	86,000	57
Houston (via MAN)	46:35	161,000	58
New York (via FRA)	42:05	161,000	64
Istanbul	21:30	86,000	67
Johannesburg	21:00	86,000	68
Los Angeles (via NRT)	36:10	150,000	69
New York (non-stop)	36:50	161,000	73
Newark	36:50	161,000	73
Los Angeles (non-stop)	32:50	150,000	76
San Francisco	32:00	150,000	78
Seattle	31:10	150,000	80
Christchurch	20:30	102,000	83
Barcelona (via MXP)	28:15	142,000	84
Auckland	20:15	102,000	84
Manchester	27:35	142,000	86
Barcelona (non-stop)	26:45	142,000	88
Paris	26:35	142,000	89
Chengdu	09:55	53,000	89
London	26:30	142,000	89
Brussels	26:30	142,000	89
Amsterdam	26:20	142,000	90
Copenhagen	26:15	142,000	90
Tokyo	13:50	75,000	90
Beijing	12:30	69,000	92
Frankfurt	25:35	142,000	93
Milan	25:25	142,000	93
Zurich	25:25	142,000	93
Munich	25:10	142,000	94
Rome	25:05	142,000	94
Delhi	11:25	69,000	101
Shanghai	11:05	69,000	104
Mumbai	10:40	69,000	108
Sydney	15:40	102,000	109
Melbourne	15:00	102,000	113
Hong Kong	07:45	53,000	114

Houston and Cape Town are the obvious standouts in value terms once you move into the premium cabins – 57 to 58 miles per minute in Premium Economy on that route is less Economy Class rates on over a quarter of the airline’s routes!

Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, Mumbai, Shanghai and Delhi come out worst in this cabin, at around 100+ miles per minute – that’s not far off the rate payable for a First Class redemption to New York.

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 as Sydney and Melbourne, Auckland and Christchurch come in at a much more reasonable 83-84 miles per minute.

Business Class

KrisFlyer miles rates for saver Business Class redemptions will set you back on average 139 miles per minute, though the range varies significantly from just 75 miles per minute to 336 miles per minute.

For the Business Class table we’ve also added colour coding to represent the seat types you can book on each route, based on operation from November 2024 to March 2025. 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 potentially paying through the nose for an older seat, like those bog-standard 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 (via JNB)	25:15				▮		113,000	75
Houston (via MAN)	46:35				▮		223,000	80
Istanbul	21:55				▮		113,000	86
New York (via FRA)	42:05				▮		223,000	88
Johannesburg	21:05				▮		113,000	89
Los Angeles (via NRT)	36:10				▮		214,000	99
New York (non-stop)	36:50				▮		223,000	101
Newark	36:30				▮		223,000	102
Cebu	07:35		▮				48,000	105
Sapporo	16:15			▮			104,000	107
Los Angeles (non-stop)	32:50				▮		214,000	109
Chongqing	10:25		▮				68,000	109
Manila	07:20				▮		48,000	109
Christchurch	20:30				▮		137,000	111
San Francisco	32:00				▮		214,000	111
Auckland	20:15				▮		137,000	113
Hanoi	07:05		▮	▮			48,000	113
Chengdu	09:55		▮		▮		68,000	114
Seattle	31:10				▮		214,000	114
Beijing	12:30			▮	▮		86,000	115
Taipei	09:25			▮	▮		68,000	120
Barcelona (via MXP)	28:15				▮		207,000	122
Xiamen	09:15		▮				68,000	123
Yangon	06:25		▮				48,000	125
Manchester	27:35				▮		207,000	125
Tokyo	13:50			▮	▮		104,000	125
Delhi	11:25			▮		▮	86,000	126
Dubai	14:55			▮			113,000	126
Ahmedabad	11:20			▮			86,000	126
London	27:00				▮	▮	207,000	128
Barcelona (non-stop)	26:45				▮		207,000	129
Shanghai	11:05			▮	▮	▮	86,000	129
Paris	26:35				▮		207,000	130
Brussels	26:30				▮		207,000	130
Amsterdam	26:20				▮		207,000	131
Copenhagen	26:15				▮		207,000	131
Nagoya	13:05			▮			104,000	132
Perth	10:10			▮			81,000	133
Shenzhen	08:30		▮				68,000	133
Busan	12:55		▮				104,000	134
Mumbai	10:40			▮	▮	▮	86,000	134
Guangzhou	08:25		▮	▮			68,000	135
Frankfurt	25:35				▮	▮	207,000	135
Seoul	12:50			▮			104,000	135
Bali	05:10		▮	▮			42,000	135
Zurich	25:25				▮		207,000	136
Milan	25:25				▮		207,000	136
Osaka	12:40			▮			104,000	137
Munich	25:10				▮		207,000	137
Rome	25:05				▮		207,000	138
Da Nang	05:45		▮				48,000	139
Fukuoka	12:25			▮			104,000	140
Darwin	09:35		▮				81,000	141
Sydney	15:40				▮	▮	137,000	146
Hong Kong	07:45			▮	▮	▮	68,000	146
Brisbane	15:35			▮			137,000	147
Kathmandu	09:40	▮		▮			86,000	148
Surabaya	04:40		▮	▮			42,000	150
Melbourne	15:00				▮		137,000	152
Brunei	04:30		▮				42,000	156
Male	09:10			▮			86,000	156
Cochin	09:00		▮				86,000	159
Hyderabad	08:50		▮	▮			86,000	162
Bengaluru	08:50		▮	▮			86,000	162
Bangkok	04:55			▮			48,000	163
Adelaide	13:25			▮			137,000	170
Kolkata	08:20		▮	▮			86,000	172
Dhaka	08:10			▮			86,000	176
Cairns	12:55			▮			137,000	177
Chennai	08:05		▮	▮			86,000	177
Siem Reap	04:30	▮	▮				48,000	178
Colombo	07:50			▮			86,000	183
Ho Chi Minh	04:15			▮	▮		48,000	188
Jakarta	03:30			▮	▮		42,000	200
Phnom Penh	03:45		▮	▮			48,000	213
Phuket	03:45	▮	▮				48,000	213
Medan	02:55		▮				42,000	240
Penang	02:50	▮	▮				42,000	247
Kuala Lumpur	02:05	▮	▮	▮	▮		42,000	336

Cape Town rules the roost again in Business Class – an excellent value redemption at 74 miles per minute of flight time – just 12% more than the average Economy Class redemption rate across all routes.

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

Istanbul benefits from being a relatively long flight which avoids the expensive Europe award 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 336 miles per minute which is more expensive than any redemption on the network by this metric, including for First Class and 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 Cebu, Chongqing, Hanoi or Chengdu instead (around 105 to 114 miles per minute), rather than some of the shorter routes like KL and Phuket.

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 (135) it is less than the average Business Class redemption on the network, and comes in at a lower rate per minute than awards to destinations like Melbourne and Brisbane.

First Class / Suites

The average KrisFlyer rate in Singapore Airlines’ most exclusive cabins – First Class and Suites, is 180 miles per minute.

Since the two ‘hard’ products are quite different, as with the Business Class analysis we’ve included the seat types you can book on these routes in this top cabin during the November 2024 to March 2025 period, to help you see where the best value for each one lies on a per-minute basis.

For a continually updated list of First Class and Suites seat types by route and individual flight number on the SIA network, be sure to bookmark our dedicated page here.

Key to First Class Seat Types
▮	2013 F
▮	2017 R

Do note, however, that scoring a Saver award in either of these cabins, especially Suites, is a challenge on many routes.

First Class / Suites
Route	Total Duration	Seats		Miles	Miles per Minute
New York (via FRA)	42:05	▮		297,000	118
Los Angeles (via NRT)	36:10	▮		293,000	135
Auckland	20:15	▮		187,000	154
Beijing	12:30	▮		117,000	156
Delhi	11:25		▮	117,000	171
London	27:00	▮	▮	282,000	174
Shanghai	11:05	▮	▮	117,000	176
Paris	26:35	▮		282,000	177
Mumbai	10:40		▮	117,000	183
Frankfurt	25:35	▮	▮	282,000	184
Zurich	25:25	▮		282,000	185
Tokyo	13:50	▮		154,000	186
Hong Kong	07:45	▮	▮	90,000	194
Sydney	15:40	▮	▮	187,000	199
Melbourne	15:00	▮		187,000	208
Jakarta	03:30	▮		61,000	290

Fewer surprises here – New York, the longest route with a First Class cabin, is the best value at 118 miles per minute. Los Angeles also comes out strongly, as does Auckland at 154 miles per minute, 15% cheaper than the network average by this metric.

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

Sydney and Melbourne also come out quite poorly – around 200 miles per minute is on the steep side.

Another factor to consider is the value of time in the lounge as well as on board the flight, and that’s especially true for those redeeming First Class and Suites awards, since Singapore Airlines holds back its exclusive ‘The Private Room’ only for these passengers.

You may therefore find a Singapore – Jakarta First Class Saver award booking worth the steep price for such a short route, since it’s your cheapest redemption in miles terms for access to this lounge for several hours before your departure, or even after you arrive back in Singapore.

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.

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 it’s hardly likely to make you want switch continents for your next vacation. Or is it?

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)