Singapore is a great place to visit but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy flight or necessarily comfortable. Los Angeles to Singapore is 15-17 hours non-stop. That’s why I periodically post these great premium economy deals from Singapore Airlines: it’s a far more comfortable ride than economy, on an airline considered one of the best in the world. For 2020 travel, they are running a sale with weekday departures from $939 non-stop, or $990 stopping in Tokyo. If you’re willing to go non-stop on Wednesdays, however, Singapore Airlines will get you there and back in premium economy for $889!
For perspective, the cheapest economy flights I could find during the same period were $542 on China Southern (with a stop in Guangzhou), or $642 with Singapore Air stopping in Tokyo. So premium economy with Singapore Air isn’t much more.
Note the non-stop in premium economy on the return to Los Angeles
Singapore’s non-stops are premium economy (and business class) only so there’s no main cabin options direct. But if you want to save a little money, you can book 1-way direct premium economy and 1-way economy with a stop in Tokyo for as little as $765, either inbound or outbound.
If you’d rather save your cash, this works as an excellent awards flight. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents each when booking through the Chase travel portal. That means this trip would cost a mere 60,000 UR round trip. Plus you’ll earn 17,500 miles with United or most Star Alliance partners. In contrast, United doesn’t offer PE award flights to Singapore and charges 80K miles plus $85 for regular economy with a layover; Singapore Air is a transfer partner for Ultimate Rewards, but wants 136,000 miles for this same trip. Obviously, use the portal instead of transferring miles in this case.
You can stop in Tokyo for a bit if you choose
For traveling families, I’d recommend the short stop in Tokyo if you don’t fly direct. 17 hours straight on a plane might be a bit much for kids to handle. If you’re flying alone or as couple (or want to give the youngsters a longer break), you can plan an overnight stop in Tokyo to catch the nightlife in Shinjuku, hang out in Golden Gai, or hit the late night shopping in Ginzu.
Singapore’s PE seats are in a 2-4-2 layout, with 38″ of pitch between you and the seat in front, and are 19″ wide. The fare also includes “book the cook” options for pre-ordering meals before the flight. Singapore’s weather is probably best in February and March, meaning you can plan around President’s Day or, preferably, spring break to minimize paid time off. Singapore Air offers a deal on PE fares every few months, but the sale always pushes dates out quite a bit, so this is probably your only chance for February and March at these prices.
Sample Route
- Departure: Los Angeles
- Stops: None, or Tokyo Narita
- Arrival: Singapore
How to Book
- Follow link for sample dates or search your favorite OTA / Google Flights for departure and destination
Travel Dates
- January through May, 2020; $889 is Wednesdays only
- 3-day for regular sale, 7-day for $889 stay required
Where to Stay in Singapore
- Sheraton Towers Singapore
- Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay
- Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
(SEE ALSO: Centennial Conrad Review)
Things to Do in Singapore
(SEE ALSO: 6 Singapore Pictures That Will Take Your Breath Away)
Good luck and happy flying!
Points With a Crew has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Points With a Crew and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Recent Comments