So, I was browsing through Business Class fares to see if Etihad’s amazing Business Class fares to Europe are still available today (supposedly the last day of sale) and look what I found!
It looks like Turkish Airlines have joined the party by matching those roundtrip Business Class fares from Singapore to European cities!
Key points to note
- Book by 22 October 2021 to enjoy these fares.
- Find these as far ahead as September 2022.
- Travel in Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 787 (with the latest Business Class seat) to/from Singapore on some dates.
- Free unlimited date changes and destinations within the same zone, fare difference will apply.
- No escape from 14-days quarantine in a dedicated facility upon returning to Singapore, as of today. (UPDATE 2 Oct 2021: Now you can serve just 10 days SHN at home!)
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Cities with heavily discounted Business Class fares
These are the cities that you can fly to in Business class. Prices shown below are for round trip flights and include taxes and fees.
These fares are only available for 2 European countries and are a whopping 50% to 70% cheaper than what we had before the pandemic. In fact, these are more-or-less Economy Class fares!
| City | Round trip fare from Singapore |
|---|---|
| Milan, Italy | S$1,411 |
| Rome, Italy | S$1,425 |
| Bologna, Italy | S$1,472 |
| Catania, Italy | S$1,474 |
| Naples, Italy | S$1,487 |
| Venice, Italy | S$1,489 |
| Munich, Germany | S$1,494 |
Reminder: I strongly recommend booking directly with the airline during the pandemic as it will save you from a lot of headaches, should there be complications to your travel plans.
Can you avoid quarantine upon returning to Singapore?
Well, the answer to this question is ever-evolving. What you see here may be outdated next week! Check out the official SHN guidelines for the most up-to-date information.
Unfortunately, because of the unavoidable stopover in Istanbul, Turkey, travellers will have to spend 14 days quarantine in a self-paid (S$2,000) dedicated facility upon returning to Singapore right now.
This may change in future if transiting in a third country is allowed or if Turkey is placed in Category II or III.
Fun fact: For a number of months in 2020, travellers from Turkey could serve SHN at home in Singapore, even though the country had very relaxed border restrictions.
As of now, these are the SHN rules that fully-vaccinated Singapore-based travellers will face upon returning to the city-state, depending on where they’ve been in the past 21 days.
| Country | Quarantine in Singapore (SHN) | No. of PCR tests |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (VTL) | Nil | 4 |
| Germany (non-VTL) | 7 days at home | 3 |
| Italy | 14 days at home | 3 |
| Turkey | 14 days in dedicated facility | 3 |
Ticket flexibility
As mentioned above, you can make unlimited changes to your ticket dates and even to other destinations within the same zone. Fare differences will apply.
Like Etihad’s tickets, you can also make changes to partially-flown tickets.
Click here to visit Turkish Airlines’ Flexible Travel page.
Seat types
For flights between Singapore and Istanbul, Turkish Airlines have scheduled Boeing 787s (with the new Business Class seats) up till March 2022.
After that, the Boeing 777s (with the old seats) are scheduled to operate all the way till September 2022.
Although these arrangements are subject to changes, as general travel recovers from the pandemic, you should aim for the 787s as the difference in hardware is huge!
These seats are similar to Singapore Airlines’ new Regional Business Class seats. Although it is a little narrower, it doesn’t force you to sleep at an angle.
Flights from Istanbul to/from European cities are mainly operated by Boeing 737 Max 8 and Airbus A330 and A321.
Where to credit?
Fares from this promotion book into fare class ‘J’. You will receive 135% mileage accrual as a normal member. That’s about 17,300 miles (worth S$329) for flights to Milan. That’s over 38% of the miles required to fly one-way in Business Class from Singapore to Europe in future!
Citibank’s cards are the only ones in Singapore that transfer to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.
You may also credit these flights to Singapore Airlines to receive about 12,800 miles (worth $217).
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Best cards to book Turkish Airlines flights
Book using these cards to receive 4 miles per dollar.
DBS Woman’s World Card
Suitesmile card rating:
Sign-up bonus
$150 cashback
Key benefit
Earn 4 miles per dollar
for online spending
Annual fee
$192.60
(first year waived)
Min. Income
requirement
$80,000/yr
(not strict)
UOB Visa Signature Card
Suitesmile card rating:
Sign-up bonus
–
Key benefit
Earn 4 miles per dollar
for foreign currency
spending
Annual fee
$192.60
(first year waived)
Min. Income
requirement
$30,000/yr
Travelling during the pandemic
I shared my thoughts on this in the Etihad deal article but it’s worth reminding that travelling in this period requires some flexibility and risk-appetite (health-wise).
Bottom line
Personally, this deal is better than Etihad’s in a way, as you can book flights at this fare for 12 months ahead (instead of 6). However, Turkish Airlines’ tickets offer a little less flexibility and does not come with free COVID-19 insurance.
Anyone betting on Qatar Airways joining this Business Class price war?
Hi, I cant seem to find the deal you stated. Lowest price I saw was above S$2k to Milan City. Can you help?
Hi Jess, those fares to Italian cities look to be gone. I only see good rates to Munich now.
awwww thanks Fai!
Hi Fai, do you know if there are any good fares now? Or are they all taken up?
Hi Jess, only flights to Munich are available right now. I see plenty of availability up till September 2022. Note that you will need to serve 7 days SHN at home in Singapore as you’ll be transiting in Turkey.