Man Spent $15K On Singapore Airlines Business Class Tickets For His Parents & Grandma As A Surprise

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For many travellers, flying Business Class on Singapore Airlines is a bucket-list experience.

But instead of splurging on himself, one Singaporean decided to treat the people who mattered most.

Clarence Lum, director of a photography and videography studio, recently surprised his family, including his parents and grandmother, with SQ Business Class tickets to New Zealand.

“My parents thought we were flying Economy to New Zealand,” Clarence wrote in the video. “Fulfilling this dream of theirs felt long overdue.”

Clarence handed his mum the passports together with the plane tickets, and she initially didn’t notice anything unusual and simply posed for the camera while holding the passports.

That was until Clarence asked her to look closer at the boarding passes.

A few seconds later, she realised that they were Business Class tickets and was left speechless for a few seconds, before going, “Wow!” Clarence's dad’s reaction was even more relatable. “Surprise, ah?” he said, clearly caught off guard.

Clarence's mum then turned to his grandmother, who was in a wheelchair, and shared with her the good news.

Speaking to 8days.sg, Clarence said: "It’s actually my grandma’s first time out of Asia and i thought, since it’s a pretty long flight, it’ll be tiring for them as they’re all getting old."

He also told us that they will be in New Zealand for 13 days for a road trip around the South Island.

The wholesome video showed the family enjoying perks that come with Business Class travel, including a visit to the SilverKris Lounge, where they tucked into the buffet before boarding.

“For years, they have always chose us over themselves. Seeing them enjoy did something to me,” Clarence captioned.

And of course, the highlight of the trip was watching the family settle into their spacious seats onboard the Singapore Airlines flight, with Clarence’s grandmother happily enjoying a serving of the airline’s famous satay.

"Seeing them enjoy the experience meant more to me than the trip itself. My parents aren’t the kind to spend anything on themselves, and I really wanted them to enjoy something I know they wouldn’t do for themselves," Clarence told us. 

The video ended with a screenshot of a message from Clarence’s dad that read: “Thank you so much for your SQ Business Class to NZ. Love you so much, son.”

When we asked how his folks felt about their Business Class experience, he replied: "They loved it and enjoyed the food! They were also really shocked that you could lie down flat in a flight."

Clarence also shared with 8days.sg how much he spent on the surprise for his folks.

"I spent about $5K per ticket for them, and used my miles for my own ticket," he said.

Travellers redeeming KrisFlyer miles usually need between 72,000 and 103,500 miles for a one-way Business Class seat, depending on availability.

When asked if they now have different thoughts about having to take Economy next time, Clarence said: "They were very grateful for the experience, but also very practical people. they kept saying Economy is perfectly fine."

Since being posted online, Clarence’s video has racked up more than 795,000 views and has elicited plenty of emotional reactions from netizens.

“This video is blurry… why?” joked one commenter.

Another wrote: “Manifesting that I can do the same for my parents one day.”

Even 987 DJ Germaine Tan left a comment: “Stoppp, who is cutting damn onion…”

Photos: clarenceljy/IG