So everyone knows by now how Singapore's Changi Airport has gone Star Wars bonkers. From the arrival of the ANA R2D2, to the Tie Fighter in Terminal 2 and the X Wing in Terminal 3.
But if you ask me, the big takeaway is the limited edition plushies that you can purchase for SGD$6. But it comes with conditions though. You either have to spend SGD$70 land side, SGD$150 air side, or SGD$140 at the supermarket.
Time to get creative to score one! Maybe purchase SGD$140 in supermarket vouchers that you can use some other time? Hmmmmmm.
The flight to HKG was a red eye. Not pleasant. 4 hour layover. Not pleasant. Having someone in the lounge from a petrochemical company show some interest. Quite pleasant.
I digress.
I was excited with the prospect of finally sitting in what was billed as the best business class seat in the sky. Just by reading other trip reports and scanning the specs of the cabin and products, I was pretty sure they could surpass SQ. But one can only know if one tries for oneself.
When it was time to board, it was pretty much chaotic. Ground support did not match up to the service we already received ex-SIN. In fact, they were pretty disorganized and dismal.
So it was such a breath of fresh air when we stepped on board. The crew greeted us with complete warmth. And pretty soon after that, we got addressed by our names for the entire flight. Even SQ sometimes fails in that department, although I must say not with me. Never with me.
Our seats were in the mini cabin up front, two windows K side in a cabin of 8 seats. We were assured of a quiet journey.
First impressions:
Loved the symmetry of the cabin layout. Center seats were in perfect mirror image of each other. Colors, while I am not a big fan of the green, were soothing at least.
The arm rests were locked on bed mode by default, giving passengers easier access to their seats upon boarding, which I thought was thoughtful. It would then be their job to raise them up for take off.
little button to raise or lower the arm rest
I liked that everything was within reach. IFE controls, seat controls, media ports and power outlets, and light, all in one panel. Easy to understand and use. There was ample storage in overhead storage as well as under the footrest (for your shoes of course), as well as the side panels for your devices, passports etc. I also liked that the noise canceling headphones had a nice little cupboard to store them away, as other airlines tend to only have a pocket or some hook to hang them when not in use. Cables everywhere is not the way to go.
And for the vain pot in all of us: mirror...discreetly hidden of course.
Anyway, being on the window side is great for inflight views etc, but one thing about the CX seat design, the control panel box of the seat cuts off one window. Not a deal breaker, but hey, even Oman Air gives business class passengers 3 windows each.
Note: the first row window K side, there is a coat storage cabinet next to it. So if the crew needs to come around and open it lots, it might be a bother. They store other things in there too, so.....
You gotta lean forward to get the two windows. Sitting down you won't have a window by your shoulders.
Leg room was great, and unlike LH's little foot cubby hole, the space was enough when in bed mode. Then again, I am not terribly tall at 1.73m. Don't know how this would be for a 6 footer.
I couldn't help but look into the F section. Nice, but like SQ, I don't think the product is so differentiated that it would justify the cost. The space isn't as expansive as LH or EK / EY / QR F. I was quite happy with my seat.
Catering:
I am used to SQ BTC and TG's premium meals. I have had surprisingly good meals on Sri Lanka business class. And even LH can sometimes throw up shockers. CX was as good as they came. Presentation I will say ranked higher than SQ, if SQ can even be used as a benchmark anymore. Frankly I think that the gulf carriers have upped the ante on all levels and they should be taken as standards to follow. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves.
The welcome drink: with a nice little rose bud to make it pretty
Starter
Main: braised beef Asian style
Cheese and crackers with some fruit jelly that made the cheese so yummy!
fruit
Dessert: Pear cake with cream
Sacher cake for snacking...they wanted to give me the whole cake!
IFE:
What can I say? Nothing to complain. They have a great selection. Huge. Screen was sufficient in size although I think airlines should start going with the 16:9 ratio flatscreens. When it comes to IFE, I would be interested to see where airlines will take this. Simply because it is now too easy for passengers to bring their own uncensored content on board and plug into the screens. At some point the question has to be raised, how can IFE stay relevant?
Amenity kit:
I love collecting these. CX gives two versions of their Agnes B kit, based on gender. Luckily I got both! Standard innards.
What you can find in the bathroom:
Note: accessible restroom, which explains the bars
Some pictures from the flight:
Final Approach into JFK:
Final Notes:
You know what made this flight special? As usual: The Crew.
From the moment we got onboard they treated my elderly mother with such respect one expects as part of Asian culture. She was literally treated like gold. That clearly won points with me. Beyond that, nothing about the service felt rushed. The crew and I had such a great time chatting about aviation and more. And when I was bored, I joined them in the galley where I got to know each of them personally. We had a little cake party there, and I remember the time just being so happy. I also got to know who was CX's chief purser. A beautiful lady who didn't come across as pompous by rank. Unlike SQ where sometimes the blue kebayas would be on their best behavior out of fear when a purple or red was flying with them, this crew seemed to work organically with their superior. They worked very well as a team.
One very telling thing about their service and how they are different:
They learned that I was flying into NYC for my birthday. And they found out that I am an aviation enthusiast and collect airline merchandize. Just like that, I got this this. And for those of you who fly, you will know how valuable this is:
I would say that the flight was faultless. Even if I wanted to find a fault, I don't think there would be anything that would warrant a complaint. In fact, I wrote in to CX to commend the crew.
To be honest, if I could, and it was part of Star Alliance, I would fly them lots. I love that from town office to airport (well at least in Changi) to inflight, they seem to have it going on. I can't even say for my own national carrier which seems to be riddled with rules and rigidity.
Anyway, love the product and service. The user experience was stellar. Highly recommended.
Time to get back to home. Well, to where I left my heart at least. NYC.
As luck would have it, I had a chance to fly with Cathay Pacific and try out their business class product. When you are a Star Alliance boy, it just gets real hard to fly with other carriers. So I was very grateful.
The downside though was that the flight was very early in the morning, aka past midnight, and there was a few hours layover in HKIA. That part sucked. But the opportunity to fly the new regional business class and what was termed the best business class seat in the sky was too good to pass.
Lounge in Singapore: There was one escalator up, one flight of steps down, one elevator for wheelchair access. Passable. Not great. Food sucked. Definitely not SKL for SQ.
The Flight:
CX has incredible ground support. From the reservations agents in the town office to the check in agents at the airport. You get a sense that they are very integrated. Efficient yet friendly.
I hope it would be the same inflight.
The welcome on board was lovely. Super warm and friendly. Seamless, ground to air. We got the first row of business class. You don't necessarily get more room, just faster access once you turn left.
Monitor and storage on the wall. Set higher than seat back monitors. Go figure. The seat itself was not groundbreaking but it was comfortable for a few hours flight. Anything above 4 hours and I would question their value. I would rather fly with SQ's regional for longer regional flights.
The corporate green interiors was not my favorite among all the airlines. But at least it was not offensive to the eye, and for a past midnight flight, it was soothing.
Seat controls: No sensor touch here. Press, and the seat moves electronically. Decent recline. Fixed shell so the passengers behind you don't get affected. Calf support as well. Decent for short haul.
IFE control is standard. Nothing to write home about. There is a USB power port so you can charge your devices if you need to.
Food. Delicious. Sufficient for a 4 hour flight. Capped with fabulous pralines. I pride myself in connecting with crew members on every flight, well at least I try. The crew on this flight were so nice, and they even gave us the entire box of chocolate for us to eat in the lounge in HKIA. Noteworthy: CX thought of the little details that were functional but also made sense when it came to reducing weight on flights. They had spork! Great idea CX!
Lounge in HKIA:
The lounge was only supposed to be open at 6 am. Luckily by the time we got there after arrival, it was close to that. They knew there were early arrivals and the first floor was opened for that even though there was no food etc. This only kicked in when the lounge opened at its official time. Great for plane spotting. Big windows, lot of cozy chairs. Upstairs, it was like a living room with big sofas. Very nice. Of course if you are a solo traveler they have their media chairs that are exclusive to CX. They have great showers, very spa like. You should try them if you have a chance. They of course have PC stations, and thanks to the Hong Kongers sense of aesthetic and brand loving, they have Macs. Yay.
Food: They have a noodle bar where they make them fresh for you. Sadly this was just passable. Like EW. And the service was HK in the 90's style. Bad. Same with the bakery. Bad service. Bad pastries. Why even bother? Main breakfast buffet was alright.
I caught the eye of an expatriate working in petrochemicals and based in Singapore. He was very friendly. This is partly why I love flying premium. You make new connections relatively easily. I could sense he was interested in getting to know each other better, but er hmm I had company. So...he left. Sad. Should have exchanged contacts. Would be nice to expand my social circles in Singapore.
