Star Wars in Changi Airport: The Plushies!

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.

Trip Report: Singapore Airlines Business Class SIN-FRA

Flight:  SQ26
Route:  SIN - FRA
Equipment:  A388
Class:  Business

So it was time to go on an exciting trip, one that would be be 23 hours of flight time, more when you consider the layover in FRA.  Even more exciting was the fact that my itinerary would be flown on SQ and LH, with the latter on the 747-8i.  I had flown that aircraft before and in my opinion is sexier than the A388, so I welcomed the opportunity to fly her again.

Anyway:

Got out of the SKL and took the short walk to gate A4 right below it. That's the thing I love about flying SQ to Europe. You can stay in the lounge to just about the last minute before making your way to the plane.  Priority boarding has less value because of it.

Anyway, it was a pretty standard SQ C flight. It wasn't all that full in business class, which was nice. The dude in 11A looked like someone I worked with in television before (read: AG), and he was pretty friendly. Especially since he didn't mind me taking pictures of his 11A for archive purposes. I was interested to know for sure if that seat would be a hassle since  it was so close to the galley.  In the end, I didn't think it was so bad, although it was true that the crew was efficient in making their rounds, and therefore had to exit from the galley through here.  If you are a light sleeper, avoid.

That was why I chose 15A. Not too close to the galley, not too far from the lavs. Although the cubbie hole for the feet was nothing compared to 11A's full ottoman. Ah well, first world problems.

Meals were ok too. Didn't want to be adventurous so stuck to the tried and true: Lobster Thermidor. My BTC from LHR was underwhelming. So even though SQ sized down the lobster, YES WE NOTICED SQ, it was still delicious enough to have again and again.  Still, the BTC menu hasn't changed much for years. And one would think with the competition from the Gulf carriers, SQ would try to up its game. Hmm.

Nasi Lemak was a safe bet for breakfast. Again BTC. But SQ's is nothing compared to MH's. Of course.

Crew was ok. Which means excellent for other airlines. But for us, it means nothing to write home about. I did get some more toys from them. And of course all my regular magazines. Vogue, Business Traveler, Men's Health...so I was happy.

Anyway enjoy the video of the flight. It is my first attempt. Didn't realize that after years of Final Cut Pro how easy iMovie was LOL....

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 'New' Regional Business Class SIN - HKG PLUS SIN and HKG Lounges

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.

Pretty soon it was time to board. CX 77W!

Report next!