Flight: SQ 305
Route: LHR - SIN
Equipment: 777-300ER
Class: Business
Seat: 16A
Buh bye London!
Ya know...
I may sometimes gripe about SQ on a lot of levels. Especially when I get to meet their management or ex-management once in a while. It may be for sentimental reasons, but I do have a soft spot for our national carrier.
As pedantic as their methods may be, the fact is the SQ brand translates well to travelers from all classes.
This flight was no exception.
After a near disaster at the Queen's Terminal (which by the way, sounds like the location for a sequel to Priscilla), we were just so happy to be on board.
I failed to get my favorite mini cabin. And when the opportunity came up to get 14A, it was honestly a struggle. It was the infamous seat next to the galley. Which pretty much is dependent on whether the crew is mindful of that guy in that seat.
I decided not to chance it. It was a long flight back. And I needed to zzzz.
Obviously that row would be snapped up. A guy that reminded me of my ex-TV colleague, came in shortly after me and quickly settled in. He didn't seem to mind me taking some pictures but for the life of me, I cannot find them. Sorry.
This trip report won't be jammed with pics as well. I have written about this product before and pretty much my impressions still stand.
The crew of course made a huge difference and hey, it's the Singapore Girl. And I always have a good time with SQ girls. Except for that dizzy twit in First once. I will NEVER forget her. Or that leading steward from my flight from BOM-SIN who exemplified Singapore's tow the line culture and whined about my carry on...while I was being hoisted in a wheelchair in the back of the plane via crane. Let's just say in both instances: me + Chief Crew = service recovery + pleasant flight. But no, I didn't write any of them in. I never do that to SQ crew members.
This flight, the more senior blue noticed how I knew my way around, and was independent in setting up the bed. She asked if I was an ex-crew member. Not the first time.
I have to say the crew was very creative in finding solutions. When they realized we didn't eat pork, and the breakfast menu had lots of them, they went to the galley and did what I knew was an F privilege: freshly made scrambled eggs. Amazing.
On top of that, I got my SQ teddies as usual. And towards the end of the flight, we got a note thanking us for flying SQ (something I thought only CX does), plus two little Flounders from The Little Mermaid. Or at least I think it's Flounder.
It was excellent as usual. I had hoped I would be able to fly in the new J, but that will have to wait.
Hello Product & Services (aka Inflight Experience), it's weird to sleep at an angle!
First row? Yup, galley noise. And flapping of curtains.
Meals on board: Some hits, some misses. The vietnamese beef salad was yums, the celebrated BTC from the new chef from Milan was such a miss the crew offered me another selection, which also fell flat.
London flights have an English tea service. So nice!
Cabin mood shots:
Hallo: they don't interfere with navigations
Arrival into Singapore. You know you are near the city, when you see tankers below you!
On the ground. SQ birds are so beautiful! Inside Changi was pretty quiet for a late afternoon arrival.
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.
