Trip Report VLog: Lufthansa 747-8i Business Class Upper Deck Frankfurt to Mexico + Lounge!

So I am getting the hang of making video reports. It is soooo much easier and more fun to put pictures into a video format!

Still, you can't put in all the info unless you do voice overs or something. So I will still have to depend on writing, just a bit.

Imagine arriving around 6 am and having your next flight at past 1 pm. In FRA. OMG. I knew I had to come up with some plan to avoid boredom.  The lounge is nice, but it isn't the most interesting lounge on the planet.

So I decided upon arrival to go through the hassle of immigration and get out to land side. For reasons I still can't understand, I thought it was a good idea to go into the city and maybe do some shopping. Of course I would forget that shops would not open until say 10 am, and that it would be brrr cold outside and  of course I would forget to bring the right clothes. Plan B it was. To get into the arrivals lounge (since I was not air side anymore). Thought I could shower, and have breakfast.

Well.

LH Arrivals lounge, I was soon to learn, was only for people coming off LH flights. Star Alliance Gold status would not get you in. Even if your flight was LH coded but operated by another carrier.

So what else was there to do?

Shop at the Worldshop for LH Rimowa luggage. Always wanted a matching carry on. Met a Singaporean lady there who was raving about how she compared prices in Singapore and how cheap it was in Germany. My shopping experience took a few hours after I learned that my luggage was a little damaged and I had to go back and exchange it.

I did think of doing the airport tour but they had limited slots and I couldn't make it work. So it was back through immigration and security. FRA is just bad with security. They always find something to gripe about. This time it was my Bose mini sound link. They literally hauled me away, put the damn thing in a box before deciding it wasn't a terrorist tool. The only upside to this experience was the officer, who was a stunner, made a pass at me. Er hm.

The rest of the time was spent in the lounge, where I chatted with the friendly bartender from the Philippines and ate average food. Tried to nap, just couldn't do it.

Boarding was easy. If I wanted to I could even use the pass noted in my iPhone. LH is good for such things. Very integrated and seamless, unlike some other airlines.

On board, the service was professional. Of course it would never be like Asian hospitality. But the ladies were pleasant enough, and they fed us all enough to not warrant any call bell.

Note: I had the first row, upper deck. The beauty of the Dash 8 is of course the extended upper deck. So it should be your first choice. And because it is single aisle up there with limited seats, it does tend to be quieter. I know because I have sat in the main deck business class too. Not pleasant.

First row however meant that your IFE monitors would be cramped together. But lucky me, I was alone in that row. Guess most HON members prefer the full seat set up with all the cubby holes etc.

Catering was of course better than pre-new business class days. And because this was the Dash 8 the service was upgraded. I must say the food wasn't bad at all. And in some respects even better than SQ. Except for the welcome nuts. In a packet, not in a bowl, and not warm. Terrible.

There were two meals on this flight. Lunch and pre-landing dinner, which was an abbreviated version. Single tray service whereas the lunch was course by course.

Amenity kit was from Samsonite. Well the bag at least. Nice, considering what LH used to give out.  Anything missing from the kit you can get from the restrooms.

The flight was uneventful, except that someone from two rows back kept eyeing me, and even shamelessly made several trips to the lavs in the front. It wouldn't take a genius to know that I was er hmm being desired.

The immigration process was simple and quick. And everyone was friendly and used whatever English they knew to welcome me into their country. It was a good start to what would be a hectic trip.

Enjoy the video!

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....

Lounge Report: Singapore Airlines Silverkris Business Class Lounge Changi Airport T3

SQ's flagship lounge is still as 'glam' as before. But a facelift would be nice. One wonders why SQ decided to launch its new 'Home Away from Home' lounge concept in Sydney first.  Anyway, if there is ever a gripe for SQ, it sucks that the lounge gets very crowded in the evenings even though the carrier restricts entry to the lounge in a big way.

I will say though that the lounge is the perfect opportunity to learn and understand that just because some people get to fly premium cabins, that does not show breeding of any kind. Some take the word lounge as a verb, as in something you do at home. Yuk. When I look at old Pan Am pictures, I wish people would still see travel as a luxurious privilege and come to airport appropriately so.

Anyway, coming back to the SQ's lounge, I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. At the end of the day, any seasoned traveler would really regard a lounge just as a place to escape the hordes outside, until they meet hordes inside (I'm talking LH lounge Mumbai!). And of course SKL Changi T3!

It started with Check In.

Empty as usual 

The airport had tacky Chinese New Year decorations

I wondered if they had the license to use Disney characters

Really cute mobile displays

Vaguely familiar. Changi might have been doing the time honored Singaporean tradition of 'lifting' established designs and IPs and appropriating them without having to pay fees

Never saw this before, or never noticed

Nice display though

Another media wall outside the lounge

Inside, dark, luxe, and cramped

That night was like a bumper crop of hotties and everyone seemed to have lived in the gym...er hmmm...lats anyone?

Papers....like anyone bothers to read them

The way to the showers and restrooms

Bread and Salad bar...maybe...can't remember if there were any greens there

Fruits and dessert....weakest part of catering

Food from every major culture in Singapore, from Malay to Indian to of course Chinese

Rendang, sweet and sour fish, sushi and chicken drumlets

DIY cold soba

My fave tea when I fly SQ...there is a uniqueness to the blend that just reminds me of SQ

Trip Report: SIngapore Airlines Business Class 777-300ER LHR - SIN

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.