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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....

Airline News: Qatar A380 Interior

You can always depend on Homer3152 for some fun when exploring premium cabins.  This time though he got a sneak peek into the new cabin products for Qatar's A380. Wonder how he knows Al-Baker...Hmmm

The video:

Trip Report: Singapore Airlines SQ231 All Business Class Singapore to Sydney

It has been a while since I have written for SRFlyer.  My other blog explains the lethargy and other reasons. It wasn't like I had no content. Just needed a push.

Then I realized for this blog that as much as I like to share, I also have not had a record of my past trips other than loads of pictures. And unlike the old days when you can write behind the kodak prints, typing in metadata in huge volumes of jpegs can be tedious.

So this blog, as much as it is for others, is also for me.

So here goes. First trip report EVER. Please be kind.

Trip: Australia / New Zealand 2013 (OZNZ 2013)

Reason:   Miles Burn from BMI sale to BA (ick)
Itinerary:  SIN - SYD - MEL - AKL - SYD - SIN
Dates:      28 Feb - 13 Mar 2013

Business Class

First Sector: SIN - SYD
Carrier: Singapore Airlines
Flight: SQ231
Equipment: A388 (All Business Class Configuration)
Departure: 0045
Arrival: 1150
Seat: 12K
Book the Cook: Chargrilled Soya Beef Steak (Culinary Panel selection)

Like many others who had to burn their miles, this was booked like a year before. I had timed the trip to coincide with Mardi Gras 2013 (might as well), without even knowing the cost implications of that decision. It became something that I ended up regretting a bit, more on that later.

The good thing of such an advanced booking was that I was able to get my fave seat 12K and lock that down.  Also, I learned to use the system to be able to retrieve SQ's own PNR code for my booking, which was separate for BMI's booking reference. That helped out A LOT when it came to making changes to my BTC later. I also managed to get the Air New Zealand code, which helped initially to get my seats, but once BMI closed operations, I was locked out of making any amendments. This should have hinted something about what would happen during my first Air NZ flight. Oh well. More on that later too.

When the day rolled along to go for the trip, I made sure I got reminders that I had to check in the night before for the early morning flight.

It had been a while since I flew on SQ's A388, so I was psyched.

Started out with the cab ride. Like many Singaporean cab drivers, they would switch on the meter even before you got into the cab and told them the destination. It is a small annoyance, and it is crazy to me that they would think doing something which is forbidden by their rules, would earn them that much more!

By the time I got to the airport however, I made peace with that and had a good time talking to the driver about his camouflage driving gloves. Quite rad!

Got to check in. I had already done OLCI a few hours before. Wanted to get fragile tags on my new Lufthansa Rimowa luggage. I love love love my Rimowa and really prayed that baggage handlers would respect it!

There were quite a few people checking in. I noticed this Caucasian guy standing behind me taking pictures of the process, and I figured, that's a great idea and followed suit.

When it was my turn, as usual, I had a fun time bantering with the agent. She found it humorous that I loved my Rimowa so much but she said she understood. It ain't cheap for one. And I was not the first! Soon I was on my way.

I made sure I arrived slightly earlier because I wanted to do the full airport shopping, lounge and boarding experience.

Trust me to gauge the time wrong.

Wanted to check for Longchamp bags but was told that the stores were in the other terminals. So off I went scrambling from terminal to terminal. Then back to T3 for about an hour's worth in the Silver Kris Lounge.

The lounge dragons welcomed me in without much fuss. Going in, it was like revisiting Old Faithful.

SQ's lounge is dependable. And yes it is sorta glamorous I suppose. Except that there were a lot of flights taking off that night and finding a pocket of solitude meant moving to a far corner.

Looking around it never fails to amaze me why some people think think that business class travelers are somehow more privileged and well off.

Class and Class of Travel are not mutually exclusive.

I saw people who were wearing flip flops, raggedy t-shirts, unshaven. Gone are the days of Pan Am and dressing decent for a flight.

I headed towards the food bar.

It might have been late but SQ did not disappoint. There was a whole range of dishes from local, to Asian, to Western. Soups, Noodles, Cakes, you name it.

Knowing that I would be fed on board, I decided to do taste tests of the dishes instead of going for entree portions.

Let's just say for the variety, the end conclusion in terms of quality and taste was: Meh.

I was however grateful that the spread was as generous as it was. If you were in the lounge on a Gold Frequent Flier card and flying cattle class later, the food would be great as a pre-flight meal. Then again, SQ's Silver Kris Lounge policy denies entry to Gold cardholders. And you would have to be flying SQ Business Class to gain access. Or at least have a very high leveled Krisflyer membership.

My Club Chair

I got back to my seat. Could not be bothered to use their wifi and sent messages on my phone's network instead. Ate, drank, took pictures.

Then I spotted the same Caucasian man from check in. He came from the back and planted his behind on a seat in front of me. Let's just say he was making himself conspicuous. Mardi Gras was starting early.

Bathroom amenities same as premium inflight amenities

Time to board. No announcements. Went to the bathroom and yes, everything was as it was before. Same amenities.

Went to the gate. Got through security easy. I made sure NOTHING metallic was on me.

The boarding had begun. I bypassed the lines to the priority line. And then something interesting happened. Security was checking all the business passengers' hand luggage. Unusual for sure.

Fine by me. The officer opened my bag, moved a few things gently around, thanked me and off I went. Love Changi for that, they make the process respectful, discreet and painless.

Got on the plane, and there were big smiles from the crew of course. It felt like leaving home, but coming home at the same time. This flight was special. It had a purple kebaya!

Ok that's not her, but crew members came out to say hello

I was shown to my seat.

See the extra head cushion? That is for the All C Upper Deck

All the formalities of offering drinks and reading material were done efficiently. Their special mocktail was ordered. And of course my usual list: Vogue. Business Traveler Asia Pacific. Any other fashion magazines.

They came back with Business Traveler. Check. No Vogue. Sad. The crew member said she would look around for one.

A few minutes later, VOILA, Vogue! Ah SQ, you know me so well!

My Vogue under my Menu!

The door was closing. Someone came in. He sat in 11K in front of me. The crew members fussed over him. Oh no. Lifetime Solitaire member. Or worse. Politician or some guy from a local family dynasty.

He stood up from his seat, scanned the back of the plane, saw and stared at me. STARED. I thought: Oh Gawd. Phobe. How appropriate. I said hello. He went back to his seat. Hmm.

Of course later, I learned that he was an incredibly nice person. But that is another story.

There were some rain drops on the window. I love flying in rainy weather. So romantic. Now find me a partner to share it with! ;-)

While I may not go ra-ra about the comfort, I love the privacy of SQ's Business Class seat. And in a late night flight, with darkened cabins, there is something special about it, like you are on a private plane for one.

Towards Suites. One day SQ. One Day.

The seat in the all business class A388 has been modified slightly. SQ added a head cushion which honestly makes a HUGE difference. Still, you can see the age of the seats. On the regular two class upper deck, it is far worse.

Everyone was in flat bed mode fast!

A crew member came around asking for post take off drinks. Initially I wanted something naughty. I later changed that to a more appropriate tea.

SQ uses TWG teas for Business and First Class. 7 bucks I believe in town for a cup. Time to drink like there's no tomorrow. Bwahahahahahahaha! Ok not very classy I admit.

I was asked if I wanted a snack now or the Book the Cook meal. SQ serves one main meal for overnight flights like this one. I decided to eat that for 'breakfast / lunch' although timing wise, it would have been only five hours into the flight.

The crew member asked me what I would like to snack post take off. They didn't have much. Ick. The Inflight Supervisor came to my rescue. He first offered a sandwich which he would customize for me. I wanted something soupy. He then said he would get some seafood noodle soup made for me, and I don't even believe it was on the menu.

Special Noodle Soup

Ah SQ. Love. I heart your delicious local dish!

The dish hit the spot, inflating my stomach to a point that I could not eat the other nibbles like Ferraro Rocher chocolates and chips.

I made my bed, yes girls, I know how to do it. Not an SQ virgin, and grateful for it. Annoys me when passengers expect the crew to do the beds for them. GET YOUR ASS OFF AND DO IT YOURSELF!

The gentleman in front of me also made his bed and he was out like a light right after! I went to do my inflight, pre-zzzz beauty ritual, returned and tucked in with my bear Brownie. Yes Brownie was lucky this time, he got to travel with me.

Brownie was given to me by a friend when I worked in television. He is 20 years old.

There was nothing in the IFE, had seen most of the movies already. Found a HBO documentary on ex-Supermodels called About Face. If you can find this, watch it. Very interesting.

I don't usually sleep on a plane. But I must have been way tired. I got about 3 hours of sleep.

About 2 hours before landing, I got woken for my BTC meal. I half contemplated to give that up but I really wanted to taste this dish.

The Japanese dish. Not bad but a little soggy.

Got up. Got fed. Got the same reaction as in the lounge: Meh.

Before long, the cabin was prepared for landing. Lights came up, windows were opened. Passengers scrambled to the washrooms last minute, as usual.

I was ready.

The crew passed out express passes for customs and immigrations. Very useful. They had a few conditions but most of the passengers would meet them. Later I would learn that no one really checks these. So....

I didn't get to see any views below. Pity. It is like any other flight. We touched down soon enough. Pretty smooth, but it is SQ and it is the A388. We arrived slightly earlier but another plane had not vacated our gate, so we had to wait a while. No issues. Love being in a plane anyway.

I thanked the crew for yet another great flight.  Disembarkation was smooth. And so were immigrations and customs. It was quite a surprise actually as I had heard so many horror stories about how they would check everyone's bags and basically behave worse than the TSA in the US. Not so. At least not for me.

So it was a fine extension of the whole flight. I was quite relieved actually. But maybe it was because I was walking out with someone that was distinguished looking.

And that, again, is another story.

:-)

Airline News: Airbus A380 - Promises Delivered?

Two days ago, British Airways released their A380 seat plan, in anticipation of their first whalejet flight.

Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG, BA's parent company revealed the following details:

Main Deck

• 14 First
• 22 Club World Business Class in a 2/4/2 configuration
• 119 World Traveler Economy Class in a 3/4/5 configuration

Upper Deck

• 53 Club World Business Class in a 2/3/2 layout
• 55 World Traveler Plus Premium Economy Class in a 2/3/2 layout
• 104 World Traveler Economy Class in a 2/4/2 layout

BA has bought 12 of the superjumbos and are taking delivery of their first in July of 2013.  No announcements of routes yet.

I don't profess to be an aviation expert, but I do have an opinion. Frankly, I don't see the big hype about the A380, or even the Dreamliner for that matter.  The makers of these aircrafts have all the best intentions in the world in developing new technologies that can, in theory, lead to a more comfortable ride for passengers.  And let's face it, that is a good thing considering the golden days of Pan Am are long gone and not returning.  So with the hassles on the ground, what goes on in the air does matter.

When Airbus starting hocking their plane around, the industry and the public got to view such wondrous possibilities.  Oh, the plane is way quieter than any predecessor.  Oh, there is so much space now even in cattle class.  Oh, we have great mood lighting and larger overhead bins.

And check out the grand staircase!

Airbus did a great job at selling the dream in their marketing mock ups, especially for premium classes, offering even options between salons and suites.

It's been what, over 5 years now since the first Singapore Airlines A380 flight.  Many other carriers have since flown theirs.  Has there been any difference?

Some swear that the plane is indeed quieter upon take off and landing. Personally, I didn't think that it was that much quieter compared to say the 77W.  Crew members I spoke to from different carriers concurred.  Fine, it is all anecdotal and some may say subjective.

So let's take a look at the seat numbers of the different carriers flying the A380.

© Business Traveler

Airbus's A380 capacity was designated to be 555 seats in a three class configuration.  That number was to gain maximum yields without the bells and whistles they sold in their marketing campaigns.

At 469 seats in total BA doesn't come in too bad.  At 516 seats, the greatest offender is Air France that tries to squeeze out every little bit of space in their A380, while Korean Air comes in at 407 seats.

So does the passenger benefit from the added space?  It depends.  If you are in the back of the bus, the experience will be no different from any other plane, primarily because the seat pitch of Y in almost all the carriers straddles between 31-32 inches.  If you are in business class, unless you are flying with Qantas, whose pitch is about 80 inches, you will still find the industry average of 55-60 inches to be the norm on the superjumbos of other carriers.  And if you are flying in first, well, if you aren't happy with the space in the front of the bus, then get a private jet!

So the truth is, space wise, it isn't any different from any other plane. Airlines have tried to sell their A380s as an improvement in products and services.  Indeed, SQ launched their new 1/2/1 'widest business class seat in the sky' during the inauguration of their A380.

Most airline customers though have not succumbed to the immense possibilities of the aircraft.  There are exceptions such as Emirates, which installed bars in their premium cabins and of course the now legendary showers in First Class.  Lufthansa decked out their First Class with a glorious toilet and changing room, in addition to noise insulating carpeting among others.  Korean Air has their shop in the sky and lounge areas in premium classes.  Singapore Airlines has their matrimonial double beds in Suites, although their official stand on what could happen on those beds is just hilarious.

If you think that just because passengers who fly premium classes get treated oh so special, well thing of this.  You know how an Y passenger is not allowed in the upper deck unless there is a Y cabin up there?  And you know how the wonderful grand staircase is off limits to Y passengers?  Well, because First Class in the A380 is always in the front of the plane, even J passengers are usually barred from using the grand staircase.

So the Grand Staircase on the A380 is a little like the one that was on the Titanic.  Luxurious but only for a very select few.  It is literally a staircase up or down to heaven,  depending on which deck First Class is on!

So after 5 years or so, the discussions and debates will no doubt continue.  Is it safe, is it noisy, is it luxurious etc.  

While the plane bears the distinction of being part of aviation milestone, no carrier will want to want to fly a plane that does not make economic sense (hallo A345).  

And so, at the end of the day, airlines have to strike a balance between coming up with the next big thing in aviation products, and yield management, something that has no formula or manual. 

For the passenger, it will still be a squeeze, the food will still taste mediocre and looking out of the window will have the same sensation regardless of the deck you are flying in.

Down the line, flying the A380 may lose its 'new tech' appeal, leaving behind  no real difference or unique value in the flying experience.