SIN-BNE-SIN SQ Raffles Class
Jan 8, 2003, 10:54 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA ExecPlat; AF Gold; UA GS; Hyatt L. Globalist; Marriott Plat; Hilton Diamond; National EE
Posts: 6,164
SIN-BNE-SIN SQ Raffles Class
SIN-BNE SQ 235
Boeing 777-200
Dec 26, 2002
dep 2145
arr 0640+1
(on time departure and arrival)
I was traveling to Brisbane with PPS Solitaire traveling companions, so the car to the airport dropped us off at Terminal 2’s priority area. Unfortunately, there were no porters or check-in agents to show us to the PPS/F check-in room. We commandeered a trolley and got ourselves halfway to the PPS room before a porter charged out to take us the rest of the way. Check-in was in the civilized surroundings of the PPS room, with direct access to the immigration counters. The wait at the counters was brief.
The First Class lounge was very nice. Maki rolls, seafood noodles, turkey with gravy, baked savouries, fruit, log cake, smoked fish, potatoes and soups were available. I had some Krug and maki, but was saving my appetite for the flight. Lounge was quite empty. I also visited the terminal 2 Premier Lounge – note to UA mileage runners: this lounge has shower suites, which even the Silver Kris lounge does not have. It opens at 5.30am. Ask at front desk for towels.
Security was quick and efficient. I think I was last to board, so there was no line. I was welcomed with orange juice. The cabin was less than half full so we were able to spread out.
Ground: 5/5
Dinner
A Savoury Note
Mesclun with French duck foie gras and dried apricot
Thousand island dressing
Balsamico dressing
The Main Event
Chicken stuffed with caramelized shallots wrapped in ham with tarragon sauce, asparagus, carrot and potatoes
Indian style fish fillet in masala spices with vegetable korma and steamed basmati rice
Stirfried sliced beef in giner and spring onion, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Stewed lamb shank in red wine jus with herbs, snap peas, pumpkins, red capsicums and potatoes
Book the cook: fish soufflé Thai style with minced chicken
Book the cook: slipper lobster thermidor
The Cheese board
Selection of cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice cream
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
and pralines
The foie gras on salad was excellent: generous slabs of goose liver on a light salad. One traveling companion waived dinner, so I had his salad as well as his lobster thermidor, the latter of which followed my fish soufflé. All dishes were superbly tasty. Dessert consisted of whole fruit and Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice cream.
Meals: 5/5
Starting soon after take off, I deployed my entertainment system, and started watching One Hour Photo, which continued through dinner. I also watched an episode of Friends, then went to sleep for 2h. I awoke feeling very warm, and the temperature was set to 22 deg C – warmer than I like it. Cooled off with iced water. Was offered continental breakfast, which I accepted.
Continental Breakfast
A Fresh Start
A choice of apple, tomato and freshly squeezed orange
A selection of fresh fruit
From the Bakery
Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter – fruit preserves
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Service was just excellent throughout, the crew watched each passenger carefully yet discreetly, responding to demands. During dinner, different people ate at different paces, and no one was hurried: the main course was brought out only when the passenger was ready. Breakfast was available at any time on demand. Water was refilled from time to time from large Evian bottles. I felt way too stuffed after dinner to try the snacks, but I’m sure it would have been brought with alacrity and tastefully presented if I had simply asked.
Our flight path was very direct: the great circle route from Singapore across Bali, entering Australia in northern WA, then across NT and QLD.
SIN Ground: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Meals: 5/5
Entertainment: 5/5
Seat comfort: 3/5
Total: 22.5/25
As you can see, the only main negative point of the flight is the seat comfort: The Ultimo Lite seats are not as comfortable as UA’s C class seat product. They don’t recline as far and the footrest is not as comfortable. But they are wide enough. Also, the cabin felt much much warmer than the 22 deg C the climate control computer was reporting. No matter: gracious and personal service from end to end makes the customer feel appreciated in a way that really does make up for flaws that are inevitable.
BNE-SIN SQ 236
Boeing 777-200
Jan 3, 2003
sched dep 1500
sched arr 2035
(on time departure; arrival 15 min late)
Brisbane International Airport SQ check-in was swamped with masses of people. Only two counters serving Business and Star Gold passengers – 5 min wait for an agent, but check in itself was quite efficiently done. Immigration and security were both efficient and quick (for Australia, where things occur at a slower pace.) The lounge was quite full, there was no mineral water, and some imbecile had been smoking in the shower room (pretty nice, by the way, if you want to take a shower at BNE). However, there was a good if small selection of refreshments, including bowls of instant noodles. Boarding: There was no dedicated line for *G or Business Class passengers.
Ground: 3.5/5
On board the plane, the FA’s welcomed passengers aboard and were happy to bring me mineral water as a welcome drink. The 2-class 777-200 with Ultimo Lite seats had arrived in the morning and was now making its return journey.
The food on this flight was a change from before: it used to be a main meal early in the flight, then refreshments before arriving in Singapore; the menu this time was inverted, with a substantial refreshment early in the flight, then dinner 2h before arrival into Singapore. Refreshments were served shortly after take off:
Refreshment
To Nibble On…
Shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings and egg noodles with roasted pork
Focaccia with smoked chicken, leafy salad with feta cheese
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet Coffee
Selection of tea
I had the dumplings and noodles, which were filling, despite the fact that all I had had for lunch was a bowl of instant noodles in the BNE lounge. They were also reasonably tasty, but certainly by no means would they command gourmet raves.
Dinner
A Savoury Note
Garden Salad with marinated salmon and salmon roe
Thousand Island dressing
Lemon Vinaigrette
The Main Event
Chicken stuffed with walnut and lemon thyme, greens beans and macaroni
Short rib of beef in Chinese wine-five-spices with seasonal vegetables and fried rice
Barramundi in white wine-pesto with spinach, carrot and potatoes
Lamb curry Madras, spicy vegetables and pilaff rice
The Cheese Board
Selection of cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice Cream
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet Coffee
Selection of tea
and pralines
The salad was fresh; the crew was happy to bring me extra salmon and salmon roe. I ordered the Chinese beef, but it was tough and dry; I called for the purser, who was happy to swap it for the lamb curry, which was adequate. Cheeses consisted of camembert, cheddar and blue varieties, accompanied by grapes and crackers. Ice cream was raspberry (I passed on that). FA offered to get strawberry from Y class instead, but I declined. Pralines came around with coffee, tea and liqueurs on a cart. I asked for the Kenyan AA “Kilimanjaro” Coffee, which had a strong aroma, nice sharpness, and good body. The crew did not have this on the cart, but was happy to brew it for me. SQ actually has an excellent beverage menu, with seven types of teas, three types of gourmet coffees (in addition to the house brew), mocha, Milo, espresso, cappuccino and specialty cocktails.
Meals: 4/5
Entertainment: Unfortunately this plane did not have the Wisemen video on demand system! Drats. I was looking forward to a rematch with the computer on the Gameboy tennis game. I played some other games instead. Also tried watching Swimfan, but the tape was damaged and the picture was jumpy with intermittent sound for the first 30 min. There was nothing the purser could do about it. Also watched Shakespeare in Love, which was even better than the first time I saw it, except that the sound faded in and out every so often. But sheer variety of choice saves the entertainment rating:
Entertainment: 3.5/5
The crew was very busy because every one of the 30 seats in C class was full, including a number of young children. They were unable to provide the personalized and attentive service that made the outbound leg of the trip so enjoyable. But they did try, and were quick to respond whenever I pressed the call button. In addition, they never made me feel like I was self-loading cargo, and seemed to genuinely enjoy being at the service of passengers, despite the full workload.
Service: 4.5/5
The route took us pretty much back along the great circle path from Brisbane to Singapore – nice daytime views of the arid, desolate Australian outback (the color of Australia is definitely red). We landed to the northeast and I had good views of Terminal 1 from my right-side window seat during landing. We had to taxi past the terminal and take the bridge over the highway to get to Terminal 2 and our gate, F58. Yes, for those of you not familiar with Changi Airport, there actually is a bridge over the highway that leads to the airport: the bridge connects the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 sides of the airport south of the control tower. It’s quite a sight to see a 747-400 taxiing across the bridge when you approach the airport – brings the majesty of the aircraft right into your field of view. For the curious, the aircraft was scheduled to take off for Adelaide later in the evening.
Bags were off the belt quite quickly, and the fact that priority tagging actually works (more often than not) in SIN was proven again!
Ground: 3.5/5
Meals: 4/5
Entertainment: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Seat comfort: 3/5
Overall: 18.5/25
[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 01-09-2003).]
Boeing 777-200
Dec 26, 2002
dep 2145
arr 0640+1
(on time departure and arrival)
I was traveling to Brisbane with PPS Solitaire traveling companions, so the car to the airport dropped us off at Terminal 2’s priority area. Unfortunately, there were no porters or check-in agents to show us to the PPS/F check-in room. We commandeered a trolley and got ourselves halfway to the PPS room before a porter charged out to take us the rest of the way. Check-in was in the civilized surroundings of the PPS room, with direct access to the immigration counters. The wait at the counters was brief.
The First Class lounge was very nice. Maki rolls, seafood noodles, turkey with gravy, baked savouries, fruit, log cake, smoked fish, potatoes and soups were available. I had some Krug and maki, but was saving my appetite for the flight. Lounge was quite empty. I also visited the terminal 2 Premier Lounge – note to UA mileage runners: this lounge has shower suites, which even the Silver Kris lounge does not have. It opens at 5.30am. Ask at front desk for towels.
Security was quick and efficient. I think I was last to board, so there was no line. I was welcomed with orange juice. The cabin was less than half full so we were able to spread out.
Ground: 5/5
Dinner
A Savoury Note
Mesclun with French duck foie gras and dried apricot
Thousand island dressing
Balsamico dressing
The Main Event
Chicken stuffed with caramelized shallots wrapped in ham with tarragon sauce, asparagus, carrot and potatoes
Indian style fish fillet in masala spices with vegetable korma and steamed basmati rice
Stirfried sliced beef in giner and spring onion, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Stewed lamb shank in red wine jus with herbs, snap peas, pumpkins, red capsicums and potatoes
Book the cook: fish soufflé Thai style with minced chicken
Book the cook: slipper lobster thermidor
The Cheese board
Selection of cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice cream
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
and pralines
The foie gras on salad was excellent: generous slabs of goose liver on a light salad. One traveling companion waived dinner, so I had his salad as well as his lobster thermidor, the latter of which followed my fish soufflé. All dishes were superbly tasty. Dessert consisted of whole fruit and Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice cream.
Meals: 5/5
Starting soon after take off, I deployed my entertainment system, and started watching One Hour Photo, which continued through dinner. I also watched an episode of Friends, then went to sleep for 2h. I awoke feeling very warm, and the temperature was set to 22 deg C – warmer than I like it. Cooled off with iced water. Was offered continental breakfast, which I accepted.
Continental Breakfast
A Fresh Start
A choice of apple, tomato and freshly squeezed orange
A selection of fresh fruit
From the Bakery
Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter – fruit preserves
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Service was just excellent throughout, the crew watched each passenger carefully yet discreetly, responding to demands. During dinner, different people ate at different paces, and no one was hurried: the main course was brought out only when the passenger was ready. Breakfast was available at any time on demand. Water was refilled from time to time from large Evian bottles. I felt way too stuffed after dinner to try the snacks, but I’m sure it would have been brought with alacrity and tastefully presented if I had simply asked.
Our flight path was very direct: the great circle route from Singapore across Bali, entering Australia in northern WA, then across NT and QLD.
SIN Ground: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Meals: 5/5
Entertainment: 5/5
Seat comfort: 3/5
Total: 22.5/25
As you can see, the only main negative point of the flight is the seat comfort: The Ultimo Lite seats are not as comfortable as UA’s C class seat product. They don’t recline as far and the footrest is not as comfortable. But they are wide enough. Also, the cabin felt much much warmer than the 22 deg C the climate control computer was reporting. No matter: gracious and personal service from end to end makes the customer feel appreciated in a way that really does make up for flaws that are inevitable.
BNE-SIN SQ 236
Boeing 777-200
Jan 3, 2003
sched dep 1500
sched arr 2035
(on time departure; arrival 15 min late)
Brisbane International Airport SQ check-in was swamped with masses of people. Only two counters serving Business and Star Gold passengers – 5 min wait for an agent, but check in itself was quite efficiently done. Immigration and security were both efficient and quick (for Australia, where things occur at a slower pace.) The lounge was quite full, there was no mineral water, and some imbecile had been smoking in the shower room (pretty nice, by the way, if you want to take a shower at BNE). However, there was a good if small selection of refreshments, including bowls of instant noodles. Boarding: There was no dedicated line for *G or Business Class passengers.
Ground: 3.5/5
On board the plane, the FA’s welcomed passengers aboard and were happy to bring me mineral water as a welcome drink. The 2-class 777-200 with Ultimo Lite seats had arrived in the morning and was now making its return journey.
The food on this flight was a change from before: it used to be a main meal early in the flight, then refreshments before arriving in Singapore; the menu this time was inverted, with a substantial refreshment early in the flight, then dinner 2h before arrival into Singapore. Refreshments were served shortly after take off:
Refreshment
To Nibble On…
Shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings and egg noodles with roasted pork
Focaccia with smoked chicken, leafy salad with feta cheese
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet Coffee
Selection of tea
I had the dumplings and noodles, which were filling, despite the fact that all I had had for lunch was a bowl of instant noodles in the BNE lounge. They were also reasonably tasty, but certainly by no means would they command gourmet raves.
Dinner
A Savoury Note
Garden Salad with marinated salmon and salmon roe
Thousand Island dressing
Lemon Vinaigrette
The Main Event
Chicken stuffed with walnut and lemon thyme, greens beans and macaroni
Short rib of beef in Chinese wine-five-spices with seasonal vegetables and fried rice
Barramundi in white wine-pesto with spinach, carrot and potatoes
Lamb curry Madras, spicy vegetables and pilaff rice
The Cheese Board
Selection of cheese with garnishes
A Sweet Note
A selection of fresh fruit
Ice Cream
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet Coffee
Selection of tea
and pralines
The salad was fresh; the crew was happy to bring me extra salmon and salmon roe. I ordered the Chinese beef, but it was tough and dry; I called for the purser, who was happy to swap it for the lamb curry, which was adequate. Cheeses consisted of camembert, cheddar and blue varieties, accompanied by grapes and crackers. Ice cream was raspberry (I passed on that). FA offered to get strawberry from Y class instead, but I declined. Pralines came around with coffee, tea and liqueurs on a cart. I asked for the Kenyan AA “Kilimanjaro” Coffee, which had a strong aroma, nice sharpness, and good body. The crew did not have this on the cart, but was happy to brew it for me. SQ actually has an excellent beverage menu, with seven types of teas, three types of gourmet coffees (in addition to the house brew), mocha, Milo, espresso, cappuccino and specialty cocktails.
Meals: 4/5
Entertainment: Unfortunately this plane did not have the Wisemen video on demand system! Drats. I was looking forward to a rematch with the computer on the Gameboy tennis game. I played some other games instead. Also tried watching Swimfan, but the tape was damaged and the picture was jumpy with intermittent sound for the first 30 min. There was nothing the purser could do about it. Also watched Shakespeare in Love, which was even better than the first time I saw it, except that the sound faded in and out every so often. But sheer variety of choice saves the entertainment rating:
Entertainment: 3.5/5
The crew was very busy because every one of the 30 seats in C class was full, including a number of young children. They were unable to provide the personalized and attentive service that made the outbound leg of the trip so enjoyable. But they did try, and were quick to respond whenever I pressed the call button. In addition, they never made me feel like I was self-loading cargo, and seemed to genuinely enjoy being at the service of passengers, despite the full workload.
Service: 4.5/5
The route took us pretty much back along the great circle path from Brisbane to Singapore – nice daytime views of the arid, desolate Australian outback (the color of Australia is definitely red). We landed to the northeast and I had good views of Terminal 1 from my right-side window seat during landing. We had to taxi past the terminal and take the bridge over the highway to get to Terminal 2 and our gate, F58. Yes, for those of you not familiar with Changi Airport, there actually is a bridge over the highway that leads to the airport: the bridge connects the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 sides of the airport south of the control tower. It’s quite a sight to see a 747-400 taxiing across the bridge when you approach the airport – brings the majesty of the aircraft right into your field of view. For the curious, the aircraft was scheduled to take off for Adelaide later in the evening.
Bags were off the belt quite quickly, and the fact that priority tagging actually works (more often than not) in SIN was proven again!
Ground: 3.5/5
Meals: 4/5
Entertainment: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Seat comfort: 3/5
Overall: 18.5/25
[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 01-09-2003).]
Jan 8, 2003, 11:11 pm
#2
Company Representative - Air Canada
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 24,215
Thanks for the detailed report!
Actually the Silver Kris lounge do have showers. There were 5 of them in the Silver Kris C lounge if I recall correctly.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Buster CT1K:
I also visited the terminal 2 Premier Lounge – note to UA mileage runners: this lounge has shower suites, which even the Silver Kris lounge does not have. It opens at 5.30am. Ask at front desk for towels.
</font>
I also visited the terminal 2 Premier Lounge – note to UA mileage runners: this lounge has shower suites, which even the Silver Kris lounge does not have. It opens at 5.30am. Ask at front desk for towels.
</font>
Jan 8, 2003, 11:22 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
Yet another good one to go into my collection of Trip Reports. I also like your grading system. Thanks!
Jan 9, 2003, 7:08 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA ExecPlat; AF Gold; UA GS; Hyatt L. Globalist; Marriott Plat; Hilton Diamond; National EE
Posts: 6,164
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Empress:
Thanks for the detailed report!
Actually the Silver Kris lounge do have showers. There were 5 of them in the Silver Kris C lounge if I recall correctly.
</font>
Thanks for the detailed report!
Actually the Silver Kris lounge do have showers. There were 5 of them in the Silver Kris C lounge if I recall correctly.
</font>