#5 LAX-NRT-SIN : A Singaporean Experience
Mar 18, 2005, 3:36 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Circle City
Posts: 3,568
#5 LAX-NRT-SIN : A Singaporean Experience
I had just enough time to check my email before heading to the gate and on to the plane. The Singapore Airlines Megatop sat majestically on the tarmac and seemed to be a bit admired by the other airplanes. That, or I was so tired I was delusional. My seat was right in the nose of the aircraft, literally. After sitting down and getting settled, a pretty Singapore Girl appeared to take my coat and offer a pre-departure drink. A bit dehydrated, I asked for water and began to fiddle with the seat. I had heard that SQ is installing on-board Internet and should have been on this flight by now but it unfortunately wasn’t. Maybe by my return it will be. I am definitely in the camp that believes that cell phones should be banned and Internet encouraged. When we landed in LA on the USAir flight, our taxi to the gate was serenaded by an ill behaved northeastern woman yelling into her squaky talkie to someone who was waiting in front of security to pick her up. Yes, she would be speaking with this person in no more than 10 minutes but proceeded to talk during the five minute ride at the top of her lungs.
I will make some comparisons between Singapore (SQ) and Cathay (CX) only because I have flown Cathay many times and so it is my reference point. This is my first SQ experience.
Flight attendants: Both equally friendly. I like the cabin leader’s uniforms on CX better because they are more elegant, in my opinion, but overall the Singapore uniforms are very attractive. I glanced at a story about some French designer making the first “Singapore Girl” uniform about 30 or 40 years ago but I don’t remember the specifics. I find that the CX attendants are more doting than the SQ attendants. They seem to be very, very concerned about the passengers’ comfort and are always coming by to make sure that you don’t need anything. It’s very sweet. The SQ attendants are excellent but more professionally excellent. More like, “ask me for something, anything, and I will get it for you.” I think it’s just a matter of taste and preference as to which is considered better. Both CX and SQ did thank and say goodbye to the pax at the door on debarkation. Very nice touch since they appear to say it with sincerity and not only because it’s in their job description.
Seat: I gotta go with Cathay on this one for only a couple of reasons. The SQ first cabin has 12 seats arranged with three rows on each side by the windows, a single in front, a single behind it, followed by two pair of tandem seats. Overall, the seats are a dream. The leather is soft and beautiful. I believe it’s Connelly or Coach. I really like the table that slides rather than comes out of the seat armrest. That feature I need to really applaud SQ on since the other style I find to be uncomfortable to work in a reclined position. My complaints are limited to only two. First, the controls on the armrest are positioned that if you are reclined then your arm rests squarely on the lumbar support button. As I said in another post, I think that the lumbar support is one of the most uncomfortable and torturous inventions ever made so it’s annoying to have it constantly bulge out every time you put your arm on the rest. Second, the controls are missing two buttons. It is not possible to adjust only the seatback without the seat either raising or lowering the footrest because the same button controls both. But then the controls have a separate button for only the footrest. What happens is that to adjust the seatback without changing the foot rest, you need to let the seat automatically put the foot rest down while it adjusts the seatback and then just put the foot rest back up. I don’t have any clue as to why this was done but it’s a crazy and quite obvious design flaw, in my opinion. In all fairness, the buttons are large, easy to see, and easy to press which is nice except when you put your arm on one. For sleeping, a mattress pad, duvet, and blanket are provided. I like Cathay’s duvet better but the mattress pad is a very nice touch. Pillows are fat and fluffy with satin covers.
Entertainment system: Singapore, hands down, though the system is due for a hardware upgrade. Now that you can virtually buy a new processor at your local 7-11, it’s time that SQ replace the processors for something faster. The menus are slow and the access to the hard drive is slow. But the array of movies and games available on the gorgeous 14-inch screen is staggering. I want to say there are about 100 movies, half as many audio choices, and about the same number of games available.
Food: I preordered the lobster thermador after reading rave reviews on the forum but was a little underwhelmed. I had lobster thermador once before and wasn’t wholly impressed even though I love lobster. I guess I just like it better in its pure form. Since I have the menu here (I am on the plane), I will just list some of the most interesting choices.
International selection:
Ossetra caviar
Celery root and caramelized pear soup
Chilean bass with clam chowder sauce topped with bacon and spinach
Braised chicken and ginger
Grilled pork chop with Burgundy sauce
Soft center chocolate cake with almond ice cream
Kyo-kaiseki (all part of same meal):
Prawn wakakusa, rolled crabmeat, braised clam
Red and white sushi, fish cake
Tuna, squid, and daikon
Cold noodles
Beef teriyaki, bamboo shoots, wakame seaweed
Clams, steamed rice and pickles
Soup with seabream, leeks, and seaweed
I had the lobster thermador, celery root soup (strange but good), and chocolate cake (wonderful). There is an impressive list of non-alcoholic drinks including several teas and four different types of coffee including Jamaican Blue Mountain. That was a very nice touch. Those who know me know I am a tea and coffee fanatic and I can’t afford the JBM so it was a welcome treat. There was a somewhat usual assortment of alcoholic drinks and some specials including Singapore Sling, Silver Kris Sling, Premium Ginjo Sake Tamanohikari, Dom Perignon 1998, Krug Grand Cuvee, Meridian Edna Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2001, Beaune Premier Cru 1999, Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Chateau Gruaud-Larose 1998 Saint Julien, and Warres 20-year Tawny Port
The rest of the trip to Tokyo was uneventful and we landed about on time if not a minute or two early. The plane was parked off-gate and a bus shuttled us into the terminal. I have been at Narita several times and find myself always wondering why such a world class city has such a dingy airport. It’s dated and confusing and can get very, very crowded. I headed up to the lounge which mirrored the terminal. The Los Angeles flight was getting ready to leave so there were a lot of people waiting. The agent tried to tell me how to access the Internet but there was a significant communication barrier so I just wandered around until I found a signal to piggy back on to. An email or two sent and it was back to the plane. I am not sure why Narita wants transit pax to deplane since I would have been happy to stay but they are obviously worried about something so I will trust that they have their reasons.
After replaning, we joined the long queue to take off and about a half hour later we were airborne. For dinner, I decided to try the kaiseki meal. Again, here are the more interesting choices.
International selection:
Lotus root soup with peanuts and pork
Cream of cauliflower with prawns and scallops in tomato ragout
Chicken stuffed with ricotta and spinach
Deep fried seabream
Rosemary rack of lamb
Opera cake with vanilla ice cream
Kyo-kaiseki (all part of same meal):
Soba and sesame beancurd with salmon roe
Broad bean and shrimp paste, squid roll, simmered beef, clam
Marinated half beak with kelp, firefly squid
Cold noodles
Grilled miso melo fish, bamboo shoots, green beans
Steamed rice and tile fish with sakura leaf
Hen clam with mustard miso
Steamed rice and pickles, miso soup
I had the kaiseki since I had never had it before and I have been told that the airlines spend a lot on the kaiseki meals in first so they are quite good. I think it’s something that you have to really be into Japanese food to enjoy. It was okay but I began to feel a bit ill from it since I am not into a lot of the foods. I am especially not into seafood with certain notable exceptions like crab, lobster, and shrimp. I did try everything but I don’t think I would order it again. The same drinks were available on both flights.
Right now, we are over Manila on the way to Singapore and expect a reasonably on-time arrival. Overall, so far, I have to say that I am very, very, very impressed and that SQ has exceeded my expectations. All that I spoke of and noticed were only various differences in tastes with the exception of the seat controls (which I find absurd, especially with the amount the seats were presumably tested). But then Cathay has its demons as well with its seating. But I can see so far from the airlines that I have flown why all the ranking lists consistently rank both Cathay and Singapore Air as number one. They are both very world class airlines and a pleasure to fly with.
Past Episodes:
#1: Intro, PHL-LAX-LHR-DXB, Dubai
#2 : London : The Flumps
#3 : London : The Great Navigator
#4: PHL-LAX-SIN : Surviving USScareways
I will make some comparisons between Singapore (SQ) and Cathay (CX) only because I have flown Cathay many times and so it is my reference point. This is my first SQ experience.
Flight attendants: Both equally friendly. I like the cabin leader’s uniforms on CX better because they are more elegant, in my opinion, but overall the Singapore uniforms are very attractive. I glanced at a story about some French designer making the first “Singapore Girl” uniform about 30 or 40 years ago but I don’t remember the specifics. I find that the CX attendants are more doting than the SQ attendants. They seem to be very, very concerned about the passengers’ comfort and are always coming by to make sure that you don’t need anything. It’s very sweet. The SQ attendants are excellent but more professionally excellent. More like, “ask me for something, anything, and I will get it for you.” I think it’s just a matter of taste and preference as to which is considered better. Both CX and SQ did thank and say goodbye to the pax at the door on debarkation. Very nice touch since they appear to say it with sincerity and not only because it’s in their job description.
Seat: I gotta go with Cathay on this one for only a couple of reasons. The SQ first cabin has 12 seats arranged with three rows on each side by the windows, a single in front, a single behind it, followed by two pair of tandem seats. Overall, the seats are a dream. The leather is soft and beautiful. I believe it’s Connelly or Coach. I really like the table that slides rather than comes out of the seat armrest. That feature I need to really applaud SQ on since the other style I find to be uncomfortable to work in a reclined position. My complaints are limited to only two. First, the controls on the armrest are positioned that if you are reclined then your arm rests squarely on the lumbar support button. As I said in another post, I think that the lumbar support is one of the most uncomfortable and torturous inventions ever made so it’s annoying to have it constantly bulge out every time you put your arm on the rest. Second, the controls are missing two buttons. It is not possible to adjust only the seatback without the seat either raising or lowering the footrest because the same button controls both. But then the controls have a separate button for only the footrest. What happens is that to adjust the seatback without changing the foot rest, you need to let the seat automatically put the foot rest down while it adjusts the seatback and then just put the foot rest back up. I don’t have any clue as to why this was done but it’s a crazy and quite obvious design flaw, in my opinion. In all fairness, the buttons are large, easy to see, and easy to press which is nice except when you put your arm on one. For sleeping, a mattress pad, duvet, and blanket are provided. I like Cathay’s duvet better but the mattress pad is a very nice touch. Pillows are fat and fluffy with satin covers.
Entertainment system: Singapore, hands down, though the system is due for a hardware upgrade. Now that you can virtually buy a new processor at your local 7-11, it’s time that SQ replace the processors for something faster. The menus are slow and the access to the hard drive is slow. But the array of movies and games available on the gorgeous 14-inch screen is staggering. I want to say there are about 100 movies, half as many audio choices, and about the same number of games available.
Food: I preordered the lobster thermador after reading rave reviews on the forum but was a little underwhelmed. I had lobster thermador once before and wasn’t wholly impressed even though I love lobster. I guess I just like it better in its pure form. Since I have the menu here (I am on the plane), I will just list some of the most interesting choices.
International selection:
Ossetra caviar
Celery root and caramelized pear soup
Chilean bass with clam chowder sauce topped with bacon and spinach
Braised chicken and ginger
Grilled pork chop with Burgundy sauce
Soft center chocolate cake with almond ice cream
Kyo-kaiseki (all part of same meal):
Prawn wakakusa, rolled crabmeat, braised clam
Red and white sushi, fish cake
Tuna, squid, and daikon
Cold noodles
Beef teriyaki, bamboo shoots, wakame seaweed
Clams, steamed rice and pickles
Soup with seabream, leeks, and seaweed
I had the lobster thermador, celery root soup (strange but good), and chocolate cake (wonderful). There is an impressive list of non-alcoholic drinks including several teas and four different types of coffee including Jamaican Blue Mountain. That was a very nice touch. Those who know me know I am a tea and coffee fanatic and I can’t afford the JBM so it was a welcome treat. There was a somewhat usual assortment of alcoholic drinks and some specials including Singapore Sling, Silver Kris Sling, Premium Ginjo Sake Tamanohikari, Dom Perignon 1998, Krug Grand Cuvee, Meridian Edna Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2001, Beaune Premier Cru 1999, Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Chateau Gruaud-Larose 1998 Saint Julien, and Warres 20-year Tawny Port
The rest of the trip to Tokyo was uneventful and we landed about on time if not a minute or two early. The plane was parked off-gate and a bus shuttled us into the terminal. I have been at Narita several times and find myself always wondering why such a world class city has such a dingy airport. It’s dated and confusing and can get very, very crowded. I headed up to the lounge which mirrored the terminal. The Los Angeles flight was getting ready to leave so there were a lot of people waiting. The agent tried to tell me how to access the Internet but there was a significant communication barrier so I just wandered around until I found a signal to piggy back on to. An email or two sent and it was back to the plane. I am not sure why Narita wants transit pax to deplane since I would have been happy to stay but they are obviously worried about something so I will trust that they have their reasons.
After replaning, we joined the long queue to take off and about a half hour later we were airborne. For dinner, I decided to try the kaiseki meal. Again, here are the more interesting choices.
International selection:
Lotus root soup with peanuts and pork
Cream of cauliflower with prawns and scallops in tomato ragout
Chicken stuffed with ricotta and spinach
Deep fried seabream
Rosemary rack of lamb
Opera cake with vanilla ice cream
Kyo-kaiseki (all part of same meal):
Soba and sesame beancurd with salmon roe
Broad bean and shrimp paste, squid roll, simmered beef, clam
Marinated half beak with kelp, firefly squid
Cold noodles
Grilled miso melo fish, bamboo shoots, green beans
Steamed rice and tile fish with sakura leaf
Hen clam with mustard miso
Steamed rice and pickles, miso soup
I had the kaiseki since I had never had it before and I have been told that the airlines spend a lot on the kaiseki meals in first so they are quite good. I think it’s something that you have to really be into Japanese food to enjoy. It was okay but I began to feel a bit ill from it since I am not into a lot of the foods. I am especially not into seafood with certain notable exceptions like crab, lobster, and shrimp. I did try everything but I don’t think I would order it again. The same drinks were available on both flights.
Right now, we are over Manila on the way to Singapore and expect a reasonably on-time arrival. Overall, so far, I have to say that I am very, very, very impressed and that SQ has exceeded my expectations. All that I spoke of and noticed were only various differences in tastes with the exception of the seat controls (which I find absurd, especially with the amount the seats were presumably tested). But then Cathay has its demons as well with its seating. But I can see so far from the airlines that I have flown why all the ranking lists consistently rank both Cathay and Singapore Air as number one. They are both very world class airlines and a pleasure to fly with.
Past Episodes:
#1: Intro, PHL-LAX-LHR-DXB, Dubai
#2 : London : The Flumps
#3 : London : The Great Navigator
#4: PHL-LAX-SIN : Surviving USScareways
Last edited by Darren; Mar 26, 2005 at 5:57 am
Mar 19, 2005, 11:49 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: AA EXP UA 2KMM AMB
Posts: 2,400
Thanks for "taking" us with you with this detailed report Darren. I will be on this same segment in a few weeks and truly excited about it. How about any comparison between CX and SQ's amenity kits and lounges? Any big differences. Thanks again.
Mar 20, 2005, 1:47 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Circle City
Posts: 3,568
Originally Posted by jef7
Thanks for "taking" us with you with this detailed report Darren. I will be on this same segment in a few weeks and truly excited about it. How about any comparison between CX and SQ's amenity kits and lounges? Any big differences. Thanks again.
The sleeper suits on CX are *miles* ahead of SQ. SQs say Givinchy or something but they are crap. They are a very hideous shade of light purple that made the large arab man look like Barney. Needless to say, I passed. The old CX were better, imo, but the new ones are alright and a hell of a lot better than SQ. Also the slippers are better on CX. I was hoping to get a pair to replace my old CX ones but the SQ ones are effectively disposable.
You know, I like HKG airport. People raved about the Silver Kris lounge and I was generally unimpressed. I like the airyness of the Wing, I like that it has a few comfortable rooms to relax, I like the comfortable chairs, etc. The SK lounge had a nice spread of food which I picked at a little here and there. What I had was fine. The showers were alright but nothing spectacular. They do have a couple of slumber rooms. I don't have much to say because it didn't make an impression. It was nice. Find my trip report on the Wing and you will see what I liked about it.
Have fun on the trip and it's a very nice experience. I hope you enjoy wherever you are going more since to me the point of sitting on a plane is actually getting somewhere. But it's a nice experience and you will enjoy it. You will enjoy it *a lot* if you haven't been on a comparable airline before in first.
Mar 20, 2005, 2:07 am
#8
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: AA EXP UA 2KMM AMB
Posts: 2,400
Ha ha ha, thanks for the Barney suit warning 
. I will be doing LAX-NRT-SIN-MNL-SIN-KUL-SIN-HKG-SFO on SQ and MH (KUL-SIN segment only), but will definitely try to enjoy the most out of my destinations (friends and family). I hope this will be fun since I haven't really been on a comparable airline before on first. Hopefully, I'll get to experience a flight with CX as well in the near future. Thanks again.
. I will be doing LAX-NRT-SIN-MNL-SIN-KUL-SIN-HKG-SFO on SQ and MH (KUL-SIN segment only), but will definitely try to enjoy the most out of my destinations (friends and family). I hope this will be fun since I haven't really been on a comparable airline before on first. Hopefully, I'll get to experience a flight with CX as well in the near future. Thanks again.
Mar 20, 2005, 3:15 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,945
Originally Posted by Darren
Both amenity kits are kind of useless. The SQ is Bulgari and has a few knick knacks in it that I would never use. I traded my second one for a ladies for my girlfriend, but frankly, I dont think she will use it either. The CX one has been anything from Erno Lazlo to La Prarie, to something I can't recall. I haven't been on them enough to know what they have right now.
The sleeper suits on CX are *miles* ahead of SQ. SQs say Givinchy or something but they are crap. They are a very hideous shade of light purple that made the large arab man look like Barney. Needless to say, I passed. The old CX were better, imo, but the new ones are alright and a hell of a lot better than SQ. Also the slippers are better on CX. I was hoping to get a pair to replace my old CX ones but the SQ ones are effectively disposable.
The sleeper suits on CX are *miles* ahead of SQ. SQs say Givinchy or something but they are crap. They are a very hideous shade of light purple that made the large arab man look like Barney. Needless to say, I passed. The old CX were better, imo, but the new ones are alright and a hell of a lot better than SQ. Also the slippers are better on CX. I was hoping to get a pair to replace my old CX ones but the SQ ones are effectively disposable.
Mar 20, 2005, 7:28 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Too many to count, too few to mention.
Posts: 1,480
Doesn't the sleeper suit color change on every flight with SQ? I remember my mother telling me that she had a pink one on the way to Melborne, and a Blue one of the way back to Singapore...but I might be making a mistake... . 
Mar 20, 2005, 8:36 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: CVG
Programs: SQ PPS, DL Gold Medallion
Posts: 2,508
Originally Posted by UA 882
Doesn't the sleeper suit color change on every flight with SQ? I remember my mother telling me that she had a pink one on the way to Melborne, and a Blue one of the way back to Singapore...but I might be making a mistake... .
True, the colors aren't so hot, but I personally find them pretty comfortable. They are supposed to be Givenchy designs.
Thanks for the excellent report, Darren! ^
Mar 20, 2005, 10:42 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CGK
Programs: SQ TPP28, CX DM, DL P, GA CB, WOH LGLOB, HH D, MB G, Hertz P
Posts: 2,884
Originally Posted by MovieMan
I've had blue and "Barney purple". Never seen the pink ones, so I wonder if she may have been referring to the purple (it actually isn't quite the same shade as Barney, thank God)..?
True, the colors aren't so hot, but I personally find them pretty comfortable. They are supposed to be Givenchy designs.
Thanks for the excellent report, Darren! ^
True, the colors aren't so hot, but I personally find them pretty comfortable. They are supposed to be Givenchy designs.
Thanks for the excellent report, Darren! ^
There's not much 'design' on SQ's sleepsuits.
Darren: A pity you didn't take your sleepsuit - cause they are very comfy to sleep in...
The purple one pass as Barney, I guess.
The pink one is very light - nowhere close to Barney.
Mar 20, 2005, 11:08 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: VIENNA VA
Programs: BA emerald, AF rouge ,UA premier executive, SQ,ANA, HYATT,, AMENITI
Posts: 836
LAX-NRT-SIN : A Singaporean Experience
Being an xl sometimes xxl 
neither SQ nor CX big size fits me,there idea of big in Asia is different from europ or america.
Confort,colors and sizes are much better on BA and AF those i keep
neither SQ nor CX big size fits me,there idea of big in Asia is different from europ or america.Confort,colors and sizes are much better on BA and AF those i keep
Mar 20, 2005, 11:20 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,681
interesting thead, as i've flown sq in f many times lax-sin. never on cx. my few additions: boring and very old fa uniforms, good suites, strange and inconsistent service, bad food (in my opinion), love espresso machine, i have all colors of givency pj's (they are ok, but i love my lh bogner sweaters more).