NCRBILL

You read it correctly. I will be doing a double MR starting on Thursday from SAN - CMB. I need the miles because I didn't fly that much this year and will be next year and like the upgrades and perks. I'll be staying in SIN for a few days so will do some shopping and tourist things. I will be writing a trip report so everyone understands what I had to do and how it went. I'll be updating it while on the plane and also while staying in SIN.

So get ready and get something to drink because I hope it will be fun and enjoyable by all. So far this is what I have reserved.


10 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 198 Class: Upgraded to First
Depart: SAN DIEGO, CA at 7:23 AM
Arrive: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 8:55 AM
Seats: 3C Equip: 320
Miles: 449

10 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 837 Class: W
Depart: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 11:10 AM
Arrive: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 3:25 PM
Seats: 16B Equip: 744
Miles: 5131
Upgrade cleared on Tuesday Morning, 8 Nov

11 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 891 Class: W
Depart: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 5:20 PM
Arrive: SINGAPORE, SG at 11:50 PM
Seats: 17A Equip: 744
Miles: 3311
Upgrade cleared on Tuesday Morning, 8 Nov

12 Nov 05 SINGAPORE AIR Flight #: 468
Depart: SINGAPORE, SG at 10:45 PM
Arrive: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA at 12:30 AM
Seats: Equip: 772
Miles: Business Award Flight

13 NOV 05 SINGAPORE AIR Flight #: 469 Class: D
Depart: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA at 1:45 AM
Arrive: SINGAPORE, SG at 7:40 AM
Seats: 11F Equip: 772
Miles: 1709

14 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 890 Class: D
Depart: SINGAPORE, SG at 7:15 AM
Arrive: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 2:40 PM
Seats: 12H Equip: 744
Miles: 3311
Waitlisted for First

14 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 838 Class: D
Depart: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 7:15 PM
Arrive: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 11:15 AM
Seats: 2J Equip: 744
Miles: 5131
Cleared 9 Nov

14 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 352 Class: A
Depart: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 2:17 PM
Arrive: SAN DIEGO, CA at 3:40 PM
Seats: 2A Equip: 319
Miles: 500


8 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 198
Depart: SAN DIEGO, CA at 7:23 AM
Arrive: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 8:55 AM
Seats: 2C Equip: A320
Miles: 500

8 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 837
Depart: SAN FRANCISCO, CA at 11:10 AM
Arrive: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 3:35 PM on 9 Dec
Seats: 2A Equip: 744
Miles: 5131

10 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 891
Depart: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 5:20 PM
Arrive: SINGAPORE, SG at 11:50 PM
Seats: 2J Equip: 744
Miles: 3311

11 DEC 05 SINGAPORE AIR Flight #: 468
Depart: SINGAPORE, SG at 10:45 PM
Arrive: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA at 12:30 AM
Seats: 11C Equip: 772
Miles: 1709

12 DEC 05 SINGAPORE AIR Flight #: 469
Depart: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA at 1:45 AM
Arrive: SINGAPORE, SG at 7:40 AM
Seats: 11D Equip: 772
Miles: 1709

13 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 890
Depart: SINGAPORE, SG at 7:15 AM
Arrive: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 2:40 PM
Seats: 15H Equip: 744
Miles: 3311
Waitlisted for First

13 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 838
Depart: TOKYO-NARITA, JAPAN at 4:10 PM
Arrive: LOS ANGELES, CA at 8:45 AM
Seats: 25C Equip: 744
Miles: 5131
Waitlisted for First

13 DEC 05 UNITED Flight #: 6092
Depart: LOS ANGELES, CA at 10:45 AM
Arrive: SAN DIEGO, CA at 11:30 AM
Seats: 9C Equip: Prop
Miles: 500


I'll update this as the upgrades clear and I will write under separate sheet each flight to and from.

Well wish me luck and stay tuned for this report.

EDITED TO ADD: Just found another glitch in UAL.com. If you purchase a paper ticket, it will never show up as ticketed on the website and the person who is gifting you the SWU's will have to go to the airport and sign the form authorizing the upgrade. There is no way of doing this via the web.

Thank goodness the person letting me use the SWU's will be in a airport tomorrow.

MKE-MR

Yep, I just had that happen to me on a paper ticket itin, too

Interesting itinerary--does this use the Business class fares from CMB? If so, how did you ticket to use United over the water? I thought those fares on SQ and OZ required use of the ticketing airline for the transpacific segments. If you don't think it's important to put here, could you let me know by PM?

Or you can just tell me in the RCC NRT on Monday the 14th. Look for the FT tag

NCRBILL

The way I was able to get the main use of UA was to go to my good friend sftrvlr and he set up the travel. I could never get it to work and he was. I only had to use SQ for the flights to and from CMB - SIN. I was able to use UA for all the others.

Look forward to seeing you in the RCC.

CGK

If I am not mistaken, there are FTers will be in those flights for KUL DO Nov 11-13 .

MKE-MR

For the first time, FT Connect might actually yield a match on some of my flights!

NCRBILL thanks for the info--I have sftrvlr on my list to talk to when I get around to planning my CMB trip next year.

Now we return to waiting in anticipation of your report

NCRBILL

I just can't believe United hasn't released any seats for upgrades yet. I called tonight and they still said I'm waitlisted but should be no problem because there are more seats on the flights than there are people on the list. So why don't they just release some of the seats to us 1k flyers and leave the others until the day of the flight???

Just makes for a long week waiting for the upgrades to clear. I just don't understand what they are doing????

NCRBILL

Now that I have cleared for the outbound, I'm just wondering who else will be on the same flight.

Anyone else going to be on these flights?

10 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 837
SFO - NRT
Seat: 16B

11 NOV 05 UNITED Flight #: 891
NRT - SIN
Seats: 17A

NCRBILL

Flight UA892 SAN – SFO
A319
Seat 2A

Well it’s time to start this MR and trip report. I awake to see a clouding day in SAN with a light mist falling. I hope this isn’t any idea of what I will be seeing most of the trip. I arrived at the SAN airport around 5:45am, my wife dropping me off and wishing me well. She is very supportive of the MR and fully understands the value of status. We say our goodbyes and I tell her I'll see her on Monday afternoon.

The UA counter is already heavy with travelers. Good thing I can use the 1k line because I hate long lines. Only one other couple was ahead of me so I got up to the counter and check-in. The CSR asks for my passport and also the one paper SWU for the complete trip (I'm not staying in NRT over 12 hours so only one) and they asked if I would like to go on the earlier flight to SFO. I said sure because you never know what can happen with the weather in SFO. A couple minutes later, seat 2A pops out and I’m on my way to security. The line isn’t that long this morning so in less than 10 minutes, I’m through security and on my way to the lounge. If there is one thing I love about the SAN airport is the security. There really isn't ever a long line and I do say they get you through it very fast. I take my hate off to these TSA people.

Getting into the RCC, I get my first cup of coffee and sit down to read my paper. This is a very small club but very nice. Not too many people are there and you always can find a place to sit. After I finish my coffee, I go to the gate to get onto my plane. There aren’t that many people on the early flight so boarding is very fast. The call First Class and seating group 1. The boarding is fast, except for the one family who waited till the last minute to get onto the plane. Predeparture drinks are offered (water and OJ) and the front doors are closing. We push back from the gate at 6:28am. Not bad, we are on schedule. It takes until 6:45 to get into position for take off and at 6:46 we are wheels up.

The flight was a short 55 minutes and we arrive at 7:40, 18 minutes early as gleefully announced by the first officer. The weather here in SFO is by far a lot better than SAN. At least there is blue sky and no rain. It must have rained during the night because I see water on the runway but nothing else to show for it. I now have about 3 hours to burn so I decide to get some breakfast and another cup of coffee. I’m happy to see they have finally finished the redo on the food places. When they were remodeling them all, it was not a good place to be if you were hungry and wanted something more than the sandwiches they offered. Around 9:00am the shuttle bus to the international terminal opened and off we went without having to clear security again. Once in the terminal, off to the RCC to get my drink coupons (I don’t drink but I’m sure I’ll be able to give them to someone I meet during the trip) and to sit down for about an hour before they board the plane.

Now if I can only run into another FTer who may be on the same plane as I.

Next flight
UA837 SFO – NRT
Departs 11:10am
Seat 16B.

My next update will be from the NRT RCC.

NCRBILL

UA837 SFO – NRT
Departs 11:10am
Seat 16B.

A quick note before I start this leg. I can say if you have never flown for 17 hours, you are well in for a very long trip. This is the first time I can remember ever being on a plane for this long and it is very tiring! I thought it would be easy and no problem at all. Well I can say it wasn’t. I’ve flown for 8 hours within the states but this was with layovers. I can say 17 hours, SFO – NRT – SIN is a long time and if you want to do this kind of MR, get ready for one like you have never done before! It will take a lot out of you and I can say if I wasn’t in Business Class, I just don’t see how I would have been able to do this!!!

Well off to the gate to catch my next flight, SFO – NRT. Got to the gate and waited about 15 minutes before they called boarding. Looked around for some FT tags but didn't see any. Stepped up to the gate reader and the machine wouldn’t accept my boarding pass. The agent asked me to step to the side and talk with another gate agent about my boarding pass. I waited a couple minutes then an agent came up to me and asked me what type of SWU I was using to support the upgrade. I told her I gave the agent at SAN a paper SWU. She asked me what type of SWU it was. I ‘m not sure what she meant by this so I just said it was a paper SWU. She asked me if I had another one like I gave to the clerk and I said I did. I let her see the other one I was going to use for another portion of the trip. She looked this up and down, front and back then gave it back to me and said everything was ok. I asked her why was she asking about the SWU and she said because the clerk in SAN didn’t annotate it in my record when she checked me in. I said alright and went on my way. I’m not sure what they would have done if I didn’t bring the extra SWU with me.

Well upstairs I went and I settled into my seat. I didn’t look forward to the next 10 to 11 hours in the air but the things you do to keep your status. Pre-departure drinks were served and a menu with your choices of meals. The choices for the meals were:

To begin…

Shrimp and Parma Ham
Cocktail sauce and fresh lemon

Fresh seasonal greens
Roasted garlic red wine vinaigrette or classic Caesar dressing.

This was very tasty! I enjoyed this one.

Main course…

Braised short ribs of beef with red wine demi-glace
Sage and onion stuffing soufflé and a California stir-fry with mushrooms

Crispy pan-fried halibut with sweet chili sauce
Sugar snap peas with carrots and steamed rice

Obento Box


Desert:

International cheese selection
Havarti and longhorn cheddar cheese

Eli’s Crème Caramel cheesecake

Prior to arrival…

Pasta rotollo with marinara sauce
Egg, tomato and spinach pasta filled with ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheeses and spinach plus a fresh fruit appetizer

Or

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt


I selected the beef short ribs because I didn’t feel like eating fish on this trip. I was not to be disappointed as this was a very good meal. Everything was very tasty and nothing like I would have thought they would serve. Prior to dinner, I was given warm nuts (they could have been warmer but they gave me two servings so I didn’t complain, and I enjoyed them just the same. Dinner was served about 2 hours into the flight. I can say the dinner was very good and I enjoyed every part of it. I was watching the map and didn’t know they flew up the west coast over to Alaska and then down to Tokyo. I guess you learn something new everyday. I always thought they went over to HNL and then to NRT from there. This flight was right at 10hrs 20 minutes. Not too long but long enough if you ask me. I attempted to get some sleep but was only able to sleep about 3 hours. I pulled out my portable DVD player and watched some movies I carried because I didn’t like the ones they were showing on the plane. After watching some movies, reading some papers and walking up and down the isle, it was time for us to have the pre-arrival meal. This once again didn’t disappoint me. I had the pastas rotollo dish and it was very good also. I was glad I took this instead of the fruit plate. About an hour after the meal, we were told we would be landing in Tokyo. I’m very surprised at the time the sun goes down in Tokyo. It wasn’t even 4:30 and it was already dark! Didn’t get to see too much because of the sun going down early but I guess I didn’t miss too much. After getting off the plane, I went down to the re-entry gate, scanned my bag and me and off to the NRT RCC. I have to say, this was a big treat!

Upon entering the RCC, I looked around and found the famous bear machine, where someone was getting a glass of the famous beer. I sometimes wished I drank just so I could taste the beer but that is alright. I got some water and went off to find the showers. I asked if I had enough time for a shower but was told the wait was too long for me. Oh well, I didn’t feel that bad and since I didn’t sleep too well on the first flight, I really wanted to try and sleep on this one. So off to the business center and I connected to the internet and checked all my emails and read some Flyer Talk. I was going to give an update but to tell you the truth; I just couldn’t really get what I wanted to say to come out right so I just put it off. I’m sure everyone will understand that. After surfing the net for awhile, off to the gate I go. Besides, I wanted to look at this airport just a little more. I can say it is really nice compared to some I’ve been through in the states. It was very clean and organized. Got to the gate a few minutes before boarding and looked at the kiosk where they sold food, drinks and beer. Everyone was very helpful and I just ordered a coke. I forgot how much things cost in NRT until they asked me for $3.00 for the coke. That’s right, this is Tokyo and the prices aren’t that cheep. After sitting down for about 10 minutes, they called for boarding and off I go for the plane.

NCRBILL

NRT – SIN
UA 891
Seat 17A


Well I get settled into this seat, another one that I was very happy with. I have to admit I do agree that other than row 15, row 16 and 17AB are very good seats and ones I’ll look for if row 15 isn’t to be had. Very good room and when the person in front of you reclines all the way back, you can still get out without bothering the person next to you. We were offered pre-departure drinks again and given the menu for the 7 hr flight.

To begin…

Sauteed herb shrimp with basil and salmon sushi
Fresh seasonal greens with Asian-style dressing

Main course…

Filet mignon on polenta cake with red curry coconut sauce
Baby bok choy. This meat was from Australia

Chicken and vegetable yakisoba
Mushroom vegetable sauté with yakisoba noodles and sauce

Grilled salmon, shrimp and scallops with hoba-miso marinade.
....ake mushrooms and rice with black sesame seeds.

Dessert…

Chocolate cake


I’m not really that hungry since I just ate a couple hours before but I wanted to see what this filet mignon would taste like. I thought it had to be better than the beef I had earlier because of the cut. There were no warm nuts on this portion of the trip and a very slow drink service. This was a continuation of the flight from LAX – NRT. I’m sure we had better service on our flight from SFO and glad I went that way. I could just imagine what the meal service would be like. Well I can say the meal we had before was a lot better than this one. I ate very little of the meat because it didn’t have good flavor at all and was somewhat dry. The vegetable was something I could not identify and the polenta cake was totally out of the question. I gave the meal back to the flight attendant and turned over to try and sleep. Next thing I know I’m waking up and we are getting ready to land. I’m one who can’t sleep very well on a plane so I was very surprised when I found I slept for almost 5 hours. I can say I was very tired and was glad I did.

Landing in SIN was very smooth and after a couple minutes, the doors were opened and off we went. I’m very surprised how busy this airport was at almost midnight! A lot of flights were getting boarded and there were people everywhere. And not only that, the stores were open and doing good business. I walked down the stairs to the passport control and was very happy there was no one in line. I went straight up to the counter, showed my passport, they stamped it and off I went. Nothing like I was ready for. I thought I would be waiting for 30 minutes or more for a long line. I guess I was lucky! Off to baggage claim and to also look for a money exchange so I can get some Singapore Dollars. I found one right at the bottom of the escalator where there were two, one had no fee and the other did. So I used the American Express one. Changed my dollars and off to see how long it will take to get my bag. I was in for another surprise.

As soon as I got to the baggage claim, the bags were already coming off!! This is less than 15 minutes from the time I got off the plane!! Boy I wish the people in SAN would take some lessons from these guys. And also to my surprise, all the bags that came off first had the priority tag on them. It’s good to know that someone reads them and understands what the word “Priority” means. My bag was one of the first ones off. I grabbed it and out the doors I went without being asked any questions. Boy this is turning out to be a good trip! I’ve never been through passport control and customs that fast. Once through the doors, I look for the taxi stand and spot it just across the way. I get there and only two others are in line waiting for a cab. I waited for maybe a couple minutes and one pulls up. I’m ready for the hotel now because I’m tired so I tell them to take me to the Hilton and off we go. Twenty minutes later I’m at the hotel and on my way up to my room. I still can’t believe it has taken less than 45 minutes from the time I get off the plane to get to my room. I take longer than that when I land in SAN for my bags and to get home. I’m very happy for this because I’m very tired now and want to get some more sleep. Only 23 hours more before my next flight.

NCRBILL

Hilton Hotel Singapore

Due to the times between flights, I needed to have a place to rest my head so I decided to checkout the Singapore Hilton. I’ve made reservations there for three nights (or so I thought) and after the long flight, I can hardly wait to hit the bed.

I arrive at the Hilton early in the morning (it’s around midnight) and you just can’t believe all the people who are still up and at it. I guess they are enjoying the place as much as I have and I’ve only been here for less than 30 minutes. The taxi ride from the airport is very fast and only costs S$20 with the night time fee added on. The hotel is located on Orchard Road and the city already has the Christmas decorations up on the street and this lights up the night that much more. It is very lively and really gets you into the holiday season early. Mental note that if you want to come to Singapore on another mileage run, come at this time of year for all the festivities and you will not be disappointed.

Upon checking into the hotel, they try to give me someone else’s room with the same last name. I look at the check-in document and tell them this is not me and they say so sorry and after a few minutes, they find my reservation. I’m not very impressed with this because as a Diamond member, they should have my documents ready to go and get me up to my room. I’m tired and want to sleep, not stand at this counter. They finally give me my room key, it’s on the executive level, and a little envelope saying sorry for the misunderstanding. I said no problem because by now I’m a walking zombie and wouldn’t know the difference. Up to the room I go and checking out the room, I find a little note on the desk stating they are still renovating the outside of the hotel and there may be some construction sounds coming from outside. I said this is going to be fun because I’ll be sleeping and in the morning, I’ll be awakened to the pounding of a jack hammer. Oh well, I’m tired and I don’t care. I want sleep.

Well I was able to sleep in until 11:00am and I’m feeling very good. There are no sounds from the outside so I guess the construction crews must be on the other side of the hotel. So much the better because I was able to sleep well. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do for the next 11 hours before my next flight so I decide to walk around a little and take in some of the sites. Orchard Road is the main tourist area and we are right on the end of it. It’s crowded with a lot of people but not overly so. After walking around for an hour or so, I’m still not sure what to do. I don’t want to go back to the room so I look for some kind of city tour to keep me busy while at the same time, showing me some of what Singapore is good for and has to offer. I’m able to book a City Experience tour for that afternoon and this will show me all the good places to go on my own when I do my return trip next month. I’m able to the historic St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore’s waterfront to see the Merlion, go down through the business district to China town to see the famous Chinese temple “Thian Hock Kheng (very nice and also parts are being renovated to keep this one great temple still standing), go up to one of the highest places in Singapore, Mount Faber, to see Singapore skyline which was really grand, off to the jewelery wholesale factory and finally to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. All in all this tour takes me about 4 hours to finish and I’m ready to go back to the room, get cleaned up (it’s humid as all get out!!) and eat something before I go to the airport for my next leg of the journey. This reminds me of New Orleans in the summer with the heat and humidity. I need to find some place to eat that isn’t fast food or an american type restaurant, which are all over the place, so I can experience some of the local foods. After walking a little down Orchard street I find this small place, look at the pictures and decide this is the place for me. I forgot to get the name but the food was good and not overly expensive.

Back to the hotel to retreve my computer case with my portable DVD player just in case I need a good movie to watch on the plane. When I get back to the room, I find a letter under my door saying I’m checking out in the morning. I get a little worried because I know I don’t leave for the states tomorrow so I look at the travel itinerary and sure enough, I don’t leave until Monday morning. Well I call downstairs, tell them I'm going to be with them until Monday morning and since I'm a Diamond member, what can they do for me. Well they sure don't care about that and the front desk tells me they don’t have any rooms and I’ll have to leave. Well this isn’t what I want to hear as a Diamond. To say I don’t have any choice, the hotel is fully booked and there are no rooms just isn't the service I thought I would get at this hotel. Well I don’t like to talk to someone about this type of problem over the phone so I go downstairs. I talk to the clerk at the HHonors desk and she said they are fully booked in all the Executive Rooms but they can find a way to keep me in the room I’m in, it will only cost me S$375 for the night instead of the S$190 per night I was quoted. I just can’t believe my ears. I said my reservation was for 3 nights, not two. She pounds away on her computer and said “I’m sorry but it’s only for 2 nights”. Well I’m not sure about that at all so I go back up to the room, turn on the computer and look up the reservation. Sure enough, it’s for only two nights. I don’t understand this at all because I booked it for the “Stay three nights, pay for only two” promotion but I sure can’t call the Diamond Desk from here so I go online and see what it says for rooms. Well I’m very happy to see a rate of S$270 for the night come up and so I go ahead and book this, get the confirmation number and take it upstairs to the Executive Floor check-in area, where I should have gone in the first place, and gave them my reservation number for the extra night. The night manager looks at the number and asks me how did I get this??? I said I just booked it on the web site. Seems there are a lot of rooms to be had, even suites if they wanted to move me there , and I got this great rate and now I can stay one more night. He just can’t believe this because he still says there are no rooms and they are oversold. I really didn’t care because I know I will have a room for the next two nights and that is all I cared about. He attempts to pull up the reservation number and it doesn’t seem to come up. So he calls someone up at Hilton and really starts to give them a hard time about it! They give him confirmation that the reservation is good and I will be staying there another night. He says alright so after hearing them say this, he said he will extend the reservation for one more day but is really surprised they are still selling rooms when as everyone says, “We are over sold and don’t have these rooms to give out”. I don’t really care about this, they will just have to deal with that once the people arrive because I’m here already and I’m staying.

Well that is done, so I go downstairs to get a cab back to the airport. I have an appointment with the Raffles Club and really look forward to the experience if what everyone says is true is true. I will not be disappointed once again. ^ ^

NCRBILL

SIN – CMB
SQ 468
Raffles Class
Seat 14D

I get to the airport a couple hours early because I wanted to see the airport a little more and also to check out what everyone is talking about when they talk about the Raffles lounge. I find the counter for Raffles class and there is nobody in line so I give them my documents, they ask me what seat I would like and print out the boarding pass and said “Please enjoy the Raffles Club while you wait for your flight”. I say thank you and off through security to the club. Now when I say security, it is NOTHING like the states. They check my passport and I’m into the area I will call the Mall of the airport. So many stores to be found and I can truly say you could shop here for hours upon hours and may not see everything there is to see. Husbands keep your wallet in your pockets if your flying with the wife. They would truely have fun in this airport. Well I find the sign for the club and up the escalator I go to see what it is I’ve missed.

All I can say is “What a lounge”!! I have never seen anything like it! They have two buffets going and I would think almost anything you would like to drink, just fix it yourself. They have linguine, Miso soup, chicken and some kind of spaghetti to eat. They also have potato salad, green salad and some sushi to select. I must make a mental note because I sure could have eaten here and saved me a couple of dollars. There is that much food and really looks tasty.

Off to the side they have at least 8 computers set up for Internet access and more desks for you to place your laptop and surf the net or check up on your emails. There is free wired or wireless access in the club. Very nice and I would love to see a lounge like this in the US. I thought the RCC at SFO was nice but this one is head over heals above that one and free internet to boot. This is something to see if and when you ever are going through SIN if you have the chance and can get into the lounge. I look forward to seeing what this is like when I fly back on Monday morning. I’ll be in First Class so I look forward to see if there is any difference between the International First Lounge and this one.

Well it’s time for me to go and catch my next flight. This should be a relatively short one compared to what I did just the day before. Only three and a half hours up and three and a half hours back. Just wish it wasn’t so late so I could see Colombo during the day. Well I guess the only way that will happen is if I stay the night which isn’t in the cards on this trip.

Well I find my gate and find the other half of security where my carry-on will be scanned and I get into the “Sterile” area waiting for the flight. For a 777-200, there really aren’t that many people waiting. So this may just be a very easy flight for the flight crew. Boarding was called in a few minutes and down the walkway I go for the plane. Once again I notice how clean and very well maintained the walkways are compared to the states. They really care here and it shows.

Well I’m met at the front of the plane by my first SQ flight stewardess as they are called, not flight attendant and was very impressed. Each one of them must not be over 30 and not to be to sexiest here, a body that is so small, I don’t understand how they do it. If any of these girls are larger than a size 4, I would be very surprised. They are all very nice and to say the least, very pretty in their uniform. They meet you, escort you to your seat, almost try to place my bag in the overhead bin but I do this instead, and they move the pillow and blanket so you can sit down. They don’t leave until I was seated and they made sure I was ready for the flight. A couple of minutes later another flight stewardess came by and offered me my choice of newspapers for the flight. I said no thank you and off she went. Then a couple minutes later here comes the drinks. What would I like to drink, and this wasn’t the same person again! I’m really impressed now. In no less than 5 minutes, I’ve been waited on by three different people. I took the OJ and said thank you. I watch as the business cabin gets a couple more people but never is there that many people walking down the isle. Everyone who is seated in coach are coming in the door towards the back. Very nice. I’m given the menu for the flight and was really surprised to see the meals they were going to serve. They come back again a couple minutes later and ask what I would like to drink once we are in the air. Boy I sure wish I drank because I sure would like to taste the wines they offered.

They give you what seems like a book about the meals. They talk about the culinary panel who prepare the dishes for you. A whole page of who’s who of the chef’s who prepare the meals, or at least over look the prep. This is what was to be served SIN – CMB.

A Savoury note:
Scallops with mustard flavored coleslaw

The Main Event:
Chicken with ceps forecemeat with roasted vegetables and sautéed gnocchi.

or

Fried noodles with seafood and vegetables, shrimp dumpling.

or

Warm sandwich with tandoori lamb, grilled vegetables and fried potatoes.

A Sweet Note:
Coconut crème brulee with mango

This for a three hour flight! Boy am I in for a treat. I order the Chicken and settle in for the trip. They close the doors and get ready for push back. They ask to please look at the monitors for the safety briefing. I really like the way they present this. Nothing like the states. The same information, just a different format that makes for a nice presentation. A few minutes later we are in the air and off to Colombo.

The first thing I notice is once we are airborne; they close the curtains between each cabin and leave them closed all through the flight. This is something I haven’t seen on a flight for sometime now. I just have to wonder if they can do it on SQ, why can’t they do this on the UA International flights also. Just something that places the service just that much better on SQ. I am thinking now I really want to book an award flight on SQ just so I can see what the true service would be like on a long flight. I can just imagine what it would be.

Now the service begins and just doesn’t stop. I’m offered my first hot towel of the night and when I say hot, I mean hot! It felt good because of the heat outside and it refreshes you just that much more. A couple minutes later out comes the first drink service of many. They serve you nuts in the bag, which seems a little out of place compared to the other very good service they give, but none the less, they were good. After a couple minutes, they come out with the table cloth and ask if you’re ready for your meal. You don’t have to eat right now if you don’t want to. If not, just let us know when your ready and we will bring it. I go ahead and let them bring out the meal. The presentation is really impressive for an airline! You get real silverware, down to a real knife, and real china plates. There is nothing plastic to be seen anywhere on your tray. You just don’t feel like your flying with all this attention. Once you are finished with your salad, they come and remove the plate, leaving everything in place. They bring out the hot meal and once again, I was really impressed. Very tasty and I really enjoyed it! But the best part by far is the dessert. It was just great. I’m now handed my second hot towel to clean up with.

Well now that I’m totally full, it’s time to watch the movies on board so I try to get used to the seat I’m in. If there as anything I didn’t enjoy about the flight was the seat. I’m not sure if these were just short haul seats but if I had to fly a long time in these, it would be almost as bad as flying in coach. They did recline but not that far, the foot rest was at a different angle and everything operated by motor. They had a lot of movies to watch so I started to watch the “Wedding Crashers” and was enjoying the movie since this was one I had not seen before. I didn’t have to use my portable DVD player at all. Somehow with the service being timed just right and the length of the movie, we were ready to land around the same time the movie ended. They get the cabin ready for landing and now they offer me the third hot towel of the night. I’m in heaven. Well I need to make sure my hair is not too messed up and to tell you the truth, I just wanted to see the inside of the bathroom. There is one word that can explain them, CLEAN! There are mirrors everywhere and they have aftershave for the men but I didn’t see anything for the ladies, hand lotion and mouthwash. All this service and on a three hour flight at that. Boy could the airlines in the states take a lesson from SQ. I’m really impressed!!

Upon arriving at Colombo we taxi to what they call the holding area. There is no walkway for you to exit, just stairs they bring up and busses to take you off. There is one bus for the first and business class passengers and two others for the coach passengers. I notice once again the curtains are closed between each cabin and they don’t let anyone off until each cabin is off first. Once all of the first class are off, we can also exit through the front or the middle door. I say goodbye to the ladies and thank them for great service. While on the bus on the way to the terminal, I look over to the side and notice a lot of people sitting and watching as the planes come in and out. It makes me wonder if they are just seeing people off or what but there are a lot of people just sitting and standing there. And it's midnight at that!!

We take the bus to the terminal and you really get the feeling this isn’t a very impressive terminal. I take the escalator up into the terminal and look off to the right and there is the transfer desk. There are a couple people there and no line so up I go and give them my tickets and they proceed to issue me my boarding pass. I feel sorry for three gentlemen who find out they need to be at the terminal at 6:20pm not 6:20am for their flight. They are told they have to leave the terminal and come back later that evening. I’m not sure why they make them do this but I’m happy it isn’t me. A couple minutes later they give me the boarding pass and tell me they will call the club and let them know I’m coming. I find the club and take a seat. There is a major difference between the terminal seating and the clubs. For the type of airport this is, I’m impressed with the club but that is as far as it goes. I’m happy for a good seat to sit in for my short 1 hour layover.

CMB – SIN
SQ 469
Raffles Class
Seat 12A


Well it’s time for me to go to the gate so off I go looking how to get there. I go down the escalator and through the minor security. The gate is filling with people but then again, not so much because of the size of the plane. They start boarding the busses a couple minutes later and just like when we came out, they load two for coach and one for first and business passengers. A couple minutes later we are back at the plane. I walk up the stairs and the girl who sees me looks very surprised to see me and with a large smile, asks me if I was just on this flight? I said yes I was and she asked, "Short stay"? I told her what I was doing and she just laughed. She welcomed me again and they went through the same routine again. Even though I was just on the plane, they did nothing different. They even gave me the menu but I said no thank you because I was still full. She laughed and went on her way.

For those of you wanting to know what they offered on the return trip, here you go.

A savoury note:
Mesclun with spicy prawn and pomelo salad

The Main Event:
Lemon flavoured mutton kebab with spiced okra with waterchestnut, corn and peas pilaf

or

Pasta with tuna fish, sundried tomatoes and vegetables.

or

Pita with Cajun spiced chicken, potato chips, mango and mesclun salad.

A sweet note:
Fresh fruits.

A couple minutes later no less than 3 other flight stewardesses came back and welcomed me back by name and we all had a laugh when I told them what I was doing. I think they understood but I’m not totally sure.

The flight was just the same as the first and I was happy to be back in SIN a few hours later and on my way back to the hotel. This time there was a line about 10 people deep for passport control but it went fast and before I knew it, I was in the taxi and on my way to my bed for some rest. And to think in less than 23 hours, I would be on my way back to the states. So far so good for this first international MR for me and I’ve had a lot of fun so far but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

My first experience with International First Class with the suites and I can hardly wait. I hope to meet up with a couple FTers who will be returning on the same flight as I'm on. Until then, take care and stay tuned.

cawhite

It was great to meet you this morning, thanks for "slumming it" and coming up to the UD to find us! Glad you made the trek with me to the SKL, and also thanks for guesting me into the RCC-F Hope you had a good flight home & weren't delayed much more than was expected when I left.

CGK

Hi NCRBILL:

I hope it is okay with you that I quoted the SQ menu in the thread of C menu in SQ forum for completing our list of menu.
Thank you very much.

I am glad you like your experience on SQ as well as the SKL visit at Changi. Will wait for your next report on UA FirstSuite. Curious about the menu for NRT-SFO since I will do my UA run next month.
And, your turn-around at CMB seemed no hassle. That gives me more confident to try after SIN DO Jan 2006.

Cheers,
CGK

ws8n

Hotels have been chock-a-block full these past 2 weeks. Too many conventions, too few hotels. It's the same in KL and BKK.