chicagodesi

Hello All,

We're planning a trip to India (myself, wife, 4 year old daughter, and 19 month old son) in end of October. I've never flown SQ and it's always been a dream of mine to fly Singapore Airlines and stopover in Singapore for a few days before continuing on to Hyderabad. And since SQ is launching the A350 on SFO-SIN nonstop, I'm intrigued by the itinerary of ORD-SFO-SIN-HYD. Our alternative is EK flying ORD-DXB-HYD. I know its a shorter flight and the "more sane" option with 2 kids, but I wanted to ask the FT community whether it's worth the experience of flying SQ versus Emirates Airlines. I'd love the feedback, thanks!

chisquared

I'd say that it depends on your class of travel, and how much you want to do that stopover in SIN.

SQ typically has the better Y product, primarily because they don't insist on as many seats per row as EK does. I'm not sure how 9-abreast seating on the A350 compares to 10-abreast on the 777/A380 with EK, however.

Their F products are comparable. Some may have a preference for EK because of the onboard bar and shower. However, unless you really want to stop in SIN, the shorter journey time probably means EK will have an edge here. (Edit: Silly me; I've forgotten that SQ's A350s are not fitted with their F product. This comparison is irrelevant for the OP, but may well be relevant for a more general comparison between EK and SQ.)

I think SQ on average has the better J product. I think EK still flies some of their planes with the 2-3-2 configuration in J, though I could be mistaken. Some of their other jets do have 1-2-1 seating, but personally I still prefer SQ's J seat on the A350. I'm not sure what SQ flies between SIN and HYD these days, but the J product on the A350 is still the best I've tried so far (albeit admittedly, my experience isn't as extensive as many users on this board).

SQ325

SIN-HYD is operated by MI (Silkair) with a narrow body airplane.

chicagodesi

Thanks for the responses, we'll be travelling in Y. I really would love to try out the A350, I'm sure it's much quieter vs the 777-300ER. Also, what do you think flight loads might be for the SFO-SIN nonstop flight?

hayzel7773

Premium load on the route is heavy. With UA doing the SFO-SIN flight rn, everyday seems to be pretty full.

CappuccinoAddict

The ONLY reason to do this would be because you want to stop in Singapore. In Y, I don't think there is an appreciable difference between the two carriers and I'd say torture yourself (and your family) the least with the shortest route.

chisquared

That would be the best reason to do this. There may also be a quasi-justifiable reason to do this if the OP were after the miles (say for elite qualification).

However, there are cases where there is an appreciable difference between flying Y on EK and SQ. I think the new Y product on SQ on the 77WN/R is definitely much better than EK's long-haul Y product. I would personally tolerate another few hours of flying time to go with SQ. This may well apply to Y on the A350 as well; I can't say for certain having never done it before. I am also not certain whether I'd be willing to make the same trade-off with an extra stopover while also traveling with a family.

chicagodesi

Thanks for the responses everyone! Not doing it for the miles, I've never flown SQ, so doing it more for the experience. Fares are good now, with Singapore being only a little bit more than EK.

SQ319

EK uses the B773 for both ORD-DXB and DXB-HYD. For its 773 planes, it's 3-4-3 abreast compared to 3-3-3 (or 2-5-2) for other major airlines. The narrower seats on EK will be a major factor to shift me towards taking SQ.

chicagodesi

That plus trying out the A350 is a huge plus, but the total flying time with 2 kids is also a little intimidating

chisquared

Do you know how much longer the flight via SQ is?

If you stop in SIN for a few days, your preferred itinerary is probably manageable. Otherwise, if it's more than four hours longer, I'd probably avoid it like the plague. (Less than that, I'd still struggle to preference it, but I would definitely draw the line below four hours.)

chicagodesi

We're thinking of stopping over in Singapore for 3 days before heading to Hyderabad.