Singapore Airlines A380 Suites - SIN-SYD
Apr 17, 2014, 6:39 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites - SIN-SYD
Singapore Airlines SQ221
Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD)
Monday 14 April 2014
Airbus A380-800: Suite 3F (Suites Class)
“Where would you like to go?” asked my taxi driver, prompting me to reply, “to the Airport, Terminal 3, Singapore Airlines…First Class”. Ah, finally, I had been waiting to use that line ever since booking my Suites ticket in February this year.
And, also, since then, I have had a warm fuzzy feeling simmering inside of me from the thought of flying Suites. That almost boiled over as my taxi pulled up towards the First Class check-in lounge.
Check-in
At the doors of the First Class check-in, I was greeted by an agent and porter, who akin to the concierge/bell boy at a luxury hotel, opened my taxi door, took custody of my suitcase and pushed it into the check-in lounge. The check-in lounge itself was spacious and opulently furnished with lamps, coffee tables and comfortable leather chairs.
First Class Check in Lounge
A check-in agent promptly tagged my suitcase and issued me with a boarding pass…with the sought-after yellow Suites strip at the top. I cheekily asked whether I could have a Suites Priority baggage tag as a souvenir (in addition to the one tagged on my suitcase) and to my surprise, the check-in agent acceded to my request.
The Prized Boarding Pass
The check-in “counter” was more like a marble study desk. Not only were the conveyor belts not visible, instead of standing, there were chairs to rest in whilst you were being checked-in.
Marble Check-in Desk
Immigration and the Private Room
I then cleared immigration through a dedicated First Class lane (which is segregated from the general immigration hall) and made my way to the Private Room.
First Class Immigration
I displayed my Private Room invitation to the agent and upon gleaning my name from the invitation, he apologetically informed: “Mr Y, I’m so sorry but your seat (3F) has mechanical problems. Would you like to me to change you to 2F?”. I was slightly disappointed with this because I chose 3F for its 3 windows, but I agreed to the change, albeit reluctantly.
Private Room Invitation
After re-issuing me a new boarding pass, the agent walked me past the Business Class lounge, through the First Class lounge (I believe it is for non-Singapore Airlines First Class passengers) and into the coveted Private Room. Exclusively for Singapore Airlines passengers flying Suites or First Class, the Private Room lived up to its name. At most, there were 10 other visitors making the Private Room unnervingly quiet (especially when compared to the adjacent First Class and Business Class lounges).
The Private Room
I sat myself down in the restaurant and from its fine-dining a la carte menu, chose the Chilean Sea Bass en Papillote, which was delicious. I consciously decided to save my stomach for the meal to come on the plane. I relaxed in the comfortable leather sofas and armchairs, enjoying a glass of champagne whilst doing some work on my laptop, before heading to my gate: a short 5 minute walk away.
Fine Dining
Chilean Sea Bass en Papillote
Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD)
Monday 14 April 2014
Airbus A380-800: Suite 3F (Suites Class)
“Where would you like to go?” asked my taxi driver, prompting me to reply, “to the Airport, Terminal 3, Singapore Airlines…First Class”. Ah, finally, I had been waiting to use that line ever since booking my Suites ticket in February this year.
And, also, since then, I have had a warm fuzzy feeling simmering inside of me from the thought of flying Suites. That almost boiled over as my taxi pulled up towards the First Class check-in lounge. Check-in
At the doors of the First Class check-in, I was greeted by an agent and porter, who akin to the concierge/bell boy at a luxury hotel, opened my taxi door, took custody of my suitcase and pushed it into the check-in lounge. The check-in lounge itself was spacious and opulently furnished with lamps, coffee tables and comfortable leather chairs.
First Class Check in Lounge
A check-in agent promptly tagged my suitcase and issued me with a boarding pass…with the sought-after yellow Suites strip at the top. I cheekily asked whether I could have a Suites Priority baggage tag as a souvenir (in addition to the one tagged on my suitcase) and to my surprise, the check-in agent acceded to my request.
The Prized Boarding Pass
The check-in “counter” was more like a marble study desk. Not only were the conveyor belts not visible, instead of standing, there were chairs to rest in whilst you were being checked-in.
Marble Check-in Desk
Immigration and the Private Room
I then cleared immigration through a dedicated First Class lane (which is segregated from the general immigration hall) and made my way to the Private Room.
First Class Immigration
I displayed my Private Room invitation to the agent and upon gleaning my name from the invitation, he apologetically informed: “Mr Y, I’m so sorry but your seat (3F) has mechanical problems. Would you like to me to change you to 2F?”. I was slightly disappointed with this because I chose 3F for its 3 windows, but I agreed to the change, albeit reluctantly.
Private Room Invitation
After re-issuing me a new boarding pass, the agent walked me past the Business Class lounge, through the First Class lounge (I believe it is for non-Singapore Airlines First Class passengers) and into the coveted Private Room. Exclusively for Singapore Airlines passengers flying Suites or First Class, the Private Room lived up to its name. At most, there were 10 other visitors making the Private Room unnervingly quiet (especially when compared to the adjacent First Class and Business Class lounges).
The Private Room
I sat myself down in the restaurant and from its fine-dining a la carte menu, chose the Chilean Sea Bass en Papillote, which was delicious. I consciously decided to save my stomach for the meal to come on the plane. I relaxed in the comfortable leather sofas and armchairs, enjoying a glass of champagne whilst doing some work on my laptop, before heading to my gate: a short 5 minute walk away.
Fine Dining
Chilean Sea Bass en Papillote
Last edited by echa2949; Apr 25, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Apr 17, 2014, 7:00 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
Boarding and the Seat
Boarding commenced at 7:45pm. It was somewhat strange to me that instead of inviting Suites passengers to board first, both Suites and Business Class passengers were invited to board concurrently. Having said that, however, I was third to board. And instead of walking straight down the air-bridge into Economy, I turned left at the Suites sign and was greeted by the inflight supervisor halfway along the air-bridge. My warm fuzzy feeling had indeed boiled over at this point.
Whilst escorting me to Seat 2F, the inflight supervisor noted that Seat 3F in fact had no mechanical problems and that I could move back to it. This was music to my ears! All of this was while I marvelled at Suites. My first impression was “wow!”.
The suite looked much bigger in real life and had ample storage space, particularly around the side of the seats (under the lift-up lids, subtly placed nooks) and under the ottoman.
As I sat down, the leading stewardess introduced herself to me, offered me Bose noise-cancelling earphones, a leather-bound food/drinks menu and champagne (I opted for the Dom Perignon). She also offered me a selection of magazines but there were no legal magazines and so instead, I chose National Geographic (polar opposite to the law).
Earphones
Leather-bound Menu
Dom Perignon
The chief steward also introduced himself. Including the inflight supervisor and another steward, there were 4 flight attendants serving the 3 Suites passengers. However, I felt like I had the entire crew to myself.
The pilot announced that there would be a 10 minute delay in pushing back to avoid landing in Sydney before the curfew, which ceased at 6am. Ten minutes turned into 35 minutes. At 8:50, we pushed back but this was accompanied with a change in runway, resulting in a further 20 minute delay.
The cabin crew repeatedly apologised to me:
“Mr Y, I’m so sorry about the delay. Would you like some fruit or chocolate to eat whilst we wait?”.
“No worries, I’ll have the banana please”, internally hoping for a longer delay so that I could maximise my Suites experience.
Why Couldn't the Plane be Delayed Further?
At 9:10pm, the engines purred and we achieved flight.
Boarding commenced at 7:45pm. It was somewhat strange to me that instead of inviting Suites passengers to board first, both Suites and Business Class passengers were invited to board concurrently. Having said that, however, I was third to board. And instead of walking straight down the air-bridge into Economy, I turned left at the Suites sign and was greeted by the inflight supervisor halfway along the air-bridge. My warm fuzzy feeling had indeed boiled over at this point.
Whilst escorting me to Seat 2F, the inflight supervisor noted that Seat 3F in fact had no mechanical problems and that I could move back to it. This was music to my ears! All of this was while I marvelled at Suites. My first impression was “wow!”.
The suite looked much bigger in real life and had ample storage space, particularly around the side of the seats (under the lift-up lids, subtly placed nooks) and under the ottoman. As I sat down, the leading stewardess introduced herself to me, offered me Bose noise-cancelling earphones, a leather-bound food/drinks menu and champagne (I opted for the Dom Perignon). She also offered me a selection of magazines but there were no legal magazines and so instead, I chose National Geographic (polar opposite to the law).
Earphones
Leather-bound Menu
Dom Perignon
The chief steward also introduced himself. Including the inflight supervisor and another steward, there were 4 flight attendants serving the 3 Suites passengers. However, I felt like I had the entire crew to myself.
The pilot announced that there would be a 10 minute delay in pushing back to avoid landing in Sydney before the curfew, which ceased at 6am. Ten minutes turned into 35 minutes. At 8:50, we pushed back but this was accompanied with a change in runway, resulting in a further 20 minute delay.
The cabin crew repeatedly apologised to me:
“Mr Y, I’m so sorry about the delay. Would you like some fruit or chocolate to eat whilst we wait?”.
“No worries, I’ll have the banana please”, internally hoping for a longer delay so that I could maximise my Suites experience.
Why Couldn't the Plane be Delayed Further?
At 9:10pm, the engines purred and we achieved flight.
Last edited by echa2949; Apr 25, 2014 at 6:47 pm
Apr 17, 2014, 7:07 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
Dinner
As soon as the seat belt sign dimmed, the cabin crew set off to work. The leading stewardess took down my dinner choices, offered me socks, eye shades, ear plugs, hot towels, whilst constantly refilling my champagne glass and ensuring that there was nothing else I needed or wanted.
Changing Cabin Colours
Dinner was an extravagant affair. The table linen, cutlery and napkin were neatly laid out and before each course, I was provided with a fresh Singapore Airlines-signature hand towel (except in Suites the hand towels are bigger).
Preparing for Dinner
Dinner commenced with very tasty chilled malossol caviar as the appetiser. As soon as I finished it, the cabin crew cleared the dish and cutlery. This happened after each course. It was somewhat bewildering how they knew when I finished – it seemed that they were at my side whenever I needed something, but their looking on and double-checking was never obvious – such subtle but great service!
Chilled Malossol Caviar
My appetiser was followed by a wonderfully flavoursome wagyu beef consomme with bone marrow, cabbage and truffle oil and then by a tomato salad, which was more mediocre.
Wagyu Beef Consomme
Salad
My main course was the yummy Boston Lobster thermidor, which I chose from the Book the Cook menu prior to the flight, but I was very tempted with the crumbed lamp chop and stir fried lobster which was part of the inflight-menu.
Boston Lobster Thermidor
The dessert of espresso parfait, coconut sorbet, coffee cake, passionfruit and lychee put me in a comatose state, so much so that I refused the fruit and cheese finale to the disappointment of the leading stewardess. The dessert was delectably rich and the highlight of the dinner.
Dessert
Throughout my dinner, the leading stewardess offered me white wine (the Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2012) and red wine (Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz). I am not much of a wine drinker but they matched the meals perfectly! She was very pleased with my approval of her wine choices.
Watching Lone Survivor
As soon as the seat belt sign dimmed, the cabin crew set off to work. The leading stewardess took down my dinner choices, offered me socks, eye shades, ear plugs, hot towels, whilst constantly refilling my champagne glass and ensuring that there was nothing else I needed or wanted.
Changing Cabin Colours
Dinner was an extravagant affair. The table linen, cutlery and napkin were neatly laid out and before each course, I was provided with a fresh Singapore Airlines-signature hand towel (except in Suites the hand towels are bigger).
Preparing for Dinner
Dinner commenced with very tasty chilled malossol caviar as the appetiser. As soon as I finished it, the cabin crew cleared the dish and cutlery. This happened after each course. It was somewhat bewildering how they knew when I finished – it seemed that they were at my side whenever I needed something, but their looking on and double-checking was never obvious – such subtle but great service!
Chilled Malossol Caviar
My appetiser was followed by a wonderfully flavoursome wagyu beef consomme with bone marrow, cabbage and truffle oil and then by a tomato salad, which was more mediocre.
Wagyu Beef Consomme
Salad
My main course was the yummy Boston Lobster thermidor, which I chose from the Book the Cook menu prior to the flight, but I was very tempted with the crumbed lamp chop and stir fried lobster which was part of the inflight-menu.
Boston Lobster Thermidor
The dessert of espresso parfait, coconut sorbet, coffee cake, passionfruit and lychee put me in a comatose state, so much so that I refused the fruit and cheese finale to the disappointment of the leading stewardess. The dessert was delectably rich and the highlight of the dinner.
Dessert
Throughout my dinner, the leading stewardess offered me white wine (the Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2012) and red wine (Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz). I am not much of a wine drinker but they matched the meals perfectly! She was very pleased with my approval of her wine choices.
Watching Lone Survivor
Last edited by echa2949; Apr 25, 2014 at 6:52 pm
Apr 17, 2014, 7:15 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
Post-Dinner Plane Tour
I became rather lethargic after dinner and so changed into the Givenchy pyjamas and slippers in preparation of much-needed sleep.
When the chief steward saw me holding my clothes, he immediately offered to hang them up in the wardrobe next to my suite.
It was at this point that I asked the chief steward whether the other cabins had finished service so that I could go for a walk to help my food digest before my sleep. Slightly unexpectedly, the chief steward volunteered to be my “plane guide”. He walked me up to Business Class, through upper deck Economy and back down to lower deck Economy. I did get a few weird – possibly envious or possibly “who does he think he is” stares – from some of the passengers, but I was enjoying my tour too much to care.
He explained the best seats in Business Class, the lifts at the back of the A380 that transport the food trolley, the cabin crew sleep area, the trapdoor beneath the Economy class area, the rotations crew had when working across the different cabin classes, and that his fluency in German meant he mainly flew to Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich (instead of Sydney). He also introduced me to the rest of the cabin crew: “X, please meet Mr Y from Suites”…“Nice to meet you Mr Y”. I felt like a VIP.
I want to comment here that the cabin crew, particularly the chief steward and leading stewardess, were very personable and engaged me in friendly conversation on their/my background, their/my work schedules etc., something which is hard to come by even in Business Class. This was what made my flight really enjoyable. Small things such as folding up my blanket when I get up from my seat and crew members explicitly making way for me to move were nice touches.
Relevantly, the chief steward voluntarily took a plethora of photos for me, whether it was me sitting in the suite, sipping champagne, or reclining in my suite bed. His familiarity with from where and which angle to take the photos suggested that he took happy snaps often with Suite passengers. And it did not escape me that these photos were marketing tools…and rightly so – Suites is such an amazing experience!
Enjoying the View from My Three Windows on the Ground
Sleep
The inflight supervisor and leading stewardess – rather than transforming my seat 3F into a single bed – transformed two centres suites into a full-length double bed. The quilt and pillows were very comfortable. I felt like I was in a hotel room. The suite doors could shut and the shades drawn down, making for a restful 3.5 hour sleep.
As requested, the leading stewardess knocked on my suite door at precisely 3am (Singapore time) for breakfast. But before breakfast, I was offered a hot face towel to refresh myself.
Breakfast
I requested for breakfast not to be in bed but in seat 3F. Breakfast was a light affair compared to dinner but this did not bother me because I was still incredibly full from dinner. Breakfast started off with a cappuccino, which was followed by bread, a selection of fruits and corn flakes.
Landing and Goodbyes
With the conclusion of breakfast came the premonition that arrival into Sydney was inevitably close. After staying in a holding pattern above Newcastle for 10 minutes, we approached Sydney Airport from the north and touched down at approximately 6:30am, 35 minutes behind schedule.
Amazing sunrise on descent
As I disembarked off the plane, the inflight supervisor, chief steward and leading stewardess repeatedly stressed “Mr Y, thank you so much for flying with us. It has been such a pleasure to serve you and we hope to see you again soon”. I very reluctantly entered the terminal and made my way to arrivals. Using the Express card, I was at the Arrivals Hall within 15 minutes after disembarkation.
Whilst waiting around for my pick-up, I bumped into the inflight supervisor who joked “Mr Y, didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”. I really regret not having a photo with the Suites cabin crew!
Last Thoughts
This is by far the most memorable flight I have had (and I fly a lot). Before coming onto the flight, I already held very high expectations of Suites and they were surpassed by the great hard product and the impeccable service of the cabin crew, particularly the chief steward and leading stewardess. They sincerely wanted to ensure that I was enjoying myself and my needs were satisfied (or beyond satisfied, such as through the plane tour). The feeling is quite indescribable and can only truly be understood if you yourself experienced Suites.
I became rather lethargic after dinner and so changed into the Givenchy pyjamas and slippers in preparation of much-needed sleep.
When the chief steward saw me holding my clothes, he immediately offered to hang them up in the wardrobe next to my suite. It was at this point that I asked the chief steward whether the other cabins had finished service so that I could go for a walk to help my food digest before my sleep. Slightly unexpectedly, the chief steward volunteered to be my “plane guide”. He walked me up to Business Class, through upper deck Economy and back down to lower deck Economy. I did get a few weird – possibly envious or possibly “who does he think he is” stares – from some of the passengers, but I was enjoying my tour too much to care.
He explained the best seats in Business Class, the lifts at the back of the A380 that transport the food trolley, the cabin crew sleep area, the trapdoor beneath the Economy class area, the rotations crew had when working across the different cabin classes, and that his fluency in German meant he mainly flew to Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich (instead of Sydney). He also introduced me to the rest of the cabin crew: “X, please meet Mr Y from Suites”…“Nice to meet you Mr Y”. I felt like a VIP.
I want to comment here that the cabin crew, particularly the chief steward and leading stewardess, were very personable and engaged me in friendly conversation on their/my background, their/my work schedules etc., something which is hard to come by even in Business Class. This was what made my flight really enjoyable. Small things such as folding up my blanket when I get up from my seat and crew members explicitly making way for me to move were nice touches.
Relevantly, the chief steward voluntarily took a plethora of photos for me, whether it was me sitting in the suite, sipping champagne, or reclining in my suite bed. His familiarity with from where and which angle to take the photos suggested that he took happy snaps often with Suite passengers. And it did not escape me that these photos were marketing tools…and rightly so – Suites is such an amazing experience!
Enjoying the View from My Three Windows on the Ground
Sleep
The inflight supervisor and leading stewardess – rather than transforming my seat 3F into a single bed – transformed two centres suites into a full-length double bed. The quilt and pillows were very comfortable. I felt like I was in a hotel room. The suite doors could shut and the shades drawn down, making for a restful 3.5 hour sleep.
As requested, the leading stewardess knocked on my suite door at precisely 3am (Singapore time) for breakfast. But before breakfast, I was offered a hot face towel to refresh myself.
Breakfast
I requested for breakfast not to be in bed but in seat 3F. Breakfast was a light affair compared to dinner but this did not bother me because I was still incredibly full from dinner. Breakfast started off with a cappuccino, which was followed by bread, a selection of fruits and corn flakes.
Landing and Goodbyes
With the conclusion of breakfast came the premonition that arrival into Sydney was inevitably close. After staying in a holding pattern above Newcastle for 10 minutes, we approached Sydney Airport from the north and touched down at approximately 6:30am, 35 minutes behind schedule.
Amazing sunrise on descent
As I disembarked off the plane, the inflight supervisor, chief steward and leading stewardess repeatedly stressed “Mr Y, thank you so much for flying with us. It has been such a pleasure to serve you and we hope to see you again soon”. I very reluctantly entered the terminal and made my way to arrivals.
Using the Express card, I was at the Arrivals Hall within 15 minutes after disembarkation. Whilst waiting around for my pick-up, I bumped into the inflight supervisor who joked “Mr Y, didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”. I really regret not having a photo with the Suites cabin crew!
Last Thoughts
This is by far the most memorable flight I have had (and I fly a lot). Before coming onto the flight, I already held very high expectations of Suites and they were surpassed by the great hard product and the impeccable service of the cabin crew, particularly the chief steward and leading stewardess. They sincerely wanted to ensure that I was enjoying myself and my needs were satisfied (or beyond satisfied, such as through the plane tour). The feeling is quite indescribable and can only truly be understood if you yourself experienced Suites.
Last edited by echa2949; Apr 25, 2014 at 7:01 pm
Apr 17, 2014, 9:06 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
To Start With
A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice
Fruits
Choice of cereals or yoghurt
Cornflakes with milk or granola with yoghurt-berry compote
Plain or fruit yoghurt
From The Bakery
Breakfast pastries and bakery with preserves-honey
Croissant, zucchini-cinnamon bread, lemon curd danish, multi grain loaf and chicken curry puff
Finale
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas
Apr 18, 2014, 3:40 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: MEL
Programs: QF Gold, EK Gold, SQ PPS, IHG AMB, Hilton DM
Posts: 90
Excellent report 
I think we might have briefly eyed each other in the TPR. You were preparing to leave I believe. I was on the sister flight to MEL.
My flight experience pretty much mirrored yours. I was served mainly by the Leading Stewardess Peggy, and she was amazing. Anticipated my every needs and showed such genuine care and concern.
I had the same option as the OP posted, which I believe is the ideal offering for such a short red-eye flight.
Flight time is only 7-7.5hrs, which included a full dinner service. Most people with standard eating habits will hardly want a full breakfast in lieu of sleep.
K
I think we might have briefly eyed each other in the TPR. You were preparing to leave I believe. I was on the sister flight to MEL.
My flight experience pretty much mirrored yours. I was served mainly by the Leading Stewardess Peggy, and she was amazing. Anticipated my every needs and showed such genuine care and concern.
Flight time is only 7-7.5hrs, which included a full dinner service. Most people with standard eating habits will hardly want a full breakfast in lieu of sleep.
K
Apr 18, 2014, 11:37 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: LONDON
Programs: CX DM, BA G4L, QR PLT, EK PLT, Hyatt CourtesyC, HH DM, SQ PPS, BonvoyTit, UK, VS, UA, DL, AA
Posts: 1,715
Great TR - fully agree about it not being worth it to wake up for the continental breakfast... better to have a nice dinner and sleep
Apr 18, 2014, 4:18 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Dallas
Programs: AA LTPLT UA1P Hilton Dia Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,183
Nice pics! I did Suites last year SIN LHR on the 1230pm departure. I was the only pax up front. I also had row 3 and slept in the double bed. I do think SQ could do better on the ground like Thai does for F pax.
Apr 18, 2014, 6:45 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 53
Excellent report
I think we might have briefly eyed each other in the TPR. You were preparing to leave I believe. I was on the sister flight to MEL.
My flight experience pretty much mirrored yours. I was served mainly by the Leading Stewardess Peggy, and she was amazing. Anticipated my every needs and showed such genuine care and concern.
K
I think we might have briefly eyed each other in the TPR. You were preparing to leave I believe. I was on the sister flight to MEL.
My flight experience pretty much mirrored yours. I was served mainly by the Leading Stewardess Peggy, and she was amazing. Anticipated my every needs and showed such genuine care and concern.
K
Really, where were you sitting in the lounge? I'm glad to hear that you also had a really amazing experience - seems that the service is very consistent.
Last edited by echa2949; Apr 18, 2014 at 6:51 pm