Flying SQ New Economy to Sydney SQ231/232
Jul 16, 2016, 3:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Flying SQ New Economy to Sydney SQ231/232
Since the launch of SQ's newest seats, I did not have much luck in scoring an aircraft fitted with them, till the recent outbound flight to Sydney on SQ. It was only a rather short trip over the public holiday and weekend and airfares on SQ was surprisingly reasonable for the flights I chose.
Check-in at Terminal 3 was DIY nowadays but for Australia-bound passengers, you would still need to proceed to the desks for passport/ETA verification before boarding passes were issued.
Printed boarding pass issued from the desks were on proper stock, instead of the flimsy paper from the DIY machines.
Departure gate at A13.
06 July 2016
Singapore Airlines
SQ 231
Singapore (SIN) - Sydney (SYD)
B777-300ER
9V-SWM
Economy Class
Flight Time: 6H47M
The flight was scheduled to be operated by a B77W with new seats, and luckily it remained so with no last minute swaps. Boarding was on scheduled.
Passing the New Business Class seats. Gonna try them, hopefully, in a couple of month' time.
The new Premium Economy Class. Think it remained rather empty on this flight, consistent with rumours that PEY is not doing too well on SQ.
And into the New Economy cabin, where I would be seated. On each seat was a pillow and blanket.
Large IFE touchscreen monitor and touch-pad controller.
Legroom was good and unlike the older generation seat, the footrest was less of a hindrance for me. Seat was very comfortable and recline was great. Way better comfort level then the previous generation seat. No wonder no one wants to pay for PEY.
View out the window.
Check-in at Terminal 3 was DIY nowadays but for Australia-bound passengers, you would still need to proceed to the desks for passport/ETA verification before boarding passes were issued.
Printed boarding pass issued from the desks were on proper stock, instead of the flimsy paper from the DIY machines.
Departure gate at A13.
06 July 2016
Singapore Airlines
SQ 231
Singapore (SIN) - Sydney (SYD)
B777-300ER
9V-SWM
Economy Class
Flight Time: 6H47M
The flight was scheduled to be operated by a B77W with new seats, and luckily it remained so with no last minute swaps. Boarding was on scheduled.
Passing the New Business Class seats. Gonna try them, hopefully, in a couple of month' time.
The new Premium Economy Class. Think it remained rather empty on this flight, consistent with rumours that PEY is not doing too well on SQ.
And into the New Economy cabin, where I would be seated. On each seat was a pillow and blanket.
Large IFE touchscreen monitor and touch-pad controller.
Legroom was good and unlike the older generation seat, the footrest was less of a hindrance for me. Seat was very comfortable and recline was great. Way better comfort level then the previous generation seat. No wonder no one wants to pay for PEY.
View out the window.
Jul 16, 2016, 3:13 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Boarding in progress and surprisingly, the flight was only about 70% full, considering it was a national holiday.
Magazines and stuff.
The cheapo earsets were handed out, along with the usual hot towels.
Flight map function was vastly improved and is more interactive.
IFE Krisworld is easy enough to navigate, and the touchscreen worked fine and is responsive. Much better than the earlier IFE versions.
Pushed back and taxi to usually landing-designated Rwy20R for takeoff.
Video of departure from Rwy20R.
Climbing
Starting on "The Jungle Book".
Magazines and stuff.
The cheapo earsets were handed out, along with the usual hot towels.
Flight map function was vastly improved and is more interactive.
IFE Krisworld is easy enough to navigate, and the touchscreen worked fine and is responsive. Much better than the earlier IFE versions.
Pushed back and taxi to usually landing-designated Rwy20R for takeoff.
Video of departure from Rwy20R.
Climbing
Starting on "The Jungle Book".
Jul 16, 2016, 9:29 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
In movie mode, the flight map can be displayed on the remote handset.
Amenity kit was distributed, consisting of socks and a toothbrush set.
Menu for the flight. A hot refreshment would be served after takeoff, and breakfast before arrival.
Extensive beverage list. Spot the new alcoholic cocktail introduced.
After takeoff refreshment was a choice of Pork pasta or Chicken Fried Rice. This seemed to be an improvement over the previous warm sandwiches/wraps served as refreshment on this particular flight.
Refreshment tray, with orange juice and tea.
Had the Fried rice with chicken and egg, which was actually quite tasty, though a bit lacking in the proteins department.
The other choice of Pork Stroganoff Pasta was very good as well, and definitely tasted much better than it looked.
Tried the new cocktail, Bailey's White Russian, which was prepared rather strong.
Visit to the lav, which was stocked with the usual economy amenities.
After I finished with the movie, I managed to catch a couple plus of hours' nap on the very comfortable seat, and woke up somewhere over the Australian desert. Not sure why, but the flight map had all info in Chinese and I could not figure out how to switch it back to English.
Amenity kit was distributed, consisting of socks and a toothbrush set.
Menu for the flight. A hot refreshment would be served after takeoff, and breakfast before arrival.
Extensive beverage list. Spot the new alcoholic cocktail introduced.
After takeoff refreshment was a choice of Pork pasta or Chicken Fried Rice. This seemed to be an improvement over the previous warm sandwiches/wraps served as refreshment on this particular flight.
Refreshment tray, with orange juice and tea.
Had the Fried rice with chicken and egg, which was actually quite tasty, though a bit lacking in the proteins department.
The other choice of Pork Stroganoff Pasta was very good as well, and definitely tasted much better than it looked.
Tried the new cocktail, Bailey's White Russian, which was prepared rather strong.
Visit to the lav, which was stocked with the usual economy amenities.
After I finished with the movie, I managed to catch a couple plus of hours' nap on the very comfortable seat, and woke up somewhere over the Australian desert. Not sure why, but the flight map had all info in Chinese and I could not figure out how to switch it back to English.
Jul 16, 2016, 9:58 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Day break over the Australian outback.
Cabin lights turned on, hot towels distributed and breakfast was served about 1h45m before arrival. Luckily on this flight, the crew used some common sense and decided not to stick to the "breakfast served 2.5hrs before arrival" rule, which would be ridiculous on such a short red-eye flight. Also, with the less than full cabin, there was still plenty of time for service.
Choices for breakfast were Nasi Lemak or Scrambled eggs.
Breakfast tray, which came with fruits, yoghurt, roll with butter and preserve. Note the comeback of the glass tumbler for wines/juices. Apparently the use of glass tumblers in economy is only on selected "premium" flights and the crew themselves were equally confused on which flights have it as most flights are still using the plastic tumblers. Had an orange juice and coffee with my breakfast.
Chose the nasi lemak, which is rather flavourful, though could be a bit spicy for the non-Asians.
Sun is up.
After breakfast service is completed, a crew came over with my pre-ordered Krisshop item of the newly-launched "Singapore Girl" Hello Kitty! Apparently this was very popular and got sold out on most flights! Best to pre-order it online, but only restricted to flight departing from SIN.
View of the cabin.
Note the generous recline.
Cabin lights turned on, hot towels distributed and breakfast was served about 1h45m before arrival. Luckily on this flight, the crew used some common sense and decided not to stick to the "breakfast served 2.5hrs before arrival" rule, which would be ridiculous on such a short red-eye flight. Also, with the less than full cabin, there was still plenty of time for service.
Choices for breakfast were Nasi Lemak or Scrambled eggs.
Breakfast tray, which came with fruits, yoghurt, roll with butter and preserve. Note the comeback of the glass tumbler for wines/juices. Apparently the use of glass tumblers in economy is only on selected "premium" flights and the crew themselves were equally confused on which flights have it as most flights are still using the plastic tumblers. Had an orange juice and coffee with my breakfast.
Chose the nasi lemak, which is rather flavourful, though could be a bit spicy for the non-Asians.
Sun is up.
After breakfast service is completed, a crew came over with my pre-ordered Krisshop item of the newly-launched "Singapore Girl" Hello Kitty! Apparently this was very popular and got sold out on most flights! Best to pre-order it online, but only restricted to flight departing from SIN.
View of the cabin.
Note the generous recline.
Jul 16, 2016, 10:36 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
As we flew nearer to Sydney, the skies clouded up.
Descending into a very cloudy Sydney. The weather would be cloudy and gloomy for the next 2 days as well....
Short video of the descent.
Approaching Rwy16L from the south. It was rather windy during the approach.
1000ft to go
Landed on Sydney Rwy16L, half hour ahead of schedule.
Video of the landing.
We hope you had a pleasant journey.
Taxi to the gate, but we had to hold on the remote for 20min as our allocated gate was still occupied by a TG aircraft awaiting pushback.
SQ A380 awaiting being towed to the gate for flight back as SQ232.
After the TG B744 was pushed back, we taxied into the gate.
Descending into a very cloudy Sydney. The weather would be cloudy and gloomy for the next 2 days as well....
Short video of the descent.
Approaching Rwy16L from the south. It was rather windy during the approach.
1000ft to go
Landed on Sydney Rwy16L, half hour ahead of schedule.
Video of the landing.
We hope you had a pleasant journey.
Taxi to the gate, but we had to hold on the remote for 20min as our allocated gate was still occupied by a TG aircraft awaiting pushback.
SQ A380 awaiting being towed to the gate for flight back as SQ232.
After the TG B744 was pushed back, we taxied into the gate.
Jul 16, 2016, 10:59 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Disembarking and passing Business Class.
Grabbing pics of 9V-SWM.
It was a very comfortable flight on SQ to Sydney, and the short red-eye did not felt as bad as feared. The comfortable New Economy seats really offered new levels of comfort, with the enhanced IFE, good catering and the usual high standards of professional and efficient SQ service, it was a pleasant journey to Sydney indeed!
Spotted another of my favourite airlines while walking to immigration.
For the first time ever, immigration was a breeze at an Australian airport, due to my eligibility to use the SmartGate automated clearance. There was a slight wait for bags and after being directed to an express lane through customs, it was a quick 20min train ride to the city center.
Stayed at The Grace hotel in between Wynyard and Town Hall, which was of a walking distance to most sights. The 4.5-stars hotel was not only centrally located, but offered nice rooms at really reasonable rates.
Night views of Sydney Harbour and sights.
Next day, walked down towards Darling Harbour while on the way to the Sydney Fish Market.
Grabbing pics of 9V-SWM.
It was a very comfortable flight on SQ to Sydney, and the short red-eye did not felt as bad as feared. The comfortable New Economy seats really offered new levels of comfort, with the enhanced IFE, good catering and the usual high standards of professional and efficient SQ service, it was a pleasant journey to Sydney indeed!
Spotted another of my favourite airlines while walking to immigration.
For the first time ever, immigration was a breeze at an Australian airport, due to my eligibility to use the SmartGate automated clearance. There was a slight wait for bags and after being directed to an express lane through customs, it was a quick 20min train ride to the city center.
Stayed at The Grace hotel in between Wynyard and Town Hall, which was of a walking distance to most sights. The 4.5-stars hotel was not only centrally located, but offered nice rooms at really reasonable rates.
Night views of Sydney Harbour and sights.
Next day, walked down towards Darling Harbour while on the way to the Sydney Fish Market.
Jul 17, 2016, 2:15 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,222
Thanks for posting. Australian here and love seeing how others view our fabulous country. I love The Grace hotel too and have stayed there many times when doing things in town.
Have fun in Sydney!
Have fun in Sydney!
Jul 17, 2016, 3:38 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Pulled pork burger with sweet potato fries.
Had my first taste of Ippudo as well, and of all places, Sydney haha.
Went to a farmers' market on the outskirts of town. Carriageworks Market, near Redfern Train Station. Really fresh fruits, vege and meat, as well as a variety of food stalls.
Home-made ice-cream from one of the stalls was delish!!
After 3 days of gloomy and wet weather, the sun finally peeked out on the last day.
Had another seafood feast on the final later afternoon at the fish market.
Had my first taste of Ippudo as well, and of all places, Sydney haha.
Went to a farmers' market on the outskirts of town. Carriageworks Market, near Redfern Train Station. Really fresh fruits, vege and meat, as well as a variety of food stalls.
Home-made ice-cream from one of the stalls was delish!!
After 3 days of gloomy and wet weather, the sun finally peeked out on the last day.
Had another seafood feast on the final later afternoon at the fish market.
Jul 17, 2016, 7:29 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
On the last evening in Sydney, there was a fireworks display at Darling Harbour. This is a weekly Saturday event for some periods of the year. Nice way to end the short trip!
Early on the day of departure, took the train back to the airport again. Would be flying on the 11am flight back to SIN, which is the 2nd of 5x daily SQ flights from SYD-SIN. A but of wait for check-in at the economy counters due to the full flight and that 2 flights were being checked in at the same time. The later flight would just be 2hrs after our departure.
Boarding pass issued.
Immigration was quick due to the use of SmartGates, but security was long. After finally clearing pass security, ended up in the Duty-Free shopping hall. Decided to skip duty-free shopping as the flight would be boarding very soon and it would be a long trek to the gate.
Some plane spotting. Interestingly, there is an Australian Air Force A330 parked at the gate.
X-Men liveried AirAsia X A330!
This B773ER had just arrived earlier as SQ231 and would be operating as SQ222 back later in the afternoon. Our flight would be the A380 parked beside but not in clear view.
Boarding has already started when we reached the gate.
Early on the day of departure, took the train back to the airport again. Would be flying on the 11am flight back to SIN, which is the 2nd of 5x daily SQ flights from SYD-SIN. A but of wait for check-in at the economy counters due to the full flight and that 2 flights were being checked in at the same time. The later flight would just be 2hrs after our departure.
Boarding pass issued.
Immigration was quick due to the use of SmartGates, but security was long. After finally clearing pass security, ended up in the Duty-Free shopping hall. Decided to skip duty-free shopping as the flight would be boarding very soon and it would be a long trek to the gate.
Some plane spotting. Interestingly, there is an Australian Air Force A330 parked at the gate.
X-Men liveried AirAsia X A330!
This B773ER had just arrived earlier as SQ231 and would be operating as SQ222 back later in the afternoon. Our flight would be the A380 parked beside but not in clear view.
Boarding has already started when we reached the gate.
Jul 17, 2016, 8:25 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
10 July 2016
Singapore Airlines
SQ 232
Sydney (SYD) - Singapore (SIN)
A380-800
9V-SKF
Economy Class
Flight Time: 7H57M
Boarding the whale.
Would be seated at the small upper deck economy cabin. Passed through Business Class while boarding.
Economy cabin with the less new economy seats. It would be a totally full flight in economy today, which loads of passengers returning from their holiday break.
Seatback with earphones already pre-set.
First impression of the cleanliness of the aircraft was not too favourable, with a small meal casserole, muffin wrapper and used paper towel in the seat pocket..... This is not what I would have expected from SQ! Alerted a steward who cleared them with apologies. As the upper deck seats has additional stowage at the window, I had initially wanted to keep the blankets in there, but when opening, found some dried coffee/tea/dunno what are those stains in it.... (forgot to take a photo of it as I was totally grossed out) Yucks!! Aircraft cabin cleanliness is definitely lacking here!!
Scoot B789 arriving from SIN.
IFE interface, No touchscreen monitors on the older IFE system.
Hot towels and menus distributed, and we were pushed back slightly behind schedule.
X-Men AirAsiaX taxiing for departure ahead of us.
Starting the long taxi to Rwy16L.
Departure from Rwy16L.
Singapore Airlines
SQ 232
Sydney (SYD) - Singapore (SIN)
A380-800
9V-SKF
Economy Class
Flight Time: 7H57M
Boarding the whale.
Would be seated at the small upper deck economy cabin. Passed through Business Class while boarding.
Economy cabin with the less new economy seats. It would be a totally full flight in economy today, which loads of passengers returning from their holiday break.
Seatback with earphones already pre-set.
First impression of the cleanliness of the aircraft was not too favourable, with a small meal casserole, muffin wrapper and used paper towel in the seat pocket..... This is not what I would have expected from SQ! Alerted a steward who cleared them with apologies. As the upper deck seats has additional stowage at the window, I had initially wanted to keep the blankets in there, but when opening, found some dried coffee/tea/dunno what are those stains in it.... (forgot to take a photo of it as I was totally grossed out) Yucks!! Aircraft cabin cleanliness is definitely lacking here!!
Scoot B789 arriving from SIN.
IFE interface, No touchscreen monitors on the older IFE system.
Hot towels and menus distributed, and we were pushed back slightly behind schedule.
X-Men AirAsiaX taxiing for departure ahead of us.
Starting the long taxi to Rwy16L.
Departure from Rwy16L.
Jul 18, 2016, 7:28 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Nice view of the Sydney CBD during the climb out. And the sun is finally gloriously shining!
Video of the departure.
Amenity kits were distributed.
Followed by bar service, where I ordered a Singapore Sling to go with the peanuts.
Visit to the lavatory
Cruising over the Australian desert. We would be taking a northerly route today.
Meal service on this flight would be a lunch as refreshment. 2 choices for lunch.
Meal tray delivered. Meal tray consisted of a starter, main, roll with butter, cheese and crackers. I had an orange juice with the meal. Chose the beef stroganoff.
Video of the departure.
Amenity kits were distributed.
Followed by bar service, where I ordered a Singapore Sling to go with the peanuts.
Visit to the lavatory
Cruising over the Australian desert. We would be taking a northerly route today.
Meal service on this flight would be a lunch as refreshment. 2 choices for lunch.
Meal tray delivered. Meal tray consisted of a starter, main, roll with butter, cheese and crackers. I had an orange juice with the meal. Chose the beef stroganoff.
Jul 18, 2016, 7:44 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
Turkey with pasta salad and warm roll
Cheese and crackers
Beef stroganoff. It was ok for airplane food.
A no-brand Magnum wannabe-looking ice-cream bar was distributed later.
As the crew had run out of the chicken option when they reached my row, and my travel partner was unable to take beef, the crew managed to salvage the situation by getting other choices from Business Class. Ended up he got a casserole of seafood noodles, but of course dished onto an economy casserole.
Ending the meal with a cup of tea.
After lunch service ended, we were 2.5hrs into the flight.
Caught the movie "Batman vs Superman" and bored myself to sleep for a couple of hours.
When I woke up, we were somewhere over the ocean.
View of the economy upper deck cabin.
Refreshment was served 2hrs before arrival. Here is the refreshment menu.
Refreshment service in progress.
Chose the beef meatball penne.
Cheese and crackers
Beef stroganoff. It was ok for airplane food.
A no-brand Magnum wannabe-looking ice-cream bar was distributed later.
As the crew had run out of the chicken option when they reached my row, and my travel partner was unable to take beef, the crew managed to salvage the situation by getting other choices from Business Class. Ended up he got a casserole of seafood noodles, but of course dished onto an economy casserole.
Ending the meal with a cup of tea.
After lunch service ended, we were 2.5hrs into the flight.
Caught the movie "Batman vs Superman" and bored myself to sleep for a couple of hours.
When I woke up, we were somewhere over the ocean.
View of the economy upper deck cabin.
Refreshment was served 2hrs before arrival. Here is the refreshment menu.
Refreshment service in progress.
Chose the beef meatball penne.
Jul 18, 2016, 8:22 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,681
The pasta was actually rather tasty.
Stir-fried vermicelli with chicken was not bad as well.
Somewhere over Borneo
We soon started descending into Singapore, but due to traffic, had to fly a couple of circles and S-courses.
Final approach and landing onto Rwy20R, right on schedule.
Video of full approaching till landing.
Parked at Terminal 3 and disembarked. A company A330 beside.
And the whale that flew me back.
It was again a pleasant flight on SQ. Even though the seats may not be as comfortable as the new generation of seats and IFE not was wonderful, the economy product on the A380, coupled with the consistently good service, is still ranked among the tops for economy travel.
Thanks for reading and comments are much welcomed.
Stir-fried vermicelli with chicken was not bad as well.
Somewhere over Borneo
We soon started descending into Singapore, but due to traffic, had to fly a couple of circles and S-courses.
Final approach and landing onto Rwy20R, right on schedule.
Video of full approaching till landing.
Parked at Terminal 3 and disembarked. A company A330 beside.
And the whale that flew me back.
It was again a pleasant flight on SQ. Even though the seats may not be as comfortable as the new generation of seats and IFE not was wonderful, the economy product on the A380, coupled with the consistently good service, is still ranked among the tops for economy travel.
Thanks for reading and comments are much welcomed.