My few days in Hong Kong passed way too quickly. I had a great time visiting with all of my relatives; though, it was sprinkled with a few somber moments.

One of the hardest things to do while on the road is maintaining a decent diet and exercise routine. My diet while on the road for work consists of a lot of horribly delicious chicken fried steak, burgers, and biscuits and gravy, all the while praying there’s a decent gym and/or jogging trail near the hotel. While I was in Hong Kong, it seems as if my relatives were hell bent on keeping me on my road diet, albeit with the multitude of fantastic restaurants found in Hong Kong. Additionally, my workout routine essentially shot to pieces with so many people to see, sans the aforementioned run along the Avenue of Stars. I definitely was feeling a few pounds heavier.

And of course, flying in premium cabins certainly did not help my cause. After my fantastic feast on board Cathay, I was definitely looking forward to see what Singapore has to offer. Speaking of Singapore, I was still feeling pretty antsy, as there were no confirmed reports of tickets being honored, until the last full day of my trip. So like a good OCD FTer, the first thing I did each morning was log in on united.com and singaporeair.com to check on my reservation. Everything looked good on the United side, sans their ability to tell time, as you can see below.


I’m sure Boeing wants to know what modifications SQ made

On the SQ side, I could never get my reservation to pull up desktop site, but it showed just perfectly on the mobile site. The night before my flight, I checked in online for my flight just before dinner, and I was able to choose seats at that time.

The next morning I stupidly headed to the Conrad Executive Lounge for breakfast, which was quite nice. I say stupidly because I knew I had nothing to do but eat and get hammered over the next 40 hours or so. After breakfast, I packed and then headed out for mid-morning tea with my uncle. Yes I know, more food. My cousin dropped by a little while after to check out my room at the Conrad. Afterwards, we went for a delicious late lunch with my grand aunt. Over lunch, my cousin told me about an express bus that runs from Tai Koo, where we were, to the Airport with only few addition stops. The cost of the bus was $45 HKD, nearly 1/3 of the cost of the taxi and Airport Express combo. Although the cost wasn’t a big deal for me, I did end up choosing the bus as it would save me the transfer at the Airport Express station. I managed to catch the 3:20 bus, which deposited me in front of Terminal 1, a little over an hour later.

After entering the ridiculously cavernous terminal, I quickly located the SQ check in desks, which are located in Row 7. There was a substantial line for Economy, and a few people in the Business Class line. However, the First Class desk was wide open. Ok, this is the moment of truth. With my heart pounding, I approached the desk with my passport in hand and mustering the most dazzling smile I was capable of, all the while trying to look as first class as possible. Just before I reached the podium, the agent asked, “Are you on SQ 865?” I answered yes, and she then took my passport. I actually expected a comment about how I got my ticket, given how stingy SQ is with award space, but the agent didn’t bat an eyelash. Boarding passes were printed and baggage tags were affixed to my bags along with First Class priority tags. Unlike CX, SQ does not issue separate lounge invites. Instead, the lounge invite is printed on the boarding pass itself. Directions to lounge were only given after I asked. Though she was efficient, the agent was not particularly friendly. She did attempt to start small talk several times, but it seemed forced, even unnatural. It wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, though it was an underwhelming reintroduction to what is billed as one of the world’s best airlines.

I arrived at immigration only to find literally a few hundred people queuing in the visitor lines. Despite this, I was through immigration under 10 minutes. Then off to security, which is huge contrast to what is experienced in the US. Agents are polite and friendly. Shoes, belts, and jackets stay on. All we need is the laptop. Again despite the large volume of passengers, I was through very quickly. After picking up a souvenir for a friend, I made my way over to SQ SilverKris Lounge, which is located near Gate 17. I was admitted by a friendly agent after my boarding pass was scanned.

Although the lounge is large, it was rather dark, as there are no windows in the lounge. There is a separate First Class section, which was empty when I visited, but there seemed to be no controls preventing crossing over without the appropriate boarding pass. A decent buffet was on offer, but it was located all the way on the other side of lounge from the First Class section. Perhaps the biggest negative is that there are no restrooms, let alone shower rooms, in the lounge. After snapping a few pictures, I left and headed off to United’s Global First Lounge.


Entry way


Business center


Empty first class section

After hearing many good things about the GFL at HKG, I really wanted to check it out. The GFL is located near Gate 40, which is a bit of haul from the SilverKris lounge. The lounge is actually located above the gate area, requiring an elevator or escalator to access it. After the lounge dragon entered some of the details of my boarding pass into the computer, and escorted me to the GFL. The lounge was small, but nice and airy. There are a decent number of seats, and unlike the SilverKris lounge, the GFL has showers. Additionally, large windows allow for great views of the tarmac and runway. I was the only in the lounge during my entire visit.




Tarmac


My SQ 77W arriving

There was a small but decent buffet, with both and hot and cold items, as well as an a la carte menu. The hard and soft drink selection was quite extensive.


Buffet


Drink selection


SHOT, SHOT, SHOT, SHOT

After grabbing a little chicken satay and some fruit, I had about 30 minutes before boarding time. So I broke camp and headed to the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge. Many people say that the Thai Lounge is directly across from the United Club/GFL. In reality, you follow the hallway leading away from the United Club for a couple hundred feet. I was admitted by an agent after photocopying my boarding pass. After some debate, I was escorted to First Class side of the lounge which was just cordoned off by a rope barrier. I was offered a menu as I sat down, but I declined all offers of food and just went with water. After perusing the Wall Street Journal for a bit, I left the lounge, thanking the agents on the way out, and headed to my departure gate, ten minutes before boarding.