Thanks for the feedback. I think we'll try a different airline on the return, as my job doesn't allow for much travel so I want to try as many airlines as possible! I'm hoping for a stopover in Singapore - well worth $100 to me.

Do you have any experience on the 777-200ER V1 aircraft? That's what SQ uses for SIN-JNB. It's two-cabin, with a 1-2-1 seat arrangement in Business. The flight is 10 hours, so I'm hoping it's more like US domestic first class ...