dat4life

I’ve been spoiled back home with CLEAR and Pre Check. Rarely do I have any sort of issue with security. But today, my razor cartridge refills sparked a five-minute conversation with the security guys and gals in Jakarta. I never had a problem with bringing those cartridges through security at any airport around the world before, and I haven’t had trouble since. In fact, I bought another set in Singapore and brought it through security in London, Istanbual, Cairo, Phuket, and (drumroll please) Jakarta again later in my trip without issue. I quickly grew tired of arguing, so I offered to abandon the cartidges at the checkpoint. The offer was deemed worthy, and I left without further incident.

Boarding passes were scanned before entering the gate area. When the agent noticed my boarding pass, she asked me to wait a moment and called over to her colleague who then escorted me into the jetbridge. I paused for just a second to get a picture of 9V-SYL, the Star Alliance liveried Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300 taking me to Singapore that afternoon. Generally, the special alliance liveries are pretty damn boring. It seemed like Star Alliance told oneworld and SkyTeam to hold their beer while they came up with an even more boring black and white livery.



Singapore Airlines 959
Jakarta (CGK) – Singapore (SIN)
Depart: 2:10 PM
Arrive: 5:00 PM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300
Seat: 2F (First Class)

The Singapore Girl standing at the door of the plane smiled as I approached and said, “Hello, Mr. dat4life! Welcome aboard!”

Uhhh. Did my name get tattooed on my forehead when I was I wasn’t looking?

“My name is Winnie, and I will be taking care of you. You are our only First Class Passenger today! Please feel free to sit wherever you would like.”

For no other reason than it was printed on my boarding pass, I asked to stick with 2F.

“Certainly. Please follow me.”

Winnie led me through the galley into a familiar looking cabin and to a familiar looking seat.



“Here we are, Mr. dat4life. Have you flown with us before?”

“I have, but it’s been a few years”

To be precise, it’s been five years since I’ve last set foot in Singapore Airlines First Class. My last flight in First Class was on the old SQ 62 service between Houston and Singapore, with a stop in Moscow. That flight was rather memorable for a couple of reasons. One, I can kind of sort of claim I’ve been to Russia if I squint really hard. I think ninety minutes counts, right? Two, the leg between Moscow and Houston was one of the most incredible flights of my life. Sure the seat was incredibly comfortable, and the booze was great. The food… I know we had some, but otherwise I don’t remember much about it. What I remember most is that I had the most amazing flight attendant on that flight. She was the perfect combination of professional, friendly, and attentiveness. Winnie was definitely picking up where that flight attendant left off.

“Since it’s been awhile, let me reacquaint you with some of the features of our seat. You can place your backpack under the footrest so you can reach it easier during flight”



“To your left, you’ll find the handset for television and controls to adjust your seat.”



“To your right, you will find your headphones and a powerport in case you need to charge something.”



This was a worthy re-introduction to one of the world’s best airlines and fitting for a “Five Star Airline”.

“Mr. dat4life, would you like something to drink? Perhaps some champagne?”

“Champagne sounds great.”

Winnie was back in a flash with a bottle of Dom Perignon perched on a silver tray alongside a champagne flute. She carefully placed a small coaster on the cup indent at my seat, the Singapore logo perfectly facing me. The champagne was then elegantly poured into the flute, which was set atop the aforementioned coaster. “Please enjoy,” she instructed with a signature flourish of her hand. You bet I will!



Champagne is a rare treat for me, reserved for the most special occasions and of course on an airplane. Even rarer is champagne of the caliber, which I pretty much get to drink only when I save up enough miles for international First Class. The only time I’ve ever had Dom Perignon outside of an airport or airplane is when I splurged for a bottle a few years back after a big promotion. Ah, it’s so good once it hits your lips! You bet I enjoyed every sip of it.

She returned with a hot towel a few minutes later.



Followed a ramekin of cashews and candied walnuts, which was placed next to my now empty glass which did not escape her sharp eye. “Let me freshen up your drink for you, Mr. dat4life."



Newspapers were offered by another flight attendant, which I declined. The purser, or “In-Flight Service Manager” in Singapore Airlines parlance, came next to welcome me aboard and chat me up about my plans. Her eyes grew big when I told her I would be flying Suites tomorrow, and she spent a good minute gushing about how much I would enjoy myself. Then came the awkward moment when she asked how long I would be staying London. “Five hours!” Convinced she was talking to a madman, she ended the conversation by presenting the menu for the flight “just in case you would like to enjoy a light lunch.

When I think “light lunch”, I think of my near daily turkey and Swiss on wheat or, if I’m feeling particularly fancy, a grilled chicken salad. What the menu described was really LUNCH, in all caps.



Winnie returned a short while later to take my order. Whenever I fly out of an outstation, I make it a point to order the menu item that’s “native” to the departure airport. As such, I asked for the Nasi Padang. Winnie smiled and said, “Excellent choice! I will have it ready for you shortly after takeoff. “

After my third glass of Dom, I began noticing the cabin was getting a little rough around the edges. This plane was delivered brand spanking new to Singapore back in 2005, and it’s actually 5 years younger than the Cathay A330 I flew to Jakarta. But it doesn’t seem like they’ve updated it much since delivery. The leather covering of the seat was worn and had scuffmarks here and there. The carpet was fraying at the edges and ripped in some areas. Overall, the cabin just looked very tired. Of course, this is all normal wear and tear. But it was a little surprising to me that Singapore hasn’t tried to upkeep the cabin a little better. I suppose this might be why 9V-SYL is operating this quick jaunt between Jakarta and Singapore.

One big improvement since my last brush with Singapore First Class are the headphones, which have been upgraded to Bose QC 15s.



Although this aircraft was clearly equipped with an older version of Singapore’s entertainment system, dubbed Kris World, there was still an excellent variety of TV shows, movies, and music. The flight was too short to watch any sort of movie, so I went to my go to airplane show, The Big Bang Theory. While I loved TBBT when it first came out, it got pretty old after sixth or seventh season. But it’s short and good for a chuckle every once in awhile, making it perfect to kill a bit of time while flying. The IFE screen was as big as I remembered it, but the resolution was pretty terrible.



Winnie emptied the last of the bottle of Dom into my flute as we pushed back and urged me not to rush we had a long taxi ahead of us. Not wanting Winnie to have to come back while we were taxiing to collect the glass, I chugged the glass right then and there. I’m fairly certain Winnie mentally cut me off right at that moment. As for me, I was just thrilled I was able to drink enough Dom to cover my taxes and fees within 40 minutes of setting foot on the aircraft. Anything else was just gravy.

After pushback, we joined the conga line of planes queuing for take off. Thirty minutes passed before we hurtled down the runway and roared into the smoggy sky.

Mere minutes after our 777 left terra firma, the cabin crew was dinged out of their seats. A quiet symphony of clicking and clacking of seatbelts being released and service carts being un-stowed signaled chow time was imminent. The smell of food being warmed further whet my senses.

Winnie came to lay a beautiful crisp white tablecloth on my tray table.



Then she returned gingerly carrying a tray as to not to disturb the perfect placement of all of the settings and set it down just as carefully. The breadbasket followed, and it was setup as if a full cabin was being served. But today, it’s all mine! Not wanting to seem like a complete pig, I just asked for a slice of the always-delicious garlic bread and cheese jalapeno bread.



My reaction to Winnie bringing out the main course was along the line of whiskey tango foxtrot. It not only smelled amazing, but it was beautifully presented as well. The Nasi Pandang consisted of a large helping of white rice surrounded by various curries. A sprig of cilantro added another element of aesthetic appeal. Food that looks great is nice and all, but what’s more important is how it tastes. Singapore’s Nasi Padang pass both tests with flying colors. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the curries deliciously spicy. It was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten on an airplane.



My table was cleared minutes after I finished. After I exhausted the selection of The Big Band Theory episodes, we began a very choppy descent over the Singapore Straits. Rain began pelting the fuselage once we broke through the lower layer of clouds. I felt the plane level off and make a very wide turn a few minutes later. The Captain then came on the horn to announce we would be holding for another 20 minutes due to thunderstorms over the airport. On cue, Winnie came to see if I needed any else. Feeling incredibly stuffed at the moment, I politely declined and thanked her for the wonderful flight.

True to the El Capitan’s word, we began descending once again 20 minutes later. It got a bit rough on final approach, but the flight crew did a great job setting down our gentle giant on rain soaked runway 20C. It too awhile to taxi to the gate as there was quite a bit of aircraft on the move around the airport. Eventually, we pulled into gate at Terminal 2 next to a Scoot 787-9.

I thanked the Winnie again on the way out, and it was off to immigration, which was a non-event in typical Singapore fashion. I didn’t even get asked for proof onward ticket. About 20 minutes after getting off the plane, I was in a taxi bound for the Hilton Garden Inn Singapore.

After traveling for over 21 straight hours and with 16 hours to go before my flight to London, I thought some rest outside of the airport would be in order. The Hilton Garden Inn Singapore is located in the heart of Little India, which is an odd place to go to for a layover. But it cost only 20,000 Hilton Honors points, which was a bargain compared to the $220 revenue rate. It took about 45 minutes to reach the hotel from the airport.



Check in was quick, and I was on my way to my “upgraded” King Deluxe Room. I have no idea where the “deluxe” is, as my room looks a heckuva lot like a standard room.



The bed was very comfortable.



The bathroom was small but functional and clean.





There was a small but decently equipped workout room on the ground floor, which I quickly took advantage of as soon as I got changed. After sweating it out on treadmill for an hour, I went back to my room to shower and promptly fell asleep afterwards.