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Old Jul 29, 2004, 11:08 am
  #5  
Savage25
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Living in SIN™
Programs: TK/SQ Gold, QR Plat, Marriott/Accor Plat, IC Dia Amb, HH Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 6,704
I did the nonstops earlier this month as well - upgraded BKK-SIN-EWR and back. I'm not one for doing trip reports, but since you got all the main points down, I'll just add my two cents worth.

Originally Posted by andymo99
-Upon check-in at EWR, there was a short and fast-moving J line. The ExecEcon line was also short and fast-moving. For some reason, the staff seemed to require great effort to check us in.
I had the same experience...it took them ages to check me in. Also, at the gate before boarding, the staff seemed to be a bit confused about how to set up the separate boarding lines for J and Y passengers.

Originally Posted by andymo99
-We were hoping to sample both the Virgin Clubhouse before security and the SAS one after security. I was disappointed when we were told that we could only choose one.
Here's how to do both

I chose an invite to the Virgin Clubhouse(I requested and got an invite for a guest as well for a friend who was travelling in Y). Incidently, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members travelling in Y can also request for an invite to the Virgin Clubhouse. Later after I went through security, I walked into the SAS lounge to check it out. When the receptionist asked for my invite, I replied that I didn't have one and I wanted to get in as a *Gold. She scowled and took down my card number before letting me in.

Originally Posted by andymo99
-The VS lounge was very disappointing. It was drab. Internet didn't work. It was pretty much shut down as all VS flights had departed. There was little food, if any (I wasn't looking to eat, so don't recall much).
I had checked in as soon as the counters had opened at 7.30pm, so the VS lounge was pretty crowded when I entered. The was plenty of food - I helped myself to the buffet dinner and the yummy dessert cart which was brought around the lounge. After the announcement to board the VS flight (maybe around 845pm?) all the food was cleared up and the lounge emptied out with only the SQ pax remaining. You probably got in about this time. The internet terminal I had a look at was terrible - still on dialup - but it worked well enough for me to check my mail.

I was in the SAS lounge only for about ten minutes, but the VS lounge was miles better than the SAS lounge from what I saw.


Originally Posted by andymo99
One overall observation on BTC: It would make more sense to do BTC after knowing what the standard choices are for your flight. Otherwise, how is one to know if he'd prefer the BTC options?
Thanks to StarG, who scanned the meals from the inaugural EWR flights, I knew exactly which meals I didn't want from the menu and did BTC accordingly.

Originally Posted by andymo99
We kept a printout of the BTC menus, marked with our choices. Anyhow, not only were the dishes wrong, but neither was to our taste.
I had a slightly different experience - my BTC meals out of SIN were loaded, but they didn't have it listed on the passenger manifest. I had to explain twice to the stewardess taking the main course orders that I had BTC meals.

I've only done BTC out of SIN, and I've found it can be hit-or-miss. Now I've more or less settled on my favourite (the Wild Mushroom and Chorizo Risotto) which thankfully has been consistently good.

Originally Posted by andymo99
In certain positions, you can't move a part of the seat without using the button that adjusts the entire seat.
I know exactly what you mean - that is my main complaint about the Spacebed. However, as someone who does 80% of his flights in Y, I'm more than able to make myself very, very comfortable in a Spacebed. However, when I took my connecting flight SIN-BKK, I did feel the difference in the width of the Spacebed (its about an inch narrower on the 345 vs the 744).


Originally Posted by andymo99
Why did EWR get the nonstop rather than JFK?
Dunno, but EWR suited me fine...got into Midtown Manhattan and out of Lower Manhattan in under 25min each way using the Newark Airport Express for $19 RT.


Originally Posted by andymo99
-Some of you might be interested in loads. The SIN-EWR flight was ~33 pax (of about 66 or so seats). 6 were PPS flyers and 2 were "staff," according to a list I observed in a galley. The Y section was more full, perhaps about 75-80%.
My SIN-EWR flight on 11 July (I flew in to EWR on the plane you flew out) was almost full - 5 empty seats in J and 7 empty seats in Y. I went back to try the Y seats but couldn't find one open on the aisle. The flight back to SIN on 19 July was also almost full in Y, but only about half full in J.


Originally Posted by andymo99
-Speaking of lighting, the overhead lights in J were miserable. Perhaps it is a design flaw. When the cabin lights were dimmed, my girlfriend in the aisle seat really struggled to read. I had the benefit of the sunlight, but when that waned, reading was just too difficult, and we both gave up. I noticed another pax facing the same problem. Has anyone else noticed this?
I didn't like that I couldn't adjust the overhead light, which was set to light up the area near the armrest, well off-center. I had to use the reading light in the Spacebed to get any useful light on my book.


Originally Posted by andymo99
As for routing, our EWR-SIN flight cross the Atlantic and went through Europe (over Germany is one part I recall). The route continued through Kabul and Delhi on the way to SIN. On the way back, we went up over HKG and Siberia, over the Bering Strait to Alaska, and then over Canada and down to EWR. After the outbound, I spoke to a pilot who acknowledged that based on prevailing winds, they rarely take the polar route in either direction, and our routings seemed to be the standard.
I had the same routes...the EWR-SIN went over the Atlantic, Belfast, Copenhagen, the Caspian Sea, Kabul, Delhi and the Bay of Bengal. There seemed to be turbulence almost all the way - I slept a lot during this leg, but everytime I woke up the seatbelt sign was on. Also spoke to one of the pilots who told me the same thing - that they would be following the atlantic route for the coming months.
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