HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.
INTRODUCTION
I was going to start by saying that I’m on my way home. But given that I’ll only be home for something like 22 hours, let’s just say that, sadly, it’s time for me to leave Sydney and head back to Europe. I’ve enjoyed being here! Fortunately, I know I’ll be back next year and then I’ll be able to spend a bit more time. Otherwise, I think I’d be seriously depressed at the prospect of returning to the cold, snowy weather!
GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
One last time, I make the journey on the ferry from Manly to Circular Quay. And what a lovely day it’s turned out to be for it. At Circular Quay I change onto the train, which pulls into the station just as I reach the platform. The only difference is that today I will be going one stop further, to the international terminal.
CHECK-IN
Singapore Airlines checks in on row K, which is the remotest row of check-in counters from the escalators that bring you up to the departures concourse. There is a separate line with two counters for Suites passengers. When I arrive, both counters are already occupied, so I’m swiftly ushered to one of the Business Class counters instead. From check-in, you have to make the schlepp all the way back to row C, which is where the entrance to the fast track is located. Although in this case, I might as well not have bothered, because the e-gate reader cannot identify my biometric passport. As a result, I have to walk all the way back in the direction from where I came, because that’s where the staffed immigration counters are located. And then once I’m through immigration, I’m ushered all the way back again in the direction of the e-gates, because that’s where they’ve just opened a new queue for security that the queue manager wants to me to join.With that done, I’m finally airside and head straight for the Singapore Airlines Kris Lounge near gate 61, from where my flight will be leaving. And that’s quite a schlepp too.
LOUNGE
Singapore Airlines operates its own lounges here in Sydney, and there is a dedicated First Class lounge. It’s a fairly big lounge, and I even manage to grab a seat by the windows overlooking the apron. Cool!Once I’m seated, the waiter brings me a refreshing hot towel and the à la carte menu. There’s also a buffet with warm dishes to choose from. The lavatories seem to be a bit of a problem at Sydney airport, in that they’re the cleanest. And those in the lounge are no different…
BOARDING
Boarding starts at 11h45. Suite passengers queue with the Business Class passengers for the upper deck. All in all, I find the Singapore Airlines Suites experience on the ground somewhat underwhelming, especially if you compare it to Air France (sorry, I can’t help it…). In fact, it feels a lot more like Business Class than First Class, but maybe that’s just me.
CABIN
Currently, SQ 232 is the flight out of Sydney that is operates in the new First Class configuration. The key feature of the suite is that there is a separate bed, in addition to the seat. At a glance, the suite looks very nice. There is a lot of storage space and the video screen is positively enormous. There are a few things which seem a bit strange though, such as the fake orchids in every Suite. I think either they should go for real orchids or otherwise not have a holder to put one in. Another thing that strikes me, is that during the meal service, when the seat is turned towards the table, you’re facing the aisle, which has the effect that during the whole meal service you and the person sitting in the Suite opposite, are looking at each other. I suppose you could keep the door to your suite closed while you eat, but that somehow just seems strange. You also can’t recline your seat when it’s in the forward facing position. And finally, it should also be noted that the Suite is not really that private, because the dividers don’t really reach that far up. I’m 184cm tall and could actually look over the top. The Singapore Airlines Suite very much reminds me of what Etihad has installed on its A 380s. But I prefer Singapore Airlines’ solution, because despite the things I mentioned above, this still is a very nice product. What’s more, with all the available space it feels more like an actual room than a seat. B&O earphones, the amenity kit and the menu are already at my seat when I arrive. There are also socks and slippers, which are stored in the large closet of each Suite. Once I’m seated, the crew come to welcome me on board and bring me, in short sequence, a glass of Perrier with lemon, a refreshing towel and the pyjamas. The lead flight attendant in the red kebaya introduces herself to me and explains how everything in the suite works.
CREW
The crew seem friendly enough. They’re chatty and engage easily with the passengers. There’s not a hint of the robotic behaviour the Singapore Airlines crews are sometimes criticised for. I think what it is, is that the whole service comes across like a highly optimised process. As a result, it doesn’t really feel so exclusive.
SERVICE
As I already mentioned, while we’re still on the ground the crew offer refreshments and I ask for a glass of sparkling water with lemon.Once we’re airborne, another crew member comes to take my order for lunch and asks me at what phase of the flight I’d like to eat. Given that it’s already gone lunch time, I tell her I’d prefer to eat straight away.A short while later, she returns with the Singapore Sling I ordered (I mean, what else…?) and a small bowl of warm nuts.
THE MEAL
The meal service on this flight is swift and timed at a pleasant pace. Clearly the crew want to make sure passengers have enough time to rest on this flight. About one hour after our departure from Sydney, the table is set for the meal. There is no amuse bouche to start, but there are so many courses that it’s probably better that way.
First course: seared salmon with pickled Kohlrabi with an edamame and wasabi purée.The salmon is good, but the rest of the dish is a bit bland. I think maybe the food is still too cold, because I can hardly make out any of the other tastes.
Soup: Sweetcorn and shellfish soup with herb oil. Now this is a very flavourful soup with a hint of saffron. It tastes like summer on the Mediterranean.
Salad: Honey roasted beet salad with feta cheese.The salad is also very good, with the feta complementing the beets nicely.
Main course: Pan roasted grouper with salsa verde.I chose this one despite the fact that it’s served with fennel. I just didn’t much feel like meat. The taste is very good, it’s a nice piece of fish and they’ve managed to keep it moist. But again, I can’t really make out the taste of the salsa verde.
Dessert: Chocolate marquise with caramelised pecans.The dessert is okay. It’s your standard creamy chocolaty airplane dessert.
Selection of cheese: Shadow of blue, Maffra cloth bound cheddar, Woombye triple brie, Savourine goats cheese.The cheese is served with fruit bread and crackers. It’s a good cheese selection and I particularly like the Shadow of blue.
To drink I stick with the Perrier and also have a glass of the 2004 Krug.
After the meal, I request for the bed to be made up for me and lie down to read.
AMENITIES
The amenity kit is by Lalique and looks rather nice. The only thing though, is that its content is utterly and completely useless. There is a small bar of soap, lip balm, body lotion… and a scented candle?The slippers and pyjama that are provided are also by Lalique. I am given an XL for both the slippers and the pjs, which are just a bit too big for me but still comfortable.
SECOND SERVICE
For the second service, there is a choice of either an Angus beef burger or a selection of dim sum. Seeing as I’m not much of a carnivore anyway, I decide to go with the dim sum. The dish is served with a small bowl of a suitably spicy red sauce and something which I think the flight attendant said was a sort of mashed celery cake. Whatever it was, I like it.
ARRIVAL
After a flight time of seven hours and twenty minutes the flight draws to an end. I must admit, even though I still think the A 380 is ugly as sin, it’s still an impressive piece of machinery. After we land, we slowly trundle along until eventually we arrive on our parking stand at Changi’s Terminal 3.
CONCLUSION
In the sum of all things, I enjoyed the flight. But I think a lot of that also has to do with the A 380. As for Singapore Airlines, I liked the new First Class cabin because it’s spacious and roomy, although perhaps not very private. The service was okay, I guess, but nothing more. And the food was rather bland.