SIN DO AND THE LAST FLIGHT

To get a taste of SIN DO take a read of the linked thread.

Early the next day I wake up groggy from lack of sleep, check out and head back to the airport. Although I had already checked in (60+ hours early - see the earlier post - and yet somehow NOT sequence number 1 on the boarding pass), somewhere along the way my boarding pass had gotten quite ripped. Security and immigration took a close look but decided the 2 parts lined up reasonably well and so let me through. I got the boarding pass reissued in the lounge.

After checking some emails I met up with zvezda who had just returned from an overnight turnaround and CGK who was heading out on yet another turnaround on his epic run.

I decided to head out for the gate a little earlier than my usual 15-20 minutes before departure as the last few times I have flown to AKL the gate screening doesnt have enough screeners. On the way I noticed the departure screens list the flight as boarding and remark to CGK that is premature - it is never this early. When I arrive at the gate, to my surprise not only are both xray machines being operated but boarding has indeed started already. So I'm very quickly on board.

The flight is full, as expected this time of the year. We push back early so I wonder if the hurry to get away means the tail winds arent as strong as normal and therefore need to make up time, or maybe the late arrival into and departure from Auckland a few days ago cost them plenty of $? As we taxi to the runway I see CGK's aircraft to Bangkok is late pushing back.

For about the fourth or fifth time in recent flying, I swapped seats so a couple could sit together. So much for pre-selecting the best seat.

I manage to get some much needed sleep and indeed miss breakfast. Later I force myself awake so that I dont have too much trouble sleeping tonight after arriving around midnight. The flight is quite bumpy with many patches of moderate to high turbulence. In one I had just gotten a coffee and yet to take a sip when I lost most of the contents into the saucer and all over the tray table, myself and the floor.

CGK (I think) had arranged with Singapore to have a birthday cake for me after dinner. SQ doesnt provide one automatically (for last year I flew on my birthday and got nothing). The chocolate cake was quite nice and enjoyed by myself and fellow nearby passengers.

Having said that, I found the service on this flight to be a little "off" and not the usual Singapore high standards. Dont get me wrong - I have had far worse service on other airlines but it was below what I have come to expect from Singapore. For example

not shown to seat on boarding, and no offer to lift bags into overhead bin (which I refuse anyway)

I missed the mid-flight snack due to a toilet stop but they didnt check after if I wanted one

during the turbulence mentioned above, they helped me clean up the coffee spill, but when it subsided a few minutes later forgot to ask if I wanted to try again with a coffee

was one of the last to have meal order taken (due to seating position) and they'd run out of my prefered choice (the one asian meal option), all that was left was chilean seabass (which I refuse due to being a threatened species) and a bland chicken and mashed potato - I did ask for and got extra satay though which helped make up for it

slow to ask for drink refills

We arrived into Auckland a few minutes early - which in reality means we had a slow flight as normally strong tailwinds make for very early arrival. I see the Air New Zealand 767 from Sydney has arrived a few minutes ahead of us and brace myself for a queue at immigration (particularly as not so quick out of the aircraft due to being in a different seat). However I am a fast walker and so race past lots of people to find a deserted immigration and am on the drive home within 5 minutes ^