TEX277

Taxi to DPS from hotel

I arrived at the airport in a taxi from my hotel. The driver was very friendly and gave me his card and said that if I return any time soon to give him a ring beforehand and he will collect me from the airport for only 75000 Rupiah instead of the usual 85000. I thanked him, took his card whilst calculating that whilst the proposed offer would save me around £0.6 it would cost me either the equivalent in postage or the telephone call! The gesture was appreciated though and I kept his card.

Check-in for SQ143 DPS-SIN

Despite small signs and a very crowded exterior, the airport was quite easy to navigate. It was good to see that only passengers are allowed into the terminal. Having shown the security officer my e-ticket (I am glad I printed it out!!) and after me and my entire luggage being x-rayed, I was allowed into the check-in area. Inside the terminal there was a sense of calm and tranquillity that was absent outside. I quickly found the check-in desk and was pleased to find that although all of the agents were busy with passengers, there was no queue. After being called to the desk and handing my passport over, the agent confirmed that I was travelling home to London. I said I was but I needed my luggage back for the overnight in Singapore (a proper hotel this time with a real comfy bed (courtesy again of the SPG points won at the London Do along with just $45 – I am not doing a SKL F lounge sleepover ever again!) and would be grateful if she would only check me in for the DPS-SIN segment. She printed my baggage stickers out, confirmed my pre-reserved seat (12K) and pulled out two F priority luggage tags for my bags. I was actually very impressed by this as the aircraft was only a two class configuration I expected her to pluck two tags from the mountain of Raffles tags in front of her. She had evidently noted that I was on a First ticket and acted accordingly. Nice touch! I took my BP and lounge invite, thanked her and went upstairs to the pay my Passenger Service Charge of 100000 Rupiah.

Immigration

Next was the Immigration desk that immediately brought back the recollection of my BKK faux pas. This time though I was prepared. Fearing another idiotic oversight I took the opportunity on the BKK-DPS flight (whilst the embarrassment was still fresh) to complete both the arrival and departure cards for Indonesia! The lady in front of me in the queue had obviously not been reading my trip report on FT and decided to provide me with a wry smirk by presenting an incomplete departure card to the official. She and her travel companion in the adjacent queue were asked to move aside whilst they fill in the necessary details so that the queue could keep moving. I approached the desk and handed my documents over. The official processed them before returning them to me. I picked them up and, just before I walked away, heard one of the ladies asking the other “What’s our immediate destination?” Perhaps I am not so bad after all?!

Premier Lounge

After a quick walk around the Duty Free shops (200 Marlboros for $13 seemed good!) I followed the signs to the Premier Lounge and turned in my invitation. Although the lounge did offer wireless internet access, to which I successfully connected, I just could not get any website to download. I gave up and took the opportunity to catch up writing my trip report into Word. The lounge itself is quite nice. Numerous airlines share the lounge but it has enough room to accommodate everybody without a crowded feel and plenty more space and seating available. It has a selection of food including chocolate éclairs (that I managed to resist) and a nice outdoor patio area with four small tables and around each table are four chairs. Both the patio and the main lounge have views out to sea and of the end of the runway.

SQ143 DPS-SIN

Thanks to the priority boarding line, I slipped past the masses and walked straight onto the aircraft. Every other seat in business was occupied as I took my seat. The predeparture drink was noticeable by its absence. My seatmate collared a passing member of cabin crew and asked for a drink. Only one FA was conducting the predeparture drinks service for the entire cabin and, after distributing drinks on the opposite aisle, he walked through the galley and appeared in front of me and offered a drink. The tray he was carrying now only held several glasses of orange juice. I asked for a glass of Champagne and was told "I am sorry Sir, we have ran out of Champagne!". The two seconds in which that statement left me speechless allowed my seatmate to jump straight in - "We have not yet even had a single predeparture drink and you are telling us that you are out of Champagne???" The FA said he'd have a look and see what he could find. He returned a couple of minutes later with a tray full of Champagne glasses. Out of Champagne?! Looks like he was just too lazy to open another bottle and pour some drinks! Poor service!

That opened up conversation between myself and my seatmate and I am glad to say that we chatted for most of the flight. We were interrupted by the meal service and tucked in. After finishing my salad and main course, I noticed a small plate on the lower left of my tray just behind a small bowl containing some butter. I wonder what they were for with the absence of bread? I was not until after I and everybody else in the cabin had polished off dessert that the FA approached with a bread basket. The FA was the same guy who had informed us (lied to us) of the absence of Champagne. He made the same mistake again and approached us firsts. My seatmate expressed a dissatisfaction with the timing of the bread offering and let it be known that he was not happy with the service provided on this flight. The FA received several more similar comments from other passengers before retreating to the safety of the galley. Personally of all of the flights on this trip, I found this one to be worsed. I was expecting the TG A300 to be a horrid experience but that came out ahead of the poor service that we all received on this SQ flight. To be fair with the FAs the cabin was full and it did seem that they were a crew member light. But my seatmate informed me that he had been noticing the SQ slip on this particular route for a while.

Due to the conversation with my seatmate, time flew past and I realised that we were starting our descent and I had yet to complete my immigration card . Again SIN was operating on only one runway which led to a further 15 minute delay (we were 30 minutes late leaving DPS due to the late arrival of the inbound flight). The approach had was not eventless. We hit some clouds and turbulance ensued. I was aware of some lightening in the area but then I looked out of my window just in time to see a bolt of lightening as close as I ever seen in my life. It was followed a nanosecond later by a crack of thunder. That was close!

As the crew did not retreive the menus on this flight, I took the opportunity of allowing one to walk into my carry-on. Apologies to whomever was seated in 12K for the return flight to DPS (SQ146) on 17th December. I have your menu



SIN arrival

I think we have a winner!! From touchdown, through taxi, parking, disembarkation, the walk from gate F58 to immigration, being processed at immigration, changing a few £s into S$, collecting my two checked-in bags, clearing customs, right up until the taxi door closing after I got in - 22 minutes! ^ ^ ^

Sheraton Towers Singapore

The taxi from SIN to the hotel cost S$18 and took us through a torrential downpour. Check-in was quick and the agent confirmed my cash and points redemption. 2800 points along with US$45 converting to around S$65. I was allocated room 1603 on the northern Scotts Road facing corner. After setting up my laptop my luggage arrived. I accessed the hotel's hi-speed internet access (S$29 for 24 hours) and rang my wife using skype. Despite it being 09:30 back in the UK, my wife was still in bed and missed my first call. A second call placed immediately after leaving a quick 'get of of bed, lazy' message was answered and we chatted for a couple of hours.

The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel (finally!)

This was the fifth time that I have spent at least one night in Singapore this year. The one thing that I really wanted to do was to enjoy a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar inside the Raffles Hotel but on none of my previous four visits had we/I managed to get around to doing it. With some encouragement from my wife, after hanging up I headed out bound for Raffles. The hotel door opened and I was immediately greeted by the sound and sight of rainfall that you just do not see (often) in the UK. Waiting a few minutes allowed for a lull in the rainfall and I darted out for the MRT station a couple of doors down the road.

I stopped off at the food court directly opposite Somerset MRT on Orchard Road for a quick bit to eat. S$7.5 got me a bowl of soup and rice along with a plate of sizzlingly hot fried lamb and a Sprite.

The Long Bar is located on the first floor (by UK defintion) and the first thing that you notice even before entering are the discarded nut shells on the floor outside the bar. I took a seat at a table inside, ordered my Singapore Sling and set about tackling the mountain of nuts on the table. The bar was fairly busy but seating was available. Obviously, everybody else was part of a group and as a lone solo drinker I became just a little conscious. That quickly disappeared when I realised that most of the others in there were also first timers and I noticed frequent flashes from cameras as people posed with their drinks. Upon delivery of my second Sling, I asked the waitress if she'd mind taking my photo.

Once my final drink was completed, I asked for my bill and presented my DPS-SIN BP stub that entitled me to a discount thanks to SQ's 'Boarding Pass Privileges' scheme. The bill came to S$35 (S$5 discount).