(Copied from my other post of the same report on SQTalk)
LHR-SIN, SQ317 07APR08
Y-Class, Seat 73A
Internet Check-In
Being a bit more experienced in flying SQ than a complete newbie, I knew that online check-in was absolutely crucial in getting a half decent seat. Although I had specifically requested an upper deck window on the A380 through the reservation centre, it was nevertheless only a request and not guaranteed, so I was keen to log on and check-in as soon as possible.
When I first tried to log in exactly T-48h, it wouldn’t let me in – saying that online check-in was not available. I started to panic, thinking I was going to be stuck in one of the middle seats between two passengers-of-size. However, I did eventually manage to log onto the service a few hours later much to my relief.
I knew this was going to be an absolutely packed flight (and if it wasn’t for the fact that I was so keen to try out the new A380, I would have just gone for one of the seemingly empty later flights) so I knew it would be asking for too much to expect an empty seat next to me. But since the layout on the upper deck is 2-4-2, a window seat wouldn’t be too painful for aisle access while giving me a window view at the same time. I wouldn’t have gone for the window on the main deck where the layout is the more conventional 3-4-3; it’s such a royal pain to ask two people to move out!
The seat controller had assigned me 75K but I always seem to prefer the left hand side, so I changed the seat to 73A. It offered to print my boarding pass, but naturally I wanted a “proper” BP so I declined.
Getting to LHR
The day started well enough… not! I hadn’t done a single bit of packing by the night before, so I ended up staying up the entire night to pack and tidy up. I was almost tempted to have a little rest, but an extremely painful previous experience warned me against it (long story!).
So, I successfully managed to get myself on the bus to Heathrow from Croydon which took around 1h30m but at least I managed to get some much needed sleep – albeit not as soundly as I usually tend to sleep on public transport (much to my dismay when I go several stops past while probably snoring).
Checking In
Upon reaching the check-in counters, the Suites check-in had one person being checked in, the Business counters had a couple of people waiting, and the Economy counters had a much longer queue. I was connecting to a flight in First Class so I decided to see whether they would spare me the queuing, and thankfully the agent who checked me in wasn’t a dragon
She told me the flight basically had zero empty seats in Y (didn’t ask about R or J classes), and gave me the boarding passes for the LHR-SIN as well as SIN-ICN which was in my favourite boarding pass colour – red! She also tagged the bags First Class without asking, which was expected I suppose but still nice.
But rather than leisurely making my way to the departure lounges (and trying my luck accessing any of the available lounges using my SIN-ICN BP in F instead of the LHR-SIN BP in Y, with no status), I had to rush into the city centre, have a quick meeting with my GP and obtain a letter which I needed before I set off. So instead of potentially going for a nice meal and relaxing at the Virgin Clubhouse for example, I had to run to the Heathrow Express, take the HEX to Paddington and rush to my GP. I originally expected to be seen by 9:45am at the latest, so when I found myself still waiting in the waiting room by 10:15am, I was beginning to get seriously worried – the boarding time on the BP said 10:55am, and I was still in central London. Hmm.
Back at LHR – the race against time
After much fretting and pacing, I met my GP and then started running back to LHR. I think I left Euston at 10:35am, giving me only 15 minutes to cab it to Paddington again to catch the 10:55am HEX. Thankfully the bus lanes weren’t too busy so I did in fact get the 10:55am train, which proved to be one of the many fortunate turn of events that got me onto the flight. While I was travelling on the HEX, I logged onto the BAA website which told me the flight to SIN was already “gate open” – and I had the horrible feeling I was in the wrong place. Very wrong indeed. Hmm.
After getting off the HEX and running to the SQ Check-in counters, I was waiting for an agent so that I could ask for a Fast Track sticker. However, I then overheard a couple who had been turned away at the security checkpoint for being too late – this despite the fact that it was only 11:10am!! They were really not happy – their BPs had the “UPPER DECK” and I would have been really unhappy as well if I was turned away from an upper-deck flight on the A380 onto a bog-standard 744 flight! Ouch! I was really scared now – if they were already back downstairs after having been turned away, surely I had no chance. I was beginning to really panic, adrenaline rushing around, and I gave up the idea of getting the sticker and ran upstairs anyway. I thought about going to the regular line and trying my luck, but my better judgement told me to go to the Fast Track and try my luck (even though I have only a Y BP for the LHR-SIN). By showing the gatekeeper both my F and Y BP at the same time, I successfully managed to confuse her into thinking I was eligible for the Fast Track lane. But it was too early to celebrate, as there was yet another checker by the entrance to whom I had to show the two BPs again. He seemed to glance at his watch, think for a split second whether to turn me away or not (which had my stomach sinking again), but after a second successful bluff as to my eligibility to use the Fast Track lane, I was through!
Unlike a lot of people’s experiences, Fast Track security only had about 3 passengers waiting in line as opposed to several layers of queues snaking in the regular lane. I thanked my lucky stars again and went through the x-ray, the passport control and the shoes x-ray (!) and ran for my life to Gate 3 where the flight was already reading “Final Call”. I couldn’t help but laugh at my original idea that maybe I’ll have enough time when I came back from London to check out at least one of the lounges.
At the gate, I realised they played their usual trick – “Final Call” was in fact “Boarding not yet commenced”
and I had run for nothing. Breathless and sweaty, I waited by the gate to calm down a bit and took some pictures of the aeroplane, although the double-decker aerobridge was obstructing about half of the aeroplane- how dull
Within a few minutes, after the PPS etc boarding, they called for Upper Deck Y passengers and I went through.
On the A380
I was surprised that the aerobridge linked directly to the upper deck – I was expecting to go through the stairs from the lower deck (and sneak a peek at the Suites at the same time). So I was greeted with the sight of the new Business Class pods – plenty of people have written trip reports about their trips in the new Business Class so it’s not necessary for me to say too much, other than to mention that it looked mighty impressive and really quite large.
I walked a bit more to the small upper deck Y cabin and found my seat. It really makes such a difference to have 2-4-2 as opposed to 3-4-3! It just seems so much more civilised somehow. The cabin overall seemed very light, nice high ceilings, the windows seem very large, and the little storage cubby-hole next to the window is of course very useful. I knew I would have a seat-mate so I was quite relieved to see that she seemed to be a nice Singaporean (guessing) girl.
Settling into my seat, I was really surprised at the legroom. Maybe it’s just been too long since my last longhaul flight, but when in the normal sitting position, the legroom was perfectly adequate. The second thing I noticed is the lack of IFE box under the seat – it made such a big difference especially as I had to put my carry-on underneath the seat in front, since the overhead lockers were full.
Surprisingly, the KrisWorld IFE system was already switched on, and I could have started watching a film even before taxiing if I wanted. But I wanted to sleep more than anything else, so I just put the screen on Flight Map mode, made myself comfortable, and dozed off. I can’t remember whether I was awake for the take-off, but all I know is that I wasn’t properly awake until they’ve already finished the first round of drinks service.