FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - A380 and 777-300ER on Singapore Airlines... and some more segments in F
Old Apr 16, 2008, 6:40 am
  #5  
stargold
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,258
Before long, it was sadly time to prepare for landing into ICN. I decided to overcome my fear of appearing like a complete tourist and asked the LSS to take a photo of me in my seat. Naturally, it showed all too well that I had overindulged on the food (although clearly it has been a problem for some time judging by the picture!) but also showed the immense proportions of the seat – even for my relatively large frame, it could obviously fit another person next to me – hello LS!

Also, because I actually use those slippers you get on flights, I asked for another pair. I think I read somewhere that they were the pairs that are handed out in Suites – certainly they were pretty well made and comfortable.

I asked the LSS for her name as this was, by far, my best flight in recent years. But I guess she didn’t want to take all the credit, because she went away into the galley and put the names of the IFS, LS and her on a post-it. Then, the LS brought (without asking) another cup of the Jamaican Blue Mountain, saying “One last cup of Blue Mountain before landing, Mr Stargold?” Much appreciated and quickly finished. I knew it would take all my efforts to actually wait till a sensible time in Korea before zonking out so the caffeine was very helpful.

VIDEO: Landing into ICN

Then the final preparations were made and we did the final approach. We landed without any incident and taxied to the gate in about 20 minutes. An EK 77W had also just landed (and I thought, I’d much rather be in this cabin than the EK offering with the 2-2-2 layout and a tacky mini-bar!) and a few other flights within a short space of time, so I had a moment of “Oh no, what will happen at the immigrations?” which turned out to be groundless, since the queue for Korean nationals was pretty short.

When the door opened, the LSS remembered to ask the ground staff about my bag, but they seemingly confused the question so I wasn’t any wiser - the ground staff just told me to go to the belt and check whether it has arrived. So I did, and after waiting for all the F bags to come out, then all the C bags, I guessed that it hadn’t arrived and went to the Lost Luggage counter.

OZ handles the ground services for SQ at ICN, and they were basically useless. I realise that they handle a number of airlines, but from the way they acted, it might as well have been the first time they’ve seen an SQ baggage irregularity. 30 frustrating minutes later, my report was filled in (or so I thought, until I received a phone call 45 minutes later asking me for the description of my bag since she forgot to ask :angry1: ) and I went through to the arrival hall.

So… some thoughts:

1. Service: From this flight, I now totally understand why SQ has such a devoted following, especially in F. Apart from my last flights in F which were in 2001, I don’t normally travel in F so I don’t have a lot to compare with, but I simply could not find anything that I could possibly have imagined to make the flight any better. The service was absolutely flawless, certainly from the LSS. Perhaps due to the low load of only 3/8, but nothing was ever too much trouble, ranging from my fickleness as to when I wanted to eat, to asking for various things during the flight. Just amazing.

2. Seat: Some people suggested that the SkySuite might be better for a day flight and the new 77W F better for a night flight. I haven’t been on a SkySuite yet, but I had no problems finding a comfortable relax position on the seat. The leg rest was far too short to be useful, but I found that once I reclined the seat back, I could put my feet on the shelf of the foot well and that was just fine. The sheer width of the seat is something of a waste without someone sitting next to you , but it wasn’t a problem in any way.

The 23-inch screen was very nice and made a lot of difference when watching films. It wasn’t so clever when the video was of such a low resolution that it looked worse on the larger screen, however!

Lots of small storage areas. The table had a great range of flexibility as to its position but it was not sturdy enough. – it flexed too much when you pressed on the non-hinged end.

Sleeping position – wow. As I said above, apart from the completely flat surface of the Suites, I can’t really imagine a better seat for sleeping. I could sleep in any position I wanted, the surface was nice and flat and quite well cushioned, and the seat overall was wide enough to not feel like you’re hemmed in.

Overall, I really enjoyed the seat and personally, I would not hesitate choosing it for both day and night flights. The privacy was particularly good, as it was basically not possible to see anyone or be seen by anyone else on the flight while you’re sitting on your seat (apart from people walking in the aisles).

3. Meal: Overall, the food and beverage selection was really enjoyable. I didn’t get my Lobster Thermidor but the rack of lamb was so good that I really didn’t feel let down in any way. The appetizer was fairly ordinary, and I skipped the soup. But the salad was amazing and so was the main. Naturally, the choice of coffees and the Krug/Dom choice are hard to improve.

Conclusion: Counting the days and hours till my next flights, OZ in F ICN-HKG and SQ in F HKG-SIN!

Last edited by stargold; Feb 1, 2009 at 6:20 pm
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