weero

Really? Both have tremendous shortcomings in the premium cabins. And suites they have on exactly one type.

EK still flies some of the worst Biz stools there are .. so maybe they do compete with s###y midhaul products?
No only that, SQ dared to pretty much kill all interline bookings with their alliance.

I used to be able to fly anywhere in Europe and North America on SQ stock - not anymore. SQ only offers their own metal and then charges a premium for the nonstop .

I would not know what a family scheme is. But SQ gives good rebates on partner tickets, especially intra Asia.

aster

Definitely. Plus for a family of four BA's family membership scheme is a gold mine. Had a nice return trip in biz to Tokyo on JAL recently using those miles and still have plenty left over.

Can't compare Dubai and Changi but everyone I know who's been to both prefers the latter. Dubai unfortunately isn't an option for me as I don't want to split up my flights to Europe roughly in half - even when non-stop isn't an option I always prefer to have one very short flight and one long one.

The closest I came to that dreaded stop-over in the Gulf was when I could have flown to LHR for 1/2 price compared to SQ, which was naturally a non-stop connection. Maybe I should have taken it, but I ended up passing (the other offer was on Qatar).

My parents happen to use both EK and SQ frequently, and although they like EK they do rate SQ higher across the board. They do use EK's FFP though, whereas they don't bother with SQ's one. I am the one who ends up handling their FFPs but I can't make an opinion on the EK one yet as they've just received Silver status and we haven't done anything with the miles yet. Though I have to say it doesn't look enticing to someone like myself. I'm happy to stick to AY and BA when it comes to racking up miles and using them.

aster

Well, if you take the 77W then SQ probably has the best biz product in the sky today. Look at EK and the seatmap makes you shudder... 7 seats across compared to SQ's 4? Doesn't seem fair to even call EK's product business class, more like premium economy...

But take it up a notch to suites and both are trying to convince the global audience that they have the best product out there.

SQ definitely loses out when it comes to the web site, the ease of booking multi-journey trips with stop-overs. EK seems much more pleasant. When booking flights to Europe though I have noticed that AY is brilliant if you'd like to fly to one city but fly back from a different one. You can basically do that without bumping up the price. The last time I did this I flew to Berlin and came back from Warsaw. No problemo.

weero

Normally you choose a destination, not a plane. I was pleased to be on the 77W to PVG the other day but you cannot demand it. And SQ also doesn't guarantee it - I have been in ancient cabins on the way back from Oz.
It is almost the same issue as on SQ. The two class 77W of EK has very modern seating and only has 7 abreast topologically . Due to the displaced seats, the seat area is comparable to SQ.
But yes, often you will end up on something utterly inferior.
While I like AY ... even SQ's abysmal website prices this right.

I often fly into one port in Europe and out from another. And grace to LH's terrible domestic service and SQ no longer offering connections, I use cars and trains a lot more these days.

aster

On some flights to Europe I often need to be in two different places so it's convenient to arrive in one city and then commence the return journey from another.

On my recent AY flight all 4 of us ended up in the biz cabin on econ tickets - they were overbooked and when I did OLCI at 4am I was somehow able to pick biz seats. Not a bad bonus - it made my day, that's for sure.

380Flyer

For many corporate travellers, they have to adhere to their policy which calls for cheapest Business Class fares and guess who has them: bingo - Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways come to mind for their cheap J class fares.

Now, the problem with SQ is varied. First, their J class cabin on the 77W has way lower seat count resulting in higher fares. I much prefer the CX J class seats as it is well priced and it is the best J class seat in the air (sorry SQ but I really hate those flipping mattress).

SQ showed have followed the CX path with their new J class seating arrangement as it would allow for more seats resulting in lower pricing to compete with the Middle East carriers.

No matter what people say about the EK 77W seating configuration of 2x3x2, they are flat seats and you get privacy that is more than adequate. I've flown EK many times and I am their Skywards Gold member along with SQ PPS Club Solitaire and CX Diamond so I have experience with the premium carriers.

I do hope that SQ will one day wake up to the fact that fancy product is not what passengers are looking for these days - they are after the cheapest option! This is the reality of today's operating environment and SQ simply has not adopted the new era of travellers mindset. They are stuck in their past thought process. WAKE UP SQ, WAKE UP!!! YOU ARE FALLING BEHIND THE COMPETITION....

aster

How exactly does sardine-can style 7-across compare to 4-across, where everyone has unrestricted aisle access? Now I'm only looking at quality here, not price. Sure EK can be cheaper, but it's hardly surprising looking at their configuration.

EK do the same thing in econ as well, 3-4-3 whereas SQ have gone for 3-3-3.

I haven't seen the new SQ J yet but what has changed in terms of the layout?

stargold

Flat seats? Privacy? Really?

What you get is an angled ski-slope which is just a narrow armrest away from the seat neighbour, with just a foldable divider that barely shades your face as you sleep, and if you are particularly unlucky then you end up in the middle seat, closed in by seat neighbours at both sides.

Is this seriously what constitutes a "flat seat and privacy that is more than adequate" in this day and age?

stiwi

I have yet to fly SQ C, but EK A380 J with 1-2-1 layout is really great compared to AY, MH, BA, QR I have flown before. In fact on EK A380 J you feel like in a private mini suite if you have the window seat, coupled with great IFE (best I would say), personal mini bar and sky bar it makes a great flight experience.

DXB lounge is one of the better ones I have been to, but again I have never been to SQ lounge in SIN. Changi airport hands down to me, DXB feels like hangar. The immigration process in DXB is painfully slow, you have guaranteed 30-60mins waiting if you arrive late at night. To make the things smooth you have to pay for Marhaba. Bags processing at Changi is usually faster and taxi queueing better organised than in DXB.

I prefer EK Y on A380 over SQ C but that's mainly due to ICE vs IFE. EK did really great job with ICE. I agree that EK Y, J on 77W is a fail for the time being. Do not forget though that EK is the biggest client for A380, they have 39 in their fleet right now and 100+ on order.

I prefer to book on EK website vs SQ. I just made SQ booking and their website always feel so clunky to use. Also when it came to choosing the seats, I was shown only 6 available, where 4 of them were paid emergency exit seats should I decide to seat together with my wife. This is funny because after I made a booking and paid for this, I did a simulation of booking the same flights for 8 persons and the same price and availability showed up. This lean me towards thinking that SQ do such practices on purpose to force people spend money on emergency exit seats and block other convenient options. Later on I read on FT that such behaviour is perfectly normal for SQ as they tend to block most seats to release them on or before online checkin. Well, I have never had such experience with EK.

EK website on the other hand is great, everything is intuitive, seat selection, meals, UAE visa processing is straight forward.

As for the crew on SQ, although it is robotic, it is consistent as well, while EK crew is hit and miss. I did have however some nice and personal touches flying EK even in Y, so it depends.

Overall it seems they are pretty equal. Superiority comes down to certain planes, classes or even routes. I admire SQ for trying to be the best but their prices for premium classes are rather steep I would say and they don't usually have any good promos. I have yet to see companion offers on SQ J

nanyang

Based on my thankfully limited experience with EK, op UGs certainly dilute the product.

weero

Which is the exact layout SQ has.
No offense but if you are serious, you should see a specialist regarding that movie addiction .
It usually does not end well if they take initiative. When the pursers on a recently flight told me that SQ "is the best airline", I asked her by what metric she assesses that ... and she took great offense in it.
They do ex EU. But in their fortress hub they are stingy .

nanyang

^

Given that everyone has received op UGs anyways, I guess EK 2+3+2 is not bad for the price of Y!

I must say I quite like SQ long-haul J, and I certainly believe these two airlines play in slightly different leagues - although I also believe that EK are good at what they do.

stargold

And soon to have 11-across, if the rumours come true! What a delight that will be.

aster

EK will always be behind SQ in terms of quality, especially since they have the budget airline mentality that they will probably never shake off, even with the bs of a small bar section or some sort of in-air shower for the few. Gimmicks can only go so far.

SQ has long had the best biz product in the sky and looking at how they're already working to improve on that is a good sign that they'll stay on top of things for years to come...

fly747first

How exactly does EK have a budget airline mentality? The EK F Suites have electric doors while the SQ Suites have cheap, flimsy doors that struggle to remain closed whenever the aircraft isn't fully leveled. EK provides free luxury sedan and hotel rooms to both F and J pax on long layovers. EK assigns 6* cabin crew to the A380 F cabin while SQ only assigns 3-4 on the Suites. EK's ICE entertainment is the best out there, and the list goes on...

*Purser, three senior cabin crew, and two additional crew members who constantly clean the F showers