SMK77

I have just completed one flight in First Class and one in Suites and SQ has completely lost the plot:

SQ now allocates exactly one (sic!) bottle of Krug MV for any flight featuring First Class or Suites. This means that a flight to CGK has the exact same one bottle as a flight to London Heathrow. For a 13 hours flight with 6 passengers, there is exactly 125ml of Krug per passenger catered when the flight is full.

I asked them why they took it off the menu in December and list it again in January when they create nothing but disappointment. I received no meaningful answer.

onlySIA

Bizarre, and when fares are remaining persistently high (compared to 2019 prices) it's a bit insulting. My next trip isn't till July; hopefully by then they will have listened to customer feedback and reversed this policy change.

chris63

Race to the bottom in F ?

My upcoming F flights on EK will be loaded with Dom 2013 Meanwhile over at LH things are even worse

demue

Rumors I heard is that they do have supply issues with Krug, but given that they could just remove it from shorter flights (dare I say even HKG or so and not just CGK) and make sure to have at least 3 bottles or so on long haul, but who knows. YMMV.

SMK77

I can confirm they have supply issues and these are going on for some time now.

SMK77

Solution 1: I have three different champagnes and offer only two per flight. No Krug on one-third of my flights. Tried and tested. Honest.

Solution 2: I don't have enough Krug and I take it off the menu. Tried and tested. Honest.

Solution 3: I just put one bottle of Krug on all flights knowing that it will run out on most flights. Just put in place. Dishonest and wrong.

aster

What happens when they run out? I assume they have decent alternatives or is that the end of the road for bubbly on the flight?

Just wondering whether this will ever happen again: 8 bottles of Dom from LAX-BKK on SQ in F

SMK77

I don't think that's the question. All alternatives offered are substantially less expensive than Krug. So while you will still get a quality champagne (and taste is obviously subjective), it is false advertising to pretend that flying SQ means you can uplift your experience by indulging in Krug champagne on your flight.

There was a time when SQ only offered Dom and Krug. There was also a time when SQ had 12 seats in Suites. And lastly, there was a time when champagne houses offered airlines significant discounts on champagne. Changes of those times coming back: zero.

lokijuh

Certainly not on SQ, nor on any other carrier except EK. Not even 1 bottle.

aster

Good point, if there's just a single bottle onboard for the entire F cabin then that can't be good. I mean imagine asking for a second glass and hearing, "sorry, we're already out of this one. Can I recommend x instead..." It must be embarrassing for the FAs who probably have to deal with this scenario on most flights I assume...

On a personal level would you still stick to Krug if one of the alternatives was better in your opinion, even if it was cheaper to buy in stores?

To me there is no automatic difference in perceived quality due to the name game between champagne and sparkling wine (formerly known as champagne as well before lawyers stepped in) since the day the worst bubbly I was every served on a plane happened to be a made-in-France champagne (still kicking myself for not remembering the name). Damn that stuff was rougher than anything sparkling I can recall from my student days...

BA, perhaps? That seems to be the only airline I recall that isn't stingy when it comes to drinks, and I've only tried their PY and C so I assume F must be a party that's hard to beat.

SMK77

Polemic and unnecessarily discrediting given I already clarified that taste is subjective.

The tragic with SQ is that despite their wine panel they have no intention to offer champagnes that truly stand out.

When they published the list of five champagnes that they were going to offer on a rotating basis as the third option I already pointed out that they started with the weakest champagnes first. To get support for these alternatives, they should have started with the strongest.

I have blind tasted the first four champagnes that were rollled out so far onboard and - in the unfortunate absence of Krug - I preferred none of them over the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.

If SQ would be serious about taste and elevating the experience they should listen to Krug and get rid of tbeir inadequate glassware but that’s a topic for another time.

lokijuh

I wasn't referring whether someone would get served "8 bottles", but more "8 bottle of Dom". BA ain't going to do that either. Only EK, as they have exclusive deal with Dom now, no one can serve it on board, which is why SQ dropped it.

snic

Just curious if you mean you blind tasted the champagnes while on board the aircraft at 35,000 feet. I find my perception of wine to be markedly different in the air vs on the ground, and not in a good way. I'm fairly convinced that in the air, I wouldn't be able to tell much difference among champagnes ( lawyers) which I'd be able to distinguish on the ground. But I wonder if anyone has ever blind taste-tested the same wines in the air AND on the ground and compared the results?

SMK77

It’s always nice to compare champagnes side by side and I start my blind tastings on the ground and continue later in the air. The majority of drinking obviously takes place in the air.

I agree that your tastebuds are impacted but even here there are differences: 77W has the worst conditions (highest altitude, lowest humidity) while A350 with its lower cabin altitude and higher humidity is much better.

SQ’s glassware is not suitable for premium champagnes and I travel with my own glasses to get the best possible taste experience.

PES_B1

Or is it cost control like with JAL's Salon?