How should I fly to SIN?
 

I'm about to embarq on my first business trip to Singapore from New York City. Question is how should I fly there? Should I go direct from EWR-SIN on Sing Air (that's a LONG 19 hour flight) or fly to Toyko then on to SIN? I'm mainly a Skyteam and Oneworld traveler, so United is out. Any thoughts from the experts? I would be flying business class.

If you are flying business class on Singapore Airlines, I would definitely fly direct flight. However, if you are going to fly coach class, 19 hour flight is too long for me. Since you are a Skyteam member, I would fly either Singapore Airlines through Tokyo or Northwest Airlines through Tokyo. Although many people tell me that Singapore Airlines has the best service, I don't think Northwest is that bad.

Alternatively, for OneWorld, I like flying either Japan Airlines through Tokyo or Cahay Pacific Airways though Hong Kong.

Have a nice flight!

Air France or KLM?

I agree with takig the direct flight. But why in the world would you fy from NYC TransPac and not TATL via Europe:confused::confused::confused::confused:

Cheers, S

an alternative would be cx which i think is better.

SQ also flies JFK-SIN via FRA. There are two connections a day FRA-SIN, SQ25 & SQ325. The late evening flight SQ325 in on the B777-300ER, which is a real treat in business class (would entail an 11-hr layover at FRA, though). Keep in mind arrival is 2 days after departure.

The non-stop flight EWR-SIN has the older style business-class seat (170 degree angle), so there is a trade-off for the non-stop.

Outside of the Star Alliance, SQ is partnered with Delta, so you could earn your miles there.

I'm sure SingaBear was thinking this, but just to be clear... SQ 025 JFK-FRA-SIN is operated by a Megatop with a SpaceBed: basically the same seat (ignoring slight or not-so-slight differences in width and pitch) as SQ 021 EWR-SIN operated by the A345 ultra-long-haul. To get the New Business Class seats on SQ 325 FRA-SIN on the B777-300ER, you still need to take SQ 025 from New York to Frankfurt, then layover all day before boarding the new aircraft.

Having taken both the nonstop and the one-stop, I prefer the nonstop. The transit in FRA is fairly unpleasant, actually. The airport is PACKED at that hour, getting a seat in the lounge is near-impossible, finding anyone who's willing to help you out is a real challenge (not a lot of real SQ service in evidence on the ground), and it's pretty annoying to sit there in a crowded gate area waiting for ground staff to prepare the aircraft for the onward flight while SQ 021 is somewhere overhead (depending on the winds) cruising comfortably for Singapore with its passengers either sleeping soundly or just waking up and starting to think about their second meal. Much as I love a Megatop, I'd sooner take the nonstop.

Wouldn't flying on AF or KL require a day-long transit stop at CDG or AMS?

Flight: Air France flight 5
Depart: New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) - Sat, 01 Sep at 7:50am
Arrive: Paris de Gaulle, France (CDG) - Sat, 01 Sep at 9:00pm

Flight: Air France flight 256
Depart: Paris de Gaulle, France (CDG) - Sat, 01 Sep at 11:15pm
Arrive: Singapore (SIN) - Sun, 02 Sep at 5:45pm



Flight: Air France flight 257
Depart: Singapore (SIN) - Sat, 08 Sep at 11:15pm
Arrive: Paris de Gaulle, France (CDG) - Sun, 09 Sep at 6:20am


Flight: Air France flight 22
Depart: Paris de Gaulle, France (CDG) - Sun, 09 Sep at 8:25am
Arrive: New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) - Sun, 09 Sep at 10:20am

Singapore Airlines is nice. The EWR-SIN nonstop is not too long compared to the alternatives. However, you may not want to arrive at 6:30 am or so.

The quickest way can be via Europe. SQ has a JFK-FRA-SIN and a later FRA-SIN so you probably could stop for a few hours if you like to break up the trip. I haven't flow that way, though. You can get DL miles for SQ flights. (You should check the details because the cheapest Y seats may not get full credit or any credit).

I no longer like to go out of my way to collect miles. So I would compare the flight schedules, compare the airlines flying the route, compare the price, and compare which city you stop and if there's a chance to see one thing there.

Last year, I did fly nonstop to Singapore from the US and went to work at 9 am after arriving at 6 am or so. I must be crazy.

Thanks, francophile. I was thinking a day-long transit would be required eastbound, thanks to morning arrival and nighttime departure. But the daylight TATL flight from New York eliminates that. Personally, I'm a fan of those daylight flights, so the combination francophile pointed out is a good one. ^

You should also consider CX.

In business class I would recommend the non-stop SQ product over CX. I've always found Raffles to provide much better meals and service. I don't do well with the Taipei/Tokyo/Seoul/HKG stopovers - just another airport to feel like a zombie while cooling your heels. If you have a few days to acclimate & sightsee it's a different story.

if you are flying in business class, I would fly the nonstop from New York to SIN on SQ and credit DL miles. Trust me, a bad day in SQ will beat a GREAT day on NW :rolleyes:

what is the big deal? More than likely, you will fly C/J class, you will get the credit thru DL....

I've done the ewr-sin trip in business class. It's a nice flight, with the added bonus of allowing you to leave at 11 p.m., so after work, effectively getting you there early in the morning versus other u.s. flights that get you there late at night.

further the sq lounge in singapore is phenomenal. But i was going on to vietnam. if you get there that early, you may not be able to check into your hotel that early. there are, however, day rooms in the airport if you want to stay there.

Arriving pax staying in Singapore won't get access to the SQ lounge, which is for depatures only. They do have a transit hotel, but that might be a hassle since the OP's bags will be delivered to the belt while he's still airside in the transit hotel.

For me, and this is purely personal, the only drawback of the nonstop is how early it arrives, often before 6:00 am. That means you're probably awake before 4:00 am SIN time for breakfast and such. That knocked me on my butt at around 6:00 pm on my arrival night in Singapore. I do better with afternoon or evening arrivals. But to each his own.