dat4life

The dual jet bridges were attached to the aircraft as soon as the engines were shut down. One great benefit of sitting in 1A is being first off the plane. I thanked the cabin crew as I exited the aircraft. Just like its counterpart in Hong Kong, Singapore’s airport is very large and modern. We had parked at Gate 44, which was ALL the way at the far end of Terminal 3, so it was a bit of a haul from the lounge, which was located at the other end of the terminal. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the lounge, after stopping to confirm at the SQ desk, located at the midpoint of the terminal, that I was headed in the right direction. As mentioned previously, my lounge invite was printed on my boarding pass. According to that, I only had access the Silver Kris First Lounge, which wasn’t a big deal after several huge meals that day. I was greeted at the entry way by a very attractive SQ agent, to whom I presented my boarding pass. After confirming my flight details, she asked me to follow her. We went on a little journey through the Silver Kris and Silver Kris First Lounges and into The Private Room.

Now, I didn’t get any pictures of the TPR as I was tired, but SFO777 kindly gave me permission to link to the pictures he took during his visit to the TPR.

The Private Room Photos

On the way, the agent had asked if I was my first time first time in the TPR, to which I answered yes. When we arrived, she gave me a quick tour of the lounge and found me an empty set seats where I could settle down. At the time the lounge was a bit full due to the bank of midnight flights; however, the lounge didn’t feel crowded. A waiter appeared a few moments after the agent had left, greeting me by name. He offered me a menu, which I declined for the time being, but I did order a water. A bottle of Evian quickly materialized with a glass, and poured with the same flair as a FA pouring wine. After reporting in the SQ Award Thread on my successful first flight, I settled down to catch up on a little work. I worked for a little over an hour and a half before feeling a little peckish, despite my numerous meals the last the 24 hours. So I headed over to the very nice dining room.

Dining Room

I was immediately greeted by a waiter, who invited me to sit anywhere I liked. After I sat down, he was by my side with a menu and offered me something to drink. I decided to go with a G&T. I settled for an order of the satay with rice cubes, after viewing the buffet options. The buffet options included fried rice, curry, and several more hot an cold dishes. As appetizing as the curry looked, I decided against it as I thought it was too heavy. The waiter took my order when he returned with my G&T and another glass of water. As promised, the satay was delivered 10 minutes later, and it was delicious. After eating, I went back to my original seat in the sitting area to finish up some more work. At about 1 hour prior to departure, I packed up and headed to a shower room, as I knew this would be my last shower before I arrived in Dallas, over 24 hours later. After I emerged from the shower/bathroom, I was greeted by an agent who informed me that boarding was about to begin. I thanked her and headed to the gate.

What did I think of the TPR? It was absolutely fantastic and certainly lives up to its name in terms of privacy. The staff was incredibly attentive without being overbearing. While it’s not quite up to par with the FRA FCT in terms of all of the bells and whistles, but it’s still a very worthy First Class lounge.

dat4life

Luckily, my flight was departing out of Gate 4, which is a short walk from the SQ lounges. Security was performed prior to entering the gate area. Just like my experience in Hong Kong, the screeners were very polite and shoes and jackets stayed on. I was approached by one of the screeners, after I passed through the metal detector, who apologetically asked if I minded removing my iPad and running it through the x-ray machine by itself. Oh well, if you must. This was done quickly. Although the gate was crowded due to a nearly full load, the crowd was relatively subdued, as it was nearly 2AM. I sat down for maybe two minutes, before pre-boarding was called. Naturally, nearly everyone got up and began crowding the boarding lanes. First and Business Class boarding was announced a few minutes later. Many economy passengers tried to board at this time, but they were turned away one-by-one. I reached the scanner in a few minutes, and after a quick scan and (sadly) tear of my boarding pass, I was strolling down the jet bridge toward the sanctum that is SQ’s First Class cabin.

SQ 62
Singapore (SIN) –Moscow (DME)
Tuesday July 17, 2012
Depart: 2:30 AM
Arrive: 9:10 AM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA)
Seat: 1F (First Class)

Waiting for me at the end of the jet bridge, was the gorgeous 9V-SWA, the sister ship of the 77W that brought me to Singapore. Both aircraft were delivered to SQ straight from the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington in later 2006. Tonight (or this morning) she was going to winging me and 2 other incredibly fortunate people seated in the forward cabin to Mother Russia. Oh, there maybe a few hundred fortunate souls behind us, as well. I say fortunate, because…well, would you rather be boarding UA’s flight to Tokyo, which was boarding not too far from us.

I was greeted by the purser at the door. After glancing at my boarding pass, he immediately showed me to my seat. SQ does not have any overhead bins in the First Class, so I placed my bag under the storage shelf beneath the entertainment system. A lovely SQ girl soon came by my seat to introduce herself as Connie and to inquire if she could fetch me a drink before takeoff. As tired as I was, I decided to stay on my course, so I ordered a glass of Dom. Connie soon returned with a lovely green bottle and glass at hand.

Not long after, the other 2 First Class passengers trickled in separately, and took up residence in 2A and 2F. In between greeting the other passengers and serving PDBs, Connie managed to find time to distribute pajamas, amenity kits, and presented menus, all the while having a brief chat with each passenger. Orders were taken a few minutes later. At this point, I was dead tired and really wanted to go to sleep. But to avoid excommunication from the TR forum, I decided to at least sample an appetizer and main course. Now that I am sitting in the JFK T2 SkyClub, writing this and snacking on carrots and celery with hummus (post trip diet), I really regret not at least getting the soup. You all know what they say about hindsight…

Our British captain came on the horn, a few minutes after our scheduled departure time, to extend a greeting and explained our delay was due to some last minute cargo being loaded onto the aircraft. After our final weight and balance numbers were checked we would be underway. Flight time has announced as 9 hours and 59 minutes. I took this opportunity to duck into lavatory and change into the provided pajamas. SQ uses Givenchy branded pajamas, with a “half zipped pull over” type top. The pajamas were in a dark gray color, which I liked a lot better than the brown and red scheme of the Shanghai Tang PJs CX uses; however, I do prefer CX pajamas in terms of comfort as they are made of a more light weight cotton.

When I returned to my seat, my empty champagne glass still sat on my console. Despite several crew members passing through the cabin, I wasn’t offered a refill, like on my HKG-SIN flight, nor did anyone offer to clear the glass. Though, I’ll cut the crew a bit of slack as it was fairly late at night. Connie returned a few minutes later with hangers to hang my street clothes and to finally clear my PDB glass. We ended pushing back about 30 minutes late, began quick taxi to runway 25C. Not surprisingly, there was no takeoff queue and we were airborne in no time, climbing out over the twinkling lights of the ships in the harbor. The cabin crew dimmed the cabin lights and began preparing for the meal service immediately after they were released from their seats as we climbed through 10,000 feet.

SQ offers an abbreviated supper service on all late night departures. The only big difference I noticed was the lack of a salad and dessert courses. I was expecting the main courses to be pared down as well, but I ended being impressed with the choices offered.

Supper From Singapore to Moscow

APPETIZERS
Iberico ham with poached quail egg, spinach, rocket, and fresh strawberries

Cold poached lobster, caviar, quail egg, Russian salad

SOUP
Chicken and sweetcorn consommé with smoked chicken dumpling

Chinese style seafood soup
MAIN COURSES
Ocean trout with miso crust in sesame dressing, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and fettuccine

Seared tournedos of beef with rosemary jus, roasted asparagus, bell peppers and sautéed spinach

Udon noodles coups with crab claw and chicken dumplings, sliced mushrooms and leafy greens

Singapore fried carrot cake
A hearty traditional dish of fried savoury radish-rice pudding with prawns and pickled turnip

CHEESES
Selection of emmenthal, caprice des dieux, walnut and boursault cheeses served with garnishes

FRUITS
Fresh Fruits in Season

FINALE
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas

For those of you interested in liquid nutrition, here’s the drink menu

CHAMPAGNES
Dom Perignon 2000

Krug Grande Cuvee

WHITES
Piesporter Goldtropichen Riesling Kabinett 2007
Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt

Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2007 William Fevre

RED
2004 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre Saint-Julien Bordeaux, France

Clos Vougeot 2006 Louis Jadot

Mitolo Revier 2006 Shiraz Barossa, Australia

SWEET WHITE
Chateau Filhot 2009 Sauternes

PORT
Taylor’s Twenty-Year-Old Port, Douro, Portugal

Cocktails

SINGAPORE AIRLINES UNIQUE CREATIONS
Silver Kris Sling
Sunrise Breezer
Bloody Mary
Rumba
Skyhigh
Sweetness in Darkness
Apple Bliss
Awaiting the Golden Dawn
Orange Cooler

ALL-TIME FAVOURITES
Singapore Sling
Solitaire Dreams
Fruit Spritzer
Tropical Fizz

APPETISING APERITIFS
Campari
Dry Vermouth

SPIRITS
Macallan 12-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky
Cognac XO-Hennessy
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky
Bombay Sapphire GIN
Beivedere Vodka
Bacardi Superior

LIQUEURS
Cointreau
Bailey’s Original Irish Cream
Choya Umeshu

BEER
Tiger
Carlsberg

GOURMET COFFEES
Brazil Santos Bourbon
Columbian Supremo
Jamaican Blue Mountain
Kenyan AA ‘Killmanjaro’

SPECIALTY COFFEES
Brewed Coffee
Café Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Café Latte
Café au Lait
Decaffeinated Coffee
Mocha

OTHER BEVERAGES
Hot Chocolate
Ovaltine
Milo
Soya Bean Milk

INTERNATIONAL TEAS
Royal Darjeeling
Muwara Ellya OP Ceylon
Earl Grey
English Breakfast Tea
Singapore Breakfast Tea
Paris-Singapore Tea
Alfonso Fruit Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea
Chamomile
Decaffeinated Earl Grey
Rooibos Red Tea

IN-HOUSE TEA SELECTION

ASIAN TEAS
Indian Masala Tea
Sencha

CHINESE TEAS
Jasmine
Oolong
Pu-Erh

MINERAL WATER
Sparkling
Still

FRUIT JUICES
Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato
Cranberry

SOFT DRINKS
Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light/Coke Zero
Ginger Ale

MILK
Full Cream
Low Fat

My post take off drink of Dom was soon presented along with a dish of macadamia nuts by the purser, as Connie was making the bed for the passenger in 2A. Just like on my HKG-SIN flight, I was the only one drinking the good stuff. Two glasses later, Connie came by to setup my table and returned a moment the bread basket. Again, I chose the delicious garlic bread and a bread stick. Why mess with a good thing? My lobster appetizer was presented a few minutes later.


Cold poached lobster, caviar, quail egg, Russian salad

I was really hoping for caviar service, as I really enjoyed it on CX, but lobster is just as good to me. Apparently, caviar service is only available on dinner flights now. This appetizer was much tastier than the one served on my previous flight. The caviar added a nice salty kick to the lobster and the Russian salad was very tasty. I didn’t care much for the quail egg, as it was pretty bland. My plate was cleared as soon as finished and my main course was brought out 10 minutes later, which was a nice pace.


Singapore fried carrot cake

Despite its name, the Singapore carrot cake is actually very similar to the Chinese radish cakes, which you can get at dim sum restaurants. If had I actually read the menu carefully, I would have known this and gotten something else. Though radish cake is one of my favorite dishes, I can easily get it anywhere and my mom makes a pretty mean radish cake too. However, it was very good and served piping hot. The serving of prawns was rather generous. The spicy paste that came with the dish provided a nice amount of heat to the dish. Overall, I really did enjoy the dish along with the remnants of the bottle of Dom I had started. That was bottle number 3 for those of you keeping track at home.

I skipped the cheese and declined the offers for coffee; however, I did accept the offer of fruit. A basket of fruit was presented and I picked a few things. Quite honestly, I don’t remember what I picked or what the selections were, but I do remember it was pretty tasty. After my table was cleared, I went into the lavatory to brush my teeth. While I was waiting for my main course, Connie came to ask if I wanted the turndown service after my meal. I answered affirmative and asked if she could make it in the empty 1D. That wasn’t a problem. I went across the aisle to find my bed made, complete with a bottle of water and some pralines. I fell asleep within minutes of sliding under the duvet and buckling in. I found the SQ’s bed to be a little more comfortable as the foot well was substantially roomier. Although the SQ suite is a little less private than the CX suite, I actually liked it better because I felt a little less enclosed. SQ’s bedding was equally as good, and I really appreciated the extra pillow provided.

We did hit a good bit of turbulence, but I managed to sleep through most of it. I woke up for good after about 4 hours of sleep, with about 5 hours of flight to go. After I moved over to 1F, I decided to fire up the entertainment system, dubbed Kris World. The offerings were the same as my HKG-SIN flight. Compared to CX Studio, Kris World has a lot more variety, especially with TV shows. However, unlike CX, they only had a few episodes of each show, so it’s more or less a draw. The noise canceling headphones were on par with what CX offers. I did enjoy the larger screen though (23 inches vs 15.4 inches). I ended up watching Act Of Valor, which finished up as we were passing Islamabad.




A little peak outside

Connie dropped by to check on me as I finished the movie and offered me a selection from the snack menu.

Light Bites

NOODLES
Instant mushrooms noodle or flavour of the month
Vegetarian and non vegetarian instant noodles

SANDWICHES
Creamy tuna sandwich
Oriental roast duck sandwich
Roasted Portobello mushroom and parmesan cheese sandwich

SNACKS
Cashew nuts, honeyed walnuts or macadamia nuts
Snickers chocolate bar
Dried cranberry
Lay’s potato chips
Assorted walkers biscuit
Assorted cheeses with garnishes

As far the variety and quality of food goes, I would say CX and SQ are about neck and neck; however, SQ clearly takes the cake when we’re talking about the beverage menu. But at the same time, CX’s snack menu blows Singapore’s out of the water. I would expect a bit better in First Class, especially on one of the world’s best airlines. Anyways, I ordered the roast duck sandwich and an orange juice. It was pretty good.

I ended up watching Top Gun, since I thought it was pretty cool watching it on a plane. But when the movie finished, I ended up with same thought I always have: who the hell thought this movie was any good?

At this point we were less than less than 2 hours from Moscow, so it was time to peruse the menu once again for breakfast. Seriously, what have I done besides eat the last week or so? Oy.

Breakfast FROM SINGAPORE TO MOSCOW

TO START WITH
A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice

FRUITS
Fresh fruit plate

STARTERs
Choice of cereals or yoghurt
Cornflakes with milk or Birchermuesli
Plain or fruit yoghurt

WHOLESOME BEGINNINGS
Teochew fish porridge
Rice porridge with sliced white pomfret fillet and condiments
A popular Singaporean dish

Selection of dim sum
Glutinous rice parcel with chicken and mushroom, scallop and leek har kow, prawn shew mai, vegetable dumpling and lobster chive dumpling

Warm Belgium waffles with fresh strawberries, maple syrup, and mascarpone cream

Fresh eggs prepared on board (baked, boiled or scrambled)
With your choice of ham, bacon, veal sausage, gruyere cheese and mesclun

FROM THE BAKERY
Assorted breakfast pastries and bread with butter, jam, marmalade or honey

FINALE
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas

Shortly after taking my order, Connie returned to begin the now familiar tradition of setting up my table. A little while later, my orange juice and fruit starter were delivered.



The fruit were ripe and nicely chilled. The purser came around the cabin offering the bread basket. I chose a croissant accompanied by orange marmalade. The croissant was warm and flaky and the marmalade was good, but not quite as good as the Scottish preserves I had on CX. Next up was birchermueslli and my Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.



Birchermueslli was good, although it’s hard to screw that up. The coffee was among the best I’ve ever had. It had just the right amount of acidity, at the same time it was quite bold as well. The menu does describe it to be just mildly acidic, but I thought it was a shade more than that. As far as truly memorable cups of coffees go, this was in my top 5. Next up was my main course. I had chosen the porridge, as it sounded good and it would be difficult for me to find in Dallas.



It was absolutely freaking awesome. The broth was light but incredibly flavorful at the same time. There were quite a few chunks of fish, which were very tender. The porridge was served with peanuts and dried little fish(I’m not sure how else to describe them but they were good) and a side of hot sauce. I literally drained the entire bowl. After breakfast, I went into the lavatory to change back into street clothes. As soon as locked the lavatory door, the seatbelt sign came on and we hit a good patch of turbulence. I won’t go into the details, but let’s just say it was a bit of an adventure.

Of course, the ride smoothed out as I exited the lavatory. Soon we began to descend and the flight attendants began tidying up the cabin for landing As we broke through the high level overcast clouds, I saw the lush green country Russian countryside for the first time. I didn’t quite expect to see as much foliage as I did. The purser came around the cabin thanking each of us individually and explained the transiting process. As we turned to line up with the runway, a triple bong sounded and the flight attendants took their seats. Touchdown was smooth, and after a long roll out we turned toward the terminal.

ok2uselane

A. Guilty!

B. Murphy's Law... LOL!

dat4life

DME Transit

Plane spotting was interesting on the way to the gate was interesting, as there were many types of aircraft we don’t see in the states. The ones I could identify were the IL-62 and the AN-142, which were parked in far remote positions. Given the spotty safety record of Russian built aircraft, perhaps it was a good thing none were parked at a gate, although aviation geek in me wants just one flight on one of them. One flight can’t hurt, right?

The taxi itself was relatively short, but we ended up holding for a few minutes just short of the gate as an El Al 767-300 was being pushed back. FAs headed toward the exit to do a curtain block as soon the plane came to a stop, since the gate was only equipped with a single jet bridge. I thanked the crew, and went on my merry way.

As I stepped into the jet bridge, I was hit by a wall of cool crisp air, a welcome reprieve from the scorching Texas summer and hot and humid Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the relief was short lived as I entered into the hot and stuffy terminal of Domodedovo Airport. After walking through a bit of maze, I finally reached the transit point. The first stop was at a podium manned by a guy around the age of 20. Wordlessly, he motioned for me to hand over my passport and boarding pass stub. He handed them back to me along with a card he had scribbled something on, and I moved on to the next station, where an equally as personable woman examined my passport. I should probably note at this time, I’m not one of those Americans who expect everyone in the world to speak English. A smile and polite nod would have gone a long way.

In contrast to the first two, the security screeners were far more personable. Just like their American comrades, they were jovially making announcements about shoes, laptops, jackets, etc. But on the positive side, there weren’t any imaging machines. Since I was one of the first passengers to arrive at the check point, I was through quickly, but not before an extra special pat down by one of the agents. Unlike the US, there were no calls for “male assist”. The nice Russian lady told me step aside and assume the position, and sent on my way after she was satisfied.

Seeing how crowded the terminal was, I immediately set off in search of the lounge. Ok, I’m really getting spoiled now. Just wait until you have to fly whY again, I thought. Oh well, I’ll worry about it then. Anyways, no directions were given to the lounge while I was on board by the purser, so I set out to find it by myself. I spotted the Swiss lounge not too far from the SQ gate, so naturally I thought “I’m on a Star Alliance First Flight, that’s a Star Alliance lounge, that’s where I belong.” Oh man was I wrong. As soon I set foot and the lounge and showed my boarding pass, the dragon started yelling no, repeatedly, all the while doing a lot of arm waving. So I asked the dragon if she knew where the SQ lounge was and she replied “up”. Ok…

I did the whole walk of shame thing, which was all of 6 feet, but I still felt the burn from the eyes of the HONs and Senators for disturbing their sanctuary. For that I am truly sorry. But think of it as a little excitement in the otherwise small and boring lounge

I did notice a set of stairs leading to the second level across from the gate, but at that point I was a bit tired and wanted to board as soon as possible. So I decided to stretch my legs a bit to wait for the gate to open. It was a bit of chore given the sheer volume of people, all of whom had the same idea as me as well as crap load of carry ons.


The crowds at DME

The gate finally opened about 50 minutes before departure. I must have looked pretty shady, as the one of the guardians of the gate ordered me to follow an agent for secondary screening. The agent, a chap who looked no older than twenty, led me to this partitioned off area of the gate and proceeded to unpack a device that had an uncanny resemblance to a Geiger counter. With a thin smile and a very apologetic look, he motioned for me remain standing, attached this gauze looking pad to a plastic wand, and proceeded to “swab” me. While this wasn’t the most pleasant interaction in the world in addition to obvious language barrier, the smile did go a long way in mollifying my annoyance. It can’t be pleasant for him, either. After determining I was a good guy, I was free to go.

I headed over to the partitioned area marked for First and Business Class and presented my boarding pass stub and presented my boarding pass stub to the SQ agent at the entrance. After a glance, he looked puzzled and asked if I received a lounge invitation. Huh? I had my passport in my hand at the time in which I had tucked the card given to me at the transit checkpoint. The agent spotted it and explained it was my lounge invite. D’oh! That’s why two different people “checked” my passport. Since it was getting close to boarding time, I decided to chill at the departure lounge.

The partition was actually quite nice, as it was close to the boarding door and the agents did a good job of allowing only eligible passengers, so it was kinda sorta private. Soon, our crew arrived and headed to aircraft to make the final preparations for departure.



You can see from the above picture that it was just me and crew for a while in the First/Business Class section, until an American family arrived shortly after the crew boarded. I took advantage of this time on the ground to catch on Facebook, emails, and texts. Soon, the gate agents were calling for preboards followed by First and Business Class passengers. After glancing at my boarding pass stub, the lovely blonde agent smiled and wished me pleasant flight and I was on my way.

lucky9876coins

Awesome report! And I recognize a couple of people in that last picture.

gba

Great report! I look forward to the (epic?) conclusion

Abidjan

Agreed, well done! Loved every section. Keep it up.

byroshi

Awesome report! Thank you for putting in the time and efforts...I've enjoyed every segment.

Jinxy

One of best reports I've read ever. Lucky you!

dat4life

SQ 62
Moscow (DME)-Houston(IAH)
Tuesday July 17, 2012
Depart: 10:40 AM
Arrive: 2:05 PM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA)
Seat: 1F (First Class)

I slowly made my way down the jet bridge, determined to savor every last moment, as this would most likely be my last international first class flight for at least a year. I was greeted at the door by one of the flight attendants, who directed me to turn in left. While my experience in international First Class is very limited, the brown and tan colors of the SQ First Class cabin makes it one of the most elegant and attractive cabins in the sky. After a slow walk down the aisle, I found my now familiar 1F. As I stowed my laptop bag, a lovely SQ girl, Janesis, came to introduce herself and offered me something to drink. Well, I’m coming down the home stretch in my Macabus challenge, so it was time to get serious. Janesis soon returned with a bottle of Dom and a glass to pour it in. As I slowly sipped my champagne, I couldn’t help but reflect on how incredibly fortunate I was to be sitting there. To think I was supposed to be on United BusinessFirst for this leg of the trip…

Pajamas were presented next. Unlike my previous flight, the pajamas had been removed from the plastic wrap and presented with the logo facing up and toward me. I realize this isn’t the biggest deal, but its little details that make difference. Amenity kits, socks, and slippers were distributed next. A little while later, the in-flight service manager, Ivy, drop by to introduce herself and to wish me a pleasant flight. The other two First Class passengers arrived not long after, taking up residence in 2A and 2F. The passenger in 2A was also continuing from Singapore. The same preflight rituals were performed for each of them.

Two refills later, the boarding door had closed and we were pushing back. The massive GE90 engines rumbled to life one by one, and we began taxiing toward the runway. The captain added his welcome during the taxi and announced a flight time of approximately 11 hours, which would put us in Houston nearly an hour early. I might have appreciated if I was flying in Economy, but my thinking that day were more along the lines of, Um, dude can we dial it back a couple of notches. I assure you, dear readers, my concern was purely in the interest of saving fuel.

After a S7 A320 had taken off, we hurtled down the runway and were airborne after a lengthy take off roll. Like clockwork, flight attendants got up from their jump seats and immediately closed the curtains to prepare for, as Lucky coined, “their performance”, at the 10,000 feet chime. First up, the hot towel service which was followed by post take off drinks and warm nuts. I decided to catch up on more work, as I was supposed to be back in the office the next day. Soon, the smells of the impending meal service began to fill the cabin. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at the menu.

Lunch

CANAPES
Satay
With onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce

APPETISERS
Marinated prawns with salmon caviar and fennel potato salad

Pickled salmon with dill and Greek style vegetables

SOUP
Veloute of roasted pumpkin and whipped cream

Chicken broth with vegetables

SALAD
Mesclun with fennel, sundried berry, bell pepper, mozzarella cheese and pistachio herb vinaigrette dressing
Thousand Island dressing

MAIN COURSES
Combination of grilled lamb chop and stuffed cabbage with lamb fondue, served with glazed carrots and fondant potato

Braised chicken with mushroom in oyster sauce, vegetables and fried rice

Salmon fillet in white wine sauce with sautéed spinach, glazed carrot and mushroom

Beef noodle soup
Rice noodle in rich chicken stock with sliced beef and leafy greens

DESSERTS
Warm chocolate cake served with rum infused raisin and espresso ice cream

Vanilla mousse with chocolate mocca sauce

CHEESES
Selection of smoked edam, paladin bavarian blue, tilziter and camembent cheeses served with grapes, nuts and crackers

FRUITS
Fresh Fruits in Season

FINALE
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas served with pralines

The drink menu was the same as the SIN-DME segment, but I’ll repost it for your convenience.

CHAMPAGNES
Dom Perignon 2000

Krug Grande Cuvee

WHITES
Piesporter Goldtropichen Riesling Kabinett 2007
Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt

Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2007 William Fevre

RED
2004 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre Saint-Julien Bordeaux, France

Clos Vougeot 2006 Louis Jadot

Mitolo Revier 2006 Shiraz Barossa, Australia

SWEET WHITE
Chateau Filhot 2009 Sauternes

PORT
Taylor’s Twenty-Year-Old Port, Douro, Portugal

Cocktails

SINGAPORE AIRLINES UNIQUE CREATIONS
Silver Kris Sling
Sunrise Breezer
Bloody Mary
Rumba
Skyhigh
Sweetness in Darkness
Apple Bliss
Awaiting the Golden Dawn
Orange Cooler

ALL-TIME FAVOURITES
Singapore Sling
Solitaire Dreams
Fruit Spritzer
Tropical Fizz

APPETISING APERITIFS
Campari
Dry Vermouth

SPIRITS
Macallan 12-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky
Cognac XO-Hennessy
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky
Bombay Sapphire GIN
Beivedere Vodka
Bacardi Superior

LIQUEURS
Cointreau
Bailey’s Original Irish Cream
Choya Umeshu

BEER
Tiger
Carlsberg

GOURMET COFFEES
Brazil Santos Bourbon
Columbian Supremo
Jamaican Blue Mountain
Kenyan AA ‘Killmanjaro’

SPECIALTY COFFEES
Brewed Coffee
Café Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Café Latte
Café au Lait
Decaffeinated Coffee
Mocha

OTHER BEVERAGES
Hot Chocolate
Ovaltine
Milo
Soya Bean Milk

INTERNATIONAL TEAS
Royal Darjeeling
Muwara Ellya OP Ceylon
Earl Grey
English Breakfast Tea
Singapore Breakfast Tea
Paris-Singapore Tea
Alfonso Fruit Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea
Chamomile
Decaffeinated Earl Grey
Rooibos Red Tea

IN-HOUSE TEA SELECTION

ASIAN TEAS
Indian Masala Tea
Sencha

CHINESE TEAS
Jasmine
Oolong
Pu-Erh

MINERAL WATER
Sparkling
Still

FRUIT JUICES
Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato
Cranberry

SOFT DRINKS
Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light/Coke Zero
Ginger Ale

MILK
Full Cream
Low Fat

I decided to go all the way. with canapés, appetizer, soup, salad, main course, and dessert. YOLO, right? Man, I hate that accronym. Anyways...

After a refill of Dom, Janesis returned with my satay a little while later.



Satay, free flowing champagne, and a little work… Why can’t work always be this much fun? Oh speaking of champagne, I was on glass number 5 on the flight, i.e. bottle number 4, destroyed. I had to measure by glasses on this flight because my fellow passenger in 2F was drinking Dom as well. So much for being the only drunk (I don’t go to meetings) on board.

Anyways, I polished off the delicious satay in no time. Janesis returned to setup my table, soon after my satay plate was cleared. Unlike my other two SQ flights, silverware was laid on the table for me and not just delivered in the wrapped napkin. Another nice touch was the napkin service (placing it on your lap for you). It was totally unnecessary, but really nice. Ivy followed Janesis with the bread basket. I chose a piece of garlic bread and a roll. My appetizer arrived a few minutes later.


Marinated prawns with salmon caviar and fennel potato salad

I was actually a bit disappointed in the menu for this leg of the trip. While I under the main courses may not be as exciting given the fact it was a remote out station, but come on SQ we’re leaving Russia. Where’s the caviar service? That being said, the appetizer was very tasty and it did hit the spot. The shrimp were well marinated and the salmon caviar (ok who are we kidding, it’s ikura, i.e. salmon roe) gave it a nice salty tang. Don’t get me wrong, it was fine, I just expected better from SQ. This was more along the lines of what I expect to find on American’s Flagship First.

Anyways, the meal service was again very personalized. As far as I could tell, each one of us was eating at different paces. For example, I was just wolfing down what was put it front of me while the others were slowly enjoying their food. The cabin crew was able to adjust to it, with no issues. It was quite impressive, but I venture to guess it may be a little more difficult with a full cabin. My plate was cleared as soon as I finished, and I waited for a few minutes for my soup course to arrive.



The soup was alright, but looking back on it now, I really wonder why the hell I didn’t go for the pumpkin soup. My salad was delivered soon after my soup was cleared.



After I finished the salad, I had about a 15 minute wait before my main course was served. During the interlude, Janesis came by to ask if I wanted to switch to a wine for my main course. I’m pretty unsophisticated guy. I like beer and I like liquor. And I guess you can toss champagne into that now…Ok maybe I’m not that unsophisticated, but I digress. Wine is usually not my thing but I don’t mind a glass now and then. I had really enjoyed a glass of Lynch Bages with my lamb on my CX flight, so I decided to go with the French red that was on offer, 2004 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre Saint-Julien. In the meantime, I was tired of staring at work so I decided to peruse the offerings on Kris World. I settled on Batman Begins, since The Dark Knight Rises was hitting theatres later that week. But I got a bit side tracked after I glanced out the window and saw we were passing near the beautiful coast of Finland.



My main course arrived soon after, along with my wine.


Combination of grilled lamb chop and stuffed cabbage with lamb fondue, served with glazed carrots and fondant potato

The lamb and the accompaniments were quite good. The wine was absolutely fantastic and went very well with the lamb dish. I polished it off in no time. When she came to collect my plate, Janesis inquired if I had changed my mind about cheese course. I politely said no, and with a smile, she replied I’d be in for real treat when dessert came and I should get my camera ready. 10 minutes later, she returned with my dessert and a glass of port.


Warm chocolate cake served with rum infused raisin and espresso ice cream

If I were to pick one word to describe that dessert, it would be perfect. It was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. The dry ice show and napkin art were very nice touches. And most important of all, the ice cream wasn’t frozen solid (SFO-HKG) or melting (HKG-SIN), it was just perfect: soft enough to eat, but frozen enough to maintain nice a presentation. I finished it in no time. My table was cleared soon, and another hot towel service commenced. Coffee and pralines were delivered afterwards.



I had chosen the Kenyan AA ‘Killmanjaro’. It was good though not quite as good as the Jamaican Blue Mountain I had from SIN-DME. After coffee, I went into the lavatory to change into my pajamas. When I exited the lavatory, Janesis was there with hangers to hang my street clothes. She went on to explain that she had taken the liberty of converting 1D into a bed for me and to feel free to have a lie down whenever I wished. While the same thing was done on my last flight, it was nice to see she had taken a proactive approach to it, instead of asking me first. Again, it’s the little things.

I was not quite ready to sleep at that point so I asked for a Johnny Walker Blue, on the rocks, and settled down to finish watching the Batman begins. But not long after, I was feeling a bit sleepy. So I crossed the aisle and slid under the covers. I managed to get about 2.5 hours of solid sleep. While it wasn’t a lot of sleep, it was just enough to keep me going until I made it to Houston.

I woke up with a little over 6 hours of flight time remaining. After lying around for awhile I went back to 1F, in hoping to get a little more work done. As soon as I put on my seat belt and extended the tray table, Janesis was at my seat with a hot towel asking if I needed something to drink. It took me a second to comprehend what was going on, I can’t imagine why… Anyways, she suggested some Jasmine tea. That sounded really good so I just went with that. She returned with the tea a few minutes later, just as I was settling down to read a few docs. At that time I noticed that immigration forms along with some airline goodies (pen, deck of cards, writing kit, and post cards) were artfully arranged on the shelf just under the IFE screen complete with a couple of flowers. Again, another very nice touch. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but the cabin was too dark for my iPhone to be of any use.

I managed to get a good bit done. During that time, my tea was constantly being refilled, though I hardly noticed it was being done. I guess that shows you how incredibly exciting my work is…not. I had run to the lavatory once during that time period and returned to find my bed in 1D remade, my tea refilled, headphones straightened up, and another SQ pen placed next to my highlighter and the crappy pen I was using. You’ve probably noticed I’ve commented more about the service on this flight than on any other flight in this TR. That’s because the service was flawless. The entire crew from Janesis, to Lim, and all of the other FAs I encountered was fantastic. They were all very proactive, friendly, and personable. I had thought the crews on my other flights were very good, but this crew had taken service to a whole new level. I truly felt like a king for a day.

After about 2 hours, I was pretty much finished with work so I packed up and turned on Kris World once again, and decided continue with my Batman marathon with The Dark Knight. Not long after I put on my headphones, the male FA, who had been working the galley, came to ask if I wanted something more fun to drink. “Some Dom, perhaps,” he said with a smirk. Hells to the yeah. He returned with a bottle and a glass a minute or two. Oh yeah, this is the stuff. He then asked if I wanted something to eat. I responded, “Dude, did you see how much food you fed me a couple hours ago?” We shared a good laugh, and he left me to my own devices.

After 2 more glasses of champagne, we were in Canadian airspace with about 2.5 hours to go. Janesis dropped by to ask what I wanted for the pre-arrival meal. With great sadness, I took a glance at the menu one last time. And sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the menu, so y’all are just going have to live with my ineloquent descriptions. I told Janesis I could eat anytime, and to just bring it as whenever it was most convenient for them. Hey, it was the least I could do after such a fantastic flight.

A little over 2 hours out, Janesis came to set my table one last time. Again, Ivy followed her with bread basket and inquired if I had enjoyed the flight, to which I replied I definitely did. I chose a piece of the delicious garlic bread again. Another flight attendant came by with a bottle of Dom and fresh glass. My soup arrived a minute or two later.



The soup was very very good. It was tangy, creamy, and a little spicy all at the same time. I chose the braised beef for the main course.



The beef was ok, but not particularly good. However, the vegetables were cooked just right and were rather fresh. I ended up finishing the vegetables and leaving most of the beef. As she cleared my plate, Janesis once again told me to get my camera ready for dessert.



I was treated to another dry ice show with my raspberry sorbet, which was very light and refreshing. Afterwards, I declined all offers for coffee and tea, and headed to the lavatory to change back to my street clothes. After I returned to my seat, the male FA came to ask if I wanted to finish off the bottle of Dom I had started, as there was just enough for another glass. After some thought, I answered yes. That would put another 5 glasses in the books and bring my final tally to 5 bottles killed. Macabus, your record is still intact, despite my efforts.

After I finished that glass, with about an hour and 20 minutes to go. The cabin crew began tidying up the cabin at that point, and I resorted to drinking water to somewhat rehydrate before we landed. I passed the time by watching a couple episodes of Come Fly With Me, which was stupid, but entertaining. I noticed Janesis coming around the cabin to have a final chat with each passenger. She got to me last, saving the best for last no doubt, as we began our descent at Louisiana/Texas border, near Natchitoches, LA. Not surprisingly, she started off by asking about how I enjoyed the flight. There may have been a bit more adjectives and superlatives thrown in there, but the gist of my reply was that this was most fantastic flight I’ve ever experienced. Janesis was humble and said they try to please. Offhandedly, she mentioned another passenger who was very pleased with her service on a recent Singapore to Tokyo flight. That statement clicked for me, even in my Dom soaked state. So I asked if this passenger’s name was Ben. She laughed and said, “ Yes, how did you know?” I laughed and said, “So you’re the famous Wong Chin.” She then explained that she did not have her English name tag on that flight, thus that’s why she was identified as Wong Chin. We shared a good laugh and chatted for a while little about FT (why I was taking pictures) and the airline industry in general, especially about SQ’s U.S. based competition. At the end, Janesis asked me if I’d be willing to email SQ customer service email instead. Of course, I was willing.

The 20 minutes to landing announcement was soon made by our captain, and the cabin crew began making their final preparations. Ivy, the in-flight service supervisor, then dropped by to say farewell. Janesis had told her about our conversation, so I reiterated some of what I said to Janesis and chatted about a few other things. If there was ever a flight I didn’t want to end, it was this one. So I wasn’t complaining if we had to go around. Heck, I was halfway considering marching up to flight deck to ask if they minded turning to the north and dropping me off in Dallas. But something tells me that wouldn’t be the smartest idea… Soon we were making our final descent into Houston from the east, flying straight in toward runway 9R. Touchdown was smooth, and I was back in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

dat4life

Thanks Lucky. I learned from some of the best

Thanks gba! I've enjoyed your reports, as well. Conclusion? What conclusion? This is going to be the TR that never ends...

Thanks Abidjan!

Thanks byroshi. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Jinxy! But I'm just a humble rookie trying to make it in the land of giants

lucky9876coins

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

dat4life

After we parked at the gate, the single jet bridge was attach to door 2L. The Business Class FAs quickly went to perform the curtain block. As I was gathering my things, Janesis asked if I wanted to take a picture with the crew, which I did. I bid the great crew a final farewell after a few snapshots. The FAs doing the curtain block had already started allowing Business Class passengers to deplane, but stopped the flow to let me pass. As soon as I got off the plane, I hurried to immigration to avoid the lines. Fortunately, we were the only flight arriving at the time, so lines were rather short. I was directed to an immigration officer by someone directing queue. But lane I was directed to wasn’t quite open yet, so that resulted in me being yelled at by the officer. I was pissed, but I bit my tongue. I was beckoned to come forward after couple minutes, after the officer finished a conversation with a fellow employee. Go figure. Anyways, I was through after a few cursory questions.

I headed down the escalators toward baggage claim. After a 10 minute wait, bags began hitting the belt and my bags were among the first out. Customs was a breeze. The only question I was asked was if I had any agricultural products. I then headed to the United transfer desk to recheck my bags. Though the agent in Hong Kong assured me my bags were checked through to Dallas, they were actually only checked through to Houston. Not a big deal since I had to claim them for customs anyways. When I got to the transfer desk, I found the Premier Access line blocked off, but there was only a short line anyways. A friendly agent, checked me in and tagged my bags to Dallas. He then handed me the ugliest boarding pass I’ve seen. Other than a small “F” by the flight number, there is nothing to indicate that what cabin you’re in.



I headed to the security checkpoint just in front of the transfer desks. Ah yes, nothing says you’re back in the good ole U.S. of A. like a TSA checkpoint. The TSA: Where efficiency is not a goal. Just like the transfer desk, the Premier Access line was closed but the regular line was pretty short. But unfortunately the line moved at glacial speeds. I was through in about 20 minutes, despite having just 10 people in front of me. Yes, I counted.

After I dressed, I made a beeline toward the United Club located in between terminal C and E. Now, as a proud United Kettle I know I don’t have access to lounges on an international itinerary. But I was hoping I’d be allowed in due to my inbound SQ flight, because I was desperate for a shower. I know Star Alliance rules don’t permit use of lounge use upon arrival, but I was technically connecting. Unfortunately, the lounge dragon wouldn’t budge, claiming there was no way they could charge SQ for my visit. So, I made my second walk of shame that day. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Though IAH was my home airport for a number of years, I hate it with a passion. It’s dirty, horribly laid out, and devoid of any type of personality. I had absolutely no interest in walking around, so I headed to my gate. By now I was really feeling the effects of my alcohol assumption over the last 30 hours or so, and I really needed to sit down. Unfortunately, my flight was leaving out of gat C-19, one of the worse gates at IAH. It’s located in one of the corners of the terminal, crammed together with 3 other gates. And usually, there are flights leaving from all three gates. Thus, it would be very crowded and seating would be inadequate. My fears were confirmed once I reached the gate.





I did manage to find a seat, but I got up after getting a bit claustrophobic. Besides, there was only 30 minutes left until boarding. While taking a stroll around the terminal, I spotted MY SQ 77W sitting across the tarmac at Terminal D.


OH, PLEASE TAKE ME BACK

The boarding process was incredibly confusing, as the flights to LAX and ORD were departing from the neighboring were beginning to board almost simultaneously. So the gate agents were constantly making announcements to make sure people got on the correct aircraft. The gate agent working my flight was rather soft spoken, so I had to strain to hear her. But as soon as I heard the words Dallas, First, and boarding I ran to the gate with my boarding pass in hand, eager to get out of the commotion of the terminal. My boarding pass was scanned, and I was finally on my way home.

UA 391
Houston (IAH)-Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Tuesday July 17, 2012
Depart: 3:43 PM
Arrive: 4:59 PM
Aircraft: Airbus Industrie A319
Seat: 1F (First Class)

I was greeted by the friendly purser as I entered the aircraft and settled into 1F. This was my first time in United First, so I was interested to see how it compared to AA First. As far as the hard product goes, I found the seats to be equally comfortable, but I would give the nod to UA since they have leather seating surfaces. I dozed off nearly immediately, but I woke up when the purser came around taking orders for PDBs. I ordered an orange juice, and fell asleep almost immediately after I drank it. 20 minutes later, I woke up only to find that we were still at the gate, since the airport had been closed due to thunderstorms in the area. We ended up pushing back about 40 minutes late. To their credit, the FAs constantly made passes in the full First Class cabin offering refills and doing a water service in the full economy cabin, while we were still at the gate.

While we were taxiing to the runway, I continued to doze in out. It felt like hours, but in reality we were only an hour late. The takeoff queue was rather long, due to the back log from the storm. We taxied into position after a Delta Mad Dog had taken off. A minute or so later, our pilots put the pedal to metal, our little V2500 engines began screaming their little guts out, and we were finally out of Houston. Unfortunately, Channel 9 was off the entire flight. After we leveled off, drinks were offered in First Class and the snack basket was passed around twice. In my opinion, I think the weakest part of AA’s F offering are short haul non-meal flights. On flights shorter than 500 miles, all AA offers is the “Premium Snack Mix”. It’s ok but it gets old after a while. A snack basket is a nice (and seemingly inexpensive way) to fill the gap. But what do I know.

Our crew was attentive and constantly passing through the cabin for refills. They certainly were comparable to a good AA cabin crew. The captain made an announcement apologizing for the delay again along with some pre-arrival information as we began to descent into the Metroplex. We touched down on runway 35R and quickly taxied to gate E5. I thanked the good crew on my way out and made it to baggage claim in a few minutes. While I was on the jet bridge, I heard the passenger in 1A tell the crew, they were the best he’s ever had. While they were good, if that was the best crew he’s had, I’d hate to see what some bad crews look like on United. Bags came out after a 10 minute wait, and I was in a taxi within 20 minutes, and made it home within an hour of deplaning. Not too shabby.


Nice additions to my boarding pass collection

That concludes the international portion of this TR.

luv_flying

You did not 'overflow' us with many photos , instead you gave us an in-dept report on every airlines service. It's so enjoyable reading them (esp on the SQ flight) that I came to realize I don't need photos at all.

Definitely one of the best trip report out there! ^

ung1

Very interesting to read the post about the last SQ flight, the little touches do make a difference.

I was on an SQ flight in J yesterday, and small touches like being escorted to my seat by the Purser, seat belt being tied for me while I was asleep (had forgotten to latch it and we'd hit some turbulence) were appreciated. That said, the pesky regional J seat did still ruin my night!