Travelling during the time of corona ...
May 14, 2020, 2:52 am
#31
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 151
Even in my wildest dreams I never thought SQ will serve such an appalling meal in Business class.🤮🤮🤮
HELL HAS REALLY FROZEN RIGHT NOW!
If this is the new premium class catering then I will learn to travel otherwise. This virus has wiped out the travel style we are fond of when flying premium. Now you are thrown back to a cheap mediocre infected aviation world!!
HELL HAS REALLY FROZEN RIGHT NOW!
If this is the new premium class catering then I will learn to travel otherwise. This virus has wiped out the travel style we are fond of when flying premium. Now you are thrown back to a cheap mediocre infected aviation world!!
May 15, 2020, 6:46 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
Final thoughts on the flight …
Singapore Airlines must be losing money hand over fist with these flights. No more than 20 passengers on a flight? Sure, fuel prices are low, but they had a full crew compliment for safety reasons and all the associated costs of housing and feeding them while they abroad. Not to mention the fees they still have to pay to airports and they are hedged at a higher fuel price.
It’s clear there are advantages with having the state involved in a key industry like the airline. With Temasek effectively underwriting the rights issue in March, it seems likely that as part of the deal, SQ had to keep flights running at least to certain core cities to be able to continue bringing Singaporeans back home. They are clearly losing money on these flights, of that there is no doubt.
Was this a business class experience? Obviously, there was no SilverKris lounge on the ground. If there had been, I would have turned up earlier and eaten my breakfast there. I know the lounge has its detractors, but I do like the SilverKris lounges – those that I have had the pleasure of going to. Of course, it is crowded in Singapore, but hey, it is a business. But the London lounge looks quite classy, in my uncouth opinion, so I missed not being able to spend some time there. And the food is usually reasonably good.
On board, there was no alcohol. While I don’t generally drink on flights. When I fly business, I do like to have a little tipple, especially just after I’ve boarded the plane (I find once I’m in the air, alcohol doesn’t like me). So I did miss that.
The crew was the crew. And I also know people find SQ crew quite robotic, but generally speaking I have never found that. Maybe that’s what people are looking for, so they see it. Or maybe I am looking for the face they aren’t robots, so that’s what I see. They also seemed a bit like they weren’t sure what to do. I mean they probably had never ever seen flights this empty before. And it showed when they kept asking me if I wanted more water!
Coming to the food. This was the most disappointing. The chicken was just one whole chicken breast. They should really have sliced it as it was very difficult to get into when I was eating it. Because it was one lump, it didn’t taste good at all. The breakfast was delicious as I said. Unhealthy as hell but delicious.
SQ has a habit of turning on and off the inflight announcements – especially when it came to turbulence, but this flight almost had no announcements outside of the regular welcome on board and we are about to land. There was a little burst about 3 hours before were landing due to turbulence.
Just a final comment. I can’t imagine any business continuing to run voluntarily when they are so clearly haemorrhaging cash as SQ probably is on these flights. It seems the only likely reason is because they are being told to by the government.
This being said, I for one am glad they continued to operate and get me back to Singapore.
Thanks a lot Singapore Airlines!!
(it really is one of the worst quality videos in the world).
It’s clear there are advantages with having the state involved in a key industry like the airline. With Temasek effectively underwriting the rights issue in March, it seems likely that as part of the deal, SQ had to keep flights running at least to certain core cities to be able to continue bringing Singaporeans back home. They are clearly losing money on these flights, of that there is no doubt.
Was this a business class experience? Obviously, there was no SilverKris lounge on the ground. If there had been, I would have turned up earlier and eaten my breakfast there. I know the lounge has its detractors, but I do like the SilverKris lounges – those that I have had the pleasure of going to. Of course, it is crowded in Singapore, but hey, it is a business. But the London lounge looks quite classy, in my uncouth opinion, so I missed not being able to spend some time there. And the food is usually reasonably good.
On board, there was no alcohol. While I don’t generally drink on flights. When I fly business, I do like to have a little tipple, especially just after I’ve boarded the plane (I find once I’m in the air, alcohol doesn’t like me). So I did miss that.
The crew was the crew. And I also know people find SQ crew quite robotic, but generally speaking I have never found that. Maybe that’s what people are looking for, so they see it. Or maybe I am looking for the face they aren’t robots, so that’s what I see. They also seemed a bit like they weren’t sure what to do. I mean they probably had never ever seen flights this empty before. And it showed when they kept asking me if I wanted more water!
Coming to the food. This was the most disappointing. The chicken was just one whole chicken breast. They should really have sliced it as it was very difficult to get into when I was eating it. Because it was one lump, it didn’t taste good at all. The breakfast was delicious as I said. Unhealthy as hell but delicious.
SQ has a habit of turning on and off the inflight announcements – especially when it came to turbulence, but this flight almost had no announcements outside of the regular welcome on board and we are about to land. There was a little burst about 3 hours before were landing due to turbulence.
Just a final comment. I can’t imagine any business continuing to run voluntarily when they are so clearly haemorrhaging cash as SQ probably is on these flights. It seems the only likely reason is because they are being told to by the government.
This being said, I for one am glad they continued to operate and get me back to Singapore.
Thanks a lot Singapore Airlines!!
May 20, 2020, 7:37 pm
#35
Join Date: Apr 2006
Programs: All of em more or less
Posts: 367
The US is definitely not Free these days in most states. Also, you misspelled “lose.” Hopefully there will be a new mayor in NY soon that wants to clean the trains in particular.
May 22, 2020, 9:39 am
#37
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,609
Wow - I've never seen LHR T2 look so deserted.
I can appreciate the financial losses, but you'd think that SQ (and others) would maintain a certain level of service. The lounges being consolidated I can understand, but it seems a little cheap not to cater ANY business class meals or ANY alcohol. It seems wrong that the customer has to subsidize those losses in my humble opinion...
Hopefully we all get through this quickly and get back normal times!
I can appreciate the financial losses, but you'd think that SQ (and others) would maintain a certain level of service. The lounges being consolidated I can understand, but it seems a little cheap not to cater ANY business class meals or ANY alcohol. It seems wrong that the customer has to subsidize those losses in my humble opinion...
Hopefully we all get through this quickly and get back normal times!
May 22, 2020, 4:05 pm
#38
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PHL-adjacent
Programs: AA Executive Platinum (but always US in my heart), HH Diamond
Posts: 3,346
This was really interesting...thank you for sharing. 
I wonder what travel will be like internationally? Now that I can afford to pay for premium cabins, will it ever be worth it again without lounges, bubbles, and decent meals??
I wonder what travel will be like internationally? Now that I can afford to pay for premium cabins, will it ever be worth it again without lounges, bubbles, and decent meals??
May 22, 2020, 7:07 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
Wow - I've never seen LHR T2 look so deserted.
I can appreciate the financial losses, but you'd think that SQ (and others) would maintain a certain level of service. The lounges being consolidated I can understand, but it seems a little cheap not to cater ANY business class meals or ANY alcohol. It seems wrong that the customer has to subsidize those losses in my humble opinion...
Hopefully we all get through this quickly and get back normal times!
I can appreciate the financial losses, but you'd think that SQ (and others) would maintain a certain level of service. The lounges being consolidated I can understand, but it seems a little cheap not to cater ANY business class meals or ANY alcohol. It seems wrong that the customer has to subsidize those losses in my humble opinion...
Hopefully we all get through this quickly and get back normal times!
Yes I imagine that will be the new normal... premium = special bubble around your seat!
May 22, 2020, 8:36 pm
#41
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: Skywards
Posts: 564
Trip Report: Karachi - London Heathrow (Qatar Airways)
I have a trip report up on the Qatar Airways forum on FT, a trip report on my travels on 30th April on a chartered flight organised by the UK government.
If you prefer to hear the audio podcast, links:
iTunes
Google Podcasts
If you prefer to hear the audio podcast, links:
iTunes
Google Podcasts
May 23, 2020, 8:36 am
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
Back in Singapore … finally … sort of
After so many months away, I finally made it back to the Lion City. I was greeted by this …
Well actually, not really.
This was not the first thing I saw when exiting the airbridge. There were immigration officers and people with cameras that monitored temperature. But with so few people on board the flight, it all looked a bit excessive.
Now it was definitely empty at the Changi, in a similar way to how empty Heathrow was. Unlike some other flights, we were not held in a waiting room. To have forms filled out. This might have been because there were so few of us on the flight.
I just walked through the terminal to get to arrivals and there were a handful of passengers, and once again, the staff outnumbered us.
Below is the picture of the arrivals hall….
There were several tables, and there were signs labelled for crew, Citiens/PRs and work pass holders.
In fact it didn’t matter which queue joined, they would just direct you to the shortest queue. Here is where they check if you submitted your prearrival form. They specifically ask you to bring it up on your phone or hand over a hard copy.
This one:
I’m guessing this is where they turn people around who haven’t filled out the form prior to travelling.
Of course, all the staff were wearing masks, but not gloves if I remember correctly.
They get your phone number and then send you a confirmation text. This usually takes a few minutes.
After they confirmed that you have received it, they let you continue to the manual immigration. None of the automated gates were open so you had to go through manual.
Singapore immigration is typically very fast and with no one in the queue, you just breezed straight through.
It looks like there were a few flights arriving but again, there were way more staff on duty than passengers.
The pre-immigration check and the actual immigration took about 20 minutes. About 15 minutes was spent waiting for a pre-immigration check table to become available.
As you can imagine, this being Changi, by the time I got out of immigration, the luggage was actually waiting for me. They had it set out by the side of the carousel. You didn’t even need to take it off.
It was weird walking out into the arrival hall where there was no one waiting. And it so silent. When you normally walk out of the baggage hall, there are some barriers to direct you to the sides and then out into the main arrival hall.
In this case, once you exited the baggage hall, the exits to the barriers were sealed off and you had to walk along the baggage hall window all the way to the end.
I kept good social distancing 😊
At the end of this mini corridor, there were several tables set up. I’m guessing that it was more arrivals that were coming in. We all filed along one queue and were told to keep distance between us – these were marked on the floor with tape.
I wasn’t waiting there long because the buses were already outside. I think I must have been there for less than a couple of minutes, before we were told to board the bus.
You’ll notice there are two coaches. These two were for the whole flight from what I could tell. That’s right … two coaches for something like 20 people.
When you got to the coach, a staff member took your luggage from you and loaded it into the vehicle’s hold.
The whole boarding process was swift and over in a matter of minutes. They had signs on the bus to tell people not to sit next to each other. In any case, they didn’t let more than 10 passengers onto each bus.
There were plenty of seats and enough space for all of us to keep a distance so that was good. While we were boarding someone piped up and asked where we were going…. I had my fingers crossed for Shangri La but we were told we were instead being going to the Intercontinental Hotel at Middle Road.
After about half an hour on the bus we were making our way through downtown Singapore ….
And finally, the hotel…
After so many months away, I finally made it back to the Lion City. I was greeted by this …
Well actually, not really.
This was not the first thing I saw when exiting the airbridge. There were immigration officers and people with cameras that monitored temperature. But with so few people on board the flight, it all looked a bit excessive.
Now it was definitely empty at the Changi, in a similar way to how empty Heathrow was. Unlike some other flights, we were not held in a waiting room. To have forms filled out. This might have been because there were so few of us on the flight.
I just walked through the terminal to get to arrivals and there were a handful of passengers, and once again, the staff outnumbered us.
Below is the picture of the arrivals hall….
There were several tables, and there were signs labelled for crew, Citiens/PRs and work pass holders.
In fact it didn’t matter which queue joined, they would just direct you to the shortest queue. Here is where they check if you submitted your prearrival form. They specifically ask you to bring it up on your phone or hand over a hard copy.
This one:
I’m guessing this is where they turn people around who haven’t filled out the form prior to travelling.
Of course, all the staff were wearing masks, but not gloves if I remember correctly.
They get your phone number and then send you a confirmation text. This usually takes a few minutes.
After they confirmed that you have received it, they let you continue to the manual immigration. None of the automated gates were open so you had to go through manual.
Singapore immigration is typically very fast and with no one in the queue, you just breezed straight through.
It looks like there were a few flights arriving but again, there were way more staff on duty than passengers.
The pre-immigration check and the actual immigration took about 20 minutes. About 15 minutes was spent waiting for a pre-immigration check table to become available.
As you can imagine, this being Changi, by the time I got out of immigration, the luggage was actually waiting for me. They had it set out by the side of the carousel. You didn’t even need to take it off.
It was weird walking out into the arrival hall where there was no one waiting. And it so silent. When you normally walk out of the baggage hall, there are some barriers to direct you to the sides and then out into the main arrival hall.
In this case, once you exited the baggage hall, the exits to the barriers were sealed off and you had to walk along the baggage hall window all the way to the end.
I kept good social distancing 😊
At the end of this mini corridor, there were several tables set up. I’m guessing that it was more arrivals that were coming in. We all filed along one queue and were told to keep distance between us – these were marked on the floor with tape.
I wasn’t waiting there long because the buses were already outside. I think I must have been there for less than a couple of minutes, before we were told to board the bus.
You’ll notice there are two coaches. These two were for the whole flight from what I could tell. That’s right … two coaches for something like 20 people.
When you got to the coach, a staff member took your luggage from you and loaded it into the vehicle’s hold.
The whole boarding process was swift and over in a matter of minutes. They had signs on the bus to tell people not to sit next to each other. In any case, they didn’t let more than 10 passengers onto each bus.
There were plenty of seats and enough space for all of us to keep a distance so that was good. While we were boarding someone piped up and asked where we were going…. I had my fingers crossed for Shangri La but we were told we were instead being going to the Intercontinental Hotel at Middle Road.
After about half an hour on the bus we were making our way through downtown Singapore ….
And finally, the hotel…
May 25, 2020, 3:19 am
#43
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: JNB
Programs: Flying Blue, Miles and Smiles, Hhonors, ICHotels
Posts: 1,307
While we were boarding someone piped up and asked where we were going…. I had my fingers crossed for Shangri La but we were told we were instead being going to the Intercontinental Hotel at Middle Road.
May 25, 2020, 7:32 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 151
Seriously, you are more concerned in which hotel you are going to be qurantined..Intercontinental or Shangri La??!!
Hopefully you did not travel to SIN just to stay freely for 14 days in one of these 5 Star hotels ..or is this new kind of travel for FFers nowadys.."pandemic travel with free stay, free F&B, free WIFI, free medical check ups and of course a 5 star room..".
Hopefully you did not travel to SIN just to stay freely for 14 days in one of these 5 Star hotels ..or is this new kind of travel for FFers nowadys.."pandemic travel with free stay, free F&B, free WIFI, free medical check ups and of course a 5 star room..".
May 25, 2020, 10:29 am
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,610
such a great TR - thank you for posting. I self-banned from IG and I appreciate reading the TR and seeing the photos on ft. Glad you returned to Singapore safely without a canceled flight. Hope quarantine is going ok.
singapore govt pays for this, unless I misread earlier in TR :-)
OP lives in Singapore and repatriated home after a long work trip in UK. This was not an attempt for free lodging but a planned flight to return home on 4/27. OP knew there would be a quarantine and simply had hopes for a specific hotel. If I was flying home to sf and needed a hotel quarantine that was paid for by my city, then I would hope for the St. Regis or any Peninsula or Mandarin Oriental because it would be interesting and I’ve driven past 2 of them a bunch. No idea if we even have a Peninsula here.
Seriously, you are more concerned in which hotel you are going to be qurantined..Intercontinental or Shangri La??!!
Hopefully you did not travel to SIN just to stay freely for 14 days in one of these 5 Star hotels ..or is this new kind of travel for FFers nowadys.."pandemic travel with free stay, free F&B, free WIFI, free medical check ups and of course a 5 star room..".
Hopefully you did not travel to SIN just to stay freely for 14 days in one of these 5 Star hotels ..or is this new kind of travel for FFers nowadys.."pandemic travel with free stay, free F&B, free WIFI, free medical check ups and of course a 5 star room..".