Coathanger

I was very much looking forward to again flying with Singapore Airlines, even in Economy Class. The last couple of trips to Asia, I decided to experiment with new airlines including Malaysia Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines. However, none were quite up to the standards that SQ had set so I have come back to the Golden Goose.

At the 48-hour window, I used the Online Check-In (OLCI) and was stunned that I had been assigned 59C and that only a handful of (unappealing) seats were available for selection. Desperate to land a reasonable seat, I called SQ reservations and had them put through a request for an exit row aisle seat.

Coming from Canberra on the 7AM Murray’s Express coach service was uneventful but heavy traffic around Liverpool (outskirts of Sydney) caused slight concern. However, we arrived at Kingsford Smith at 10:30AM, with plenty of time to spare.

I lugged my bags to Row H and joined the Raffles Class line, waiting briefly before I was ushered to the First Class counter. Like many FT’ers, I enjoy status, upgrades and miles but today was not my lucky day for an op-up. However, I did manage to secure my preferred exit row aisle seat (39C on the 744), much to the relief of my long legs. Relieved of my baggage, I trooped off to Immigration.

According to the Immigration officer I spoke to, they have been understaffed of late and this was certainly evident for the foreign passports lanes. Whilst the Australian Passport line was fairly short, my APEC card got me through in about a minute. Security screening is part and parcel of modern travel, and so I submitted to the usual metal detector and scanning of my hand luggage. Thankfully, I was not selected for the explosive residue test like on my previous trip and I proceeded off to the Tourist Refund Scheme counter to obtain a GST refund for my new ThinkPad. The counter was fully staffed and a quick swipe of my credit card was pretty much all I was required to perform. Now off to my favorite part, the lounges.

Despite being casually dressed, I was warmly greeted at the Silver Kris Lounge and directed to the Raffles Class side. To freshen up before a long-haul flight is one of the best perks of Star Gold (*G), and I took full advantage on this day. After getting amenities from the front desk, I proceeded to one of the two shower suites available in the lounge. No complaints there, high pressure hot water after a three hour bus trip is always welcome. I finished up with some Clarins body lotion and headed out to satisfy my thirst. As you would expect from SQ, there was a nice assortment of sandwiches, fruit, cake and biscuits on offer, in addition to a comprehensive drinks cabinet. I settled down with a fruit salad and a can of Schweppes Dry Ginger Ale at the bar. Pulled out my laptop and took advantage of the complimentary wireless internet to sends some emails and catch up with the news (and FT).

In a bid to explore all the Star Alliance lounges in the terminal, I set off down the corridor to the Air New Zealand lounge but it was closed until 12:30 (at which point I should be boarding my flight). Disappointed but not deterred, I proceeded to the United Airlines Red Carpet Club and was greeted by a matron of some description. They wanted to make me aware that I could use the Singapore Airlines lounge upstairs but I insisted, so they (rightfully) let me in. During my visit I picked up an amenity kit with products from H20, superseding the Crabtree & Evelyn NOMAD products from January. Whilst I have no major complaints about the lounge, it does seem rather dark and somewhat dated when compared to the Silver Kris lounge upstairs.

All too soon, it was boarding time for SQ 232 to Singapore. Today we boarded from Door A (at the back of the First Class cabin), and did the walk of shame down to the second Economy cabin. The plane was beginning to show its age with several noticeable areas of wear but still spotlessly clean. No doubt the (again) delayed A380 will rectify that, but in the meantime the condition is still much better than several airlines I have flown. Pushback was delayed by half an hour due to a backlog of planes for takeoff, so the cabin crew did a water run to keep the passengers hydrated. After much taxiing on the tarmac, we lined up for takeoff and the four Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines got us airborne.

Exit row seats are coveted by frequent travelers for the precious extra legroom afforded to the emergency exit door, and as a result the passengers in that row. Whilst many on this board prefer Seat 2A, I am not in a position to fly in premium cabins yet so I enjoy what I can. Seat 39C offers legroom comparable to Raffles Class and the snazzy in-armrest Personal TV, so that’s like a mini Raffles seat.

Once we had reached cruising altitude and the seatbelt signs had been dimmed, the crew sprung to action in true SQ style. A drinks and nibbles run was completed efficiently, where I availed myself of an OJ and a pack of assorted nuts. Kris World impressed me with a good selection of contemporary music and TV, including Family Guy and Friends. Special meals were then delivered to children and those with special dietary requirements, whilst the rest of us waited for the trolley to reach our seats. Lunch today was:

Appetizer
Smoked salmon with mixed lettuce and thousand island dressing

Main Courses
Lamb navarin served with seasonal vegetables and mashed potato

OR

Braised egg noodles with soya chicken, leafy greens and mushroom

Cheese
Cheese and crackers

Dessert
Ice Cream

From The Bakery
Roll and butter

Hot Beverages
Coffee – Tea

I chose the chicken, and it seemed to be the more popular choice. For a meal served in an aluminum tube, it was quite tasty and certainly not bland nor overcooked. Unless you are flying in a premium cabin, it is unreasonable to expect anything more. Accompanying my lunch was the signature Singapore Sling, looking very swish with the swizzle stick and all.

After the post-lunch restroom scramble, passengers settled in to enjoy their inflight entertainment and the cabin lights were dimmed. I enjoyed several episodes of Two And A Half Men, Friends, Family Guy and The Office (US Version), and the time sped by. Before long, the ever-present cabin crew executed another drinks run and I decided it was time to fire up the laptop to use Boeing’s free Connexion inflight internet (not normally free, but as they are ending the service on SQ have decided to offer it on a complimentary basis until the December phase-out). Sent out another batch of emails and caught up on the news again, quite a lot happening in NSW state politics today. When the novelty of the internet wore off, I began working on this trip report.

Times flies when you are having fun, and before too long it was time for the afternoon refreshment service. After carefully packing my laptop away, I filled out the Singapore Immigration card whilst waiting for the cart to arrive at my row. Today’s refreshment was fried rice with Chinese pork sausages and a Cadbury Crunchie bar. Although the fried rice seemed to lack flavor, the Crunchie bar was a welcome glucose hit. Whilst the meal service in Economy Class is certainly not as comprehensive as in the premium cabins, I feel that passengers are well catered for.

Once our trays were cleared away, the Captain announced that we were approaching SIN and followed by the inflight supervisor who instructed us to stow our tray tables and put our seats in the upright position (in addition to returning our headsets, of course). There was a fair amount of turbulence as we descended through the clouds, but certainly nothing to be worried about. Touchdown was smooth and assured, with our flight taxiing directly to Gate F50. As our flight was delayed in Sydney, there was a strong ground staff presence at the gate to ferry passengers for connecting flights.

Briskly making my way to Immigration, I was once again thankful for my APEC card. Singapore Immigration is usually very efficient, but today there was a fairly long line in the Other Passports line. Joining the Singapore Passport line saved about 15 minutes, and then I was off to Baggage Reclaim.

With legendary Changi efficiency, one of my bags was already waiting for me at the luggage carousel with a Raffles Class tag proudly attached. However, my roller didn’t appear until several minutes later minus tags. Either the First Class check-in had run out of Raffles tags or the agent just forgot, but either way I was out of the airport in 10 minutes flat.

All in all, I am still very impressed by the SQ product even in Economy Class. The small touches like hot towels and the availability of Singapore Slings make the in-cabin experience that much more enjoyable. As with many FT’ers, I am already looking to my onward connections.

Coathanger

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I have uploaded some pictures of the lounges and inflight. Enjoy: http://picasaweb.google.com/coathangerft/SQ232SYDSIN

Gotta Requalify

Good Read thank you,

I know it has been a few days since you wrote this, and I know how difficult reports are too write (written heaps - posted one), so don't be put off by it being a few days and this being the first reply.

Its good to know that if I ever have to travel economy - it won't be the end of the world if it is on Singapore Air. (Close too, but not quite the end of the world.)

Thanks for the report.

kpc

Thanks for the report on a flight that I have and will continue to fly a lot
Your photos look surprisingly familiar to me

bensyd

Thanks for posting. The RCC looks pretty drab inside. You didnt happen to take any of the SQ lounge?

Coathanger

The first five photos are of the shower room in the SQ Lounge. Following nine photos offer various views of the SKL, including the bar area overlooking our aircraft for the day. As for a panning shot, this is as good as I've got: http://picasaweb.google.com/coathang...55059383025682.