Kiwi Flyer

SINGAPORE to HO CHI MINH CITY (SIN-SGN) on SQ 777-200ER
(config 2 class with spacebeds)

I have a moderate connection, so head to the lounge. First I get the FFP number changed. Then I ask to check in for the return flight but am told this is one of the handful of SQ destinations unable to provide same day return check in Then a good shower and change to freshen up.

There is just enough time to check emails before heading off to the gate for the flight. Load is reasonably high.

The short flight is not long enough to play any of the movies, at least not without losing the ending. I was surprised that the meal service on this short flight is more substantial than the similar length flight to Jakarta.

Most of the flight is over water. The last bit is descending over the delta and crossing the city which is built up around the sinuous rivers. The airport is right in the city. We arrive slightly early but then wait several minutes on the taxiway for an aircraft to leave our gate and so end up a little late.

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City menu

BRUNCH

To Start With

A choice of apple, tomato, freshly squeezed orange juice or soya bean milk

Fresh fruit

The Main Event

Fried beef kway teow
Fried rice noodles with sliced beef and leafy greens

Pan fried seabass fillet with cilantro sauce, ratatouille and new potatoes

Crepe with parsley-scrambled egg, roasted tomato, sauteed button mushrooms and gratin potato

A Sweet Note

Strawberry shortcake with white chocolate mousse

From the Bakery

Choice of bread rolls
Butter - fruit preserve

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea


BEVERAGES

Mix of the Month

Citrus Royale

Cocktails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Golden Spice
Fruit Spritzer
Sunrise Surprise

Spirits

Cognac XO Otard
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Gordon's Dry Gin
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer

International selection

Stout

Guinness stout

Champagnes

Piper Heidsieck 1999
Charles Heidsieck Mise en Cave 2003

White Wines

Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2004 Balthasar Ress Rheingau
Moondah Brook Chardonnay 2005 Western Australia

Red Wines

Chateau Beau-Site 2000 Saint-Estephe
Rive Barbera D'asti 'il Cascinone 2003 Araidica Pietmonte

Port

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port Portugal

Tea Selection

Pure Ceylon tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated tea
Japanese Green tea
Chinese Jasmine tea
Chinese Oolong tea

Gourmet Coffees

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Specialty Coffees

Brewed coffee
Cafe Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated coffee
Mocha

Other Beverages

Chocolate
Milo

Mineral Water

Sparkling
Still

Fruit Juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft Drinks

Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light
Ginger Ale
Seven Up

Milk

Full Cream
Low Fat

Kiwi Flyer

The next update will be later coming than I'd hoped. This computer logs me off FT every minute or so

Kiwi Flyer

HO CHI MINH CITY to SINGAPORE (SGN-SIN) on SQ 777-200ER
(config 2 class with spacebeds)

I follow the signs for immigration and head to the transit desk just before the immigration queues. They are also unable to check me in here but one of the agents takes my ticket and passport landside while I wait, wondering if I will make the imminent check in deadline or be stuck here until the next flight. About 15 minutes later I have my boarding pass and a lounge invitation and I take a few steps to the transit immigration (actually I'm not sure what to call it?) where they stamp my passport. No need to pay the departure tax. Then off to find the lounge, which is in the far corner of the departures area.

It is quite nice although reasonably full. There is plenty of decent food and drink on offer, plus a couple of computers. I didn't have time to look properly for it was already time to board. Security before the gate. No need to take liquid baggy out - indeed this is mostly the case in asia. It seems to be the western countries that require the liquids baggy to be screened separately from the carry on.

I try, fairly unsuccessfully, to sleep most of the short flight back to Singapore.

Kiwi Flyer

Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore menu

LUNCH

A Savoury Note

Prawn and soba salad
Soya dressing

The Main Event

Seared tournedos of beef in green peppercorn jus, sauteed forest mushroom, carrot and gratin potatoes

Braised fish fillet in garlic chilli sauce, seasonal vegetables and fried rice

Pork medallions with duxelles and gruyere cheese in mushroom cream, vegetables and potatoes

A Sweet Note

Selection of sliced fresh fruits

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea


BEVERAGES

Mix of the Month

Citrus Royale

Cocktails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Golden Spice
Fruit Spritzer
Sunrise Surprise

Spirits

Cognac XO Otard
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Gordon's Dry Gin
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer

International selection

Stout

Guinness stout

Champagnes

Piper Heidsieck 1999
Charles Heidsieck Mise en Cave 2003

White Wines

Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2004 Balthasar Ress Rheingau
Moondah Brook Chardonnay 2005 Western Australia

Red Wines

Chateau Beau-Site 2000 Saint-Estephe
Rive Barbera D'asti 'il Cascinone 2003 Araidica Pietmonte

Port

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port Portugal

Tea Selection

Pure Ceylon tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated tea
Japanese Green tea
Chinese Jasmine tea
Chinese Oolong tea

Gourmet Coffees

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Specialty Coffees

Brewed coffee
Cafe Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated coffee
Mocha

Other Beverages

Chocolate
Milo

Mineral Water

Sparkling
Still

Fruit Juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft Drinks

Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light
Ginger Ale
Seven Up

Milk

Full Cream
Low Fat

Kiwi Flyer

Summary to date

• map
• 29,181 flown miles
• 18 flights
• 7 a/c types
  • 737-300
  • 767-300
  • 777-200ER
  • Embraer 170
  • Embraer 175
  • ATR 42-500
  • 737-500
• 5 airlines
  • NZ
  • QF
  • LH
  • LO (plus EuroLOT)
  • SQ
• 11 countries
  • New Zealand
  • Tonga
  • Western Samoa
  • United States of America
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Singapore
  • Pakistan
  • Vietnam
• 13 airports
  • AKL
  • TBU
  • APW
  • LAX
  • LHR
  • HAM
  • WAW
  • LED
  • TXL
  • FRA
  • SIN
  • LHE
  • SGN
• personal firsts
  • 2 new routes on Air NZ TBU-APW and APW-LAX
  • 2 new destinations on Singapore Airlines LHE and SGN
  • 3 new countries - Russia, Pakistan and Vietnam
  • 5 new airports - HAM, LED, TXL, LHE and SGN

Kiwi Flyer

SINGAPORE to MANILA (SIN-MNL) on SQ 777-300

After a short sleep thanks to watching a losing effort at the cricket, I was again checking in for a couple more flights. This time I got both boarding passes, although it took several attempts to get the right FFP entered. Since booking I had found I had gotten some bonus status miles on a certain FFP and thus no longer needed these flights for requalification, so I switch to another FFP to aid the requalification on that one. I have been doing this subtly all trip, crediting different bits to various FFPs in order to best maximise the value and ensure my requalification on each. It takes a bit of effort determining the optimum crediting strategy, but in my view it is worthwhile.

That sorted I grab a quick breakfast in the lounge. Mmmm laksa. Then off to the gate. The flight is full except in first class. I catch up on some sleep, waking as we descend over the bay outside Manila. We come in low over some suburbs and land on time. We do have a slow taxi however due to other aircraft ahead of us being held up waiting for their gates.

The signage for transits is terrible. There is an abandoned transit desk. At immigration I work out a couple of people off to the side are actually doing the boarding pass and security checks for transit passengers. I'm quickly through and upstairs to the SQ lounge.

Kiwi Flyer

Singapore to Manila menu

LIGHT MEAL

A Savoury Note

Marinated scallops with jellyfish and mesclun

The Main Event

Dim sum
Parcel of glutinous rice in lotus leaf with chicken and Chinese sausage, har kow and pork siew mai

Mixed grill of beef and chicken with veal sausage in herb jus, sauteed mushrooms, tomato and hash brown potato

Oven baked eggs served with Italian turkey sausage, roasted tomato, mushroom ragout and hash brown potato

A Sweet Note

Jasmine caramel cream with fruit coulis and berries

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea


BEVERAGES

Mix of the Month

Citrus Royale

Cocktails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Golden Spice
Fruit Spritzer
Sunrise Surprise

Spirits

Cognac XO Otard
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Gordon's Dry Gin
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer

International selection

Stout

Guinness stout

Champagnes

Piper Heidsieck 1999
Charles Heidsieck Mise en Cave 2003

White Wines

Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2004 Balthasar Ress Rheingau
Moondah Brook Chardonnay 2005 Western Australia

Red Wines

Chateau Beau-Site 2000 Saint-Estephe
Rive Barbera D'asti 'il Cascinone 2003 Araidica Pietmonte

Port

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port Portugal

Tea Selection

Pure Ceylon tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated tea
Japanese Green tea
Chinese Jasmine tea
Chinese Oolong tea

Gourmet Coffees

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Specialty Coffees

Brewed coffee
Cafe Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated coffee
Mocha

Other Beverages

Chocolate
Milo

Mineral Water

Sparkling
Still

Fruit Juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft Drinks

Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light
Ginger Ale
Seven Up

Milk

Full Cream
Low Fat

Kiwi Flyer

MANILA to SINGAPORE (MNL-SIN) on SQ 777-300

I'd booked on a later return flight which I no longer needed to take so I asked at the lounge if I could switch to the flight which will soon be departing. When I checked earlier in the day it appeared to be full but I had nothing to lose by asking and who knows how many no shows there will be.

While I wait I entered the lounge and checked some email on the one computer. There is an first class side and a business class side. The first class side was rather small and very full (every seat taken). There was a modest selection of food and drink. Probably one of the worst SQ operated lounges I have visited.

As boarding is announced I get given a new boarding pass. Yay. I head to the gate. They ask to see my arriving boarding pass to ensure I do not need to pay the departure tax.

It is a full flight, at least in business class. We are late leaving, not having made up any time in the turnaround. After we take off we turn and fly back over the airport while slowly climbing, and I notice the wheels were not retracted until we went past the airport. I presume there was some problem indicated which they wanted checked out. Anyway apparently there is nothing important wrong as shortly thereafter the wheels are retracted, we turn towards Singapore and climb more steeply.

There isnt much view thanks to the clouds, and my attempts to sleep. We arrive behind schedule. At the gate we get screened before being allowed to enter the terminal. This sometimes happens on flights from certain asian airports - a bit hit and miss though. If you are on a flight that gets arrival screening and a short connection, better hope you are one of the first off the aircraft!

Kiwi Flyer

Manila to Singapore menu

LIGHT MEAL

A Savoury Note

Antipasto
Marinated prawns, prosciuto ham with rock melon, mozzarella with assorted tomatoes and grilled vegetables

The Main Event

Seared beef fillet in cabernet butter, assorted vegetables, sauteed fingerling potato with onion, crispy pork and sage

Braised soya sauce duck with leafy greens and yam rice

Apritadang Maya Maya
Snapper fillet with tomato sauce, vegetables and steamed rice

A Sweet Note

Freshly prepared gourmet ice cream

A Connoisseur's Choice

Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea


BEVERAGES

Mix of the Month

Citrus Royale

Cocktails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Tropical Sparkle
Orange Cooler
Golden Spice
Fruit Spritzer
Sunrise Surprise

Spirits

Cognac XO Otard
Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
Gordon's Dry Gin
Smirnoff Red Label Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca

Liqueurs

Cointreau
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream

Beer

International selection

Stout

Guinness stout

Champagnes

Piper Heidsieck 1999
Charles Heidsieck Mise en Cave 2003

White Wines

Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2004 Balthasar Ress Rheingau
Moondah Brook Chardonnay 2005 Western Australia

Red Wines

Chateau Beau-Site 2000 Saint-Estephe
Rive Barbera D'asti 'il Cascinone 2003 Araidica Pietmonte

Port

Dow 2001 Late Bottled Vintage Port Portugal

Tea Selection

Pure Ceylon tea
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Camomile
Decaffeinated tea
Japanese Green tea
Chinese Jasmine tea
Chinese Oolong tea

Gourmet Coffees

Brazil Santos Bourbon
Colombian Supremo
Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro

Specialty Coffees

Brewed coffee
Cafe Royal
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated coffee
Mocha

Other Beverages

Chocolate
Milo

Mineral Water

Sparkling
Still

Fruit Juices

Apple
Orange
Pineapple
Tomato

Soft Drinks

Bitter Lemon
Coke
Coke Light
Ginger Ale
Seven Up

Milk

Full Cream
Low Fat

Kiwi Flyer

Summary to date

• map
• 32,128 flown miles
• 20 flights
• 8 a/c types
  • 737-300
  • 767-300
  • 777-200ER
  • Embraer 170
  • Embraer 175
  • ATR 42-500
  • 737-500
  • 777-300
• 5 airlines
  • NZ
  • QF
  • LH
  • LO (plus EuroLOT)
  • SQ
• 12 countries
  • New Zealand
  • Tonga
  • Western Samoa
  • United States of America
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Singapore
  • Pakistan
  • Vietnam
  • Philippines
• 14 airports
  • AKL
  • TBU
  • APW
  • LAX
  • LHR
  • HAM
  • WAW
  • LED
  • TXL
  • FRA
  • SIN
  • LHE
  • SGN
  • MNL
• personal firsts
  • 2 new routes on Air NZ TBU-APW and APW-LAX
  • 3 new destinations on Singapore Airlines LHE, SGN and MNL
  • 4 new countries - Russia, Pakistan, Vietnam and Philippines
  • 6 new airports - HAM, LED, TXL, LHE, SGN and MNL

das

This is a great report, keep it coming. I see that you have been on a lot of turnaround flights intra-Asia. Obviously the menus are different in each direction, but do you know if all the food catered ex-Singapore, or if the food catered locally?

Also is the same crew normally operating the return flight?

Kiwi Flyer

I had turnarounds in 2 cities. SIN-SGN-SIN has the same crew, SIN-MNL-SIN had different crews.

Kiwi Flyer

I'll try to post the rest over the next few days. Thanks for your patience.

Kiwi Flyer

SINGAPORE to COLOMBO (SIN-CMB) on EK 777-300ER

The switch of flights from Manila changed a short connection into a longer one, and so I had some time until check in for my next flight opened. I headed to the silver kris lounge to fill in some time, checking emails, surfing FT and sipping Dom Perignon. I also grabbed a shower and changed into fresh clothes.

I left the lounge early to talk a long walk around the terminals before checking in at the transit desk. I was unable to get checked in for the return flight. Never mind, I have plenty of time in Colombo. Last time I flew Emirates out of Singapore they used the Skyview lounge, which as far as I’m concerned only has 1 redeeming feature of a nice view of the tarmac. Since then, however, Emirates has opened their own lounge and I was interested to see how good it was.

As with other Emirates lounges I have visited there is only one lounge – no segregation of first and business class passengers. The lounge was pretty good – on par with the joint Qantas / British Airways lounge at Singapore. Several computers, showers, good selection of drinks, proper food with table service so you can eat before your flight and maximise sleep (very handy given the late departure times), newspapers, magazines, etc.

Eventually it is time to board. The assigned gate is right near the lounge, as are the assigned gates for later Emirates flights. It seems all the transit passengers (from Jakarta) had to deplane and there is a big queue at the gate screening station. The flight is full and we depart some 20 minutes late as a result.

Before take off we get a very nice amenity kit, plus menu and also pre-departure drinks and hot towel. The seats are more comfortable than I’d remembered. The overhead monitors show the nosewheel camera view until after we’ve lifted off before switching to airshow. I skip the great ICE IFE system, preferring instead to catch some sleep on this short overnight flight. We arrive in Colombo in the middle of the night.

Service was great if not as polished as on top notch airlines. For example pre departure one side got drink and nuts, the other side did not, they didn’t know what wines were loaded and had to check.

Passengers continuing on to Dubai were asked to remain on board. For those of us deplaning, we had to show our boarding pass at the top of the airbridge.