Monday, June 27, 2016

Singapore Airlines Jet Caught Fire - Nobody Hurt

A Singapore Airlines jet made an emergency landing at Singapore Changi Airport on the morning of 27 June 2016 and her right wing and jet was on fire. Plenty of black smoke and looked very scary. 

Thankfully the Changi Airport Fire service swung into immediate action and put out the fire within a very short time. No injuries, but it certainly looked like a very close call. More information from various press sources.

This Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER jet (serial number 9V-SWB, a 9 year old plane) was bound for Milan and turned back to Singapore after about 2 hours, due to a fuel leak. The flight number was SQ 368. The plane caught fire after the aircraft touched down at around 6:50am. There were reportedly 19 crew and 222 passengers on board. After the fire was put out, the passengers disembarked through stairs and were brought to the terminal by bus.


.


Saturday, June 25, 2016

Turkish Airlines Singapore to Copenhagen in Economy Flight Reviews & Airport Lounges (Videos)

This was a family holiday to Europe. Originally we planned to book Singapore Airlines for the 4 of us, but the option of Turkish Airlines came along and we could save almost $2K for the 4 of us. So we decided to give Turkish a try. I made several videos of our experience.

CHANGI AIRPORT CHECK IN & SATS PREMIER LOUNGE
I was informed by the check-in staff that I could use the SATS Premier Lounge (even though I was flying in Economy) because I was Star Alliance Gold status. Well, I recently attained Star Alliance Gold Status and I didn't even have my card yet, so I wasn't expecting this. Anyway, it was great, though I could only bring one guest. At the lounge entrance, I asked nicely if I could bring both my kids and the reception staff kindly agreed. My wife stayed outside though, she went shopping. Later on, I found out that SATS Premier Lounges were also Priority Pass lounges, so we could have used the lounge, albeit for a fee. Here is the video of the lounge, which is used by a good number of airlines. I guess this is called a contract lounge. They had a decent hot food selection, not as good as the SilverKris, but good enough for most. There was the signature laksa, which tasted good. Also they had 3 OSIM massage chairs at one corner. Cool!



TURKISH AIRLINES FLIGHT TK55 SINGAPORE TO ISTANBUL
Our flight was TK55 and departed at 2200hrs from Changi Terminal 1. The plane was almost full, with a good number of passengers from Singapore, including some aunties (if you watch the video, you can hear some of their voices during boarding, exclaiming that 2-4-2 is good). What is 2-4-2? That's the seating configuration on the plane, 2-4-2. Flight time was 11 hours and two meals were served. Flight was smooth and we got to Istanbul slightly ahead of schedule.

ISTANBUL AIRPORT - PRIMECLASS CIP LOUNGE (Priority Pass)
We arrived in Istanbul slightly ahead of schedule and the next flight was a good 3 hours or more away. We had already decided beforehand, and having read how busy Istanbul Airport would be, that we would park ourselves in a Priority Pass lounge. Both my wife and I are Priority Pass holders (get the card free from our credit card), but we have to pay for lounge admission at US27 per person. Well, since we had factored in this expense, we went for it, and it was a good decision because the airport was indeed crowded and the lounge provided a nice oasis to rest for a bit, with some food and drink. Here is a video of the experience.

TURKISH AIRLINE TK1783 - ISTANBUL TO COPENHAGEN
We enjoyed the peaceful time in the lounge, and when it was time to board, we made our way to the gate. We had to take a bus to the plane bound for Copenhagen which was flight TK1783. The bus ride was nice, could see many planes. When we boarded, we found the missing cushion that I had talked about earlier. Once that was fixed, everything was smooth. Flight was good and we got some food to eat. We arrived in Copenhagen about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

We didn't really spent a lot of time in Copenhagen. The objective of going there was to board a cruise ship for a cruise to the Baltic seas. Thanks for reading and watching my videos!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Light Dinner at Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge before Flight

Enjoying a light dinner at the SilverKris Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport before a recent flight. The porridge was very nice.