The year was 2019. (Pre-COVID). We took a family holiday to Seoul, South Korea! Here are links to the flight videos.
[Flight Review] Singapore Airlines SQ 602 Boeing 787-10 Business Class SG to Seoul Excellent Flight
We fly Singapore Airlines on their Regional Business Class, Boeing 787-10 for the first time this November! Very exciting. Singapore Airlines was first to fly the Boeing 787-10 and had been progressively taking delivery of these new birds, and retiring their older Boeing 777-200 fleet.
The new regional business class is a huge improvement over the previous. They now offer a 1-2-1 configuration, fully lie-flat bed, compared to the previous 2-2-2 regional business class product with an angled bed. The design and feel is very similar to the long-haul business class product, except that the seat isn't as wide. However, one advantage of the regional seat is that the seat can turn into a fully flat and straight bed at the touch of the console button. The long-haul aircraft require you to manually convert the seat to a bed, which can be a bit awkward and tiresome if you didn't know how to do it.
We received excellent service on board. I figured that the lovely Singapore Girl serving my aisle was a Korean lady, due to her accent. She was in a green kebaya, representing her seniority. Of course, she spoke excellent english too. This flight, SQ 602, departed Singapore at 1445hrs and was scheduled to land in Seoul at 2200hrs. Given this mid afternoon departure, we were wondering what meal would be served on board. Turned out that lunch would be served, but they started the meal service at 1630hrs instead of immediately after takeoff. They must have done this to make the meal closer to dinner time, given that it is pretty obvious passengers would have taken their lunch before boarding the aircraft at 1445hrs. Which then made me wonder, why call this meal lunch instead of dinner?
Anyway, it didn't matter. I had a very enjoyable meal on board (minus the satay, which was not served on this flight). Upon boarding, I took the welcome drink of champagne. Shortly after takeoff, the post take off drink was served - I had opted for the Singapore Sling, which I always do on SQ. A small bowl of nuts was also given. I enjoyed them while watching some movie.
Lunch service was leisurely and unhurried. The first course was some type of prawn. Then I got my Lobster Thermidor (which I had used the Book the Cook Service). Oh, for this flight I had just discovered that you could see the onboard lunch menu some days before the actual flight and even make your selection before the actual flight. I find this very useful because I had always wanted to know in advance what was the onboard catering before I decided whether to use Book the Cook. So this time round, I didn't really care for any of the 4 choices for the onboard catering, so I 'Booked the Cook"!
Prior to the flight, we spent some time at the SilverKris Lounge Business Class section at Changi Airport.
Coming back from Seoul, we flew on Vietnam Airlines in Business Class. This flight was in 2 legs. But before that, we spent some time in the airport lounge at Incheon.
Once inside the restricted area, we made our way to the KAL Lounge, as the CHeck-in counter lady had told us. The lounge is BEFORE the train ride to the Concourse, where our aircraft was (Gate 111), so you have to use the lounge and factor enough time to get to the plane because you still need to take a train to get there.
I read from the internet that this KAL lounge (located besides the Starbucks) was new, opened in June 2019. The signages were not great and we couldn't find it at first, until we asked a member of staff who told us in a deep Korean accent that it was 'besides Starbooks'.
KAL Lounge Incheon Terminal 1 SkyTeam Lounge Vietnam Airlines
VN 409 Boeing 787-10 Vietnam Airlines Dreamliner Business Class Flight Review Seoul to Ho Chi Minh
We were in Seoul for a holiday, and today we begin our trip back to Singapore on Vietnam Airlines, from Seoul to Ho Chi Minh and then onward to Singapore. We arrived at Incheon Airport, Seoul, in good time early in the morning. We wanted to get our tax refund, and after that, check-in was smooth though even at this time (around 0745hrs) the line to clear security was quite long.
After clearing security and immigration, we reached the restricted area of Incheon Airport, which was large and rather crowded. Signages weren't good and we couldn't find the KAL Lounge (which we were told by the check in lady that it was before the train ride to the Concourse), so we asked a member of staff and was told it was beside 'Starbooks'. Here is the review of the KAL Lounge, which was newly opened in June 2019. After getting some breakfast, we made our way to the concourse (had to ride a train) and got to Gate 111 in good time. Boarding hadn't started yet when we got there, so we waited for bit.
Once boarded started, we got on board quickly and found out seats. I had a window seat today. The aircraft used was a rather new Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. Business class was in a reverse herringbone, 1-2-1 configuration.
Overall, service onboard was very good. Even though the flight was not very long (flight time under 5 hours), it felt like a long-haul flight with a nice amenity kit, pillow and blanket. Welcome drink, I chose champagne. After take off, meal service began.
It started with Amuse Boche, and again I chose champagne for my drink.
For the main meal, they had run out of the Western style appetizer, so I had no choice but to take the Korean-style appetizer, which was fine with me as it was interesting to look at and the taste was good. For the main, I chose the Asian style Beef rib with rice. The beef came in slices, which suited me fine. The taste was good, and the beef was tender enough.
After the main, there was dessert (ice-cream) and also cheese. The stewardess also came around with a tray of sliced fruit, which I chose a few. Overall, it was a wonderful meal, and I enjoyed it while watching a movie on the entertainment system.
Post-meal, I converted the seat into a lie-flat bed, and managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before it was time to land.
Lotus Lounge Ho Chi Minh Saigon Vietnam Airlines Business Class
Vietnam Airlines, Lotus Lounge, Saigon. We fly on Vietnam Airlines Business class, from Seoul to SGN, en-route to Singapore. We landed in SGN in the early afternoon, and our flight to Singapore would depart at 1615hrs. So we had a couple of hours in the Lotus Lounge.
The food offerings were pretty good. Plenty of hot food choices, including local Vietnamese dishes, noodle soup plus porridge. Also plenty of cut fruits, and some desserts. I didn't try the Vietnamese coffee though. We weren't that hungry, since we had a good meal onboard Vietnam Airlines Business Class (Seoul to SGN leg), but we still managed to eat some light food and desserts.
[Flight Review] Vietnam Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class SGN Ho Chi Minh to Singapore
We fly on Vietnam Airlines! This was the second leg of our flight, from SGN Ho Chi Minh back to Singapore. Earlier in the day, we flew from Seoul to Ho Chi Minh.
This leg was short, only about 1.5 hr flight time. The experience was good. We flew on a long-haul aircraft, the Airbus A350-900. This aircraft is used for VN’s long-haul routes, including Vietnam to Paris. Business class was in a 1-2-1 configuration, reverse herringbone, fully flat bed.
A substantial meal was served even though the flight was short. The entire meal came in one tray, which was fine given such a short flight. I chose the fish with rice. You can see from the video that the meal was very nice. The main dish was accompanied by a bowl of crunchy salad and a large chunks of fresh fruit. They even had a bread basket, where I chose the garlic bread. The meal was great with a glass of white wine.
I enjoyed my meal at a leisurely pace and was never rushed. After I finished my meal, there wasn’t much time left on the flight and the plane landed smoothly at Singapore Changi Airport. Vietnam Airlines uses Terminal 4.
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