We fly Singapore Airlines! This time from Singapore to Guangzhou, in Economy. We take a short holiday to Guangzhou. On schedule, the flight by Singapore Airlines is 4 hours. SQ flies twice a day to Guangzhou, from Singapore Changi.
The flight we took was SQ850. See below for a dummy booking. The price we paid was much lower than $882.50 return (we paid around $350/pax). If you book early enough, you should be able to get reasonable fares. The timing of the flight was pretty good too, departing Singapore at 0820 and arriving in Guangzhou at 1220hrs. No time difference between SIN and CAN.
Flight - Singapore to Guangzhou
The flight to Guangzhou was smooth and enjoyable. The actual flight time was 3hr 40min. It was a morning flight, so breakfast was served. As usual, I chose the Asian option. I managed to watch one movie on the flight up - Wonder Woman. Check out the video below. There was no crew change in Guangzhou. This meant that the same crew that flew us to Guangzhou, would fly back from Guangzhou to Singapore.
Flight - Guangzhou to Singapore
Our return flight was equally good. This time, it was an early afternoon flight. Again, I chose the Asian food option, which was very nice. I also had the Singapore sling, and some wine. I watched one movie on this flight too - Great Wall (Director Zhang Yimou)
Two very good flights on Singapore Airlines. Thanks for watching!
We did a short trip (4 nights) to Beijing, covering Mutianty Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City amongst others. In this and the next few blog posts, I will detail our trip. Meanwhile, the number one takeaway for me was nicely summarized in this quotation on a cup:
Genesis of Trip
Our trip to Beijing came about almost by accident. My wife and I were deliberating upon a short holiday (without the kids) and our initial search only focussed on vacation spots in South East Asia. Then, my wife spotted this compelling offer by Singapore Airlines which made us sit up and book almost immediately! I recall the offer was over the Christmas period 2016.
Return Flight on SQ at $394 per pax
Return flight on Singapore Airlines (outbound SQ806 and returning on SQ801) at a very attractive $394. For a 6 hour flight, this sounded like a very good deal on a full service Singapore flag carrier!
Researching Hotels
Well, after settling the flight, we researched hotels. Since it was just the two of us, let's look for something nice. The good thing with Beijing is that they have many 5-star hotels by all the major chains (presumably built for the 2008 Olympics and then continue to be used because Beijing is after all the capital of China). The revamped Marriott app (which I downloaded on my iPhone) is very good for searching. After searching the various properties (Marriot group has many properties in Beijing too), we settled on the Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel:
We found that the room rates for this hotel, which was located in the CBD area, to be slightly below the other equivalent Marriott properties. Tripadvisor reviews were all rather glowing, especially the 24F Club Executive Lounge. So we took the plunge and decided to go with a studio suite because they had a 'Suite Dreams' package and the deal applied to us as you had to stay 2 consecutive nights and the rates for the suite over the weekend was lower than weekdays. Overall, for a 4 nights stay, we paid less than 5,500RMB (SGD$1,120) for our stay (including taxes), and including the late check-out.
Here We Go - Departure Day
Thank God we could take leave and make suitable arrangements for in-laws to look after our kids when we were away. Very grateful and blessed to have wonderful family support, without which my wife and I would not be able to take this trip.
Our SQ flight departs from Terminal 3. We took a Grab Car from our place to the Airport. Nice and easy. Check-in was very quick and we parked ourselves at the Krisflyer Gold Lounge (thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status) to chill and get some food before our flight. This was my first time in the Krisflyer Gold lounge. While definitely not as upscale as the SilverKris Lounge, it was pretty much adequate for me. The food selection wasn't very wide, but decent enough. You will see in the video that I had enough to eat (including Pork Buns), and they even did a very nice made-to-order salad.
Made to Order Salad
Doesn't this look healthy? It was. Just plain Garden Salad with some dressing. I liked it.
The live Orchid display in the lounge was a nice touch. Very Singaporean. The lounge wasn't crowded when we were there. Plenty of seats. We were early, so we had our lunch in the lounge, then went out for a walk around Terminal 3, before returning to the lounge again to get some coffee and snacks, and then we boarded the plane.
Singapore Airlines SQ 806 to Beijing (9V-SWR)
SQ has 21 weekly departures to Beijing, 3-flights daily. By the time we got to the boarding gate, it was time to board. The aircraft today was an older Boeing 777-312(ER) with a rather long rear portion? Serial number 9V-SWR.
Boarding was quick and the flight was at most 2/3 full. Despite the lighter passenger load, the overhead compartments were completely full! Wow. Reason was that this profile of passengers (mainly PRC Chinese) loved to shop, and they also loved to stuff everything into the overhead compartment including their smaller backpacks and handbags. As a result, the cabin crew had a bit of difficulty re-arranging overhead cabin baggage. I can't imagine, if the flight were full, we would have an even bigger challenge.
Fight review video of SQ 806, Singapore to Beijing
Service and food were good. I had my usual Singapore sling for the post-take off drink, followed by the Asian-choice for the meal (dinner was served). It was steamed rice with two large pork balls. Ice-cream was served as a dessert, which provided for a sweet ending.
Speaking of Pork balls, here was what the main course looked like, with my disposable chopsticks stuck in. Of course, they provided fork and spoon too, in case you did not like to eat with chopsticks.
After dinner was cleared, there was almost 4 hours of the flight more to go. So it was time for a nap (call it evening nap?). We were scheduled to land in Beijing at 2300hrs local time. There was no time zone change between Singapore and Beijing. The IFE map display alternated between English and Mandarin. Snapshot of the Mandarin version, with all the Chinese cities listed. Beijing 北京 (PEK) was our destination.
Landing was smooth and we cleared immigration and customs relatively quickly. I noticed that they x-rayed every bag as we left the Customs Control, but fortunately that didn't slow down the lines too much. The taxi queue was rather long, but it moved. Finally, we got onboard a metered taxi and were on our way to our hotel. It was past midnight, but traffic was still very heavy, and even jammed at places . We took an hour, maybe more, to get to our hotel. Distance was about 30km, and the cost (by meter) was 110RMB. We gave the lady driver a 10RMB tip, and she was very pleased. This was the route we took:
Hotel Check In
At the wee hours of the morning, the hotel reception was empty, and we could check in very quickly. The receptionist told us that they had received my message that we were here to celebrate my wife's birthday. The Exec Lounge had prepared something special in our room - surprise!
Rose Petal Display on the bed.
A closer look - this was going to be an awesome stay!
What was this? A birthday cake made up of towels, rose petals and red ribbons. Wow. So sweet.
Time to Sleep
It was late (or very early to be exact). By the time we washed up and slept, it was past 2am. We had a hectic day tomorrow so it was time to sleep. Here is a video review I made of the studio suite. Check it out and continue to my next page on Day 2 of our holiday! .
2016 would be remembered for Brexit, Trump's stunning victory, Carrie Fisher's passing, just to mention a few. For myself, I thank God that 2016 has been another fruitful year, one that has passed by very quickly during to a hectic schedule. In 2016, new experiences were Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Turkish Airlines (Economy) and Vietnam Airlines (Economy and Business). Repeats included AirAsia, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. All these trips have allowed me to continue my hobby of publishing Flight Review videos on YouTube - Guitar Singapore Travels - now exceeds 4.6 Million views (as at end Dec 2016). Thank you viewers, for all your support! And most grateful to God for the opportunity to travel and for the many new experiences!
On this summary blog post, I post a summary of the various flights that I have enjoyed in 2016 as well as the memorable moment or learning point for each flight mentioned. The year started with an AirAsia flight from Singapore to Langkawi, Malaysia . Memorable moment, cabin crew were still serving the pre-ordered food even as the plane descended into landing. I had food as the plane landed! (Technically a safety breach)
The return flight from Langkawi to Singapore was on SilkAir, fully owned subsidiary of SIA. I've not flown SilkAir in many years and couldn't remember what it was like. Memorable moment - no In-Flight Entertainment system but I could use my own phone to watch some movies.
Next, was a long-haul trip to Washington DC, flying Singapore Airlines Business Class to London, before transferring to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to DC. This would be a long flight, across many time zones! This first video is Part 1 of the SQ 306 Singapore to London flight. Memorable moment - caught up on many movies, including Star Wars Episode 7.
I had read so much about the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow, and so it was a real privilege to be able to use the Heathrow Terminal 3 Club House for a few hours before my connecting flight on Virgin Atlantic to Washington DC. Memorable moment - the lounge serves a mean breakfast! This is arguably the best Business Class lounge in London Heathrow.
Flying from London Heathrow to Washington DC was on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, my first time on this premium product. Memorable in many ways, including this wonderful afternoon tea service which I had on board prior to landing. Service was very good too! I enjoyed my flight, but certainly didn't enjoy the almost 2 hour wait time at Dulles International to clear immigration. (No Fast Track either!)
The return trip from Washington DC to Singapore was the reverse order of flight - Virgin Atlantic from Washington to London Heathrow, followed by Singapore Airlines from Heathrow to Singapore. But before that, I spent a few hours at the Virgin Atlantic Dulles Clubhouse, and this experience was awesome! Food was great and so were the craft beers (Flying Dog Seasonal Hop).
From London Heathrow, I took the Singapore Airlines SQ 305 flight back to Singapore. It was on a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER and I managed to snag seat 11K which was super private and comfortable, right at the front of the Business class section and just behind the First Class cabin (which had only four seats). Awesome!
In the middle of the year, we tried something new - Turkish Airlines! We had to make our way to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a cruise to the Baltic Seas. We chose Turkish due to the good price and the fact that we could return from London Heathrow. This was the almost brand-new Turkish Airlines plane we sat for the Singapore to Istanbul Leg, on flight TK55 out of Singapore. Interesting experience with interesting food. Memorable moment - Turkish Airlines have flying chefs and they serve passengers in Economy class too.
The second leg of the flight from Istanbul to Copenhagen proved to be interesting because one of our seats was missing a seat cushion! Definitely a first for us.
After our cruise, we made our way from Copenhagen to London, by plane. The flight was with British Airways BA815 (Airbus A320), and it was a glorious sunny day in Copenhagen. Even though it was a relatively short flight, we still got something to eat, and I even managed to get whiskey to go with my coffee. Hilarious me. (We bought a one-way ticket from Copenhagen to London)
Flying back to Singapore from London Gatwick, was our return leg on Turkish Airlines. This was our first time flying out of Gatwick (in many years) and I didn't like the experience much. The airport was really far away. Anyway, Gatwick aside, the flight back to Singapore via Istanbul was fine. The first leg on TK 1998 from London Gatwick to Istanbul on an Airbus A321-200. This regional jet had personal In-Flight Entertainment system installed.
From Istanbul to Singapore, we flew on TK54, which was also an Airbus A330 (similar to the one we flew Singapore to Istanbul). The Economy seating was in a 2-4-2, which was more comfortable. I must say that after flying a few times on Turkish Airlines, the food (in Economy class) started to taste the same. Not that it was bad, but the taste was very similar across flights. (Yes, I got bored)
On a whim, we decided to take a short family holiday in Hanoi, flying Vietnam Airlines! Fun and exciting. It would be our first time on Vietnam Airlines, and we had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be very good, given the price. Food was good and service was also very good, given that this was a 3 hour regional flight. The aircraft used was an Airbus A321, Flight VN 660.
The return flight from Hanoi to Singapore was also good. On this flight, we had an interesting dessert, which I don't know the name in Vietnamese. We have similar desserts in Singapore, but the concoction provided on the aircraft was nice. Also tried Halida beer!
Towards the end of the year, it was a real privilege to fly again in premium cabins. This was on the new Singapore Airlines Capital Express, connecting Singapore with Canberra (capital of Australia) and Wellington (capital of New Zealand). This flight route started in mid Sep 2016. The video below was Part 2 of the Singapore to Canberra leg, which they call a sleeper service. I booked the cook (choosing a beef dish called Soya Beef), which ended up being my breakfast before landing!
On the flight back to Singapore from Wellington, I spent some time at the Air New Zealand Business Lounge in Wellington before boarding the plane. It was a decent lounge. Star Alliance Gold members could also gain access to this lounge.
The first leg coming home was Wellington to Canberra. SQ 292 would depart Wellington for Canberra at around 2100hrs local time. This was a relatively short 3 hour leg. A full meal (dinner) was served on board and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. After the dinner, I managed to grab a 1 hour nap before the aircraft arrived in Canberra.
The next leg was Canberra to Singapore. This was a sleeper service, as the aircraft departed Canberra in the early hours of the morning. Given that I had a full meal on the previous leg, I wasn't hungry, therefore I chose to go to sleep shortly after take-off, and have a full meal just before landing. Food was good, service was great. Well done, Singapore Airlines.
And finally, the last trip of the year (with the family), was again on Vietnam Airlines, this time to London Heathrow! Now, doesn't that sound exotic. Yes, we fly Vietnam Airlines to London, from Singapore. The first leg up was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh. But before the flight, we checked out the SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Terminal 3, which came with Osim Foot Massagers and chair massagers.
The first leg was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh, on a regional Airbus A321. Of course, being in Business class, we sat in front. I found it interesting that the Business Class cabin only had 2 rows of seats, in a 2-2 configuration, with 8 seats in total. Service was good, meal was good!
We had a rather long layover at Ho Chi Minh before the next flight. No worries, we camped at the Lotus Lounge, which was nicely decorated with decent food, especially Vietnamese Pho. Wifi connection was very strong, so the time passed quickly. Here is the video of Lotus Lounge.
Finally, it was time for the Ho Chi Minh to London Heathrow leg. This was the exciting part of the trip because we would be flying on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner which uses the latest Business class product for Vietnam Airlines! Yes, it was the reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. The seat could easily turn into a flat bed, which was very good for a long flight of 13 hours. Flight VN 51 would bring us to London Heathrow, and it was a very good experience indeed.
In part 2 of the Ho Chi Minh to London leg, I called it Bed and Breakfast because I took a closer look at the bed. At first, I could not deploy the bed fully into a lie-flat position and I wondered if my bed was not working properly. Turns out that it was my own fault. My backpack and shoes were blocking the way! Silly me. I also show you the wonderful Vietnamese Pho we had for breakfast. It was an awesome experience and I drank up all the soup. My first time experience Vietnamese Pho on board an aircraft - only on Vietnam Airlines, of course.
After our holiday in the UK, it was time to fly back to Singapore. Vietnam Airlines operates from Heathrow Terminal 4. Before the flight, we spent some time at the SkyTeam lounge, which frankly was a tad disappointing. Food at breakfast wasn't great, the coffee machines weren't working properly and the empty cups were not re-filled. The lounge looked pretty though, with the green walls.
This time round, we would fly to Hanoi first, before heading back to Singapore. Yes, it was the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, though this time the plane was a bit older (more than 1 year), but hey, we were flying in Business Class so can't complain! Looking back, it is a great privilege and humbling to be able to do this as a family. This was a day flight (departing LHR at 1100hrs), so we didn't sleep very much on board. Spent the time watching movies and day-dreaming.
We arrived in Hanoi on schedule (5 AM local time) and had plenty of time to kill because our next flight home wasn't till 1050hrs local time. Thankfully, the Lotus Lounge in Hanoi was a nice place to chill for many hours, and I captured our experience in the video below. When we arrived shortly after 5, the lounge doors were opened but everything was still dark. The staff had just arrived and were setting up. Fortunately, they let us go in and rest. Later on, all of us took a shower. What was memorable in the lounge was instant noodles and instant Vietnamese pho. You had to prepare the noodles yourself, using hot water from an electric flask, and then using the micro-wave to further heat the noodles up. First time I see this in a Business Lounge - Fascinating.
Our final flight for the year, Vietnam Airlines Hanoi to Singapore. This flight was completely full! Flight to Singapore was about 3 hours. Meal service was efficient and thereafter, I managed to get a nap, before arrival in Singapore.
That's it! This wraps up my flight travels for the year 2016. Looking back, it was a wonderful year of flying, with many new experiences and learning points. Grateful for the opportunity and thank God for journey mercies, and the ability to see and experience so many new things. I do not know what 2017 will bring, but I trust the Lord to open and close doors as He sees fit. Wishing one and all peace, and a very fruitful and healthy 2017 ahead.
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2017. Thanks for reading.
After a successful trip to Wellington, it was time to head home. This is the return flight, on the Singapore Airlines Capital Express, connecting Singapore-Canberra-Wellington, the capital cities of Singapore, Australia and New Zealand respectively.
Intercontinental Hotel, New Zealand
In Wellington, I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was the biggest hotel in town, so I was told. This video review shows you the deluxe room that I stayed in. You could watch TV from the shower, quite neat.
Wellington Airport Air New Zealand Business Lounge
The airport was not too far away from the hotel. I took a cab, and the cost was about NZ$30. Wellington Airport is not a big airport. In face, the runway at Wellington Airport was rather short, under 2,000M! Good thing the Boeing 777-200 aircraft used by SQ on this route could still land and take off safely. Check-in at the airport was smooth and very soon, I was resting in the lounge, waiting for my flight. Singapore Airlines uses the Air New Zealand Business Lounge, and here is a review of the lounge.
Singapore Airlines SQ 292 Wellington to Canberra
The first leg of this flight from Wellington to Canberra. This was a 3 hour flight, and a very good dinner was served on board. For this flight, I had an empty seat beside me, so that made the flight even more comfortable!
The plane landed in Canberra and we had to transit for about 1 hour and 15 min. There was no lounge for premium passengers at the Canberra airport transit area, however, I found out that Business class passengers got an A$20 credit to buy food and drinks at the bar, which was located in the middle of the lounge. As I was very full, I did not utilize this perk.
SQ 292 Canberra to Singapore
Soon it was time to board the flight for Singapore. This time round, the flight was around 8 hours. By this time, I was more tired. Similar to the earlier experience, passengers were given the option of going to sleep immediately after take-off, and take our meal only before landing. I chose this option because I was already very full from the earlier Wellington-to-Canberra leg. I had a good sleep, and was woken up about 1.5hours before landing. Breakfast was pretty good. I had the noodle option.
I fly on Singapore Airlines Business Class, from Singapore to Wellington via Canberra. This was the new "Capital Express" route, connecting the three important capitals of Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. This route commenced 21 Sep 2016. This would mark the first regularly scheduled international service into Canberra. SQ uses the Boeing 777-200 on this route, with 38 Business class seats in 2-2-2 configuration and 228 Economy class seats in 3-3-3 configuration.
SilverKris Lounge Changi Airport Terminal 3 Teochew Cuisine
Check in at Changi Airport Terminal 3 was very smooth. I start my trip with a visit to the SilverKris Lounge for SIA Business Class passengers. They were offering authentic Teochew cuisine and I had a good meal there.
Singapore Airlines SQ 291 Part 1
SQ291 would depart Singapore at 2300hrs, or 11pm. Today, we departed from gate B10, which was a very far gate from the main area in Terminal 3. In fact, at gate B10, you are almost at Terminal 1. Anyway, I didn't mind the walk. Boarding was smooth and this first video shows boarding, and I get settled in my seat for this first leg, which would take around 7 hours. Turns out that passengers can choose whether to have the meal service shortly after take-off, or before landing, or both. So I chose to get some sleep shortly after takeoff.
Singapore Airlines SQ 291 Part 2
In Part 2, I show you the meal before landing. The cabin lights were turned on about 2 hours before landing and the pre-landing meal (in this case breakfast) service began. Starting with a bowl of fruit, we went on to the main course. I had 'Booked the Cook', so I got the Chargrilled Soya Beef for breakfast. A most interesting breakfast indeed! However, I wasn't too hungry and didn't eat much.
Canberra Airport Landing and U-Turn on Runway
Landing into Canberra airport was smooth. The runway felt pretty short and the Boeing 777-200 jet had to do a U-turn at the end of the runway, before taxi-ing to the terminal. An interesting experience! Here is the landing video, in bright glorious sunshine.
Canberra Airport International Departures Lounge
We had to wait at the Canberra Airport for about 1.5 hours before we could re-board the plane to resume the journey. Here is a short snippet of the Canberra Airport international departure lounge. This lounge was opened to all passengers, not just premium passengers.
Canberra to Wellington Flight and Landing
This was the final leg of the flight, from Canberra to Wellington. The flight took about 3 hours. I was very tired and slept throughout most of this flight. I didn't eat at all.
Here is the Press Release by Singapore Airlines on the launch of the 'Capital Express' Service from Singapore to Canberra and Wellington.
Singapore Airlines Launches 'Capital Express' Service To Canberra And Wellington
21 September 2016 - Singapore Airlines has launched its new ‘Capital Express’ service, linking Singapore for the first time with the capital cities of both Australia and New Zealand.
The inaugural flight, SQ291, departed Singapore Changi Airport at 2300hrs local time last night and arrived at Canberra Airport at 0815hrs local time this morning. Following a short stop-over at Canberra, it continued on to Wellington and arrived shortly after 1500hrs local time.
Customers departing from Singapore and Canberra were treated to an assortment of food and beverages at special boarding gate events held to commemorate the inaugural flights.
The ‘Capital Express’ service will operate four times per week on a Singapore-Canberra-Wellington routing, with return services operating on a Wellington-Canberra-Singapore routing.
Singapore Airlines is the first airline to operate regularly scheduled international services to and from Canberra. It is also the first airline with flights between Canberra and Wellington.
Flights will be operated with 266-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft fitted with 38 Business Class seats and 228 Economy Class seats.
The new Canberra services will add to Singapore Airlines’ already extensive Australia network, which includes flights between Singapore and Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Regional arm SilkAir also serves Cairns and Darwin, while low-cost subsidiary Scoot serves the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The new Wellington services will complement existing services between Singapore and both Auckland and Christchurch.
Singapore Airlines’ network in Australia and New Zealand is further enhanced through its extensive partnerships with Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand.
Book the Cook is a premium service offered by Singapore Airlines where you can reserve your main course dish up to 24 hours before flying. They have a comprehensive list of dishes available for selection, from certain departure airports, with Singapore offering the most choices. On this blog post, I will update on the Book the Cook dishes that I have tried, for your easy reference. All the videos and pictures are from my travel experience on Singapore Airlines Business Class.
Screengrab from Singapore Airlines website.
Classic Lobster Thermidor (ex-Singapore)
Arguably the most famous Book the Cook dish - Lobster tail sauteed in butter, flambeed in brandy, sprinkled with cheese and served with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic and spicy mustard, and buttered asparagus.
Watch my enjoy the Lobster Thermidor below, from the 9:00 minute mark of the video. This was on flight SQ 322, Singapore to London on the A380.
In the same video above, you will also see the Book the Cook breakfast of Dim Sum Selection. This is a shorter video showing just the Dim Sum breakfast. Lobster Thermidor (ex-London)
A slightly different variant of the Lobster Thermidor is served when you fly London to Singapore. Instead of rice, potatoes are used. The dish was beautifully presented on this flight from London to Singapore. Watch the video below from the 9:00 minute mark for the version of the Lobster Thermidor served out of London.
Nasi Lemak
I have had this dish a couple of times for breakfast. According to SQ website, the description is fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk, accompanied by spicy sambal prawns, fried chicken, fried anchovies with peanuts, spicy pickled vegetables (achar), an omelette wedge, and grilled fish cakes (otah). The online reviews of this dish are not good but I enjoyed it thoroughly! I must say that it constitutes a very hearty breakfast, and hence not suitable if you don't like eating a lot of breakfast.
Sliced Grouper Congee
Grouped cooked in rice porridge with spring onions and ginger - this was a wonderful (and light) breakfast I had on one of my flights. An excellent choice if you want something light, yet sufficiently flavourful.
Singapore Chicken Rice, Satay, Beef Brisket Noodle
You may wonder, why even choose Chicken Rice (which is widely available in Singapore at hawker centers) on a premium Singapore Airlines flight? Well, you've got a point there. The first dishes I tried on Book the Cook was the Lobster Thermidor. But there was a particular trip I made where I reckoned that after being away for some time, and flying home, the Singapore Chicken Rice meal on board SQ would be quite cool! So I did it! (Bucket list item). This flight was on SQ 305 ex-London. In the video, not only will you see the Singapore Chicken Rice (lunch), you will also see the Satay Service as well as my breakfast choice which was beef brisket noodles. The breakfast choice was from the menu (i..e not Book the Cook).
The description of Singapore Chicken Rice from the SQ website as follows - Poached chicken, sliced and served on long-grain rice cooked in chicken broth. Accompanied by dark soya sauce, tangy ginger and fresh chilli and lime sauces.
Citrus Steamed Sea Bass - Deliciously Wholesome Selection
Singapore Airlines added many new dishes under a 'Deliciously Wholesome' section of Book the Cook starting April 2016. I chose a dish called Citrus Steamed Sea Bass with Lettuce Puree, Legumes, Radishes and Sunflower Seeds in Citrus Vinaigrette. See the video from the 1 minute mark. Certainly a mouthful of a name, and it looked pretty much like a forest when it was served. The large chunk of white fish was refreshing and suited my taste.
Duck Rice at 35,000 feet. This was on a flight from London Heathrow back to Singapore. Served on the bone, much like what you would get in any Cantonese restaurant. May not be suitable if you are not used to eating meat from the bone though. The taste was decent, but because I just had some fantastic duck in London, it wasn't a great choice for me.
Chargrilled Soya Beef
On a flight from Singapore to New Zealand. It ended up being served for breakfast, instead of supper. Why? Watch the video to find out more!
To be continued as I fly more on Singapore Airlines! Thanks for reading and watching the videos.
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.
This review is just for one flight - London Heathrow to Singapore Changi on SQ 317, in Upper Deck Economy. This was the end of our holiday in Europe. We were thrilled to be able to ride on this special Airbus A380 painted in SG50 livery. SQ has only 2 planes in her A380 fleet that are painted this way and it was quite fortuitous for us to ride in one, before they removed the SG50 livery.
What is SG50? This is the short form for Singapore 50. In 1965, we became an independent nation and in 2015, we celebrated our 50th birthday on 9th August. It was quite a blast. On a sadder note, our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away in March this year, which meant he never lived to witness our National Day Parade 2015.
His passing had a profound effect on many Singaporeans, especially the younger generation who had grown up in relative affluence, and never knew how tough life was back in the 60s and 70s. SG50 was also a good time to remind ourselves that our existence as a sovereign, independent nation cannot be taken for granted. Will there be SG100? Only God knows. Meanwhile, we cherish what we have, and contribute to make things even better.
As our SG50 year draws to a close, it was especially poignant for me and my family to be able to ride this special SG50 Airbus A380 back home, after a wonderful holiday in London and Europe. Imagine, if not for Lee Kuan Yew, would I be here writing this review today? Probably not. Let me proceed with the flight review. I made two videos, part 1 and 2.
In the first video, I show you the boarding, and getting seated.
In the second part of the flight review, I show you the meals. It was a day flight, so it was rather difficult to get much sleep.
We fly on Singapore Airlines flight SQ 306 from Singapore to London in early December. This is the first part of the flight review. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-300ER carrying the new products, including the new Premium Economy cabin. We were in the Economy cabin. Check out part 1 of the video below, which includes boarding and the first meal service of supper.
In part 2, video below, I show you the breakfast - the hot item was awesome.
Thanks for watching!
I fly on SQ 324 from Singapore Changi to Amsterdam Schipol.
Boarding was on time, and smooth. We settled into our seats quickly. Here is the hot towel which was handed out.
Reading through the in-flight magazine and I noticed this article. Coincidentally, Amsterdam will be the first destination for the new SQ Airbus A350, expected to begin by April 2016.
Menus were handed out. A very attractive design. Making me hungry!
This was my main meal. I chose the Peranakan option - Pandan coconut rice with spicy chicken. Tasted very good, well, I'm biased as I like Peranakan food.
The plane felt rather cold. Thankfully I was well prepared, with my jacket and the blanket helped. I managed to get some sleep and soon it was time for breakfast. I chose the Asian noodle option for breakfast.
Singapore Airlines New Business Class SQ 305 London Heathrow to Singapore
This is my flight review video.
Singapore Airlines, SQ 305, London to Singapore on a Boeing 777-300ER, New Business Class. I was on my way home.
Singapore Airlines departs from London Heathrow Terminal 2, the brand new Queen's Terminal. I had some hours of layover, as I was connecting from Canada.
At the gates, I almost could't recognize the Boeing 777-300ER, as it was painted in the Star Alliance livery and not the traditional Singapore Airlines livery.
After spending some time at the United Club lounge as well as the SilverKris Lounge. Check out my reviews of the lounges in a later thread. Before I boarded, I walked the length of Terminal 2B and here are pictures of two interesting aircraft I saw.
This was Air New Zealand, in Hobbit livery. Very cool!
United Metal - Was this an Airbus A350?
I boarded the SQ plane about 30 minutes before departure. Looking forward to it, as this was my first time in the New Business Class. The new product did not disappoint. The J cabin felt very private and even luxurious. The fittings were new and the seat felt very comfortable. The J cabin was full. I was in seat 17A, window seat. The screen is definitely bigger now, compared to the older Business Class product. However, it is not a touch-screen.
The new business class cabin felt even more private, compared to the older business class cabin. I actually felt small sitting in the cabin, as if enclosed by a large personal space. Not sure how this was done but one observation is that the partitions seem to be higher, making the feel more exclusive. In terms of absolute space, it would be the same as the older business class cabin.
Here are the seat control buttons and other buttons. Many more buttons to fiddle around with.
This was a Boeing 777-300ER in Star Alliance livery.
This is what the J cabin looks like. I am standing in my seat as I take this photo. It certainly looks very private, doesn't it?
This is the view from my seat, 17A. Pretty good view. The aircraft was turning onto Runway 27L for takeoff. I see a concorde in the background left.
Shot of the screen. We had just taken off. 46 Mil from London. A 12 hour journey to Singapore, from London.
Looking around, I found a nice resting place for my companion droids. They don't need much in terms of sustenance. They just like a good view.
Took out the Phitek Noise Cancellation headphones. They worked very well.
For drinks, I started with the Singapore Sling. Somehow, I always ask for this drink when flying SQ.
Shortly after, the stewardess came around with a trolley of satay. Satay was served. It was delicious!! Thick pieces of juicy lamb and chicken meat. The satay sauce tasted wonderful too.
I got three sticks of satay and my droids had to come take a closer look. Sorry, peanut sauce ain't good for your circuitry.
My main meal was the Lobster Thermidor, which I had ordered online using the Book the Cook service. Here is the Lobster. The presentation was beautiful, and different from the Lobster Thermidor that I had previously tried when flying out of Singapore. I guess, they come from different kitchens, and therefore they are prepared differently.
About 2 hours since we took off. I see Helsinki. Maybe I should visit Finland. I am sure it is a fun place to visit.
Here is a picture of the seat in bed mode. After a good lunch, I felt very sleepy. So I converted the seat into bed mode and it was time to get some much-needed rest.
A duvet blanket was provided and it was very comfortable.
I had a good 7 hours plus of sleep. The flight was very smooth all the way back to Singapore. When I woke up, the flight had under 2 hours to go. Flight attendants were already preparing for the breakfast service.
I considered converting the bed back into seat mode for breakfast, but I was simply too lazy. I knew that it was possible to have breakfast when the seat was still in bed mode, and what was what I did. You can see the breakfast laid out here - my breakfast in bed!
We landed in Singapore on schedule, and our plane pulled up right next to another SQ plane in Star Alliance livery. What a coincidence. I wonder how many SQ planes have been painted in this livery, instead of the traditional SQ look.
Overall, it was a very pleasant flight, in the New Business Class cabin. Pity, I didn't get a chance to try the english tea service. It wasn't the fault of SQ. I was happily sleeping. Next time!
I flew on SQ 305 from London back to Singapore. It was a day flight.
Check out my flight video. Some Star Wars characters make a special appearance.
Model of Emirates A380, on the way to Heathrow Airport.
Check in was very quick as the airport was relatively less crowded during this time. The security lines were also very short and we cleared those in 15 minutes thereabouts. This was the transit area.
There were still some empty seats.
After wandering around and picking up some stuff from Duty-Free, I still had a good 1 hour before it was time to board. I decided to try out a restaurant. This one looked very interesting so I decided to give it a go.
The menu.
Not very sure what to eat. Originally I thought of getting a spaghetti.
Then, the Puccia Burgers caught my attention. The red dotted box. I ordered the Beef Puccia.
What about drinks?
A closer look at the drinks menu.
Oh yes, here is the beef puccia. The description made me hungry.
Ah yes, the beers. I got the Peroni.
This restaurant was located opposite Harrods, Terminal 3. You can't miss it.
Here was my pint of Peroni. Awesome stuff. Very smooth.
Darth makes a surprise appearance!!
And here is the burger with fries. The patty was done perfectly. What a great burger!
And Darth had to appear with his storm-troopers.
That was my bill.
Time to go to the gate. Didn't want to miss my flight home.
Here I was at the gate. SQ 305.
The Qantas A380 at the other gate.
Oh, was this my seat? Sadly no. Business class seats, these are. I am in Economy today.
I guess I had to make do with staring into the Business class cabin.
Drinks service. I asked for the Singapore sling and a Diet Coke.
