Our SilkAir flight to Hyderabad left from Terminal 1 at Changi Airport so we had to leave the lounge a bit early to make the trek there (you have to take the skytrain). The walk itself isn’t bad at all, but there was a huge line near the gate for passport check, which made it seem longer.
While I initially couldn’t find seats in business for the SIN-HYD flight initially, seats in business actually opened up a couple of hours before, while we were in the lounge. Unfortunately, Singapore Airlines asked that I pay the new rate for the Melbourne – Hyderabad itinerary because Singapore had eliminated online discounts.
This ended up being almost 15,000 points more per person so I refused to pay and decided to just “tough it out” in economy. It’s not like the Singapore – Hyderabad flight even had lie flat business class seats on this flight anyway. I was able to confirm business class seats for both my parents at the time of booking. There are normally 2 award seats available in business on this flight all the time.
I still don’t quite understand why Singapore doesn’t operate a regionally configured 777 to Hyderabad like it does on all its other major Indian city routes. Instead it operates two 737-800MAX aircraft, which leave 1h50m apart from each other.
It could be that the Hyderabad route doesn’t command much premium traffic when compared to the other flights to Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, and New Delhi. Even then it might be more efficient to operate one aircraft instead of two.
Anyway while my parents pre-boarded with business, my sister and I decided to just hang around in the terminal until boarding was almost complete. The aircraft is configured in a 3-3 arrangement with average seat pitch being 30 inches, which is not that different from low cost airlines these days.
I was seated in the second row of economy, but noticed that the first row obviously had the best legroom. The flight initially looked mostly empty in economy upfront, but the seats completely filled up as we came closer to the time of departure. Passengers just seemed to keep coming in waves and I don’t think they were misconnects because they took their sweet time in getting to their seats.
The seats on this aircraft don’t feature IFE screens, but you can stream a variety of movies and entertainment straight to your device. I do believe you need the app though.
Anyway the nearly 5 hour journey from Singapore to Hyderabad was completely uneventful. I fell asleep as soon as we took off and woke up just 20 minutes before we landed in Hyderabad.
At this point the FA immediately noticed that I was awake and came around to politely ask (by name) if I still wanted my dinner. She seemed genuinely disappointed that I had been asleep the entire flight. My sister tells me she came by more than a couple of times to see if I was alright. If this were a US airline I would guess that she knew that I was a blogger, frequent flyer or first class passenger, but staff on Singapore seem genuinely interested in the comfort of the passenger. Kudos to them on any count for such high service standards.
Anyway immigration in Hyderabad was a cinch because this flight was so small and I was out to get my bags within a matter of minutes. Our ride to the Westin Hyderabad was already waiting for us in the arrivals area.
Jet-setting Christmas huh? They had no idea 🙂 That pretty much caps half of my journey around the world. Yet another time I transited through Singapore without visiting the city proper.
Bottom Line
Economy on a SilkAir regional flight from Singapore is completely fine. The service is at a very high standard and the seats are good enough for the short haul. There is no denying that Singapore offers a better regional product than most airlines out there. This flight offered a meal, hot towels, great service, and decent seats (not those cheap slimline ones you see on European carriers). I would not hesitate to fly them again. It’s wishful thinking, but I hope Singapore upgrades this route to their mainline aircraft before my flight this December.
TRIP REPORT INDEX:
United Club SFO Concourse F Rotunda
United Global First Lounge – SFO (Now Replaced with the Polaris Lounge)
United NEW Polaris SFO-AKL (777-300ER)
Air New Zealand Economy AKL-CHC
AirBnB Review: Lake Tekapo
Focal Point: Tekapo
World’s Greatest Drives: Tekapo to Franz Josef Glacier
Te Waonui Forest Retreat: Franz Josef Glacier
Focal Point: Lake Matheson
Focal Point: Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Crowne Plaza Christchurch
Manaia (Priority Pass) Lounge Christchurch
Qantas Economy Christchurch – Melbourne
Westin Melbourne
Photowalk: A Day in Melbourne
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne
Singapore Airlines First Class Melbourne – Singapore
Singapore Airlines Private Room @ Changi
Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge @ Changi
Singapore Airlines Economy Class Singapore – Hyderabad
Westin Hyderabad Mindspace
Focal Point: Hyderabad – Old City
Plaza Premium Lounge Hyderabad
Etihad Business Class HYD-AUH-DFW
Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi (US Departures)
