Our flight to Singapore began boarding promptly at 10:40am, but it was just before 11:25 (the time of departure) that I arrived at the plane. I was pretty much the last person to board the aircraft because I decided to document the lounges.
My seat of choice was 1A because it was the only seat available at the time of check in. Singapore First Class on the Boeing 777 is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration in a style very similar to Lufthansa First Class. The seats are ridiculously wide and not particularly private. To be honest, the first class seats don’t feel any better than the business class seats in terms of space or comfort. And the fact that you have to flip the seat for the bed really makes it an annoyance for me personally because I like to slowly recline into the sleeping position.
However, what you really fly Singapore Airlines for is their legendary service, which never disappoints. As soon as you step on board, you pretty much understand that you are in for a special experience. The purser welcomes you on board and thanks you for the business personally by name. The drinks and amenities are handed to you with both hands and with the label pointing up. Basically, it is just that extra bit of effort that other airlines cut corners on.
After the purser introduced himself, the FA came by to hand me a menu, pajamas, amenity kit, and welcome drink. I started of with a Royal Sparkle. I do appreciate the fact that Singapore has a few creative mocktails, but none of them are as good as Cathay Delight.
The amenity kit is one of the best in terms of brand (Salvatore Ferragamo) and includes a full sized bottle of cologne. Toothbrushes, lotion, and shaving kits can be readily found in the lavatories. The menu was typical of Singapore Airlines and offered no vegetarian options for the main entree. The menu itself read as follows:
When I was asked about what I would have for the main course, the FA literally seemed upset that there was nothing on the menu which was vegetarian. She and the purser must have come by my seat at least a half a dozen times apologizing for this shortcoming. Not having a main course was certainly not a problem for me because I already had lunch at the lounge before the flight.
Quite frankly the ongoing dialogue with the flight crew made me feel a bit uneasy, considering that the other first class passengers kept staring at my seat wondering who I was lol (a certified nobody). While that’s the case with me, I’m pretty sure the guy across from me near the other window was none other than Glenn McGrath (a legendary Australian cricketer).
Anyway a little after meal orders were taken, we taxied out to the runway and took off immediately to the west. The flying time was set for 7.5 hours. After enjoying the views out the window for a good half hour, I perused the local edition of USA Today, which featured the worst music of the year 🙂
Lunch service on this flight began with yet another drink (I chose Diet Coke) and some warm nuts.
The table was then set for the lunch service. Notice how everything has its proper place in the setup.
After the table was set a bread basket was brought it with a wide selection of warm breads. I chose the sourdough and garlic bread, which are always great on Singapore.
To start off I had the Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Gnochetti Pasta, which was among the best soups I’ve ever had on any flight.
This was followed by a “Ice Plant Salad with Rocket and Fine Herbs” which came alongside a honey mustard dressing. I would call this just a bunch of leaves because it pretty much lacked any flavor whatsoever. I really don’t understand airlines and their salads.
Since there was no vegetarian entree I skipped right to the dessert, which was a Warm Chocolate Cake. Well presented, but certainly nothing to write home about. The ice cream was hard as a rock and required a bit of warming up.
Anyway, I was offered several more rounds of bread, but politely declined since I was already quite full. Altogether nothing extraordinary for a first class meal and I have certainly had better on Singapore flights before. Though in the previous scenario I had preordered a Indian Vegetarian Meal.
I spent the rest of the flight watching Westworld (what a show) and before I knew it, it was time to land in Singapore. I would say the entertainment system on Singapore is pretty much second to only Emirates, which offers a greater variety of old Hollywood movies as well as Indian movies.
I was never tired during this day flight so didn’t really test the bed out, but the padding on the seat really wasn’t that different from the business class seat. To be frank I may have fallen asleep if the seat allowed me to recline a bit further toward the lie flat position, but Singapore refuses to build a seat which does that.
At this point in the flight, the purser came around one last time to apologize for the meal service and thank me for my business. They had me fill out a feedback form, which was the same as the one I had filled out every other time I flew the airline. I had the same comments as ever: include a vegetarian entree and build a seat that doesn’t have to be turned over.
Neither of these comments have resulted in anything, but hey if they are keeping most of their customers happy with what they have, power to them.
We arrived in Singapore on time at around 4pm local time and taxied to the gate in a matter of minutes. This pretty much caps my premium cabin experience on Singapore for now. My next flight to Hyderabad was in economy (more on that later).
Bottom Line
Singapore Airlines offers by far the best on board service of any airline. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a bad flight with them. Sure this was an altogether average flight, but it was not even close to being bad. I will say that I would like to some more innovation with their first class seat on their 777 fleet, which could distinguish it from business class. As of right now, I would choose business over first on any given day.
While my original plan was for us to fly the A380 (which has the superior first class product), that plan fell apart when there was an aircraft and schedule change about 6 months out. In the end it didn’t make much of a difference to me since most flights looked full anyway (meaning no double bed). And frankly being a lone traveler, I don’t really care for double beds anyway.
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)
