Advertisement
Published: November 5th 2006
Singapore Changi Airport
The Singapore Airlines first class drop off area outside terminal 2. A porter helps you with the luggage to the first class check-in room. You can see my two suitcases on the cart.I have now completed another three flights with Singapore Airlines in first class, this time three fairly short flights. Of course neither the cabin/seat nor the inflight service are as fancy on shorthaul flights as on longhaul flights, but the use of the first class ground facilities well make up for it.
The last flight also came with a little positive surprise, I ended up being the only person in first class!!! A whole cabin to myself and a pretty Singapore Airlines girl just serving me!! :p
A few people have also asked how much various things cost during my trip (the ticket, hotels, things in general).
I am not going to try to make people believe that the trip does not cost any money, because that's obviously not true and nobody would believe it anyway. But what is true is that it could really have cost a lot a lot more than it does.
Making most of my travels and finding good travel deals has become a bit of a hobby for me, and I regularly follow what's going on in the travel and airline industry. So by now I have quite a good idea for example of where
Singapore Changi Airport
The entrance to the Singapore Airlines First class check-in room! Sorry about the poor photo quality! it is worth spending extra money on accommodation (in terms of value for money and service) and what airlines and routes to go for to get the most out of my round the world ticket (that's why the routing is not the most logical everywhere).
Furthermore for example there are hotel stays on this trip that are completely free, and I got the air ticket from Australia to the South Pacific completely free as well (probably worth 4000-5000 USD, but I just had to pay the airport taxes). One of the best deals I have ever made!
Anyway back to the flight report...
Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Aircraft: Boeing 777
Seat: 12K
I took a taxi from the hotel to Changi airport. In the taxi the driver asked me which terminal I wanted to go to and I replied "terminal 2, Singapore Airlines". He looked at me again (and probably the way I was dressed) and asked "first class?". A little embarassed I answered yes.
Singapore Airlines has a special entrance for first class passengers where I wanted him to stop anyway, so he would have had to find out sooner or later anyway.
At the airport he indeed
Singapore Changi Airport
The Singapore Airlines First class check-in room. The check-in staff take care of everything for you while you take a seat in a nice armchair. Excellent service!! stopped at the first class entrance of terminal 2, a porter opened the car door and asked me if I was flying first class with Singapore Airlines and I gave him an affirmative answer.
My luggage was offloaded while I paid the driver and I was escorted inside the terminal to the first class check-in room, a secluded little room behind the regular check-in desks.
I was immediately greeted by a nice check-in agent and I gave her my ticket and passport and had a seat. They have nice leather armchairs where you can sit down and relax while the check-in formalities are taken care of for you. Excellent service!!
After check-in there is a special boarding pass and passport control next to the check-in room, so the whole process is very hassle-free.
I had almost three hours left until departure so I took the free skytrain to terminal 1 to have a look inside the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge. The lounge was OK but the lounge dragon probably thought I was a bit strange going all the way there to visit the lounge when I could use the Singapore Airlines first class lounge. Well I wanted to
Singapore Changi Airport
With plenty of time before departure I made a visit to the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge in Terminal 1. have a look in it anyway and it was nice to have a walk and stretch my legs anyway.
After 25 mins I left the lounge and went back to terminal 2 to visit the Singapore Airlines first class lounge. The lounge was very empty this afternoon, not really the peak time of departures.
It was nice though, lots and lots of food to eat (you can really have a proper dinner there), free internet, lots of international newspapers, and a bar with a very extensive selection of alcohol (although it did not open until 3.30 pm).
I had some late lunch and then found the icecream fridge full of Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry ice cream! That's expensive stuff!!
I can imagine people eat so much in the lounge that they are not even hungry when they get onto the plane.
In the lounge I also visited the customer service desk and ordered "Book the cook" for my Singapore-Bangkok flight two days later. Singapore Airlines offers to their business and first class passengers the option to decide in advance what main course they want on their flight, they have a very extensive menu with something like 30-40
Singapore Changi Airport
Inside the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge. dishes to choose between.
On top of that, if you find something on the regular menu onboard you are allowed to skip your Book the cook meal and go for something else. Gosh, they must waste so much food onboard!
35 mins before departure I left the lounge. The screens were already showing "gate closing" but I had been advised on beforehand not to believe those too much, and once at the gate boarding had not even started.
On the short 45 mins flight to Kuala Lumpur they actually use business class seats for first class, they just switch the headrests. Not that it mattered much to me though...
They actually managed to serve a meal on the flight, a choice between salmon or chicken (cold) with coffee, tea and soft drinks. No alcohol as far as I could see, but that is understandable considering the short flight time.
At Kuala Lumpur airport all first class passengers were given a red card that would give access to the priority immigration line, not a single person there when I arrived, I was actually processed at the diplomatic passport desk. Fancy!! 😉
Priority luggage worked well as usual in Asia,
Singapore Changi Airport
The entrance to the Singapore Airlines Silverkris and First class lounges. and I was quickly off for my waiting Shangri-la hotel car.
Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Aircraft: Boeing 777
Seat: 14J
Two desks were open for first class passengers with nice red carpets in front of them, but not a single person in line.
I was quickly checked in and my luggage was tagged to Bangkok with the appropriate priority tags. I also received an invitation to use the premium passport line which actually saved me a few minutes waiting time.
Time to try more airline lounges.
I started off at the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge which I had been advised to visit on the internet. It was indeed very nice, nice interior, and not more than 5 people or so inside. The reception girl was so bored and was texting messages to her friends to make the time pass quicker (she was friendly though).
Afterwards I went across the corridor to the Singapore Airlines first class lounge, which I was supposed to use. It might sound nice with a first class lounge, but it was not at all that spectacular and also really small. After a while it was almost completely full and people had problems finding seats
Singapore Changi Airport
Inside the Singapore Airlines First class lounge. and had to move around spare seats in the lounge.
They had hot snacks available though which was nice!
Boarding started around 25 mins before departure with a separate line for first class passengers to get quicker onboard. Once onboard my jacket was taken and I was offered a pre-departure drink, a choice of orange juice or water (no alcohol on this short route).
A short flight time again, barely 50 mins, but again a full meal service with a choice of a beef sandwich or a chicken sandwich, and those were large sandwiches!! I ended up being quite full!
It is most impressive they manage to have a meal service on that short flight with a choice of meal + soft drinks and coffee/tea, but the flight attendants really work hard.
Landing five minutes late at Changi airport.
I had almost two and a half hours until departure for my Bangkok flight, so I naturally made my way to the Singapore Airlines first class lounge again.
This time the bar was open (it was 6 pm) so I ordered a glass of Dom Perignon and than had some food to eat. That was followed by another glass
Singapore Changi Airport
Plenty of food in the lounge. of Dom Perignon while I checked my e-mails in the business centre, naturally I had to make best use of my lounge benefits 😊
Singapore-Bangkok Aircraft: Boeing 777
Seat: 01F
Again 40 mins before departure the screens showed "last call" for my flight which shortly switched to "gate closing", when I got there 10 mins later there was not much of a closed gate though, they had not even started boarding.
Once onboard I found out what was going to make this flight so remarkable, I was the only person in first class!!!!!
The purser invited me to sit wherever I wanted in the cabin, since I had 12 seats just for myself, but I was quite happy in 01F, a window seat on the first row.
Naturally the flight ended up being extremely nice, with extremely personalised service. Everybody in the crew addressed me by name throughout the flight and made sure I would get a really enjoyable flight.
I asked for a glass of Dom Perignon before take-off, but declined a top-up as I had already had two glasses in the lounge. I almost felt bad doing it, since they basically opened a whole
Singapore Changi Airport
The bar!! Unfortunately it does not open until 3.30 pm. Of course there is alcohol available at all times, but it's at the bar you'll find the real stuff! bottle just for me, but I just did not want to start feeling bad during the flight.
After take-off the meal service started with more drinks and nuts, appetizer, main course, and fresh fruit.
My preordered "Book the cook"-chicken was onboard, but I was invited to choose any of the other three main courses on the menu if I wanted, but I decided to stick to my chicken dish which was indeed very good.
It is amazing they had actually loaded all three main course options on the menu just for me, even though I had already preordered another meal. They must waste so much food in first class...
After the appetizer and main course they had some fresh fruit onboard and the flight attendant offered to make me a fruit plate of tropical fruits. There were several fruits I had not seen before (nor tasted) so I got a little introduction to what is was and how to eat it.
Most enjoyable!! I also ordered a cup of coffee, the Jamaican coffee bean this time...
Even though I was the only person in first class they still followed the standard procedures for first class. First class and
Singapore Changi Airport
There is so much food in the lounge that you can basically have lunch/dinner in the lounge and skip eating onboard. business class passengers usually enter and exit using the front door, but after the plane has parked they close the curtain between the two classes and do not open it until all first class passengers have disembarked.
This is exactly what they did for me as well, after the plane had parked they closed the curtains and I was standing there by the door all by myself. After I had disembarked the business class passengers were allowed to leave.
Fantastic flight!! And I guess it is quite obvious for what reason it ended up being very memorable!!
I also got as a little present from the cabin crew two bottles of water to have something to drink in the taxi to the hotel.
The cabin and the crew would continue to Tokyo/Narita an hour later on the same flight, I was a little bit envious I have to admit, but Bangkok is allright!
No line at immigration and my suitcases were first on the belt. They actually had two priority tags this time, the standard Star Alliance one and the SQ first class one, as if one wasn't enough...
Afterwards I tried to find my way around the brand
Singapore Changi Airport
Coffee, fresh fruit, and ice cream. They have a whole fridge with Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry ice cream!! new Bangkok airport which is only a month old. They really opened it too early, before lots of things were completed.
The airport was badly signposted, and just finding such a basic thing as the taxi stand was really tricky!!
Anyway, that completes this flight report.
Next is the Thai Airways flight Bangkok-Hong Kong in Royal First class.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.12s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 12; qc: 57; dbt: 0.0683s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
