Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Far East 2009
Flight Log 11 : SQ318
Singapore (SIN) - London Heathrow (LHR)
There were no fewer than three jetties attached to the A380 : one connected to the upper deck and two to the lower deck (one of these for R passengers and one for Y). As I turned sharp left, flashing my gold-coloured boarding pass stub to the member of staff stationed at the junction, and walked towards Door 1, the first surprise happened. One of the cabin crew came rushing up the ramp towards me, extending his hand and saying : "Mr *******, are we glad to see you! You're the only one!" I said something along the lines of "You're joking!" He replied : "No, it's true - only passenger in Suites!"
My mind was reeling as I was introduced to the other crew
members, who were all there so serve ... erm, me! And so the
dizzying introduction continued, with the senior crew member looking
at my BP stub : "Sir, 4A is a bit close to the galley. Take your
pick!" I decided on 2A, my original pre-assignment before it
mysteriously vanished out of my booking. "Now, can we also suggest
that you have a day suite and a night suite? You want a double bed?
We can make up two of the middle suites for you as your bedroom!"
Before I could bite my tongue, my ever-so-Scottish sense of not
wanting to cause a fuss kicked in and the dreaded words escaped from
my lips : "Oh no, you don't need to do that; let's just go for 2A
with the seat and 3A with the bed." I could have kicked myself!
Still, I wasn't exactly going to be roughing it, was I?
And then the next decision : Krug or Dom Pérignon? (What a
toughie! Life is so difficult!
) I opted for the Krug, with a suggestion from the crew that
we could open the DP later. Next a whirlwind tour of 2A, starting
with a challenge from the crew : "OK, so where's the bed?" "Well, I
know it's not the seat," I replied, scanning the compartment. It
was, of course, stowed vertically in the wall behind my seat. As
there was no-one else to disturb, I decided to take lots of photos,
with the full encouragement of the crew. They also invited me to go
up the 'grand staircase' (visions of Titanic - meet me at the
clock!) and take a look at the new Business Class product. I asked
about the staircases, which are basically for crew use, although the
crew member added : "You can go up, but they're not allowed to come
down. We keep this cabin totally exclusive". Eventually one of the
crew joked : "OK, Mr *******, the truth please! Which airline do you
work for?"
I returned to 2A to enjoy my glass of Krug. I was presented with a leather-bound menu, pyjamas by Givenchy, a top-quality Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, and a selection of newspapers and magazines. Strangely, however, no nuts or nibbles were offered. I had a chance to take in my surroundings. I was sitting in a comfortable leather chair, and facing me was a leather bench-type seat that could function either as a buddy seat or as a footrest. Also facing me was the largest IFE screen I have ever seen on board an aircraft, and beautifully designed it was too, being flush with the wall. Ah yes, the walls! They were about six feet tall, i.e. they did NOT go all the way up to the cabin ceiling. The aisle wall had a central pair of sliding doors, with an aperture to either side that could be closed with sliding blinds. On the opposite side, 2A had two windows, while 3A had three. The table slid easily out of the side console, without the need to disturb or re-arrange anything. As already mentioned, the bed is stowed in the wall behind the seat and can only be deployed by the cabin crew, as the seat needs to fold down to accommodate it. Each suite has its own two-hanger wardrobe, also built into the wall behind the seat. It is accessed from the aisle via a neat little swing-plug door. The whole interior seemed both well designed and tasteful, incorporating lots of little storage cubby-holes, and featuring some nicely curved surfaces.
Well I don't know about you, but I'm already exhausted writing
about this and we're not even off the ground yet!
Pushback occurred at 1253. My first A380 trip was underway! Although it was a short taxi to Runway 02L, we had a lengthy wait for a succession of landing aircraft. Eventually, it was our turn and we powered down the runway, the great beast lifting into the skies at 1314. Two observations : first, as many have commented, the A380 is quiet; secondly, the angle of climb was the steepest I've ever known when travelling in a 'heavy'. I think this latter point is also part of the A380's noise reduction proposition - to gain height as quickly as possible. She's also remarkably quiet in the air - the usual roar was gone and the sound was more like that of an air-conditioning system with the fan set to 'high'.
Once the seat belt signs were turned off, I was given a Bose
noise-cancelling headset, as well slippers, socks and eyeshades to
add to my collection of goodies. The next very welcome delivery was
a further glass of Krug and some satay, as an appetiser. With the
headset now delivered, I could start exploring the celebrated KrisWorld, reputedly the world's most powerful and advanced IFE
system. Having heard a great deal about it - not all complimentary!
- I decided to try out the movie version of the well-known West-End
show Mamma Mia! (As expected, it was not exactly highbrow
stuff, but it was great fun, perhaps in a Champagne-fuelled kind of
way.
) Soon after I started watching the movie, a cabin crew member
passed and glanced at the screen. I thought he was just curious to
see what I was watching, however he returned seconds later with a
cloth and dusted my screen. How's that for unprompted attention to
detail?
Soon it was time to get the lunch service fully underway. The menu was as follows :-
| SAM'S CHOICE |
|
|
| A complete and perfect Chinese culinary experience by award-winning chef Sam Leong | ||
| COLD XIAO CHI | ||
| Braised duck with jellyfish salad | ||
| Chicken Julienne in sesame dressing | ||
| Lobster with enoki mushroom | ||
| Tofu with dried soya breadcrumbs | ||
| SOUP | ||
| Double-boiled soup with morel mushroom, wolfberries and bamboo pith | ||
| CUISINE FROM THE WOK | ||
| Seared cod with truffle sauce and asparagus | ||
| Stewed beef cheek with daikon | ||
| Steamed scallop 'siew mai' in tomato sauce | ||
| Stir-fried leafy greens with mushrooms | ||
| FROM THE PADDYFIELD | ||
| Choice of steamed rice or porridge | ||
| A SWEET NOTE | ||
| Lime jello with lychee and sorbet | ||
| STANDARD LUNCH MENU |
|
|
| Create your gastronomic experience from our selection of tantalising options | ||
| CANAPES | ||
| Satay, with onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce | ||
| APPETISERS | ||
| Chilled mallosol caviar, with melba toast and condiments | ||
| Salad of lobster, with rocket leaves, seaweed and soya dressing | ||
| SOUPS | ||
| Chicken consommé with mushroom ravioli | ||
| Double-boiled soup with morel mushroom, wolfberries and bamboo pith | ||
| SALAD | ||
| Salad of red oak, frisee and coral lettuces garnished with endive, toasted walnut and dried cranberry. Choice of hazelnut vinaigrette or Singapore dressing infused with shallot oil, sambal, lime and honey. | ||
| MAIN COURSES | ||
| Pan fried, pancetta-wrapped black cod served with light mustard sauce, artichoke puree and roasted baby carrots | ||
| Famous Singapore chicken rice (Fragrant poached chicken with pandan flavoured rice, served with ginger, soya and chilli sauce - a renowned favourite in Singapore) | ||
| Roasted herb-crusted lamb chops served with pommery mustard sauce, roasted vegetables and gratin potatoes | ||
| Italian style cold penne pasta with roasted vegetables, pine nuts, olives and rocket-pesto | ||
| DESSERTS | ||
| Baked fruit filo parcel with vanilla ice cream | ||
| Vanilla ice cream with fruit salad and raspberry coulis | ||
| CHEESES | ||
| Selection of kapiti aged cheddar, Tasmanian heritage double brie, rambol walnut and chaumes cheeses, served wth garnishes | ||
| FRUITS | ||
| Fresh fruits in season | ||
| FINALE | ||
| A selection of gourmet coffees and fine teas served with pralines | ||
| WINE LIST |
|
|
| CHAMPAGNES | ||
| Dom Pérignon 2000 | ||
| Krug Grande Cuvée | ||
| WHITE WINES | ||
| Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand | ||
| Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru 2006, Bouchard Pere et Fils | ||
| RED WINES | ||
| Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1999, Saint-Estephe | ||
| Mr Riggs The Gaffer Shiraz 2005, McLaren Vale, Australia | ||
| PORT | ||
| Dow's 20-year-old Tawny Port, Portugal | ||
(There was a huge selection of other drinks, including an impressive list of cocktails, but I'm not going to attempt to list them all here.)
My table was set and a selection of bread was brought to me, together with butter and olive oil. There was a little note with the cutlery, which read "On flights to United Kingdom, we are obliged to use a shorter metal main course knife on board, in accordance with directions from local authorities. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. Have a pleasant flight and Bon Appetit!" Hmmm. I had the lobster salad, chicken consommé, Singapore chicken, fruit salad, cheese and an Earl Grey tea, all of which were very nice indeed. I drank the French white wine and had a small glass of port with my cheese. What a wonderful feast - it sometimes just astonishes me to see what it's possible to present to passengers inside a metal tube at 37,000ft!
When the time came to pay a visit to the facilities, another surprise was in store. The toilet compartment was huge, compared to anything I'd ever seen on board an aircraft. Full marks on this one. Many First Class offerings are let down by the cramped toilets. On the way back to my seat, I noticed that my bed had been made up in 3A - and how beautifully presented it was, strewn with flower petals and with a couple of choccies placed there too! I realised that I hadn't felt a thing, with all that going on in the compartment behind me, proving how well built the suites are and how insulated you are from anyone else's movements.
I finished the movie, finding myself grinning from time to time at the fun-filled silliness of it all, then enjoyed listening to some Bizet and Schubert for a while. The quality of the music delivered by the system was outstanding. Eventually, I decided that it was time to retire to 3A. After changing into my sleeper suit, I settled down next door, again noticing how incredibly well designed everything was with, for example, a little bedside console that must have been cut into the seat back (which at this point was folded down and partly under the bed). Although I found the bed very comfortable indeed - it really makes a difference not having all the ridges and folds that you get with a converted seat - I didn't sleep much at all. It simply wasn't the right time of day for it. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest.
I returned to 2A about half an hour prior to the time when I'd agreed that I should be woken up and noticed that two helpful touches had been added, one of which would be especially useful. These were a fast-track invitation for Immigration (for arriving passengers) and a plastic liquids bag (for connecting passengers), so that it would not be necessary to discard the contents of the excellent amenity kit. I was quickly spotted and one of the crew appeared on the scene to offer me a drink. I had a refreshing apple juice with ice. He also brought a selection of snack items, the full menu for which was as follows :-
| LIGHT BITES |
|
|
| NOODLES | ||
| Fish ball noodle soup (Vermicelli or flat rice noodles in broth, served with fish balls and fish cakes) | ||
| Prawn noodle soup (Noodles in broth served with prawn and fish cake) | ||
| Vegetarian and non-vegetarian instant noodles | ||
| SANDWICHES | ||
| Beef pastrami with garlic focaccia sandwich | ||
| Tuna mayonnaise with onion ciabatta | ||
| Roasted portobello mushroom with plain ciabatta | ||
| SNACKS | ||
| Cashew, almond or macadamia nuts | ||
| Chocolate bar | ||
| Assorted biscuits | ||
| Potato chips | ||
| A selection from the fruit basket | ||
| Assorted Walker's biscuits | ||
About half an hour later, it was time for the light meal prior to arrival in London :-
| LIGHT MEAL |
|
|
| APPETISER | ||
| Tian of crabmeat with corn kernels and sun-dried tomato | ||
| MAIN COURSES | ||
| Rice noodles in 'tom yam' broth garnished with fresh prawns, scallops, straw mushroom and bean sprouts | ||
| Grilled chicken breast with morel sauce, roasted seasonal vegetables and creamy polenta | ||
| Saffron fettuccine pasta with braised beef cheek, argula lettuce and shaved parmesan cheese | ||
| DESSERT | ||
| Chinese almond cream with cane jelly and bird's nest | ||
| FINALE | ||
| A selection of gourmet coffees and fine teas | ||
I had the pasta and, once again, enjoyed it enormously. I had one glass of the New Zealand white, for the sake of trying it, and found it very refreshing. I realised that I never had sampled the Dom Pérignon, but really didn't feel inclined to at this stage of the flight. The moment had passed.
With the aid of the IFE system, I noted that our route had taken
us across the north of India, a collection* of Stans, the Ukraine,
Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. (* I don't know what the
collective noun is - maybe 'a volatility' ?
) We had to enter an ATC stack close to London. With the final
hot towels service, I realised that I'd lost count of how many there
had been, but it could well have been : boarding / before 1st meal /
after 1st meal / before 2nd meal / after 2nd meal / arrival! Soon
enough, it was our turn to make our approach, and some good views of
LCY were available as we flew over the City. We touched down very
smoothly on 27L at 1831 and the strong reverse thrust produced the
only instance of noticeable loud noise for the entire flight!
Although this runway was handy for our gate, it nevertheless took a
further 8 minutes to park on-stand.
And so this most memorable of flights was over and, with some regret, I had to make my way back to Door 2 and take my leave.
Some final thoughts :-
- The A380 is the new Queen of the Skies. (And she speaks in a whisper !)
- The Suites product is sensational - truly a 'class beyond First'. Quite simply, it redefines the passenger experience of intercontinental flight.
- I don't think anyone will be putting a dent in SQ's Best in the World reputation in the foreseeable future.
Date: Thu 22 Jan 2009
Aircraft : Airbus A380-800
Scheduled dep : 1255
Actual departure : 1253
Scheduled arrival : 1855
Actual arrival : 1839
Cabin : Suites
Suite : 2A/3A
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