Round The World and other travels

Flight Log 7: SQ175

Hanoi (HAN) - Singapore (SIN)

I was first to board the aircraft and quickly noticed that there were separate airbridges to doors 1L and 2L. As I stepped through the former, I received immediate attention from the cabin crew: I was shown to my seat, relieved of my jacket, offered a glass of Champagne (or orange juice or water, had I been so inclined), and presented with a selection of magazines and newspapers. This was only a relatively short regional flight, yet there was an instant impression of a deep-rooted culture of professionalism and excellent service. Nothing was too much trouble and everything was done with a smile. And I'd barely sat down.

Taking a few seconds to look around me, I couldn't help but notice the Christmas decorations, reminding me of how few shopping days there would be on my return home! A pillow and blanket were already present on my seat. Orders were taken for post-take off drinks, there was a round of rather luxurious hot towels and the expected flight time was announced with an air of meticulous precision as being 2 hours and 49 minutes. The next thing that I noticed was that Silverkris, the in-flight magazine, had a feature on Glasgow, complete with a cover picture of the Floating Heads exhibit at the city's superb Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. When the Captain then made some introductory comments in unmistakeably Scottish tones, I felt that events were conspiring to remind me forcefully that I was homeward bound!

We pushed back from our stand exactly on schedule and took off from runway 11R some thirteen minutes later. As soon as the cabin crew had been released, the pre-ordered take-off drinks were delivered together with little bags of mixed nuts. Lunch orders were then taken, the menu choice being as follows:

LUNCH		WINES
STARTER		CHAMPAGNE
Mango and shrimp salad		Bollinger Special Cuvee
MAIN		WHITE WINE
Roasted duck breast, gingerbread sauce, caramelised pear and parsnip, baby leek		Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune 2007 Clos Philippe Le Hardi
		August Kesseler Riesling Kabinett 2007
Vietnamese-style fish with tamarind sauce, seasonal mixed vegetables and steamed rice		Dr Loosen 2008 Riesling
Wok-fried fillet of beef in black bean sauce, assorted vegetables and ee fu noodles		RED WINE
		Chateau Lacombe-Noaillac 2005
FINALE		Gestos Malbec 2008 Finca Flichman
Philadelphia cheesecake
Gourmet cheese with garnishes		PORT
A selection of fresh fruit		Offley LBV 2005
Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines

Suddenly realising that I was lacking in-flight entertainment, I extricated my screen from its stowage position, found my headphones and started up a recording of Haydn's symphonies nos. 97 & 98. I decided to forsake the Champagne at this point in favour of the French red and stocked up on some garlic bread and breadsticks before the starter appeared. The wine went nicely with my delicious beef main course and when I was subsequently given the little portion of cheesecake, I thought I was rounding off the meal. However as I moved the AVOD system on to a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4, a further trolley appeared and I found myself tucking into some cheese, fruit and port - what a feast!

At this point, socks and eyeshades were handed out. I had no intention of using mine, but made sure that I retained them for my next sector as they looked to be of better quality than the Lufthansa equivalents. We then had a further round of hot towels, but the intake of food and drink wasn't quite over yet. I ordered a cappuccino (offered with a choice of regular or skimmed milk) and this soon arrived with some naughty pralines. By now, I was listening to some short Chopin pieces and a few works by contemporary composer Howard Goodall.

Feeling musically as well as gastronomically satisfied, I managed to fit in an episode of Yes, Prime Minister in the closing stages of the flight. As we made our descent and the cabin was prepared for landing, the familiar sight of shipping anchored off Singapore came into view in the fading daylight. We made a smooth landing at Changi Airport at 1725 local time and arrived at Terminal 2's Gate F33 just five minutes later.

Lunch:

Date: Sat 27 Nov 2010
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Scheduled dep: 1315
Actual departure: 1315
Scheduled arrival: 1740
Actual arrival: 1730
Cabin: Business
Seat: 15A



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