That Time Of The Year!

Date: 30 November 2013

Flight: SQ 866

Class: Suites

Seats : 3C/3D

Plane: A380-800 (unsure of built)

Photo taken: Nikon D5100

This is the flight that started the ‘That Time Of The Year’ trend for me.  Although this was not my first SQ premium class flight, this was the first flight that I took after I started playing the miles game.  Although it was only a short 4 hours flight, I was all excited over it.  I booked SQ 866 (departing at 1:00 pm) instead of SQ856 (departing at 9:30 am) as I wanted to experience The Private Room (given all the positive reviews I have read prior to the trip).  The flight initially was a 77W but it was subsequently changed to an A380-800 (talk about good luck).

Being our first time going onto the Suites (and Private Room), we decided to maximize our time and arrive early.  We had a pre-arranged limo (courtesy of ANZ) which was a tie up between ANZ and Citycab (prior to their Wolero arrangement).  We arrived around 9:00 am and we were all excited to use the First Class Check In lounge (that excitement seemed to have waned during our recent trip to New York).  The lounge have been explained in my previous posts (SQ 802, SQ 26) and so is The Private Room.

Lounging area

Computer station

Family room

First Class Lounge

First Class Lounge

We had both breakfast and lunch in the lounge before proceeding to the gate for boarding.  Both of us were full of excitement the first time we boarded the plane.  That was the first time we get to board from the front of the plane!  The level of service and attention we received were completely different from what we were get when we traveled in Economy.  The cabin again has been described in my previous posts (and also from other travel bloggers).

Dining area of the Private Room

Dining area

A glass of bubbly in the lounge

We had the usual pre-departure service, towel and of course Champagnes!  That was the first time we tried Dom 2004 and Krug.  We had our orders taken prior to taking off.  As this was a short daytime flight, neither amenity kits nor pyjamas were provided.  After the plane took off, more beverages for us (more champagnes!) and soon meal time.  We both opted from the BTC menu:

Boston Lobster Thermidor

A whole lobster sautéed in butter, flambéed in brandy, sprinkled with cheese, and served with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic and spicy mustard, and buttered asparagus.

 Kyo-Kaiseki

A traditional Japanese array of dishes presented in sequence, with ingredients and garnishes reflecting and changing with each season. Designed by Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel Chef Yoshihiro Murata (inclusive of Breakfast service and available only on flights with duration of 2 hours or more; some items are served at cabin temperature)

I did not have the picture of the menu that day.  Lunch for short haul/regional flights is not as extensive as those on long haul.  It comprises:

• Appetiser
• Soup
• Main
• Dessert
• Cheese/fruits

There was no satay (and definitely no caviar).

What I could recall was that the lobster was rubbery and was too tough to chew on while the Kaiseki tasted weird (and not to our liking).  I had another bad experience with lobsters on my SQ 802 flight before my subsequent 3 lobsters on SQ 26 and SQ 15 turned out to be good.  We were initially hesitant to try Kaiseki again but thankfully my Kaiseki breakfast BTC ex-SIN on SQ26 was pretty good.

I felt that the level of attention and warmth on this flight was much better than my subsequent flights (probably a bias observation being my first time on Suites).  I thoroughly enjoyed the flight and before I knew it, we were arriving into Hong Kong.  Being the first few to disembark, we reached the immigration and baggage carousel early and there was no queue by the time we got the taxi stand.

Total miles burnt: 63,750 miles (for 2 pax)

Total Surcharge: about $125 (for 2 pax)

For those with limited miles but wanting to experience First Class / Suites, SIN-HKG is a very good choice given that the fuel surcharge is only about $65 per person (one can easily recoup this amount with a few glasses of Dom / Krug).  This flight also marked the start of my ‘That Time Of The Year’ experience.