THE BAD
How shall I start? The booking system was horrible! It was not able to handle multi-Pax booking and this is indeed a surprise coming from Singapore Airlines where multi-Pax booking is something they handle in large volume on a daily basis!
Right after the confirmation, we are required to submit the details of the participants (there are 4 of us) on a supplementary form w.r.t the personal details e.g. passport number, IC etc. We were not able to submit the form for > 1 week. Despite multiple calls, the issue remained unresolved and hence we were not able to submit our names for the A380 tour. There were no follow up calls from Singapore Airline’s side unless we call them and chase them. We even had to submit a manual Excel spreadsheet where the original meals were no longer available much to our chagrin. I had to change my original order of scallop and prawn for Shermay Lee’s Nasi Lemak (which my wife said is a super expensive nasi lemak)!
After almost 2 weeks of waiting, the confirmation finally came without mention of the A380 tour. Although the tour was not a big deal (been on the A380 countless times), the way they handled it was almost unbecoming of an international airline famed for their service! This is despite my friend who made the booking is a long time Solitaire flyer!
The whole process nearly spoilt the excitement that at one point of time, we were on the verge of giving up on the event and were considering to just meet up for a good meal and chat.
THE GOOD
After the rant, now for the pleasant experience. Despite my earlier rant, I still view the whole event positively as it finally scratches my itch of flying (albeit slightly). The opportunity to be in the airport, the ability to board a plane – is something most of us there have been waiting for the whole of 2020. Walking through the transit area to the main gate B1-B5 where I had a number of my A380 flights departing from those gates left me reminiscing the good old days. For once, I felt happy going thru the security check (something I had always loathe during my traveling days).
Gate event
The overall mood was that of joyous – everyone seemed to be waiting eagerly to board the plane (like we are indeed going for a flight).
While at the gate, my friend ST bumped into a familiar face – ex-IFM Hamidah who was helping out at the event. She heard of our predicament and managed to get hold of one of the Ops personnel who was very apologetic and managed to arrange an impromptu A380 tour for us. Kudos to them for their impromptu service recovery but it left me wondering that this should have been resolved much earlier!
The A380 visit was straightforward with the only exciting part being able to enter the cockpit for photo! However, we had no opportunity to visit the crew bunk.
The fun started as early as 9am (I was able to reach the airport only at 1030am as I had to turn up at my clinic for a few appointments) where many gate activities were planned. By the time I arrived, the caricature event was over. There was short heritage presentation to showcase the different uniforms used over the years but unfortunately no photo op due to the Covid situation. Despite the joy and excitement, SAFE DISTANCING remains part of our life for now.
The whole atmosphere reminds me of our SQ22 inaugural back in 2018, sans live performance and food. Everyone was given the opportunity to relive the happy flying days – including ‘flight delay’ and the aerobridge queue! After a 30 minutes delay, we eventually got to our seat.
2020 was supposed to be the year for me to finally try out the 2017 Suites and Business Class as I was to fly to Shanghai for my anniversary in March 2020. I shall not elaborate much on the seat as I didn’t have much opportunity to try out the seat. I would say that the seat is narrower than the 2006J and 2013J but without the need to turn down the seat. One can lie the seat flat using just the remote control. There is still the leg well for a tall person like me to slot the feet in. The seat however felt thinner and not as comfortable as the old seat.
Brief preview of the 2017J seat
Food and Service
The cost of the even ranged from $50 (for Economy Class) up to $600 for Suites! For Business and Suites, you will experience (almost) the full range lunch or dinner service offered on a typical long-haul flight onboard SQ.
Here is the menu for both Suites and Business Class:
As you can see, those on Suites will even get a Caviar and Soup service. As my friends went for Business Class, I decided to do that as well. My wife wasn’t too happy that I paid $300 for a Nasi Lemak, I cannot imagine how she would have reacted if I had paid $600 instead! Although the plating looked messy and not what one would expect on a Business Class, the Nasi Lemak was surprisingly good! The chili sauce was excellent, the Assam fish was fairly fresh with no fishy smell and both the prawns and anchovies were of the right texture. For $300, I would have expected them to be more generous with the cracker. The must-try garlic bread was unfortunately a disappointment as it was cold and not adequately heated. The soft roll however more than compensated for the lackluster garlic bread
Satay, being part of the signature Singapore Airlines service was perfect. It was probably one of the best (if not best) satay I have had from SQ (possibly due to the freshness and us tasting it at sea level). The chicken was chunky and tasty with ample peanut sauce. The dessert was meant to bring back the childhood memories of eating Magnolia ice cream sandwich from the street side ice cream man (which we can still find along the streets of Singapore neighborhood). The wafer was soggy, and the ice cream was soft by the time they served it. The ice cream, however, was unmistakable Gula Melaka, being part of the Peranakan themed dish. We ended the meal with the cheese plate.
Although we were supposed to be limited to just 2 alcoholic beverages, I had 2 servings each of Singapore Sling and Champagne (Laurent-Perrier). The crew were more than happy to top up our beverage glass regularly. There were soft drinks and water available as well but why was the calories on soft drinks!?
Finally – the stars of the event. What is Singapore Airlines without Singapore Girls? Being an inseparable part of Singapore Airlines, the star of the show is certainly the Singapore Girls. They were there on a voluntary basis and some of them were unfortunately stuck without flights going as far back as March 2020! They put on their best smile and gave their best despite the uncertainties they are facing. No amount of gloom was going to stop them from making sure we have fun! From my observation, many of them were proud to be able to don their signature kebaya again despite not being able to fly today.
The overall supervisor on my 9V-SKS was IFM Meina. She was very friendly and exudes warmth when serving us. She gave out the vibes of a motherly figure and my part timers (who are SQ LSS) could not agree more! The crew serving my side of the aisle, FSS Devy also served us with lots of smile as what one would expect in the air.
Most would ask me – was it worth the $321? (inclusive of GST). I would say yes although that doesn’t change the fact that it is still a pricey Nasi Lemak! It is a price that only aviation geeks like us would be more than willing to shell out. Overall it was a fun experience going through the airport and boarding experience with other like-minded geeks. However, the booking process was something that I would rather forget.
The AV Geeks
Goodie bag
Economy Class meals at $53.50 (which looks more like a standard Business Class meal)
That Time Of The Year! 