There are currently 2 flights to Osaka daily (3rd one coming in April), either the red-eye at or a noon flight. Although I would have preferred to try out the Dreamliner, the timing was rather not conducive for my short travel as I end up losing one day. I opted instead for the ungodly hour of SQ618 which departs at 130am (for 5.5 hours flight).
I decided to put this up first as I felt that this review deserved the priority. I was initially booked on Business Class on both legs (SQ 618 and SQ 619) but 1.5 weeks out, Suites on the SQ 619 was still available and after some thoughts, I decided to make the plunge given the special nature of this trip (and giving in to my weak spot for Suites). I guess it was well worth it! What I experienced on this flight was a total contrast to my anniversary flight on SQ 308 last year.
26 October 2007, the historic flight of SQ380 – the inaugural of the world’s first double-decker plane. This was the day the Airbus A380 made its maiden flight with lots of publicity and fanfare. It was suppose to be the plane that will change how people travels in the future.
People from all over the world made bids to be the first to fly on this mighty beast, the plane that will overtake the Boeing 747 as the undisputed champion! For me back then, it was just another day and it happened that I watched the news from on-board Star Virgo where i was having a short holiday with my family.
I booked this trip for my family year end trip and the price was certainly attractive! I paid $470 per person (all inclusive) which is way cheaper than what I paid for my ticket to Wuhan. Both SQ 830 and SQ 833 is flown on the A380, specifically the new A38R. The last 5 A380-800 that was delivered last year spots the new Suites (6 Suites in the forward section of upper deck) and the all new Business Class (with the double bed at the bulkhead). The Premium Economy and Economy section however is the same as that of the 2015 and 2013 design. Besides Shanghai, the other destinations that utilizes the A38R include Hong Kong, Sydney, London and Zurich (I am still hoping for SQ25/26 to get this but I doubt this will be the case).
