Somehow in a plane full of people, the Singapore Airlines cabin crew made me feel like I was the only one flying. And just when I started to feel special, I realised they made everyone feel that way.
Singapore Airlines flies from Sydney to Singapore four times a day. And, in plans to meet growing demand from Australia, the carrier will phase in 4,700 additional seats weekly between both countries in each direction from March next year.
I’m on Flight 232 to Singapore aboard an A380-800 for the upcoming Express Travel Group conference, ETGX 2023. And I’m not the only one impressed with the crew flying with us. Paul and Ying in particular deserve special mention. The pair were always a flurry of activity and yet managed to offer such personalised service and care. And with nary a hair out of place.
On the ground
48 hours prior to my flight, I received an email prompting me to check in and to complete my SG Arrival Card & Health Declaration. Glad I got this as I hadn’t yet looked into entry requirements.
Having previously selected my seat and meals I simply followed the prompts and was quickly checked in.
I got to the very busy Sydney International Airport a little after 8am. The line for check-in moved quickly, and as I hadn’t bothered with checking in bags, I needed only to navigate security which was a mission in itself.
After slathering on exxy face creams in Duty Free, I walked through what I call the Fishbowl Runway towards Gate 57 and into the KrisFlyer lounge. Stay tuned for my review of that.
Onboard comfort
Seats looked and felt new and there was loads of back of seat storage. Aside from the main pocket housing the Duty Free magazine and safety card etc, there were three smaller pockets that could fit a water bottle, your phone and any other bits and pieces.
The tray table folded out, leaving room for a flip down cup holder, another smaller pocket I assume for phones (mine didn’t fit), a USB charging port and the headphone connection. Call buttons and light switch were also located here. The four seats had easy access to three power outlets located in front.
The seats themselves were nicely padded and had a pitch of 38 inches.
I’m glad I had access to extra blankets as I used three in addition to my coat as I was freezing!
The fun stuff
There was a great offering of movies, TV shows, audiobooks, music and games. But here’s a little tip for you. If you’re not already (I wasn’t), become a KrisFlyer member. Not only does your membership grant you access to inflight WiFi onboard Singapore Airlines (more on that in a bit), but it helps with your inflight entertainment.
How? Login and you can save your playlists or preferences — including where you’re up to in a movie! Now while I guess this is particularly useful if you’re connecting with another flight and start watching a show on one leg and need to finish on another, for me it had other benefits. I started watching in my original seat 75H and then could pick up when I moved to row 79. And then, because I had the luxury of stretching out, I could move from one seat to another without losing where I was up to in the movie!
WiFi was really easy to access and was reasonably fast. I primarily used it from my laptop, but switched towards the end of the flight to my phone. Easy to use on both devices.
The food
30 minutes into the flight, we were served a snack that was like a kind of bhuja mix with drinks. An hour and ten minutes in, special meals started being delivered. I was served VOML (vegetarian oriental meal) which was an impressive char siu made with soy protein. The rice was hot and not mush and shock of all shocks, the vegetables were not overcooked with a little crunch still left in them.
Ice cream (in the form of Connoisseur cookies and cream on a stick) was offered shortly after.
Drinks were never in short supply and both Ying and Paul seemed to remember everyone’s preferences.
With two hours and 20 minutes to go, a refreshment was served. My option was a warmed sweet potato mash concoction on Turkish bread. Interesting, but a little bland.
Rubbish was collected very quickly and regularly.
THE DETAILS
Date of travel: Thursday, 17 August 2023
Aircraft: A380-800
Seat: 75H (aisle), but moved to 79F (and then stretched out across 79DEFG).
Flight time: 7 hours and 45 minutes
Luggage allowance: Depending on your ticket type, you can check in a bag weighing 25-30kg
FLIGHT HACKS
If you’re not connecting, sitting near the back of the plane can sometimes allow you to move to the back row. This is usually free as most people don’t want to sit in seats with less of a recline. Or be that close to the lavatories. Just make nice with the cabin crew and if they’re anything like Ying and Paul, they’ll do their best to accommodate your needs in a way that doesn’t interfere with others or the safety of the craft. Plus, they’ll make sure any special meals follow you. But do note, that the back is bumpier. And yes, you are near the loos. I didn’t mind this so much as I could sneak in when there was no line. I also got to have a chat to the lovely Ying.
And because the person in front of me had reclined their seat while I hadn’t, I made use of the little lever hidden at the back of the aisle armrest to slide out of my row when I wanted to stand or go to the loo.
Karryon travelled on Singapore Airlines as a guest of Express Travel Group.
