SQ321 LHR-SIN 5 NOV 11 (BUSINESS)
Posted: 02 Dec 2011, 00:02Round One - Check-in
On first examination only check-in for the Suites and First Class appeared to be open and manned (although on my flight it was the Suites as opposed to First Class that was on offer) but poking around I realised that some desks were open and that a few early stragglers like myself were being processed. While I was still perusing the screens to see where I should check-in, a lady approached me and asked if I was travelling on SQ 317 and in which class. The minute I said Business class she whisked me to the area where Suites and First Class check-in had been and directed me there. I presented my passport and while I was still fumbling for my credit card and e-ticket I was rapidly processed and so only my credit card was required. The whole process was so quick and easy that I forgot to check that my VS Flying Club number was in the system. I later found out it wasn’t even though I had entered it when booking on line but the SQ website is so flaky that this (and a whole lot of other things) had not been recorded.
OK, so check-in was along with the better ones I had experienced with VS and compared with my last one where the lady managing the crowd in the UC check-in area failed to do so, a hundred times better but the downside was that I was going through Fast Track instead of the VS private security channel. The escalator alongside the check-in area brought me more or less next to the Fast Track entrance and once I was through, having shown my boarding card I found the area completely empty!
So scores to date:
Check-in:
Singapore Airlines just nudges Virgin Atlantic out of first place mainly due to my last check-in experience with VS. If it hadn’t been for that it would have been a draw.
Security:
A draw. Singapore got lucky because the place was deserted at 6:30pm on a Saturday night
Round Two - The Lounge
Once through security and a quick passport check I wended my way through the Duty Free area dodging the perfume sprayers as usual. It seemed strange to turn left towards the Silver Kris lounge instead of right towards the Clubhouse and I sure missed those black marble stairs. The welcome was however as warm as I was directed as to where to go and where I could leave my bags and coat. There were lockers available as well as an area to hang one’s coat before I went upstairs to the main lounge area. Incidentally this was the Business Class lounge. The Suites/First Class lounge was a separate area on the other side of the entrance area.
The lounge itself is much smaller than the Clubhouse and more on a par with the JFK Clubhouse. It looked out on towards the runway and as an added bonus, given the night that was in it, there were firework displays visible in the distance and I took a seat looking towards it. At that stage there were very few people there and only a handful of staff. It was self service and at the bar I thought the selection of drinks available to be very poor - a very basic selection of spirits. However the occasion demanded champagne which was swiftly produced. There was also a buffet set out. I helped myself to some cheese and biscuits and further along the line there were a couple of hot dishes which looked tempting but I decided to stick with the cheese and biccies. As I sat down an Australian lady a few tables away embarked on a long telephone conversation conducted at the top of her voice during which I learned details of her clearing an apartment, meals with friends, future plans and many more things I would rather not be privy to
before she handed the phone over to the elderly gentleman with her who was much more refined. Eventually after about an hour the conversation was over and we were all able to relax. The lounge was filling up by now and about an hour before the flight staff came round with chicken satays followed by some prawns in filo pastry which was a nice touch. 
Shortly after that the flight was called. Since the Silver Kris Lounge is near the A380 enabled gates we didn’t have too far to walk to Gate 1. Boarding was well under way and Business class boarding was clearly marked so that it was straight onto the jetway leading to the upper deck where Business Class is situated.
There is absolutely no contest as to who is going to win this round. It’s like a featherweight trying to fight a heavyweight but the Silver Kris Lounge still managed to give the Clubhouse a good run for its money.
Boarding is a draw since on my last few VS flights Virgin Atlantic have got their act together in that respect.
Round Three - the Flight
At the door I was greeted and welcomed aboard but not by name and was directed to my seat in the front upper deck cabin. I was in 15A which was two seats in from the door. The configuration in SQ business class is 1-2-1 so I was having the window seat all to myself and no-one sitting beside me, although when I saw the width of the seat someone could easily have squished in beside me. To give an idea of how wide it is, the seat belt fitting was a good 12 inches in from the edge of the seat.
At one point two young Australian girls came and took possession of the middle seats next to mine. They sorted out their goods and chattels, settled themselves in their seat and wrapped themselves in blankets they had brought with them and looked around. “It’s beige!” said one. “Beige”, the other one agreed. “Beige!” “Beige!” “It’s beige!” “It’s beige!” “Beige!” “Beige!” “Beige!” “Beige!” I was beginning to wonder if there was an echo in the cabin! “BEIGE.....Beige.....Beige.......Beige” Eventually they got tired of it (thank God), curled up in their seats and promptly fell fast asleep and slept through the doors closing, the safety demo, take-off and as far as I could tell, the whole damn flight!! it must have been some farewell party they had attended!
In the meantime, as the cabin began to settle (and the word “beige” was still re-echoing around the place) the cabin crew began their pre-flight duties. First of all one came round with the “amenity kit” which consisted of two pouches, one containing an eye mask and the other a pair of what can only be described as bootees for the feet. And that was that. No ear plugs, but toothbrushes, razors and combs were available in the bathroom. The second lady came round asking what drink I would like after take-off and I learned to my horror that the only gin on board was Gordon’s!
Not that Gordon’s is the worst in the world but I would have expected at least Bombay Sapphire if not Tanqueray. Nonetheless a G&T was ordered but I was thinking I’d rather be concentrating at that stage on my pre-flight rather than my post-take off drink. 
However, swiftly on her heels came yet another cabin crew with a tray of drinks and champagne was requested and gratefully received, albeit in a flute shaped tumbler as opposed to a flute. Still, champagne is champagne and very nice it was too.By this time we were ready to leave. The safety video (which was very straightforward and boring) was shown while the girls beside me snored gently, followed by one in Business Class showing how to convert the seat to a bed. We pushed back on time and trundled along to the runway alongside the Bath Road. The flight to Cork should have been leaving at this time having done a round trip since I was last on board but given the delay earlier in the day I did not expect to see it. Indeed it was still at the gate as we passed.
Take-off was incredibly quiet. We whispered our way up into the air and because we were on the upper deck we avoided the “Clunk!” of the landing gear retracting. In fact the A380 is an incredibly quiet plane and much nicer than its smaller cousin the A346. Mind you, it’s still ugly to look at!
Once in the air the seat belt was turned off quite quickly and I headed to the loo to change into my VS sleep suit pants. Well tonty wouldn’t lend me his heart decorated lounge pants so they had to do instead. The toilet in the nose area was next to the stairs leading down to the Suites but it was roped off so no going down for a sneak peek! Because it was in the nose section it was angled and very roomy compared to the other one on the opposite side of the cabin near the galleys. There were drawers with toothbrushes, combs, razors and ladies’ unmentionables as well as bottles of L’Occitaine toiletries. Nice!
Shortly afterwards the cabin crew came round with a hot towel followed rapidly by another member with the drinks order. The G&T was OK if a bit small and was not followed up by the offering of a second one. Boo! Hiss! The table was set up for dinner and I really missed the spaciousness of the UC table on VS. I had done Book the Cook and had ordered chicken teriyaki but with hindsight I wish I hadn’t as the menu looked very enticing. Two starters were down on the menu but I wasn’t aware of any choice when a starter of duck breast was placed in front of me. I’m not complaining as it is what I would have chosen (and maybe they did ask me when they came round and confirmed my Book the Cook choice - I’m old and blonde). It was delicious, as was the chicken teriyaki accompanied by a rather nice Shiraz which was topped up at regular intervals.
Afterwards I had cheese and biscuits and requested (and received) a glass of port. All in all a satisfying meal but I now wish I hadn’t Booked the Cook. I did try to unbook it for the return journey but the website wouldn’t allow it. Grrr! The meal service ended with another hot towel.The IFE had been switched on when the crew were released for their duties and I must say I liked it although at times it was difficult to see the screen. I’m not sure if it could be manoeuvred out of the seat back and I didn’t try. I much preferred it to V-Port. For starters I found the controls much more responsive. The last few times I had used V-Port I found it slow and clunky. I watched “The Help” and then switched on the map for the rest of the journey.
After the meal service most people settled down for the night and in fact the sleeping beauties beside me had not stirred throughout and slumbered peacefully away. God bless ‘em! After a while I decided to join them and after struggling to work out how to convert the seat into a bed I asked for the help of the cabin crew who, within minutes had it converted into a bed. This was when the seat came into its own. It was too wide as a seat but as a bed it was perfect. The cushion which had been on the seat on boarding became a pillow but there was also another pillow as part of the bedding - much more comfortable than the suites. The other interesting point was that the seat belt fastened into a point on the edge of the seat/bed like a lap belt rather than in a buckle in the middle. I snuggled down and, thanks to my VS earplugs, was soon away with the fairies.
I had set my watch to Singapore time and woke at about 2pm which in UK/Ireland time was 6am and my normal waking time. I was more than pleased with that and reckoned I had had 5 hours sleep - just perfect. I trotted off to the loo and then lay back half dozing and just relaxing until just before 4pm when with a light tap on the arm I was roused by the cabin crew. Breakfast time! I sat up in the bed and rubbed my ears. Horror of horrors!! One of my earrings was missing! ****!! I frisked my clothes in case they had lodged there and shook out the bedclothes but nothing doing. One of the cabin crew saw me and came forward. I explained I had lost an earring and she, God bless her little cotton socks, took the place apart looking for it to no avail. She was wanting to do another run at it but I was aware that they were wanting to serve breakfast so I sent her on her way although she promised to come back afterwards.
For breakfast service they first came round with juice and coffee or tea as well as breads and some fruit. They then followed with a trolley of a selection of cereals and then a hot breakfast. Once more I had shot myself in the foot by Booking the Cook and while the offering was acceptable I regretted not having the choice. Oh and there was a hot towel before and after the meal.
Once breakfast was over there was another assault on my seat to find the elusive earring. At some stage while they were searching I undertook to freshen up and change from my VS sleepsuit pants back into my jeans. The loo in the nose of the aircraft was occupied and so I snuck around to the one at the opposite side of the cabin near the galleys. By this stage the crew were on the third search of my seat and while that was on-going there was nowhere else for me to go other than to stand and watch. The two darlings beside me slumbered on although I noticed that at some stage of the night they had converted the seats to beds - they must have woken up for five minutes!! Eventually I persuaded the crew to abandon the search and once they realised that the earring had sentimental rather than financial value they were happy to agree. I have no doubt that they were giving high fives in the galley at that although in fairness they did take contact details in case it was found. I, of course, spent the rest of the flight berating myself for not taking them out before going to sleep. A classic case of “you snooze, you lose”!
By this time we were beginning to make our descent into Singapore and the two ladies in the middle sector who had emulated Rip van Winkle during the flight, finally stirred and prepared for landing. Hot towels were distributed once more and we were all ready for landing.
The plane landed with the minimum amount of fuss and noise and as it taxied to the terminal a cabin crew fetched up beside me. “Mrs honey lamb, is this part of your earring?” and proferred to me the backing part of the earring! She had found it near the toilet beside the galley which I had visited secondly!! Feck!! The damn thing could be anywhere in the cabin. I decided to let the cabin empty of its pax and do a swift sweep of the areas I had walked but alas to no avail Eheu!
This of course meant that I was among the last leaving the business class cabin but the impact didn’t hit me until I met the passengers streaming out of the lower deck and at that stage, economy passengers. I dreaded the lines at Immigration. Singapore was well marked for transfer passengers so I headed towards Immigration. From the top of the escalator down to Immigration it was clear to the point of deserted. YAY!! Swiftly through, I headed for baggage claim and swiftly realised that Singapore has the most traveller-friendly baggage claim area whereby friends and family can see into it and see them before their bags arrive. The minute I arrived into that area one of my friends was waving frantically and calling to another friend on the trip that I was here. Baggage came through very quickly and 40 minutes after touchdown we were in the Executive Lounge of our hotel enjoying the last 30 minutes of Happy Hour. Perfect timing!!
So what were the scores for Round Three?
Boarding: A draw. Nothing special from SQ
Pre-flight: VS wins. They engage with their passenger from the word “GO”
Seat: VS wins on boarding and also by the fact that you can recline on take off
Safety video: VS hands down
IFE: SQ wins for the size of the screen and the ease of the controls
Amenity kit: Incredible as it may seem, VS. It was the ear plugs that decided it
Drinks: VS. Only Gordon’s gin!!! A smaller offering and no second offering
Nibbles: VS. None on SQ
Food: Both OK so a draw
Bed: SQ all the way
Cabin crew: Hard one to decide. The SQ crew nearly always addressed me by name but I noticed it was generally when they had a manifest in their hand. They were very attentive and went the extra mile to try and find the earring. I did however miss the little chat one would nearly always have with the VS crew.
It was a very good flight but I have had ones just as good on VS. If anything I felt a tiny bit disappointed as I had higher expectations of Singapore Airlines. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
.The A380 is spookily quiet isn't it ? 