SQ318 SIN-LHR 24 NOV 11 (BUSINESS)
Posted: 21 Dec 2011, 15:31
I had had a couple of T10&Ts in the bar of the Crowne Plaza at Changi, a relaxing bath and then a good night’s sleep. I had repacked my bags and in the process discovered still more of Chris’s stuff in my belongings but as his flight had long since departed, I had no option but to mail them to him later. In the morning, unsure of the offerings that would be available in the Silver Kris lounge I headed for breakfast - after all it was included in the hotel rate and I was hungry - and in the fullness of time arrived up at the Singapore Airlines business check-in area. The check-in area was deserted but there were two desks open and the gentleman sitting at one straightened himself up as I entered the area. However there was a sign above his head which indicated it was a hand baggage only desk and, being the good obedient person that I am (stop laughing!
I am!) I by-passed it and fetched up in front of the other desk. He shrugged as I past by and threw a look over to the middle-aged lady at the other desk as if to say “Over to you”. Oh, how I was going to wish I had ignored the sign! She greeted me pleasantly enough, asked where I was travelling to and it all went downhill from there. 
As I was handing over my passport I asked, “I don’t know if this is possible....” and asked about the possibility of checking my bags all the way through to Cork. I explained that I was on separate tickets and recognised that it might not be possible but if it could be done.... Well, it was like a red rag to a bull! She puffed herself up like a turkeycock (and she had the build to do it) and her bosom heaved alarmingly. 
“You are on a separate ticket?” she asked. I confirmed that it was and said that I realised that it might not be possible and if that was the case then it was fine with me. I should really have saved my breath from the moment I entered the area and just handed over my passport and not engaged with her at all. She then launched into a diatribe that if I had wanted to have my bags checked through I should have booked the two flights on the one ticket; that the system wouldn’t be able to do it and basically it was all my fault and I shouldn’t have even thought about asking. Lady, a simple “No” would have sufficed!! I was really taken aback by that. I ask all the time and some I win and some I lose but it is usually after the check-in agent has at least tried and it is always done with total politeness and courtesy. Oh and the reason I hadn’t booked a through ticket was that the fare was significantly more from Cork than from London and certainly more than a fully flexible fare on Aer Lingus fare added to the Singapore Airlines (and I’m talking about over €500 more). I was still reeling at her onslaught when, as she handed over my boarding card, I remembered that I needed to check if my FC number was in the system. I had forgotten to ask at LHR on the outbound and throughout my trip there was no sign of my miles posting. She checked and as I suspected it wasn’t in. ******** website! We always complain about the VS website but the SQ one is as bad as if not worse. She asked me for my FC number but Sod’s Law ordained that I hadn’t my gold card with me, completely forgetting that the baggage tag on the case beside her and on my carry-on beside me both had the number on it. D*mn!! Cue another lecture about sending in my boarding cards etc but to be honest I didn’t mind that as she wouldn’t know I would be clued in about that. It was the most unpleasant check-in experience ever. Even the lady refusing to take our bags for the Thai Air Asia flight in Bangkok was polite about it. I was so put out about the experience that, once through passport control, I had forgotten her instructions to the lounge except that it was upstairs and in any case I needed to find a pharmacy as I had had major difficulties in getting dressings for my cut knee to the extent it was now infected and I needed to get something for it. That accomplished I found my way to the lounge which was both large, rather formal and quite empty. I selected a seat overlooking the concourse and then repaired to the Ladies to dress my knee properly. Back at my seat I soon realised that it was self-service. There was a guy walking round eating a bowl of cereal but apart from that there was no indication of food on offer unless I delved further into the lounge. I wasn’t hungry and, surprise, surprise, I didn’t want a drink!
I settled back, having been deprived of free wi-fi since leaving Luang Prabang, took out my iPad and eagerly embraced it in the lounge. I hadn’t received any emails for the past four days - my ISP is crap and will not allow me to send email outside of Ireland unless I use their dreadful webmail service and I had gunged up the works in so doing forgetting to use Gmail - but as I logged on the whole sorry mess unravelled as the email came rushing in. All of a sudden my faith in Singapore Airlines was restored. My time in the lounge was thus spent catching up on what had been happening in recent times. At one stage a toddler was rampaging through but fortunately they left early, hopefully for a different flight. I had been told that boarding would begin at 12:25pm which seemed very late for a 12:55pm departure. At about 12:15 people were beginning to drift away from the lounge obviously thinking the same and and honey lamb, being the sheep that she is decided to follow them!! The gate wasn’t too far away and soon I was through security but then pulled to one side for a secondary swabbing of my carry-on and handbag. I always get a bit nervous when this happens just in case anything has been contaminated. It was OK and it was with a sigh of relief that I sorted out my bits and bobs before heading for the gate. Just as I stepped away from the table the security guy came forward and thanked me for being so helpful, which was a nice touch and had me feeling warm and fuzzy for the first time that day.
At the gate area boarding hadn’t yet begun. The load seemed to be very light judging by the crowd (or more accurately, the lack of a crowd) in the gate area. I hadn’t been there more than a few minutes when several people arrived and positioned themselves near the entrance marked Suites/Business. No doubt they were from the lounge. Just then a member of the ground staff came forward and started to board a wheelchair passenger through the economy door and at the same moment a sign flashed up that Suites were now boarding. Several of the new arrivals went forward with their gold edged boarding cards and when they had gone through the sign changed to Suites/Business now boarding and I trotted forward to my home for the next 14 hours. At no stage did I hear a boarding announcement unless one was made after I had boarded.
I was welcomed on board and made my way to my seat which was once more 15A. I sorted out my things and in the process managed to knock my case and glasses off the arm of the seat where it fell between the seat and the bins lining the walls! Oh dear.
Fortunately one of the crew spotted my dilemma and brought a long shoe horn from God knows where with which she managed to push the case into the main area of the seat. I thanked her profusely and settled down determined not to be a nuisance for the rest of the flight. Fortunately a crew member member came round with a tray of champagne, a second one came to take my post-take off drinks order, a third one came round with a selection of magazines (why are they always things like The Economist or Golf magazines?) and a fourth with copies of that morning’s edition of the Strait Times. I had only just taken my glass of champagne when the announcement was made for doors to cross-check and manual. I looked at my watch. It was 12:45. They had boarded an A380 in 15-20 minutes!! The safety video was shown and we pushed back early and were airborne at 12:55 - our departure time. 
Once airborne the crew swung into action. First of all the crew came around with her manifest to check on my Book the Cook option. I had on several occasions tried to unbook it but try as I might, the website would not allow me to do it. I had ordered the rib-eye steak from the main selection and something for the second meal from the Yummy menu. It was here that I learned that the Yummy menu was in fact the kids’ menu. I had unwittingly gone into my second childhood!
I was informed I could change my mind but I really hate waste, especially as food is concerned (When you have been brought up to eat all your food because of the starving children in Africa, old habits die hard) so I said I would stick with both. I was really fed up because the options on the menu looked good especially as I had really got into Asian food in a way I never expected to. A lesson learned! Shortly after a G&T was placed in front of me and the IFE was started. I can’t remember what I watched but as stated in the outbound report I found it easier to navigate that V-Port once I got the hang of it. I know I watched a few television episodes, Family Guy being one but please don’t ask me the rest because I really can’t remember. At one stage the table was set for lunch and as they were setting it, knowing I wouldn’t get a second offering, requested a second G&T which was delivered without demur. Lunch was served. The starter was from the menu and was Parma ham of which I am not a great lover but the rib-eye steak really was very nice even though I was still beating myself up about not having the option of choosing and that is the crux of the matter. OK, so we have sometimes berated the offerings on the menu posted here on V-Flyer and would have wished for a Book the Cook option but in this instance it was a reverse situation where I wanted the choice. Be careful what you wish for, you might actually get it!! I got it and didn’t want it! LOL! Like I said the steak was good (but a bit stodgy after the light meals we had eaten throughout SE Asia) and I followed it with cheese and biscuits and requested and received a glass of port.
I have to say at this stage that the cheese and biscuit selection on VS is more generous and I’ve never had to ask for port as it is always suggested by the crew.After lunch most people converted to a bed and slept. The window shades were put down and although I am one of those people who crib about them being put down on a day flight it was necessary to view the screen. I should say at this point that the load in this section of Business class was very light. The only seats in the middle section of my section of the cabin were taken by a mother and son across from me and a business man in row 14. I had hoped I might sleep a bit but part of me hadn’t wanted to do so since after a VS flight from Tokyo I had stayed awake during the day-long flight, had taken my flight to Cork and had gone to bed waking the following morning with nary the hint of jet-lag. At this stage I was disinclined to sleep and was quite happy to watch television (the films didn’t interest me), read and play games.
At one stage I decided to stop reading and watch the IFE and put my glasses on the arm of my seat. Bad mistake!! Within minutes I had knocked them off in a repeat of the former episode between the seat and the bins!! I really shouldn’t be let out without a carer!!
What was worse was that because the cabin lights were out I couldn’t see them because I couldn’t angle my light into the area. I had no option to throw myself on the mercy of the crew. Going to the galley (I never use the call button and perhaps I should) there was one crew present. He had his back to me and was helping himself to a banana. He peeled it and started to eat it when he turned around and saw me standing there. Quick as a flash he whipped it behind him and listened to my problem. Abandoning his banana, he came torch in hand to investigate. Unfortunately he did not have access to the long shoe horn that his colleague had used. Equally unfortunately my glasses had slipped backwards towards the seat behind me and the only way to access them was to waken the guy in the seat behind me. 
They were retrieved and I apologised profusely to yer man who was very sweet about it but I decided that at this stage I would be less of a problem asleep than awake and so my seat was converted to a bed. Did I sleep? Not one wink and it didn’t help that the mother and son across the aisle awoke just about then and started to chat. However my VS earplugs came to the rescue and at least I rested for a bit. After about an hour or so I propped myself up on my pillows, snuggled under my duvet and checked the map on the IFE. It showed that we were halfway through the flight and due to land an hour ahead of schedule and that we were flying north along the east coast of the Caspian Sea over Turkmenistan. I peeped out of the window and saw this sunset.
The cabin crew had come up to me while I was taking the photo and we both admired the colours. She asked if I would like something. I hadn’t really thought about it so she propmpted, “Perhaps some tea? Coffee? Green tea? A glass of wine?” The minute she said that I knew there was nothing more I wanted in the world than a glass of a cold, crisp sauvignon blanc and soon I was in possession of one. Mind you, tiredness was beginning to catch up with me and I merely sipped it rather than quaffed it. Over the next couple of hours the crew came to check on me on regular intervals to top up my glass and I contentedly finished my book, listened to some music and looked at a few things on the IFE. However I was beginning to get a tad bored with my own company and this is where the bar in UC comes into its own as it is somewhere else to go and the chance to chat to someone. Also I was experiencing another problem and one I had never suffered before on a long-haul flight of a similar length to the one I was taking - my nasal passages were drying out rapidly and I was suffering from a bit of discomfort as a result. Soon it was time for the second meal service and I was served my kid’s meal!
It was awful! I took two bites and left it. Yes, I should have opted to forego it - it was wasted in any case! In fairness the cabin crew offered to get me something else from the menu but I wasn’t really hungry although I did take a rhubarb and creme anglais tart. While it wouldn’t pass muster with the GBBO and Mary Berry and the silver-haired guy whose name escapes me, because of its soggy bottom, it really was rather delicious and I enjoyed it. It wasn’t too long after the meal that the map showed us over Germany and it was time to freshen up and change into clothes more suitable for temperatures 20C lower than those I had been used and convert my bed back to seat mode - or more accurately ask the cabin crew to do it. Although we had arrived into UK airspace a good hour ahead of schedule the captain came on to explain that because of congestion at Heathrow, we were going to have to circle for about 45 minutes. Finally after some 30 minutes we were able to begin our descent and touched down some 20 minutes early. Because I was near the door I was one of the first off the plane and did a bit of power walking, glad to have the opportunity to stretch my legs. Given the level of congestion that had kept us in the air for so long I was expecting Border Control to be busy. The other flights must have been going to other terminals because it was deserted!
I was straight through in minutes and soon after I arrived the bags started to come through with mine arriving almost immediately so that 15 minutes after arriving at the gate I was heading for the subway to walk to T1 for the last flight of my SE Asian odyssey.
