Review of Singapore Airlines flight Melbourne → Singapore in Economy

Background:
I was originally scheduled to fly out of MEL on SQ 218 which is operated by the previous generation Boeing 77Ws in their young fleet. When I specify 'previous generation', I only mean SQ's older economy class product launched back in 2007-08 and it is noteworthy that this product is considered on par with a lot of Premium Economy class cabins and Economy class cabins offered by some carriers till date. But SQ, being one step ahead of most in a seamless passenger experience as always, launched a newer product on their latest 77Ws which ply on MEL-SIN sector as SQ 228. I grabbed the slightest opportunity I found to switch to SQ 228. Flying the newest SQ product on SQ 228 meant I would have to let go the luxury of A380 to Mumbai due to long layovers and instead pick the shorter connection on SQ426- the Oldest of their economy products on a retrofitted Boeing 772.

Check-in, Terminal and Boarding:
On entering the terminal building, one could spot long queues at the SQ check-in counters. About 4 counters were dedicated to baggage drop whereas only one was for conventional check-ins which saw a stream of passengers waiting for their turn. There was a small section offering seating for the passengers requiring wheelchair assistance while their co-passengers checked in for them. I took about 40 minutes to be finally checked in through to Mumbai. My grandfather who needed wheelchair assistance was asked to be seated until the assistance arrives.

SQ check-in counters


Most passengers on this flight were travelling onward to Colombo, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Chennai, London, Paris. It was not long until the SQ crew arrived, elegant as ever, donning their trademark kebayas. It felt quite good when the pilots exchanged smiles with me considering I always desired to be one of them.
After clearing immigration and security in a breeze, we were at the boarding gate.

Here are some glimpses of some spotting along the way


Before the boarding was announced, we were among the first ones to board.

View of the Emirates 77W (parked next to its SQ counterpart) while boarding


That's my bird flying me to SIN (Regn: 9V-SWV)


The crew helped my grandfather onto the spacious aircraft and we were personally directed to our seats.

The SQ experience:
My seat


The new seats were wider, better cushioned offering much more legroom (32 inches) and of course equipped with a larger than ever 11.1 inch HD touchscreen monitor with USB ports, a personal coat hook along with a touchscreen remote handset. A cozy pillow and a blanket were already on the seats with the earphones and menu cards placed in the seat pockets. The seats seemed to be bolstered at the sides offering better back support-ideal for long flights.

Having introduced Premium Economy, SQ isn't skimping on comfort in economy. The 3x3x3 configuration on SQ economy corroborates my point. The crampy 3X4X3 configuration on the 777s of many renowned airlines has been attracting a lot of criticism.

The earphones provided- downgrade from the headphones they would provide before


Jet Star Dreamliner parked next door


The tray table has a built in vanity mirror



Here's a look at the menu


The service commenced with the steaming hot oshiboris


A stewardess came about confirming the special meal selection to be Indian Vegetarian. The captain came on the PA informing us that the flight time to SIN was estimated at 7 hours and 10 minutes with pockets of frequent turbulence on the way. Doors were closed and we pushed back ahead of schedule!

QF A330 taxiing its way to the gates.


Australian countryside


Drink trolleys were rolled out. SQ offers a huge variety of drinks even for Economy. I opted for their trademark Singapore Sling.

That's my Singapore Sling served with some peanuts.


Next up, the smiling crew members got us our hot Indian vegetarian meals.


Not many airlines serve 'Tawa Parathas'(Inidan based wheat flat bread) accompanying the meals in Y class.


The chickpea curry along with the Indian Biryani and Dal accopanied with a soft bun, some cheese, salad and an Indian sweet dish.


To say the least,the food was delectable till the last bite. Many do complain of airline meals being bland and dry but Singapore Airlines is a glaring exception-at least their Indian meals are! Two rounds of drinks were conducted while serving regular meals to the passengers. The crew offered some red or white wine along with the meals.

As if the meal wasn't filling enough, they distributed an ice cream dessert - a sticky date pudding with toffee ripple. However, I did not find the taste to be as fancy as the name sounds.


Once the meal trays were cleared, the mood lighting started to take effect in the cabin.


Lots of reading options onboard


While flipping through the pages of KrisShop, I noticed one very useful product on sale- The tourist sim card offering high internet usage and a more than enough local talk time- all of this at a very reasonable price. Tailor made for tourists who are on a short visit to Singapore on leisure.


The onboard wi-fi which is available for purchase at rates that are quite high in my opinion. Emirates, one of SQ's competitors on this route, offers free onboard wi-fi for all classes.

The different plans for purchasing wi-fi onboard


It was time to enjoy KrisWorld Entertainment. For those who do not know, KrisWorld offers more than 1,000 on-demand entertainment and information options including latest world movies and stage performances, TV programmes and popular sound tracks. The extensive selection also consists of interactive games, audio books, hosted radio programming and a variety of learning applications. The new KrisWorld enables multi-tasking among the varied entertainment options available. For example, one may watch a movie, while at the same time use the handset to keep up to date with the latest news headlines or track the aircraft’s flight path. Alternatively, one may use the handset as a touchscreen pad to navigate through KrisWorld. Passengers can also rate movies and see how others have rated these.

Some new releases on KrisWorld


Many options on KrisWorld


Some TV programmes on offer


You could also make your own playlist


Connectivity offered onboard especially the iPod Connect feature which is impressive.


Flying at dusk always presents some stunning views out of the window.


The lavatories were well stocked with amenities.


Couple of rounds were conducted in the interim by the crew offering water or orange juice. There were long queues for using the lavatories but no crew member directing the passengers to the section behind where lavatories were vacant. The service offered by SQ is many a times so impeccable that we build up heightened expectations. In my case, perhaps the phenomenal service offered by the crew on SQ 227 to Melbourne (Flight Report of the same can be accessed here: http://flight-report.com/en/report-12716.html) probably made me feel the service by the crew was not as consistent as it has always been. The male steward serving my section did not seem to enjoy his job as compared to his colleagues.

KrisWorld ensured the time passed by quickly. Few hours hence, the cabin lights were switched back on while it was dark outside. The hot oshiboris were distributed again for the passengers to freshen up as we neared SIN. Snacks trolleys were rolled out with special meals served first as usual. Beverages were offered alongside too.

My Indian selection


It was quite filling and tasted decent too. The First Officer came on the PA informing us of the on ground conditions at Changi and expected arrival time. A crew member came up to us requesting us to stay back until the other passengers had deplaned so they could help my grandfather with the wheelchair.

After a smooth landing, we taxied to Terminal 3 - my favourite Terminal at Changi.

View of the runway


A kind stewardess helped my grandfather put his foot onto the footrest on the wheelchair.Small touches like these make SQ crew stand apart from the others in the industry. A customer service personnel was at the gate to assist the passengers with their transit flights. Our onward flight to Mumbai would be departing from Terminal 2 so my grandfather was taken to the SATS Special services lounge in T2 while I got some time to explore Changi and redeem our SG$40 transit vouchers at duty free.

Changi airport was at its usual best.


Thank you all for reading and Happy Travels!