Review of Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Frankfurt in Business

Hi there! It has been a while since I wrote another flight report. It is not because I have not been travelling, but I have just been too busy to write. Glad that I am able to do a flight-report again! On my previous report, some users commented that I should rotate my pictures so that it is more reader friendly. I thank them for their comments and I have ensured that all my pictures are in the right orientation for this report. Thank you for your feedback and please feel free to give me more feedback again.
Today I will be sharing with you my first ever business class trip on Singapore Airlines.

Background
I was going on a solo trip to London and Manchester on Singapore airlines business class. Highlight of this trip was of course the business class, watching a match at Stamford Bridge and just enjoying the sights at London.
Since it was a rare occasion that I get to fly business class on SIA, I was determined to ensure that I got to try the products that I wanted to and to make full use of it. So I set a few criteria for my flights.
1. One flight must guarantee to have the new 2013 J products
2. One flight must be on a A380 upper deck
3. If possible, both flights should be taken in the day to maximise the “enjoyment” of the seat rather than sleeping it away
I would say that flying direct from Singapore to London would more than likely meet the criteria. However, the flight to London that suited me best was SQ318, which usually has the 2013 products, but no premium economy. Because of this, I was worried there might a chance that they would swtich to a plane with 2006 products and instead I wanted to look for a flight with premium economy offered so that I was almost guaranteed to have the 2013 product onboard. After much consideration, I decided on the following routing:
1. SIN to FRA: SQ 326 777-300ER Business
2. FRA to MAN: LH 942 A321 Business
3. MAN to London: Virgin Train First Class
4. LHR to SIN: SQ321 A380-800 Business
I finally decided on SQ321 even though it was a night flight as I wanted to maximise my time in London as well. So here it goes!

Pre-flight: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Terminal 3
Wanting to make full use of the lounge, I made my way to Changi Airport at 9am, a good 5 hours before my flight to Frankfurt. Check in counters were empty at that time and I checked in my luggage and was given my blue boarding bass in no time. Rush hour at changi had just passed so things were quite peaceful.

Headed straight to the SilverKris Lounge (SKL) for breakfast. My boarding pass was checked and in I went

The silverkris lounge looked very neat and classy. The colours were warm and made for a very peaceful atmosphere. Plenty of seating space to choose from and many different forms of entertainment was available. One can watch TV, read newspapers, magazines or plug in and use your laptop. Lounge was not crowded at that time as most morning rush hour was over.

Breakfast had a good spread of both Chinese, western, indian and local food. Nothing much made me go wow, but it was decent and expected of Singapore Airlines. There was also a self-service bar and soft drinks.

Overall impressions: very well stocked lounge and a great place to get things done before a flight. However, as an avgeek, I thought it would be nice to have a view of the gates to soak into the travelling atmosphere. Also, I hope that SIA will soon upgrade this lounge and add in the indivudal cubicles found in the newer SKLs elsewhere.
I left the lounge and went for a walk around the entire changi airport from T3 to T1 then T2. This was to digest my breakfast to create more space for lunch later in the lounge and on the plane. Some pictures from Sunflower garden in terminal 2

Ethihad 777-200LR replacing the normal dreamliner service. One airline on my to-fly list

Singapore airlines B777-200. In my opinion, the cabin products in these aircraft are an embarrassment to the SIA reputation.
Headed back to the lounge for a shower and lunch. Shower facilities were clean and well stocked.

Onboard SQ326
Before long, I headed to boarding gate A12 to board the plane. Today’s flight was on 9V SWP installed with the latest cabin products.

Pictures of my seat:
Singapore airlines’ new business class seat is very comfortable. It is wide, but not too wide unlike the 2006 products. Storage spaces were plentiful and I put my belongings at various places. Entertainment screen had good resolution, and good range of movies to keep me entertained for a 13 hour flight. Apologies for not taking a proper picture of my seat

It felt weird for me being the first few on the plane as I usually fly economy class. It felt even weirder being called by name and being pampered by the SQ Crew. Pre-departure drinks were offered and I had the first of many glasses of champagne. They also offered a selection of newspapers and magazines. Load on business class was no more than 50% with the last 4 rows being empty. Not too sure about the PEY and Y class, but based on what I saw at the boarding gate, I guess it was my be 60% full.

cheers!
My new travel buddies looking excited to go to UK.

Before long, boarding was completed and the captain came on the PA to welcome us onboard the flight. He announced a flight time of 12hours, ALMOST A WHOLE HOUR SHORTER? I was pretty disappointed as I was hoping for a longer flight time so that I could enjoy the business class product more. I was just “unlucky” that winds were in our favour that day. I was checking flightradar24 and generally most flights on SQ326 were at least 12h45 min or so. Well, if I was flying in economy im sure I would have been pleased that the flying time was shorter. Oh well.

Plane getting ready for departure with Garuda in sight. Taken Garurda just once on a short hop to Jakarta. Must say that their hard and soft product is very comparable to SIA. SIA must really start getting ahead of the game again and stop being so reactive.
Soon we were up and away and heading towards Frankfurt. Some pictures from take off.

After the seat belt sign was turned off, I put my seat into a lounging position to await for lunch service and watched some movies. Cabin crew came and confirm my Book the Cook Order of Japanese beef.

Drinks service: tried some special cocktail (forget what it was) and some delicious warm almonds

Table was laid

Appetiser was a Teochew special for cold prawns with chicken jelly, pickles and dressing. The dish came together well, although I can imagine that some people may not like the texture of the chicken jelly. Had multiple servings of the garlic bread which I’ve heard much about. It definitely did not disappoint.

And here came the main course: Char-grilled Soy flavoured beef with shimeji mushroom rice. It was one of the best meals I ever had on a plane. Actually, it was one of the best dishes I have ever had on or off a plane. Meat was tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked. The mushroom rice was flavorful and combined well with the beef. I wipped the plane clean. An excellent choice and highly recommend this BTC dish!

After I was done with the main meal, the crew came along and offered me a choice of cappuccino ice cream or cheesecake. I replied “that is a difficult choice” hoping that she would offer me both. Unfortunately she just replied “yes, they are both really nice” and waited for me to make my choice. In the end, I settled for the ice cream. Good rich and intesneflavour, something you would expect from gourmet ice cream.

Fruits were offered and I was totally stuffed by then, so I declined the cheese course. Nothing much to comment. Fruits are…well fruits.

After meals, the crew helped me set up the bed and I cuddled in with my laptop to play some games. Lights were turned off and windows were closed. Most pax were either watching movies or taking a nap (best thing to do after eating). The bed was comfortable for me as I preferred a slightly firmer seat. However, I think some may find it a little too hard even with the mattress on it.

I walked around the cabin to stretch and sat at the last few rows of the business class cabin (which was empty) and took some pictures of the magnificent wing of the 77W. Love the raked wing tip on the 77W

Midflight, I felt peckish and requested for a roast beef sandwich. It was served warm and was tasty!

Sun was starting to set midway through the flight. This is an amazing flight to be on as it has half the flight in day light and half the flight in the dark, with spectacular sunsets in between.

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I was having my nth glass of champagne, and even my travel buddies had enough

Flight was uneventful for the next few hours. Very smooth flight, and crew walked down regularly to check on passengers and offer snacks and drinks. Crew did their job well, but somehow lacked some warmth. They didn’t really engage in much small talk.
Before long, lights were turned on again and the crew helped pax to fold back their seats for dinner service. This meant that my wonderful flight was coming to an end.
Light dinner was served on this flight. Starting with an appetiser. Opted not to have any more alcohol during dinner as I needed to be sober to find my way to the hotel in Frankfurt.

Appetiser: seared tuna with soba noodle salad. Another very delicious appetiser.
I BTC-ed my dinner main course again, and I had to try the signature Lobster Thermidor which SIA loves to advertise. However, I was duly disappointed. Lobster was rubbery and had a strong bitter taste to it (I have no idea why). Underwhelming especially since my expectations were set so high after hearing so much about it. May be it was because it was the second meal in the flight. But I wouldn’t order this again if I had the chance.

Dessert was excellent: coconut panna cota with red bean and fruits. Lovely texture and the red bean and fruits complemented the panna cotta really well. Much more inspiring than the cappuccino ice cream in the previous meal. Even my little travel buddy wanted more.

At least the dessert helped to compensate for the poor main course
All good things must come to an end, so must good flights. Throughout the flight I was hoping that by some miracle we would need to circle somewhere or take a longer route, but unfortunately (actually it is fortunate) the flight lasted as announced earlier. A huge sense of sadness overwhelmed me when I heard the pilot announce “cabin crew prepare the cabin for arrival”

We landed about 50 mins earlier than scheduled arrival time, but took a long 30 min taxi across Frankfurt airport. Not that I mind spending more time on the aircraft, but it would have been better if it was in the air instead. Once we reached the gate, I bid my wonderful seat goodbye and disembarked.

Final shot of the aircraft: this is the best i could get as the arrival area was not very spotter friendly
Immigration was empty at that time. However, the german immigration was extremely strict. He asked me to show him proof of my accommodation and also asked for my Lufthansa ticket to prove that I was flying off tomorrow. I guess this was all in view of the heightened border controls following the spate of terrorist attacks in Germany.
After a very long walk to the baggage claim, I got my baggage and promptly headed to the shuttle bus stop to board the shuttle to holiday inn Frankfurt airport north for a one night stay before flying out to Manchester the next day.
Thank you for reading the report! I wiLHand LHRif I havfind the time.
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