Review of Singapore Airlines flight Denpasar → Singapore in Business

Hi guys,

Welcome to the fourth installment of my series of trip reports.

1. CMB SIN - SQ469 - Airbus A330-300 - 02 Sep 2018 - Follow this link
2. SIN CGK - SQ956 - Airbus A350-900 - 02 Sep 2018 - Follow this link
3. CGK DPS - XT7514 - Airbus 320-200 - 02 Sep 2018 - Follow this link
4. DPS SIN - SQ943 - Boeing 787-10 - 08 Sep 2018 - You are here.

Background

There are thing that you plan, like my previous sector with SQ and then there are things happen in favour of you, unplanned, just like this flight. Originally this flight was assigned an A330-300 which I have already flown four times in the same cabin, one of which being the exact same flight and will be flying in the next sector as well. So it would have been a somewhat boring Deja Vu for me if it went that way but everything changed when Singapore Airlines received the first lot of their Boeing 787-10, starting from April. This stretched version of the Dreamliners were ordered by SQ specifically for short and medium haul operations replacing their A330s which are having older cabin products. At first, these birds were flown between SIN-KUL and SIN-BKK as crew training flights before deploying them for flights to cities like Perth, Manila and Osaka. Routes online reported in late May that one of the four pairs of flights operated between Singapore and Denpasar will be operated by their 787-10s, starting from July and that flight happened to be the one I have booked. It was confirmed when I checked my booking online where the equipment for this flight has suddenly gone missing from the booking information. Interestingly this is the second time this happened to me, as in 2016 one of my flights changed from an A330-200 to a 787-8. Though I didn't have a special interest in flying this type, it was great to review one of the latest products in the sky.

On the flight day

After staying for a week in the paradise island, which is "short" in terms of Balinese standards, sadly it was time to head back home. We left our Airbnb in Seminyak at 9.30 am using a trusted BlueBird taxi which can be booked using their mobile app. You can hail on the streets but should be careful when doing so because there are dodgy taxis with very similar appearance to the original BlueBird, especially the one with "BLUE BIRO" front sticker. You can hardly spot that its ending with "O" not "D"!!!



Traffic was not as bad as we expected, so we reached the international terminal with 3 hours and 15 mins left for the departure.



Our flight was displayed on the screens as it approached the standard check-in opening time.



Singapore Airlines is using check-in desks C1 to C12.



After a quick check of our tickets followed by a security check we were let through to the check-in area.



CAS is doing ground handling for SQ at DPS and I noticed some of their female staff is dressed in traditional Balinese kebaya uniforms.
When I inquired they told that they have some special passengers traveling in SQ today, so dressed as such for that.

Battle of the Kebayas. SQ vs CAS :P



Check-in was done by an enthusiastic lady with whom we had a little chat as the lines were quite empty for business class. I asked whether the similarly friendly lady who checked me in last time is still with them. She was quite surprised about my memory and told that she left the company to join Garuda's cabin crew. Good for her to be a part of an award wining crew! The lady wanted to confirm that we want to sit with our original seat selections which again are two single window seats. She insisted that she can move us to seats C and D on a same row so we can be together. I had to explain that since this is my wife's first time to Bali, we can both enjoy the views of the island from above and that we are not angry with each other ;) Also told that we are anyway seated together in the next sector. She laughed and handed us the boarding passes for both sectors and the invitation for the lounge.

The check-in desk monitors still showing the flight leaving an hour before ours.



It took about 10 mins for check-in and we are off to the immigration.



FIDS showing departures till evening.



First up was security and it was a breeze. They have new type of advanced body scanner installed which I didn't see last time.
The immigration had long lines even though all of the counters were manned, it took about another 10 mins to get to the airside.

The compulsory walk through the duty free shops.



Some beautifully designed kites on display to promote Bali Kite Festival.



The lounges are located in the mezzanine floor. CAS operated Premium Lounge is the one used by SQ.



After handing over our invitation to the lounge reception staff, we were welcomed inside.

It was crowded as there are many departures around noon.



Outside seating area.



View from the balcony.



Breakfast was still on offer at the buffet. Few hot and cold options were available. Hot food was mainly Indonesian and Chinese.

Drinks station.



Snacks. Apologize for not being able take photos of hot food buffet.



My selection of snacks. Tiramisu was great!



After having late breakfast, I checked the status of the our inbound flight. It showed that flight is about to land so we decided to leave the lounge and head for the gate.



SQ939 has not left yet means…



Two SQ flights at adjacent gates!



AirAsia aircraft with special livery - No. 01



Elders leaving, giving chance to the youngsters.



We are at our gate.



SSD vs SCD



Singapore Airlines is the launch customer for this variant of Dreamliner and still the only one operating them. They will be followed by KLM, United and Etihad.



DPS is a spotters paradise and there are many movements at this hour which gave me the opportunity take the following.

JQ109 to Perth.



A Malindo B738 with standard tail design.



Another Malindo B738 but with Batik Air tail design.



Meanwhile a Citilink A320 is taking off.



Private jet terminal across the runway. The gigantic statue in the background is located at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Park in southern Bali.



SQ939 on takeoff roll.



There she goes…



AirAsia aircraft with special livery - No. 02. This time its an AirAsia X A333 from KUL.



This tiny amphibian also has a space among giants landing on this busy airstrip.



The batik clad Malindo taking off.



Boarding was called 20 mins prior to the schedule departure and there were few families with children joining the priority lane.



We were welcomed by the in-flight supervisor, Freddy who directed us to our seats.

First impressions of my seat. The seats are staggered where the position of the shelf changes in alternative rows. I chose 12A where I get a direct window view. The seat obviously looks narrower than the one in A350 but this is designed for short haul flights. Also if you select a direct window seat you may have to squeeze in to get in or out of the seats as the passage between the shelf and the front seat is really narrow. Seats are equipped with 3-point seat belt like in a ground vehicle.



Business class seat map of Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10. They employ 2 class configuration in these with Economy Class having industry standard 3-3-3 abreast seating which may be little uncomfortable compared to 2-4-2 abreast layout of retiring A330-300s.



The ottoman and the stowage space below. The tray table is stored below the IFE screen.



View of the business class cabin from the front…



…and from the back as well. The J class was around 90% full today.



Middle seats of row 16 with adjustable divider for privacy. This option is not their for rows with shelf located between the two seats, not towards aisle.



Wifi onboard!



Some features of my seat…

IFE screen is large as it can be.



The power and USB ports along with stowage space for small items.



The vanity mirror.



IFE and seat controls along with headphone port. I forgot to illuminate the seat control panel before taking this pic :/



The pocket for printed articles is located at the bottom.



Additional reading lights located at the side of the seat. There are three lights focused at three different positions; for bed, lap and tray table respectively.



The bulkhead seats 11A and 11K have space for bassinets.



Welcome drinks and oshibori were offered in the meantime.



Safety information card.



Menu for this flight.



Menu for the inbound flight.



We pushed back exactly at the scheduled departure time.



But then we had to wait in the queue.

A Batik Air B739 leaving DPS.



We began our slow taxi run.

AirAsia aircraft with special livery - No. 03.



After the safety instructions another video showing seat functions of this new aircraft was played.



Good assistance from the wind!



At the edge of the runway.



All clear!



A little Scooty following us to Singapore. In fact she is late by two and half hours.



Takeoff roll began 15 mins past the scheduled departure time.



Until next time, good bye Bali!!!



We departed from runway 9 as usual and turned back to fly towards Singapore.

View of the runway and the airport.



Beaches of Canggu area.



Soon we were flying past East Java and its volcanic mountains.

Mount Baluran.



Food trolleys rolled out and crew inquired for our choices. I chose the Indonesian option of spicy lamb curry accompanied by stir fried veges and rice. All courses were served in one go.



The starter and the dessert. Both were good in quality.



My usual choice or bread, served warm!



and the main course…. was fantastic. The lamb was tender and spiced to perfection. Vegetables complimented well. By far the best dish I had in the sky.



Singapore Sling as the choice of drink, Again!



Time to check the IFE. The product is the same as the one installed in A350s. Very responsive.



I was taking some shots of the wing and some photos with my wife, when Freddy came and offered to take a photo of both of us. We happily accepted.



Wifi was enabled in this flight with complimentary 30MB data for J class pax. You have to connect to Krisworld network and then log in using the browser. The connection seemed fast enough and had no hiccups.



Cabin crew came by to see if I need anything else and I requested for another Sling which was delivered promptly.



Arrival information can be obtained from the IFE.



There was still time left for the descent so I went to the galley to chat with the crew. Flight attendant Sharon and Senior stewardess Josephine were really friendly and were interested in our trip details.

Soon it was time for landing but the captain informed that due to typical congestion at Changi, we have circle over Johor before taking the final approach.



Approaching runway 20R.



Touched down at 3.52pm, 7 mins behind the schedule.

9V-SQJ, a stored Boeing 777-200 with SQ logos removed.



Someone from the House of Orange is here! She will be heading to where we came from.



All the heavies lining up at T3.



Qatar Airways A350-900 landing right behind us.



After the short taxi, we docked to gate B2 in Terminal 3. We thanked the cabin crew and left for the terminal only to remember we forgot a jacket at the seat. We returned to the gate and were asked by the security to wait until the crew comes. When Sharon came out she saw us waiting and asked about the issue and quickly ran back to retrieve it for us. Kudos to the young lady!!!

In the meantime another A350-900 lands, this time its all the way from Helsinki.



It was nearly 4.30 pm when all these over and we have another 6 hours to kill before taking the final flight of this journey.

That's brings us to the end of this flight report. Thanks for reading. Please await for the next one as well.