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Flight: SQ325
Route: Frankfurt-Singapore
Reg: 9V-SWA
Dep FRA: 2225HR
Arr SIN: 1625 +1
This is my first flight report on SQtalk. I know most members here would wince at the thought of flying in Y. This report aims to tell the world that there's hope in Y!! Here goes...
Singapore Airline’s newest addition, the B777-300ER, has been the talk of town since it was introduced into its fleet late last year. Many have raved about the sheer spaciousness of its First and Business class cabins, and a number of detailed reports had been written about these premium cabins.
With an entitlement to travel only cattle class (yes stingy clients this time), and the fact that there has been no trip report on SQ’s new economy class product on the B77W, made me eager to find out how the product on their 77W compared with the competition. This report is in fact the final leg of a recent business trip that brought me from Singapore-Frankfurt-Tripoli-Benghazi-Tripoli-Frankfurt-Singapore.
I was naturally elated to discover that the final leg of my journey would be on the 77W! Unfortunately, my travel agent faced much difficulty confirming me on SQ for the FRA-SIN sector, which would then mean that I would have to miss the opportunity to experience this new product to settle for LH which I already had confirmed reservations on.
Without any intention to put LH down, but really, there’s simply no comparison between SQ and LH’s Y class product. The idea of flying LH for 12 straight hours without PTV or subservient Singapore Girls to ensure that everyone was well hydrated and fed and (short of giving me a foot massage) that we have a comfortable flight was daunting…
Alas, I was still unable to confirm my flights on SQ the day I was supposed to have my tickets issued. At the same time, I risked losing my reservations on LH if I did not have the tickets issued by the end of the day. The clock was ticking, and I had to decide quickly if I was to go with SQ (with the final sector waitlisted) or to issue my tickets on LH… I decided to play the waiting game, and asked my travel agent to hold her horses while I made desperate calls to friends at SQ and sought their help to DAPO (“do all possible” in SQ lingo).
I received a call from my agent an hour later to inform me that my booking on SQ325 out of Frankfurt had miraculously been confirmed!! I knew at that point that I would have to make a little trip to the Caviar House at Frankfurt Airport to get my ‘guardian angels’ some good ol’ caviar…
Fast-forward a week later, where I was back in Frankfurt after spending 4 grueling days in Libya. It has been years since I last set foot on German soil and nothing much has changed. Frankfurt airport was anything people friendly.
With major renovations on-going, parts of the airport were boarded up, and directional signs were deemed useless as many a times, they led passengers to boarded walls which were original exits leading to various satellites. Confusing was an understatement. It took significant effort for anyone to locate their connecting gates. I travel often enough to know, intuitively, where to go to at any airport, but FRA, at this point in time just seemed to defy logic. There were transfer counters everywhere, but finding one that was opened was in itself extremely challenging. I have to confess that I lost my way twice while at FRA - or perhaps I just have a poor sense of direction!?
The first time I got lost happened after my flight from SIN, where I spent almost an hour searching for a transfer counter to have my boarding pass for my onward flight to Tripoli issued. The second time happened after I arrived from Tripoli, where several backtracks later, I was told by an unsmiling LH ground staff that to get my boarding pass on SQ325, I could either go to the gate 2 hours before the flight, or clear immigration and proceed to the land-side check in counters which would open 4 hours before the flight. I chose the latter option. Getting through immigration was yet another chore. Because I had just arrived from Tripoli, I was subjected to further interrogation by a “not-so-friendly” immigration officer. Actually, I would consider his demeanor downright rude and condescending!
Then again, FRA airport staff were on most occasions, nonchalant or rude – this was most evident at security check points where passengers were shouted at, and treated with ‘disdain’. Yes the word is ‘disdain’. One was made to feel that they either hated their job so much, or they really hated the passengers that they had to deal with.
In all, transiting through FRA was definitely not a pleasant experience, and I would avoid passing through this airport in future if I can help it.
To cut a long story short, I got into Frankfurt for a look see and at the same time collect my boarding pass from the SQ check in counter.
Frankfurt Airport: Land of Lufthansa!
Having had enough to see, and having been warned by friends that clearing security at FRA could potentially be a nightmare, I proceeded back into the airport. They were right! Appearing before me were snaking queues of passengers waiting to clear security checks just before immigration. There were at least 200 passengers waiting to be processed! I was secretly glad that I heeded my friends’ advice. The security checks were definitely thorough. Belts, watches had to be removed, pockets emptied, laptops removed from the bags, shoes scanned and groin groped by an officer with an Elvis hairdo!!. I understand the need for security checks in this day and age, but the abiding crowd and shouting security officers somehow reminded me of a scene from Schindler’s List!
It took me some 30 min before I was back in the main air-side shopping area. I managed to get the caviar that I promised my friends, as well as 2 BOSS belts – just to give myself a little treat for having gone through a difficult week in Libya
Route: Frankfurt-Singapore
Reg: 9V-SWA
Dep FRA: 2225HR
Arr SIN: 1625 +1
This is my first flight report on SQtalk. I know most members here would wince at the thought of flying in Y. This report aims to tell the world that there's hope in Y!! Here goes...
Singapore Airline’s newest addition, the B777-300ER, has been the talk of town since it was introduced into its fleet late last year. Many have raved about the sheer spaciousness of its First and Business class cabins, and a number of detailed reports had been written about these premium cabins.
With an entitlement to travel only cattle class (yes stingy clients this time), and the fact that there has been no trip report on SQ’s new economy class product on the B77W, made me eager to find out how the product on their 77W compared with the competition. This report is in fact the final leg of a recent business trip that brought me from Singapore-Frankfurt-Tripoli-Benghazi-Tripoli-Frankfurt-Singapore.
I was naturally elated to discover that the final leg of my journey would be on the 77W! Unfortunately, my travel agent faced much difficulty confirming me on SQ for the FRA-SIN sector, which would then mean that I would have to miss the opportunity to experience this new product to settle for LH which I already had confirmed reservations on.
Without any intention to put LH down, but really, there’s simply no comparison between SQ and LH’s Y class product. The idea of flying LH for 12 straight hours without PTV or subservient Singapore Girls to ensure that everyone was well hydrated and fed and (short of giving me a foot massage) that we have a comfortable flight was daunting…
Alas, I was still unable to confirm my flights on SQ the day I was supposed to have my tickets issued. At the same time, I risked losing my reservations on LH if I did not have the tickets issued by the end of the day. The clock was ticking, and I had to decide quickly if I was to go with SQ (with the final sector waitlisted) or to issue my tickets on LH… I decided to play the waiting game, and asked my travel agent to hold her horses while I made desperate calls to friends at SQ and sought their help to DAPO (“do all possible” in SQ lingo).
I received a call from my agent an hour later to inform me that my booking on SQ325 out of Frankfurt had miraculously been confirmed!! I knew at that point that I would have to make a little trip to the Caviar House at Frankfurt Airport to get my ‘guardian angels’ some good ol’ caviar…
Fast-forward a week later, where I was back in Frankfurt after spending 4 grueling days in Libya. It has been years since I last set foot on German soil and nothing much has changed. Frankfurt airport was anything people friendly.
With major renovations on-going, parts of the airport were boarded up, and directional signs were deemed useless as many a times, they led passengers to boarded walls which were original exits leading to various satellites. Confusing was an understatement. It took significant effort for anyone to locate their connecting gates. I travel often enough to know, intuitively, where to go to at any airport, but FRA, at this point in time just seemed to defy logic. There were transfer counters everywhere, but finding one that was opened was in itself extremely challenging. I have to confess that I lost my way twice while at FRA - or perhaps I just have a poor sense of direction!?
The first time I got lost happened after my flight from SIN, where I spent almost an hour searching for a transfer counter to have my boarding pass for my onward flight to Tripoli issued. The second time happened after I arrived from Tripoli, where several backtracks later, I was told by an unsmiling LH ground staff that to get my boarding pass on SQ325, I could either go to the gate 2 hours before the flight, or clear immigration and proceed to the land-side check in counters which would open 4 hours before the flight. I chose the latter option. Getting through immigration was yet another chore. Because I had just arrived from Tripoli, I was subjected to further interrogation by a “not-so-friendly” immigration officer. Actually, I would consider his demeanor downright rude and condescending!
Then again, FRA airport staff were on most occasions, nonchalant or rude – this was most evident at security check points where passengers were shouted at, and treated with ‘disdain’. Yes the word is ‘disdain’. One was made to feel that they either hated their job so much, or they really hated the passengers that they had to deal with.
In all, transiting through FRA was definitely not a pleasant experience, and I would avoid passing through this airport in future if I can help it.
To cut a long story short, I got into Frankfurt for a look see and at the same time collect my boarding pass from the SQ check in counter.
Frankfurt Airport: Land of Lufthansa!
Having had enough to see, and having been warned by friends that clearing security at FRA could potentially be a nightmare, I proceeded back into the airport. They were right! Appearing before me were snaking queues of passengers waiting to clear security checks just before immigration. There were at least 200 passengers waiting to be processed! I was secretly glad that I heeded my friends’ advice. The security checks were definitely thorough. Belts, watches had to be removed, pockets emptied, laptops removed from the bags, shoes scanned and groin groped by an officer with an Elvis hairdo!!. I understand the need for security checks in this day and age, but the abiding crowd and shouting security officers somehow reminded me of a scene from Schindler’s List!
It took me some 30 min before I was back in the main air-side shopping area. I managed to get the caviar that I promised my friends, as well as 2 BOSS belts – just to give myself a little treat for having gone through a difficult week in Libya
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