This trip report is of the RTW CGK and I are making to take the inaugural 77W SIN-CDG flight in the new F cabin!
I am starting this report aboad SQ-1D (with D as in Delayed, aka VERY delayed SQ-1). However, I will relate it from my starting point.
CGK and I decided to try to take the inaugural SQ334 on the 77W. Initially, we had decided to take it in J. However, after watching SQ's video about the new F once too many times, CGK's salivary glands were working over-time and he could not resist but to take it in F. So F we decided to go.
I called DL and got myself an award ticket to get to SIN on SQ in F. Luckily, SQ1 was available for Dec 2nd. I really thought I would be spending the week preceding that date in the Bay area, so I did the booking from SFO. My work schedule decided otherwise and I had at the last moment to add a connection from DEN to SFO.
Unfortunately, DL does not have any more mainland aircraft operating between SLC and SFO and, having booked so late, only the RJs had availability to get me to SFO.
So I had Y to SFO but from SFO I would fly F to SIN and then F to CDG, C on AF to LHR, F on BA to JFK and finally F on DL back to SFO.
Viewed, from SFO to SFO, I have a RTW entirely in F except for CDG-LHR in C. This whole thing combined two award tickets and one paid ticket. The good part is that it actually makes for 2 RTW, the second one being next year and will most likely be the object of another trip report.
For the flight from DEN to SLC, though I was in an RJ, I had an exit row seat and it was not too uncomfortable (RJs can never claim to be comfortable). The SLC-DEN was however entirely full, and having booked so late, the only seat available was -Oh Horror!- 1D. Bulkhead with absolutely no legroom whatsoever.
I am 6' tall and have long legs and can assure you it was not pleasant. But I set my mind to think of the upcoming pleasure(s) of flying SQ F and that made it tolearable.
These two flights were uneventful and I arrived at SFO at 4:20pm. Fortunately, even though the connection time in SFO was over 7h, DL had checked one bag with my shaving cream and deodorant, both of which are over the 3Oz limit imposed by the TSA all the way to SIN. So on arrival in SFO, I proceeded to DL's CRC on the mezzanine level. This CRC is before security and it was almost empty and quiet.
There I awaited CGK who was coming from YVR. He arrived without delay at 6pm and met me at the CRC. I had told the attendant about his impending arrival and she let him in with no difficulty. We had a few drinks until 8:30pm, the announced earliest check in time for SQ1.
We then walked all the way to the SQ First Class check in counter and got our boarding passes. SQ1 was totally full in all classes and unfortunately we had been given seats 2F and 3F and were told to ask on board if the passengers in 3-C-D or 4-C-D would mind switching with us.
I had never been to SFO flying F on a *A airline before and CGK had told me we should first go to the UA International First Class Lounge until they close. So we proceeded though security to UA's IFL.
As soon as we entered, the lounge attendant told us that the lounge would be closing in 20 minutes (at 9:30pm) because it only stays open for the UA flight to SYD, leaving at 10:30pm. We said "Fine, we just wanted only to see the lounge briefly and would go to the SKL after that. The attendant then asked which airline we were flying and we said "SQ". To which he replied that SQ had their own lounge. We said we knew that but we just wanted to see the UA lounge. Then he said he had to call them to see if they would authorize it as, "you know, they have to pay us for you to come in". We said fine, call.
He seemingly called the SKL. We later realized he probably only pretended to - Read on, you will find out later how we figured it out. And he said they were not answering. Then he started giving us a bunch of bogus reason for us not to go in. He said he now had to call his supervisor and then said "SQ only has two class service from SFO" to which we replied this was not the case. "Yes", we said, "SQ15 only has Y and C, but SQ1 has 3 classes and always has been 3 classes, though its schedule can be in some seasons so late that the UA IFL is closed before any SQ passenger check in". We then proceeded to show him that our BPs clearly indicate that we were flying F and not J. To which he repeated the same absurd "It's only 2 class". In fact, who cares if it is 2 classes. If the class we hold is F and there is no J, we still have the right to access any *A F lounge (not making the explanation muddy by naming the exception of LH's FCT). Still no go. Then comes a UA passenger from inside the lounge asking for access to the showers. We patiently wait for the attendant to let him into the showers.
When he comes back, we insist again that we have F boarding passes and that *A rules say we have the right to access the IFL. Having been rude until now was not enough and the attendant became even more rude. He pretended to call this supervisor - I still have to explain how we know he pretended, read on - but he told us he had worked there for 20 years and no SQ passenger had ever gone in with an F boarding pass. To add insult to injury, he said into the phone, supposedly to his supervisor "call up airport police. I have two disruptive passengers". His tactics did not work: I was not scared as I knew we were calm and would remain calm. Nor was CGK . He asked us to leave the lounge. We said "Fine, we'll leave the lounge but first give us your name, because we will write to UA about you". He then pretended there is a CA law that says he does not have to give us his name or any way to refer to him. (I think there is a law that makes it that employees can use pseudonyms, but I think UA must require that passenger be able to give a way to know who they were dealing with). He then escorted us out and hid his name tag. CGK who is a UA 1k said he would call the 1k line and I told him to do there and then. So we stayed outside the lounge while he made calls.
Now you must have guessed how we know the UA attendant never made the calls he pretended to make.... No police or security ever showed up. Nothing happened. It was all a lie, so low it is not even worth being called a bluff.
I then went to the SKL and asked for the SQ station manager and explained briefly what had happened. The attendant at the SKL put me on the phone with him and he agreed to meet us in front of the IFL. He did come, but the IFL was locked by then and we eventually went to the RCC. The SQ SM talked with the attendant who connected him to a UA supervisor. On CGK's side, the US 1k lady in HNL told him to go back to the IFL, that a supervisor was inside the lounge and would meet the 3 of us.
We all went and waited but no UA supervisor showed up. One UA person who went by was interpelled by the SQ SM and he said he had to go meet a flight but that he would get someone to come meet us at the SKL.
Nobody ever met us at the SKL....
Well, there is a tail end to this story that is typed below, but I just want to make a comment that this experience is bringing. When I thought I was thinking maybe of switching from DL to UA and get 1k on UA, this experience shows me what a mistake it would be. It may be an isolated experience, but I have NEVER been treated so rudely by ANYONE, in ANY airport. Not even CDG! LOL
SQ1 got delayed with an estimated departure at 2:45am. So we stayed in the SKL until 2:15am. We proceeded to board and on board, traded seats with the passengers in 3C and D.
It took a while, then the pilot said they were working on a leak on one engine and that meal service would proceed on the ground. From now on, service went down dramatically. Food was served, but all the hot dishes were too cold. Then finally around 5:20am, the pilot came on to announce it would take longer and that we would have to deplane. We finished our meal (I had not had any lunch nor dinner so far, except for some food at the SKL) and went out.
We were told to go to the check in desk to change our connection booking (We have some side trip between our arrival in SIN and our departure to CDG). We told the agent about all our flights and it took a bit of time. Then we went to the shuttle for the hotel. The SQ agent there told us "the shuttle to the Embassy Suite already left. You were not supposed to rebook first". He then said he would not authorize a taxi to the hotel. We were not happy about this, as, coming off the plane, we would have rather had called SQ directly in SIN to deal with the mess than wait in line, but had been told by the SQ agent to go to the desk". We were not happy and made our disappointment known. I then said we were going to talk to the station manager (the same who already knew us ) and the agent suddenly said: "Wait a moment. The shuttle to the hotel for the Y passenger can take you to your hotel. It's just next door". So we took the shuttle and arrived at the hotel at 6:15am. There a SQ agent was there and got us each a room. We were also given a 30$ voucher for breakfast (at 7am?? We had just eaten! ) and lunch. Shuttle back to the airport would be at 1pm.
We logged onto singapore's web site and looked at what had been done. We called SQ SIN to correct the mistakes but it was too busy. Waiiting until 7am, we called SQ US and got it all fixed. Finally made it to bed.
I am starting this report aboad SQ-1D (with D as in Delayed, aka VERY delayed SQ-1). However, I will relate it from my starting point.
CGK and I decided to try to take the inaugural SQ334 on the 77W. Initially, we had decided to take it in J. However, after watching SQ's video about the new F once too many times, CGK's salivary glands were working over-time and he could not resist but to take it in F. So F we decided to go.
I called DL and got myself an award ticket to get to SIN on SQ in F. Luckily, SQ1 was available for Dec 2nd. I really thought I would be spending the week preceding that date in the Bay area, so I did the booking from SFO. My work schedule decided otherwise and I had at the last moment to add a connection from DEN to SFO.
Unfortunately, DL does not have any more mainland aircraft operating between SLC and SFO and, having booked so late, only the RJs had availability to get me to SFO.
So I had Y to SFO but from SFO I would fly F to SIN and then F to CDG, C on AF to LHR, F on BA to JFK and finally F on DL back to SFO.
Viewed, from SFO to SFO, I have a RTW entirely in F except for CDG-LHR in C. This whole thing combined two award tickets and one paid ticket. The good part is that it actually makes for 2 RTW, the second one being next year and will most likely be the object of another trip report.
For the flight from DEN to SLC, though I was in an RJ, I had an exit row seat and it was not too uncomfortable (RJs can never claim to be comfortable). The SLC-DEN was however entirely full, and having booked so late, the only seat available was -Oh Horror!- 1D. Bulkhead with absolutely no legroom whatsoever.
I am 6' tall and have long legs and can assure you it was not pleasant. But I set my mind to think of the upcoming pleasure(s) of flying SQ F and that made it tolearable.
These two flights were uneventful and I arrived at SFO at 4:20pm. Fortunately, even though the connection time in SFO was over 7h, DL had checked one bag with my shaving cream and deodorant, both of which are over the 3Oz limit imposed by the TSA all the way to SIN. So on arrival in SFO, I proceeded to DL's CRC on the mezzanine level. This CRC is before security and it was almost empty and quiet.
There I awaited CGK who was coming from YVR. He arrived without delay at 6pm and met me at the CRC. I had told the attendant about his impending arrival and she let him in with no difficulty. We had a few drinks until 8:30pm, the announced earliest check in time for SQ1.
We then walked all the way to the SQ First Class check in counter and got our boarding passes. SQ1 was totally full in all classes and unfortunately we had been given seats 2F and 3F and were told to ask on board if the passengers in 3-C-D or 4-C-D would mind switching with us.
I had never been to SFO flying F on a *A airline before and CGK had told me we should first go to the UA International First Class Lounge until they close. So we proceeded though security to UA's IFL.
As soon as we entered, the lounge attendant told us that the lounge would be closing in 20 minutes (at 9:30pm) because it only stays open for the UA flight to SYD, leaving at 10:30pm. We said "Fine, we just wanted only to see the lounge briefly and would go to the SKL after that. The attendant then asked which airline we were flying and we said "SQ". To which he replied that SQ had their own lounge. We said we knew that but we just wanted to see the UA lounge. Then he said he had to call them to see if they would authorize it as, "you know, they have to pay us for you to come in". We said fine, call.
He seemingly called the SKL. We later realized he probably only pretended to - Read on, you will find out later how we figured it out. And he said they were not answering. Then he started giving us a bunch of bogus reason for us not to go in. He said he now had to call his supervisor and then said "SQ only has two class service from SFO" to which we replied this was not the case. "Yes", we said, "SQ15 only has Y and C, but SQ1 has 3 classes and always has been 3 classes, though its schedule can be in some seasons so late that the UA IFL is closed before any SQ passenger check in". We then proceeded to show him that our BPs clearly indicate that we were flying F and not J. To which he repeated the same absurd "It's only 2 class". In fact, who cares if it is 2 classes. If the class we hold is F and there is no J, we still have the right to access any *A F lounge (not making the explanation muddy by naming the exception of LH's FCT). Still no go. Then comes a UA passenger from inside the lounge asking for access to the showers. We patiently wait for the attendant to let him into the showers.
When he comes back, we insist again that we have F boarding passes and that *A rules say we have the right to access the IFL. Having been rude until now was not enough and the attendant became even more rude. He pretended to call this supervisor - I still have to explain how we know he pretended, read on - but he told us he had worked there for 20 years and no SQ passenger had ever gone in with an F boarding pass. To add insult to injury, he said into the phone, supposedly to his supervisor "call up airport police. I have two disruptive passengers". His tactics did not work: I was not scared as I knew we were calm and would remain calm. Nor was CGK . He asked us to leave the lounge. We said "Fine, we'll leave the lounge but first give us your name, because we will write to UA about you". He then pretended there is a CA law that says he does not have to give us his name or any way to refer to him. (I think there is a law that makes it that employees can use pseudonyms, but I think UA must require that passenger be able to give a way to know who they were dealing with). He then escorted us out and hid his name tag. CGK who is a UA 1k said he would call the 1k line and I told him to do there and then. So we stayed outside the lounge while he made calls.
Now you must have guessed how we know the UA attendant never made the calls he pretended to make.... No police or security ever showed up. Nothing happened. It was all a lie, so low it is not even worth being called a bluff.
I then went to the SKL and asked for the SQ station manager and explained briefly what had happened. The attendant at the SKL put me on the phone with him and he agreed to meet us in front of the IFL. He did come, but the IFL was locked by then and we eventually went to the RCC. The SQ SM talked with the attendant who connected him to a UA supervisor. On CGK's side, the US 1k lady in HNL told him to go back to the IFL, that a supervisor was inside the lounge and would meet the 3 of us.
We all went and waited but no UA supervisor showed up. One UA person who went by was interpelled by the SQ SM and he said he had to go meet a flight but that he would get someone to come meet us at the SKL.
Nobody ever met us at the SKL....
Well, there is a tail end to this story that is typed below, but I just want to make a comment that this experience is bringing. When I thought I was thinking maybe of switching from DL to UA and get 1k on UA, this experience shows me what a mistake it would be. It may be an isolated experience, but I have NEVER been treated so rudely by ANYONE, in ANY airport. Not even CDG! LOL
SQ1 got delayed with an estimated departure at 2:45am. So we stayed in the SKL until 2:15am. We proceeded to board and on board, traded seats with the passengers in 3C and D.
It took a while, then the pilot said they were working on a leak on one engine and that meal service would proceed on the ground. From now on, service went down dramatically. Food was served, but all the hot dishes were too cold. Then finally around 5:20am, the pilot came on to announce it would take longer and that we would have to deplane. We finished our meal (I had not had any lunch nor dinner so far, except for some food at the SKL) and went out.
We were told to go to the check in desk to change our connection booking (We have some side trip between our arrival in SIN and our departure to CDG). We told the agent about all our flights and it took a bit of time. Then we went to the shuttle for the hotel. The SQ agent there told us "the shuttle to the Embassy Suite already left. You were not supposed to rebook first". He then said he would not authorize a taxi to the hotel. We were not happy about this, as, coming off the plane, we would have rather had called SQ directly in SIN to deal with the mess than wait in line, but had been told by the SQ agent to go to the desk". We were not happy and made our disappointment known. I then said we were going to talk to the station manager (the same who already knew us ) and the agent suddenly said: "Wait a moment. The shuttle to the hotel for the Y passenger can take you to your hotel. It's just next door". So we took the shuttle and arrived at the hotel at 6:15am. There a SQ agent was there and got us each a room. We were also given a 30$ voucher for breakfast (at 7am?? We had just eaten! ) and lunch. Shuttle back to the airport would be at 1pm.
We logged onto singapore's web site and looked at what had been done. We called SQ SIN to correct the mistakes but it was too busy. Waiiting until 7am, we called SQ US and got it all fixed. Finally made it to bed.
Comment