Farewell to the Jumbo/MegaTop SQ 744 LAX-SIN March 11

[Carfield]

Farewell to the Jumbo
Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400

I am sure there will be a number of trip reports concerning the departure of Boeing 747-400 on Singapore Airlines’ signature routes from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita. The “Mega-Tops” began its history of serving SQ long haul destination in 1989, and twenty-two years later, LAX and JFK are one of the few destinations that these jumbo planes touched down everyday. When I booked this ticket using my Delta Sky Miles, my motive was simply to issue one SQ first class ticket before Delta ended its mileage partnership with Singapore Airlines. However late last year, SQ has decided to introduce A380 on this LAX-NRT-SIN-NRT-LAX route, and this flight became a farewell trip to the Jumbo (of course the return flight will become a trip of a lifetime)! The photos are limited as most of you can easily find pictures of SQ Boeing 747-400 Skysuites. Despite the older seats, they are still comfortable and the service remains top notch, and unlike CX, SQ service remains impressive and the onboard products remain good. The meals are excellent as usual, and the two set of F/As are some of the best by SQ. There is no question in my mind why Singapore Airlines remains the top airline in the world all these years. As a first class passenger, you receive the full attention. For those who want to view the full album of 190+ pictures, please look at the shutterfly link!

March 3, 2011; Thursday
SQ 11 LAX-NRT Lv1315 Arr1755+1 Boeing 747-400 9V-SPN
Connect to March 4, 2011; Friday
SQ 11 NRT-SIN Lv1900 ARr0140+1 Boeing 747-400 9V-SPN

Photo link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...8QbNHDNy5bqTFQ

Booking:
Delta surprisingly has a decent access to first class award seats on Singapore Airlines and this option to issue SQ tickets will be deeply missed. Getting a seat assignment on SQ is relatively simple. I just got the SQ confirmation code from Delta agent, and went on to SQ website and following the instruction on “Manage my Booking”. Seat selection is straightforward and even during aircraft change later! It is a nice feature.

Check-in:





Singapore Airlines uses Tom Bradley International Terminal, and there are separate lines for first, business and economy passengers, as well as Internet check-in/web bag drop. The counters are all relatively quiet and first class line has no wait. The agent immediately greeted me upon arrival and minutes later, I was handed the boarding pass and was asked if I know where the lounge was. Fast track/premium line was available at TBIT this afternoon, and things were quiet in general.

Lounge:
Star Alliance lounge at LAX has become a familiar place for me and I was glad that the elevator worked today. Lounge was fine with a few passengers on my flight, as well as a few European passengers on the later Lufthansa flights. Turkish Airlines was launching its Istanbul flight on this day, but not much special scene except a few Turkish staff exploring the facilities and getting familiar with LAX. However I spotted balloons to be used later. The SQ dedicated agent informed me that she has left the new Strait times out, as well as informing me the boarding time.

Plane-spotting:
Most of the pictures were taken earlier in the day, while I was waiting in the Alaska Airlines lounge after arriving around 9am from Portland. I love the Board Room because of its great window view of all the actions at R/W24 and Tom Bradley International Terminal. The Board Room quieted out a bit after the 10am bank of Mexican flights departed.

Qantas Boeing 747-400 VH-OEH QF 93 from: MEL
Airbus A330-200 VH-EBH QF 107 from: AKL/ to: JFK
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER A6-ECV EK 217 from: DXB/EK 218 to: DXB

[Carfield]

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER B-KPC CX 884/5 HKG


Qantas Airbus A380-800 VH-OQE QF 11 from: SYD





Going to rest

[Carfield]

All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300ER JA 779A NH 6 From: NRT
JAL Boeing 777-300ER JA739J JL 62 from: NRT
Asiana Boeing 777-200ER HL7775 OZ 202 from: ICN


China Airlines Boeing 747-400 B-18210 Boeing Signature livery CI 5/6 from TPE



El Al Boeing 777-200 4X-ECE departing to Tel Aviv – note the fog rolling in


Air Pacific Boeing 747-400 DQ-DJL towing back to remote aircraft stand before return flight to Nadi in the evening


Delta Boeing 777-200LR resting at remote stand before evening flight to Sydney – no onward flight to Atlanta this morning… maybe to get the aircraft sprayed


9V-SPN, my aircraft this afternoon, landing from Singapore and Narita


View from roadway




View from gate 104

[Carfield]

Lovely nose shots





Beautiful PW4056 engines


Singapore Airlines tail


Boarding:
Boarding began at 12:38pm at gate 104, and there was a separate first/business and economy class lanes. Two jet-ways were used, and it felt good to turn left, instead of right. The onboard manager immediately showed me to my seat and took the opportunity to take a few pictures before the rest arrived. F/As immediately offered me newspapers, magazines, pre-takeoff beverage, amenity kits and pajamas. Menus were passed out as well. Slipprs, socks and eyeshades were passed out after takeoff. The Sky suite seats look as good as ever, and SQ maintained these seats very well. It took a moment to be familiarize with it again. A few more passengers arrived, and I overheard a passenger commenting on the old seats, and his surprise to see these old seats. The F/As answered the query professionally, but noted A380s will take over this route on March 27th. I also want to make a comment about the excellent newspaper selection – I was more than happy to see New York Times were loaded. The pilot did his welcome address and kept us informed about taxiing and waiting time through out the flight. He welcomed us on board the “Megatop,” which made me smile. SQ has abandoned the Mega Top title, but this title certainly brought lots of sweet memory to everyone. With a light load, doors were closed early at 1:11pm, but due to congestion, we did not push back till 1:20pm. We took off from R/W25R at 1:41pm.

Flight information:
Flying time was a quick ten hours and fifty-two minutes – too short! We first climbed to 32,000feet and cruised along the California coast before leaving the coast somewhere in Northern California and climbed to 34,000feet and eventually 36,000feet before crossing Cold Bay of Alaska. We climbed further to 37,000 and 38,000feet! Very simple routing directly towards Tokyo!

My seat 2A from LAX to SIN:


Cabin shoot




PTV and stationary drawer

[Carfield]

Service:
Singapore Airlines is top notch regarding service. Beverage and meal wise – they are still a bit old school and served meals at pre-determined times, but I am sure the F/As are flexible with meal times. They always ask if you want your meal now or later. However lights were turned on two and a half hours prior to landing in preparation for final meals, but they are flexible. After takeoff, amenities were passed out, followed by the first beverage service with warmed nuts service. Lunch flights feature the usual Macadamia nuts/cashews selection. Satays are only available on dinner flights now. Refills were frequent, and meal orders were taken next. I was a bit surprised when I was told the non-caviar appetizer ran out, but once I told the F/A that I did not eat caviar and asked if I could just have the Japanese appetizer, she asked and my request was fulfilled. That is the reason why I started with the Japanese appetizers. Meals were a full six-course affair and I chose the artichoke soup for next course, which was not disappointing. The salad was fresh and I love the cranberries and beets accompanying the greens. For main course, I had the XO sauce lobster, which was slightly disappointing. Then I was offered multiple desserts, and I just stick with the lemon curd cake with ice cream, which was refreshing.

After lunch, the F/A made up my bed and I had a nice nap. The seat is just as comfortable as before, and my only complaint was not able to lower the armrests. Bottled waters were also offered after meal. F/As made their rounds quite frequently and kept on passing around snack baskets. During the last half of the flight, the F/A passed around the snack baskets a couple of times, as well as Krispy Kreme donuts. Snacks include Japanese potato chips, kit kats, bananas, Hershey chocolate bars, Curry potato puffs, Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt & vinegar chips, and turkey wraps. I ordered the fish ball noodle soups midflight, as I had this craving for Chinese noodle soups. Japaense udon was also available on Japanese bound flights.

Two hours and half prior to landing, light meal was served. Due to possible turbulence on arrival, things started a bit earlier than normal. Typical for most Tokyo arrival these days! More hot towels (six hot towel service on this flight) were offered again, and beverage was served. I had the Japanese meal again, and it was not disappointing. I love the new kyo-kaiseki meal and tableware/chinaware, as well as the new presentation. Appetizer was served first, followed by entrée with soup, rice and pickles. For dessert, my request for the chocolate mousse was honored, and it was a nice sweet finish to the meal. The F/As then offered the Japanese fruit bowl as well. It was a delightful meal.

Entertainment wise – the good old KrisWorld worked well and I enjoyed a couple short subjects. The selection was slightly smaller than newer planes, but excellent nonetheless. Noise-canceling headsets were offered.

Menu and Wine List:
Lunch from Los Angeles to Tokyo

Kyo-Kaiseki
Ichino-Zen


Saizuke
Jelly fish with citrus sauce, egg tofu and salmon roe


Baby octopus with sesame sauce


Mukouzuke
Konbu Cured sea bream sashimi salad with citrus dressing



Oshinogi
Cold green tea soba noodles
Seared tuna sushi, mountain vegetables in sesame sauce and pickled ginger

Futamono
Halibut and grated mountain yam with ginger sauce

Nino-zen
Yakimono
Black cod with miso sauce, Wagyu beef fillet with garlic sauce
Bamboo shoot steamed rice
Assortment of three Japanese pickles

Tome-***
Clear clam soup

Mizugahi
Yuzu citrus tart with seasonal fruit

[Carfield]

International Selection
Appetizers
Chilled malossol caviar
With melba toast and condiments

Serano ham, duckliver terrine and smoked duck breast served with fig and raisin chutney

Soups
Double boiled chicken soup with American ginseng
Cream of globe artichoke


Salad
Baby lettuce with shaved fennel, dried cranberries and roasted marinated beetroot
Green goddess dressing
Balsamic and extra virgin olive oil dressing


Main Courses
*Beef fillet in natural jus, spinach custard, baby carrot and potato puree
Exclusively created by the SIA International Culinary Panel
Or
Stir fried lobster in XO sauce served with braised spinach beancurd and assorted mushrooms, boy choy and fried rice

Or
Poached chicken breast served with creamy champagne sauce, mushroom timbale, sautéed spinach and fondant potato
Or
Potato gnocchi with sautéed cep mushrooms, arugula lettuce, shaved Parmesan cheese, creamy basil pesto

Desserts
Lemoncurd tart with vanilla ice cream and raspberry


Cheese
French brie, cambozola, goat cheese and vella dry Jack served with dried apricots, grapes, walnuts and crackers

Fruits
Fresh Fruit in Season

Finale
A selection of gourmet coffees and fine teas served with pralines

Light Bites from Los Angeles to Tokyo
Noodles
Rice noodles in broth served with fish balls


Kitsune udon
White wheat noodles in light fish broth garnished with seaweed beancurd and fish cake

Sandwiches
Tomato tortilla warp with chipotle pepper mayonnaise spread, smoked chicken, avocado, tomato and lettuce
Krispy kreme donuts

Snacks
Cashew nuts, honeyed walnuts or macadamia nuts
Chips
Chocolate bars
Fruit yogurt
A selection from the fruit basket
Assorted biscuits

[Carfield]

Light meal from Los Angeles to Tokyo
Kyo-kaiseki
Ichino-Zen


Sakizuke


King crab leg, smoked salmon rolled with radish sprout
Fried fish with masago roe, skewered duck, Japanese style omelette, pickled scallion and eggplant



Nino-Zen


Yakimono
Grilled Jidori chicken with green onion sauce


Grilled scallop with white sauce and baby zucchini


Fried tofu cake with ginger sauce


Miso soup with wheat cake, shredded egg and shiso leaf


Steamed rice
Assorted Pickles


Mizugashi
Japanese Dessert


International Selection
Appetizer
Tandoori prawn salad

Main Courses
Char siew mee
Egg noodles in rich pork broth with sliced honey glaced pork, chye sim and mushroom
Or
Fettuccine with creamy assorted mushroom ragout, arugula lettuce and grilled Cajun spiced chicken

Dessert
White and bitter chocolate mousse with passionfruit coulis


Finale
A selection of gourmet coffees and fine teas

Wine List
Champagnes
Dom Perignon 2000
Krug Grande Cuvee

White Wines
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Marlborough, New Zealand
Artesa Reserve Chardonnay 2007

Red Wines
Chateau Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse De Lalande 2004 Pauillac
Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Napa Valley
Mazis-Chambertin 2001 Faiveley

Port
Graham’s 20 years old Tawny Port, Portugal

SQ 11A LAX-NRT-SIN (LF/SN1/LMF/DF) 1-1.1 03 FC

Arrival:
Descent began at 5:06pm Tokyo local time. It was not that bad but hit a few chops, as wind was quite strong. We landed on R/W34R at 5:33pm, and as the pilot said, it was a long taxi to Terminal one. We parked at gate 41 at 5:50pm next to an Air Canada’s Boeing 777-200LR C-FNND heading to Toronto.

Transit:
Another quiet/slow day in Nartia, or SQ flight arrived after the UA North American banks of arrival! Lots of SQ staff directed people to the transit point and security checks. I headed straight to the ANA Lounge located conveniently at the same level as transit floor. A quick check of my boarding pass directed me to the suite lounge, which was busy, but manageable. I headed to one of the office booths and proceeded to check emails and stuff. An attendant immediately served me hot towel and asked for my choice of beverage. More personal service this time! I did not take part of the food. The transit was relatively brief and at 6:25pm, the lounge attendants were making the first boarding call.

[Carfield]

Pre-flight:
A fresh crew welcomed us onboard, and Daphne, the F/A in first class, was very cheerful, and set the tone for another good flight. I was lucky today. Loading was light with only four continuing passengers to Singapore from LAX, and one new passenger joining here in Tokyo. The usual pre-takeoff activities took place with beverage and a new set of pajama. No more amenity kit was passed out to passengers joining here in Narita, as reported previously. Door was closed early at 6:55pm, but due to ATC congestion, we did not push back till 7:10pm. Daphne made small talks with passengers and soon we were on our way to a line of planes departing from R/W34L. We took off at 7:36pm.

Flight information:
Flying time was a short six hours and forty-five minutes, and we started off at 32,000feet, as we passed Hakone and Honshu, before reaching Naha/Okinawa. We climbed to 38,000feet and then 39,000feet before reaching the Philippines and then turning towards Palawan and South China Sea.

Service:
Dinner service was offered after takeoff, and as usual, fresh sets of slippers, socks and eyeshades were passed out, followed by beverage and satay service. Chicken and beef satays are quite nice, and I switched to red wine for this leg. I had the Japanese meal, as I figured that the catering was ex-Japan and Japanese meals should be better. It is also the special menu designed by Chef Yoshihiro Murata. The food was really plentiful and some of the items were a bit more authentic, so other non-Japanese passenger be ware of some of the interesting dishes. The Wagyu beef was the highlight but the Halibut with sea urchin was a bit disappointed, as it did not survive well on a plane environment. The Japanese dessert nevertheless was quite interesting with Sakura ice cream (not a common flavor) and the Pumpkin cake was surprising moist and soft. There are some orange and strawberry garnishes. No pralines were offered on this flight, but I chose had a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey.


After dinner, I asked the F/As to prepare my bed and promptly felt asleep till 45 minutes prior to landing.



More dinks and hot towel service of course! Daphne made small talks to each passenger and thanked everyone individually. She also gave me (and another passenger – a first timer on SQ and non-SIN local) a list of local hawker stands and restaurants. She definitely debunks all the statements that SQ F/As are robotic and impersonal. She was quite social and a perfect combination of excellent and personalized service.

Dinner from Tokyo to Singapore
Yoshihiro’s choice
A respected authority who has helped shape Japan’s culinary culture, Yoshihiro Murata draws on European influences without compromising on the authenticity of traditional Japanese cuisine. He brings to you his recommendation for a most exquisite dining experience in the sky.

Kyo-Kaiseki
Ichino-Zen


Sakizuke
Squid, udo, bamboo shoot tossed with kinome dressing


Asari claim and broad bean with bean curd paste and mascarpone cheese, marinated prawn tartar, tonburi (seeds of summer cypress)



Mukouzuke
Hot oil blanched Tasmanian salmon-trout, wasabi, yuzu, chili peppers, baby leaf, soya-egg yolk dressing


Oshinogi


Cha soba with garnishes


Conger eel bo-sushi, mustard flavored nabana

[Carfield]

Futamono
Braised wagyu beef fillet Yamato style, potato puree, bamboo shoot, butterbut, Japanese leek julienne, kinome leaf




Nino-Zen


Yakimono
Glazed chicken with leek crust with hot chili sauce, vinegared lotus root


Grilled halibut with sea urchin, skewered cucumber and mashed egg yolk sushi


Gohan
Steamed rice with bamboo shoot and peas


Clear Soup with mugwort bean curd, seaweed


Assorted pickles


Mizugashi
Mascarpone and pumpkin cake with Sakura ice cream


International Selection
Canapés
Satay
With Onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce


Appetizers
Chilled malossol caviar
With melba toast and condiments

Duck liver terrine with smoked duck breast, celery and apple salad

Soups
Classic French Onion soup with gratinuated cheese croutons
Oriental style crabmeat and enoki mushroom soup

Salad
Salad of baby spinach, arugula and green frissee garnished with sun dried tomato and olive
French dressing
Sesame soya dressing

Main Courses
Seared sirloin steak with fried onions and pan gravy, grilled tomato, spinach, mushrooms and potatoes
Or
Japanese style grilled chicken with sesame seeds, grilled eggplant with miso and seasoned rice with bamboo shoot
Or
Grilled king prawns with mussel saffron sauce, spinach, carrots and boiled potatoes
Or
Capelline pasta tossed with tomato sauce served with pan fried salmon and basil butter

Desserts
Bitter chocolate tart with ice cream and citrus sauce

Cheese
Saint morgon, blue stilton, red cheddar and Brie served with grapes, crackers and nuts

Fruits
Fresh Fruit in Season

Finale
A selection of gourmet coffees and fine teas served with pralines

Arrival:
Descent began at 12:58am Singapore local time and we landed on R/W2C at 1:21am, and parked at gate A3 at Terminal Three at 1:32am. We were parked next to an A380-800 9V-SKH heading to Zurich, and the Qatar’s Boeing 777-300ER A7-BAL arriving from Bali and getting busy for its return flight to Doha. 9V-SPN is actually a young frame, which was delivered in 2001, and is about ten years old. It marks a perfect end to a wonderful flight. The Queen of the Skies will always be missed. Not sure if this is my final SQ Boeing 747-400 – never say never, but this flight brings me many good memory. Singapore Airlines service continues to be excellent in every aspect, especially in today’e environment, where cutbacks occurred monthly or even daily. For those who flew CX, the F/As and passengers are never sure what will be cut this month. I will definitely miss it and thanks the crew for a wonderful trip!

[Carfield]

Additional Plane-spotting
Just a few interesting planes spotted along the way

Qatar Boeing 777-300ER A7-BAO at KIX arriving from Doha before heading to NRT




Mega Maldives Boeing 767-300ER 8Q-MEG to and from Gan airport at HKG – running one roundtrip every five days




Emirates Airbus A380-800 arriving from BKK at HKG A6-EDI

[9V-SIA]

Very nice indeed.

Where did you take pictures from?!

Looks like you were walking along the tarmac!

Nice vantage points

[Genius1]

Thanks for the great report - very nice pictures too.

Will be sad to see the 744s disappearing from SQ's fleet. JL's are gone already.

[EWR]

Thanks for the great report - very nice pictures too.

Will be sad to see the 744s disappearing from SQ's fleet. JL's are gone already.

SIN-NRT-LAX will continue to be served by the B744 indefinitely now.

[StarG]

SIN-NRT-LAX will continue to be served by the B744 indefinitely now.

Is this a fact?

[vincent0720]

SIN-NRT-LAX will continue to be served by the B744 indefinitely now.

Because of the earthquake??!!