Farewell again: Last Scheduled SQ Boeing 747-400 passenger flight into LAX in First

[Carfield]

Farewell again: Last Scheduled SQ Boeing 747-400 passenger flight into LAX in First

As recalled on my last “Farewell to SQ 747-400 flight,” I issued a roundtrip on SQ first class last year using my Delta miles before Delta ended its contract with SIA, and the dates were really randomly selected, but I made sure that the return flight was after the beginning of the Spring season, as there was rumors that SQ will use A380 on SQ 11/12 soon. Of course, SIA made the announcement of the switch earlier this year, and my return on April 4th on SQ 12 changed to Suite Class. I was definitely looking forward to my first and possibly only Suite Class experience. Of course the earthquake in Japan changed the course of thing. Singapore Airlines has been modifying the flight schedule and understandably reversed the introduction of A380 on SQ 12, and reintroduced Boeing 747-400 on SQ 11/12 on a temporary basis. It has also added Osaka Kansai as an additional stop to comfort the crew, as there are water and food shortage in Tokyo, as well as frequent aftershocks. But I was disappointed that my suite class experience will definitely not happen for a while. Finally a week before the flight, Singapore Airlines has decided to utilize the smaller Boeing 777-300ERs beginning April 5th on this flight, as some of these 747-400s are already sold or reaching the end of its lease. In some way, I am disappointed, but accidentally, I was on the last Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 passenger flight into LAX. The Osaka refueling stop was also eliminated and our flight was the first one that went back to the nonstop from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita.

Sometimes life is unpredictable and this flight ended up being one of the most memorable flights, especially experiencing the real Singapore Airlines service. I also got to talk a number of senior staffs that have lots of memory of the airline and the history of this “MEGATOP.” I get to understand Singapore Airlines’ operation a bit better and despite of people’s frequent complaint of SQ F/As being aloof, impersonal and robotic, there was not an ounce of it on this return flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita. It also reaffirms my theory why Singapore Airlines is still the best airline in the world. Their attention to details is immaculate and I came away with an amazing gift. I want to sincerely thank the crew of SQ 12 again and words can’t do their service justice.

April 4, 2011
SQ 12 Singapore to Tokyo Narita Lv0925 Arr1730 Boeing 747-400 9V-SPM

Photo Link to the full album and please be warned that there are about 200 pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...8QbNHDNy5bqTJg

History:
The first Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 9V-SMA was delivered to SIA on March 29, 1989, and I believe London was the first route that SIA Boeing 747-400 went, and SIA was the first airline to fly the plane on its transpacific flight. According to conversations with various flight and cockpit crew, Megatops will become history by the end of 2011. My aircraft this morning, 9V-SPM, was one of the latest model and was delivered on February 2000, and first flight was on March 30, 2000. It was also my first flight on 9V-SPM.

9V-SPM at Singapore Changi


Check-in:
I arrived Singapore Changi Airport two hours prior to arrival, and the taxi driver dropped me off at the SQ First class lounge. It was a busy morning here at the first class check-in lounge, but a staff immediately asked me to take a seat and took my check-in bag and passport. He came back five minutes later with a baggage claim and boarding pass. The service was straightforward and the staff was not particularly friendly or personable, just courteous. The goal of check-in experience is efficiency, but nothing addition. Compared to its spectacular air service, ground service is lukewarm at best. The staff did not enter my bmi number into the reservation. They seemed a bit hassled due to the crowd.

Check-in lounge entrance


Check-in lounge seating area


Nice floral arrangement



Lounge:
Singapore has recently changed its lounge admittance policy, and as a first class award ticket holder, I am now allowed to use the Private Room (TPP). The attendant brought me to the TPP entrance and it felt good to pass through the J lounge, then the F lounge and then into the TPP. The TPP was just a private first class lounge and there was a private dining room with an on demand menu. I was addressed by my last name during the whole stay. I first headed towards to the dining room and had a nice breakfast of duck congee. It just hit the right spot in the early hour.

Dining Room


Breakfast Menu


Duck Congee


The lounge was spacious with plenty of individual stations to sit on!


There are numbers of seating areas surrounding some flat screen TV.



The really nice floral arrangement

[Carfield]

Shower suites at the men’s room – quite nice




I don’t consider being too intrusive but a staff eventually spotted me taking photos and whispered into my ear that photo taking is not permitted. Sorry that I can’t take too many good pictures, but you can find plenty of them at www.sqtalk.com, and the TPP is really not that particular special. You don’t miss out much. As consistent with my SQ experience, its ground experience is really lukewarm and staffs are definitely not particularly outstanding. The lounge is nice and I appreciate the opportunities to look at planes unlike some other SKL lounges. I manage to take picture of this A380 9V-SKE parked at A5.


There is no boarding announcement and I notice staffs will notify passengers what time they should go to the gate. There is no escort service to the lounge like Asiana or Thai Airways, or even LAX. I presume SIA’s hub is too large, but it will be nice to have that service. I notice many white coats sitting around not really doing much, and personal escort service will complement the legendary on board service.

Boarding:



Our boarding gate this morning was gate A16, which was very far from the lounge and you have to take an aero-train to the furthest gate in the terminal. There is still no separate first/business class security lane despite it serves five gates and there is a Garuda flight happening too. If the major US airports can manage, I don’t know why Changi can’t manage a separate first/business class security lane. Thankfully it was not crowded and I went through security rather quickly. Boarding was going on, and the flight looked quite busy with many Japanese heading home. Economy class was quite full on this segment, as well as business class. First Class was booked with four passengers (all thru to LAX the evening before), but when I went onboard, it was completely full.

It was nice to sit in the nose again, and here are a couple cabin shots to start the trip report. There are plenty of them around, but you are never ceased to amaze by the nice and elegant cabin. There are no high walls to block the natural light, and the Givenchy suites look as good as ever. It felt good to be back on this elegant plane.



My seat 2A all the way to LA!


The CS immediately welcomed me onboard and Gennifer, a green dress, immediately led me to my seat. She seemed to notice that I was a bit a surprised with the heavy load. She immediately told me that they were off duty cockpit crew heading to Tokyo for re-positioning, since Osaka Kansai stop was dropped beginning that day, and a Boeing 777-300ER crew had to fly in too, and some of them were flying to Haneda too. She immediately offered me a beverage, followed by the usual headsets, menu, magazines & newspapers, and amenities (slippers, socks, eyeshades) offering. No pajama was offered though, despite amenity kit was handed out later. Hot towel was then offered as the door was closed early at 9:24am. The cabin crew was all very senior working on today’s flight. It was definitely a nice omen for an above average Singapore Airlines flight.


Singapore Airlines Airbus A340-500 9V-SGE at nearby gate – heading to Newark


Flight information:
We pushed back on time at 9:27am and flying time was a short six hours this afternoon – a bit disappointing as less time to enjoy the SIA service. Taxi was short, as we were using R/W2L this morning. After a Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777-200ER 9V-SRP took off, we took our turn and lifted off at 9:43am, and a fellow Boeing 777-300ER 9V-SWM was ready to fly to Seoul and San Francisco. Seat belt sign was turned off at 9:51am, and our aircraft climbed towards 36,000feet, and then slowly climbed up to 37,000feet and 39,000feet and then passing Naha/Okinawa, and then to Narita. Almost completely over water!

[Carfield]

Wines & Catering:
Beverage was served short after takeoff, and I took a glass of the nice Cloudy Bay. Chicken and lamb satays are served afterward and cashews were offered afterward. Gennifer than inquired that lunch would be served an hour later and if I preferred a later or earlier time.

A glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Marlborough, New Zealand


Chicken & lamb satay


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
Or
Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Alexander Valley

Mazis-Chambertin 2001 Faiveley

Port
Graham’s 20 years old Tawny Port, Portugal

Menu:
SQ 12
Singapore to Tokyo

Lunch
Yoshihiro’s Choice
Kyo-Kaiseki

Ichino-Zen
Sakizuke
Bamboo shoot, udo and squid toassed with kinome dressing
Sakura flavored beancurd, dashi jelly, salmon roe
Octopus, prawn and okra in daishi jelly
Mukozuke
Seared Tasmanian Salmon-trout, wasabi, mixed baby lettuces, soya-egg-yolk dressing

Oshinogi
Chilled green tea noodle, spring onion, wasabi, seaweed
Grilled fish paste terrine, prawn with egg yolk sushi, bracken fern

Futamono
Grilled teriyaki style beef, carrot puree, shishito peppers

Nino-Zen
Yakimono
Grilled tilefish topped with sea urchin, butterbur
Grilled kinome flavored bamboo shoot
Gohan
Steamed rice with green peas
Clear soup with mugwart curd, bamboo shoot
Assorted pickles

Mizumono
Roasted tea ice cream with red bean jelly

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


Appetizers
Smoked salmon carpaccio with caviar, avocado mousse and baby mixed lettuces


Duckliver terrine with kamquat compote and champagne jelly

Soups
Chinese style sweetcorn soup with chicken and crabmeat
Lobster bisque with brandy and chives


Salad
Fresh spinach and Belgium endive salad
Ume Shiso dressing
Thousand Island Dressing


Main Courses
Grilled sirloin in red wine herb sauce, carrot, green asparagus, parsnip and potatoes




Seabass with lobster sauce, braised young leek, fava beans and buttered new potatoes
Singapore style chili crab
A whole crab stir-fried in a spicy chili sauce served with mantou and steamed rice
A celebrated local dish
*Potato Gnocchi served with Roquefort cheese sauce, sautéed ceps and arugula lettuce
Specially prepared meatless selection

Desserts
Chocolate dome with mango ice cream



Cheeses
Selection of camembert, sundried tomato cream cheese, smoked scamorza and emmenthal cheeses served with garnishes

Fruits
Fresh fruit in season

[Carfield]

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



Lunch service began at 11:20am with hot towel and then the meal was very nice. I chose the international selection today, and the salmon and caviar appetizer was quite nice. I love the lobster bisque, as well as the salad – very fresh and the dressing was nice. For entrée, I selected the sirloin steak and it was cooked to my liking – medium (some of you who like rarer meat should let F/A know). The presentation was excellent. I finished the meal with the chocolate dome with mango ice cream dessert.

We were over South China Sea after the meal service!


Then I had the opportunities to chat with a few SQ staffs regarding the Boeing 747-400. I spoke with a lady, which had worked for the SIA for a long time. I did not catch her name, but she promised to read this report. I just wanted to say a sincere thank you for learning so much about SQ history. It must be an amazing experience to work the Boeing 707 and all these planes following that. She recalled the beginning of the Megatop on the London flight, and this plane had an elegant ambience that no one can replace. The off-duty pilot also joined the conversation, and it was a nice flight. Gennifer than took me to the upper deck and I manage to take a few pictures. She also offered to take my camera and took a few pictures of other cabins in the aircraft! I really appreciate her gesture!

My neighbor at 1B, Jack, and I at the upper deck


Business Class Main Deck


Business Class Upper Deck


Economy Class


Staircase to Upper Deck


Toilet

[Carfield]

Floral Arrangement


Amenity drawer


Flight Attendants:
I really did not think I need a separate section to discuss the wonderful flight crew. Gennifer and Brian did an excellent job, and the service did not disappoint. The F/As constantly checked on passengers, and the flight went by quickly. You would never feel thirsty or hungry on a SIA flight, and all the F/As were personable and we had a nice chat on the situation in Japan and the ending of Boeing 747-400 service, and the implementation of Boeing 777-300ER. I found out that all F/As were cross-trained in all aircraft, so they would work the Boeing 777-300ER on the NRT to LAX segment the next day.

Arriving:
Descent began at 4:13pm local time, as Japan was an hour ahead of Singapore! A final hot towel service was offered again minutes later, and we landed on R/W34L at 4:48pm. The tarmac looked busy especially the cargo area.

Busy cargo tarmac – noted the Turkish Airbus A330 freighter


Apron – ANA’s A320


9V-SPM parked at gate 46 ten minutes later, next to a Thai Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER HS-TKJ and All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300ER winglet JA620A.

9V-SPM at gate 46





Busy catering


ANA Boeing 767-300ER Winglet JA620A

[Carfield]

Transit:
The transit was scheduled to be an hour and forty-five minutes and with our early arrival time, our transit time was almost two hours. The new time was to accommodate the original A380 flight. I presume SQ cannot change much as the slots are already given at NRT and LAX, both busy airports. Knowing SQ NRT operation, the turnaround time at NRT can be as short as an hour, as the ground staff was quite familiar with the procedure. I headed to the ANA Suite lounge immediately, as security line was not busy at all. I wanted to take advantage of the quick Tokyo Internet and download most of these pictures first. The Suite lounge was actually quite busy and an attendant immediately brought me a drink and hot towel. The food selection included some sushi rolls, sandwiches, soup (Minnestrone), canapés, salad, warmed dishes of curry, noodle selection, cakes and sweets, with the usual self-serving beverage bar. The lounge was nicer than the one in Satellite Five.

ANA Seating Area




Then I left the lounge a bit earlier as I wanted to shop a bit, and the scene was actually a bit sad to look at. 5pm was usually the peak transit time at Narita and there should be crowds everywhere in the stores, restaurants, and gate areas, but it was eerily quiet. At the gate area for the evening Asiana 747 service to Incheon, there was fewer than 30 passengers waiting to board this Combi HL7421 (of course cargo load must be quite good), which was the them for all the flights in nearby gates. I walked towards the shopping corridor between Satellite 4 and 4, and it was just very quiet. I bought a few duty free items and it was a bit sad to see the quiet scene here. I wish to see the busy scene soon in Narita. I noticed a few moving walkways were closed due to energy conservation.

Connect to
SQ 12 NRT-LAX Lv1915 Arr1330 Boeing 747-400 9V-SPM

Boarding:

Back at Gate 46, the boarding area looked somewhat busy but the load was lighter than the inbound flight to NRT. First class was back to four of us flying earlier from Singapore, and a few off-duty cockpit crews positioning to LAX for the return Boeing 777-300ER flight. Business Class looked quiet in the main deck, as well as upper deck. Boarding began at 6:38pm and a new crew was welcoming us. CS Anthony welcomed me in the door and led me to my seat. He was one of the friendlier (and cuter) CS I have come across in SIA. Another green dressed Singapore girl, Karina, immediately asked for pre-takeoff beverage order and offered newspapers, amenities, and pajamas. Amenity kits were pre-placed at our seat, as well as menu and headsets. I spent sometime chatting with my new friend, Jack, and took another opportunity to take a few pictures of the cabin. My Krug arrived shortly after, and boarding was completed early at 7:04pm. We pushed back three minutes later and took off from R/W34L at 7:24pm.

Cabin shot:
Can’t help it to post more pictures




Flight information:
The routing was rather simple today, as we basically crossed the Pacific Ocean and did not reach the West Coast till passing Half Moon bay and Monterrey Bay. We cruised at 33,000feet, and then climbed to 35,000feet, 37,000feet and 39,000feet. The flight was quite choppy throughout the flight. Flying time was eight hours and fifty-three minutes.

Flight Map getting closed to Monterrey Bay


Wine & Dine:
I switched to Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc after takeoff and satays were offered short after.


I had the Kyo-Kaiseki meal for this segment, and the Japanese meal was quite nice. I originally wanted to start with the beef broth before the meal, but the turbulence was quite bad so we had to skip it. Even the Japanese soup was quite difficult to serve at time. Karina tried her best though.

Menu
Kyo-Kaiseki by International Culinary Panel
Ichino-Zen

[Carfield]

Sakizuke
Sakura tofu, umadashi jelly, wasabi, shiso flower


Baby squid, simmered prawn and spring cabbage


Marianted clam, bamboo shoot, green beans, mountain vegetables and salmon roe


Mukozuke
Sea bream marinated with kelp, ume shiso dressing
Baby leaf


Oshinogi

Cha soba with granishes
Sea bream sushi, simmered octopus,
Ginger


Futamono
Miso flavored braised Wagyu Beef, flower wheat gluten
Red konjac (yam paste), spinach, leek julienne
The beef was really tender and the flavor was very good. I love the Red konjac and accompanying vegetables!



Nino-Zen


Yakimono
Spanish mackerel saikyo-yaki, pickled turnip, yuzu julienne


Grilled Chicken roll with vegetables, vinegared lotus root


Gohan
Steamed rice with sea bream

[Carfield]

Clear soup with clam, kinome leaf and udo
Assorted pickles


Mizumono
Seasonal fruits with wine jelly in orange shell



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

Appetizers
Chilled malossol caviar
With melba toast and condiments

Chicken terrine with waldorf salad

Soups
Seafood Chowder
Beef broth with shimeji and enoki mushroom

Salad
Salad of fruit tomato with mizuna, rucola and frisee
Ranch dressing
Miso Vinaigrette

Main Courses
*Seared beef fillet, cabernet sauce, creamed spinach with Parmesan cheese, roesti potatoes
*Exclusively created by International Culinary Panel
Gindara no saikyo yaki
Grilled silver cod with saikyo-an sauce, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Sautéed seafood in garlic sauce, capsicums and boiled parsley potatoes
*Spinach fettuccine in Alfredo sauce with Swiss brown mushrooms and parmesan cheese
Specially prepared meatless selection

Desserts
*Milk Chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh raspberry
*Exclusively created by International Culinary Panel

Cheeses
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 & fine teas served with pralines

Dinner was finished with an excellent fruit jelly dish, which is beautiful in presentation and tastes excellent. I had my usual glass of JW Blue Label and asked Karina to make my bed. I watched an episode of “Absolutely Fabulous” and “Big Bang Theory” before falling asleep. The entertainment system was on demand, but not working too well. The videos kept on cutting in the middle of conversation and I guess 9V-SPM was sadly showing its age.

JW Blue Label Whiskey


My bed at 35,000feet



An extensive midflight snack on demand menu was offered, but the flight was really too short, unlike the inbound flight.

Light Bites
Noodles
Kitsune Udon
White wheat noodles in light fish broth garnished with sweetened beancurd and fish cake

Tempura Udon
White Wheat noodles in light fish broth garnished with tempura

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian instant noodles

Sandwiches
Seafood with herb sauce sandwich
Meatless onigiri

Snacks
Cashew nuts, honeyed walnuts or macadamia nuts
Potato Chips
Chocolate bar
Japanese pancake
A selection from the fruit basket
Assorted biscuits

Morning time:


Breakfast:

About ninety minutes prior to arrival, light was turned on again, and breakfast was offered. Karina had asked all the passengers if they wanted breakfast prior to arrival. Hot towel was offered and then Karina took our beverage order. I started with the usual fresh fruit plate, followed by fruit yogurt, and I also had some toasts for breakfast. Then I chose the lobster dumpling noodle soup as entrée. It was a good meal and hit the right spot at the time of the flight. My only complaint was the flight was too short to enjoy all the amenities and the fine bed.

Before touch down
As your destination nears, refresh your senses with our delightful culinary treats

Kyo-Kaiseki

Ichino-zen
Simmered sardine with plum flavor, mountain miso kimpira
Simmered baby potatoes, bamboo shoots, carrot and green beans

Nino-Zen
Deep-fried tofu, shiitake mushroom, shishito pepper, grated radish with chili and chive
Grilled spicy cod roe, grated radish
Grilled salted salmon
Assorted pickles
Omelette with mountain vegetables, boiled butterbur in soy sauce
Steamed rice or porridge
Miso Soup

International Selection
To Start With
A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice


Fruits
Fresh Fruit Plate
Sliced papaya, kiwi, orange, pineapple, grapefruit, & strawberries


Starters
Choice of cereals or yogurts
Granola with milk
Plain or fruit yogurt

[Carfield]

Entrées
Lobster dumpling noodle soup
Egg noodles in rich broth garnished with lobster dumplings and vegetables



Warm Belgium waffle with mixed berries compote and whipped cream

Fresh eggs prepared onboard (baked, boiled, or scrambled)
Served with choice of bacon or chicken sausage, tomato and mushrooms

From the Bakery
Assorted breakfast pastries and bread with butter, jam, marmalade or honey
Toasts, croissants, Raisin Danish, muffins, and wheat rolls



Finale
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas

Flight Attendants:
I really can’t say enough about Karina throughout the flight, and she was always friendly. Anthony, the CS, was outstanding, and they were all excellent and personable. There is really nothing to complaint about, and the big surprise happened after breakfast – Anthony, Karina and Jessica came by my seat and offered me a “special” menu – which was signed by all seventeen cockpit and flight crew to commemorate this final flight. They all knew about the sentimental value of being on this last Boeing 747 flight to LAX. The special booklet really caught me off guard because they were willing to put so much effort into it – putting all those pictures together and I was surprised that they had all the tools onboard. I was literally speechless because this was definitely one of most touching things that any flight crew had ever done. I honestly did not know how to react. I could not resist by taking a picture with all these wonderful F/As and the CS. This flight would definitely live long in my mind.


Not your typical menu





My new SQ teddy bear sitting at 2A


Sitting by the window pane

[Carfield]

Approaching West Coast




Approaching LA


Arrival:
Descent began at 11:49am and it was a beautiful day in Southern California. We landed on R/W24R at 12:17pm and parked at gate 102 at 12:32pm, which was an hour earlier than scheduled arrival time. I bid goodbye to the wonderful SQ F/As and headed towards immigration, which was not too busy as the only other plane was the Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-400 from Frankfurt. I have recently bought the NEXUS pass, and it was my first time using the Global Entry machine, and it was indeed simple and a 100% well worth investment. I made it out in no time, and my first class tagged suitcase came out among the first batch of bag. The Singapore Airlines agent at LAX was friendly and we had a nice chat about the beautiful weather. She was there to take care of the connecting bags and the flight was perfect from the moment I boarded the plane to my departure from TBIT.

Gate 102 – SQ 11/12


TBIT at LAX


Asiana Airlines Flight HL7418 as OZ 201


ANA Star Alliance Boeing 777-300ER JA731A



Conclusion:
I honestly have been on many Singapore Airlines flight in first and business class, and had been on excellent flights, as well as some really poor ones, especially a particular SQ 12 NRT-LAX flight half a decade ago in first class. People often complained about SQ F/As of being robotic and not personable, and SQ really has made an effort during the past few years in improving the social skills. All the F/As and staffs that I came across in the flight were wonderful, once I was in the plane. The weakest part of the experience was the indifferent staff in Singapore Changi Airport and the Private Room. Nonetheless I am touched by the kind acts of all SQ F/As and definitely look forward to my next Singapore Airlines experience. Thank you again and LAX will miss Singapore Airlines’ unique fleet of Megaptop.

One Final Look at the First Class Cabin


Goodbye Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 9V-SPM at LAX!

[soarbeyond]

Excellent Trip Report !
I'm gonna miss those birds soon as well as those magnificent Sky Suites !
I remember the crew making and giving me something similar to your menu a few years ago ! I've gotta dig it up soon !

[StarG]

For me, the flight marks the end of an era.
Will miss the 744s in LAX.

Nice TR, thanks for sharing it with us Carfield.

[calvinoeh]

Thanks for sharing! The menu gift was a nice touch by the crew.

[JMNG]

Nice! BTW, did you see any damage/cordoned off area at NRT?

[Carfield]

Thanks

Thanks for all your kind comments!

As I wrote in the report, some of the moving walkways were closed to conserve energy,but I did not see any damage area inside the Satellite 4 of Terminal One. Knowing the Japanese, any damages would have cleaned up by now, and Narita did not really suffer major damages like Sendai or that area. It basically looked the same as before, except there were less people!

Carfield