An Unexpected Journey: Dubai and Kuwait on SQ J/Y and EK Y

[yflyer]

There were restroom facilities within the lounge, including a basic shower stall (literally one stall, or were there two?)



And a dedicated work area.



Wifi was available, but it was fairly slow that day...and this was at a time when the lounge was not particularly busy. If you have an important email to send, don't wait till you get into the lounge to send it!

[yflyer]

I suspect this lounge arrangement works because the AF flight times and SQ flight times do not overlap (The AF flight to CDG departs just after midnight). I doubt this lounge is going to fit both SQ and AF premium pax at the same time.

The lounge is manned by several friendly staff members who were constantly replenishing the food.

I thought the F&B was quite impressive for a small lounge, certainly better than some of the SQ overseas lounges with only 1-2 flights a day.

I was surprised that there was only one white and one red wine available though, given the French love of fine wine.

There was no champagne on the counter, and neither was there a sign saying that any was available. However, while sitting in the lounge, I heard a loud "pop" coming from the catering back room, and a short while later, one of the staff emerged with a glass of champagne, which she gave to another passenger in the lounge.

I held out for a few minutes, but couldn't resist any longer and approached her to ask for a glass as well. She smiled and brought me a generously filled glass of bubbly...

[yflyer]

The rest of this trip was vintage SQ, the DXB-SIN red-eye flight operated like clockwork on a refitted 773.



I was in Y this time, and had picked a seat in the rear of the plane hoping to have an empty seat next to me or if the gods of aviation were smiling, a whole row of 3 to myself.

As it happened, I needn't have worried. Loads today were very light. There was an earlier SQ DXB-SIN flight that day, operated by an A330, which departed a few hours prior.

I had a row of 3 to myself, and would sleep well that night...

[yflyer]

The menu for today...



The Asian selection was Chicken Adobo. Adobo isn’t from Singapore, and isn’t from Dubai. An unusual choice of menu at first glance, until I looked around and realized that many of my fellow pax were Filipinos, and in fact that was the case in Dubai and Kuwait as well, where many Filipinos live and work.

I started with a dry martini...



And chose the fish fillet for my main...







Dessert was an ice cream bar...



Inflight service was superb, and even more personalized than usual on account of the light load...



There was a light breakfast served prior to landing, but I had earlier asked for a do-not-disturb sticker as I wanted to maximize my sleep time...

[yflyer]

After several hours of deep slumber (in Y!), I awoke close to point of descent into Singapore...





The refitted 773 Y seats are not as great for sleeping as the 77W Y seats: the armrests go up, but still protrude slightly from the seat backs, and the metal seat belt attachment points on the side of each seat protrude above the cushions, but these are minor challenges that can be overcome by putting blankets over the seat belt clips.

On the 77W all these issues have been resolved and you have a fairly flat sleeping surface in Y with the seatrests all the way up and no visible seatbelt attachment points.

The flight landed on time, and we breezed through T3 arrivals without any delay.

[yflyer]

A few final reflections...

If I had known I would be going to multiple cities in the Middle East, I probably would have booked the whole trip on Emirates. This would probably have been slightly cheaper, and the connections would have been a little more seamless. This would be especially tempting if my schedule allowed me to fly on Emirates' A380 on the SIN-DXB-SIN sectors.

That said, SQ has a very good product (and schedule/timings) in both Y and J to Dubai, and if it came to choosing between a 10-abreast Emirates 777 vs an SQ anything, I would probably go with SQ if the price difference wasn't crazy, even if it meant separate tickets on SQ and EK, and a slightly higher overall fare.

I have always enjoyed visiting Dubai, and my first experience visiting Kuwait was a positive one as well. Hopefully the next time round I will have a little more time to explore the environs.

Thanks for reading!

[Kyo]

Superb TR, always fascinating to see the Middle Eastern culture!

Wonder if Kuwait has dune bashing activities

[yflyer]

Superb TR, always fascinating to see the Middle Eastern culture!

Wonder if Kuwait has dune bashing activities

Thanks, Kyo! I am still in learning mode when it comes to Middle Eastern culture (and cuisine...). What continues to surprise me are the differences in culture and mindset from one nation to the next in that region...

Dunno about the dune bashing, though ...

[orionmiz]

Just asking, on your return trip from Dubai, is there amenity kit given to you?

[yflyer]

Just asking, on your return trip from Dubai, is there amenity kit given to you?

I can't recall for sure, but I believe they do.

The Y amenity kit is a zipper bag with a toothbrush and a pair of socks. There are also toothbrushes in the drawer in the Y restrooms.

[orionmiz]

Sidenote: Just noticed that they changed the plane from B777-300 to B777-300ER for SQ494/SQ495.

Hope they keep it that way. Will be flying there with SQ on January for Dubai marathon.

[yflyer]

Sidenote: Just noticed that they changed the plane from B777-300 to B777-300ER for SQ494/SQ495.

That is great news! For such a long sector, the newer/better seats and IFE will make a big difference in J and Y.

Hope they keep it that way. Will be flying there with SQ on January for Dubai marathon.

You must be training hard for that right now. Do you travel to many places for marathons? Hopefully the weather is cool next January!

[orionmiz]

You must be training hard for that right now. Do you travel to many places for marathons? Hopefully the weather is cool next January!

Yup, running on different countries to have that different running experience. 2 weeks after Dubai will be Taipei, again flying on SQ.

[yflyer]

Yup, running on different countries to have that different running experience. 2 weeks after Dubai will be Taipei, again flying on SQ.

Wow, impressive!