Spent 15min of my last evening in Amsterdam at Schiphol's Panaroma Terrace.
Finally to end my trip on a high note, I would be flying SQ's Business Class back home. Was initially expected to fly on the new A350, but with the repeated delays in delivery, I ended up flying on the "officially" 3rd last SQ B773ER service (noted "officially" as one of the A350 flights was swapped with a B773ER a week into operation) from AMS. It would also be the 3rd last day of First Class service from Amsterdam.
Check-in at Schiphol's Hall 3, with no wait at the Business Class counters. Business Class was pretty full today though.
During check-in, the agent asked if we wanted to proceed to the lounge as the lounge is a bit of a walking distance away. Why not, I guess, and the agent proceeded to issue a lounge pass. SQ would be using the contracted Aspire Lounge.
Security was fast (there is a dedicated lane for premium pax) but departure immigration was painfully slow for holders of non-EU passports. The number of counters for non-EU passports could not cope with the non-EU departure travellers, a blip in the Schiphol experience.
And indeed, the lounge was a long 10-15min walk from immigration. Lounge was not only used by SQ, but some other airlines as well as Priority Pass holders too, to name a few.
Lounge seems rather basic and was quite packed. Fortunately, SQ passengers had a dedicated area towards the end of the lounge, with an SQ agent ensuring that only SQ pax get to use the area.
View from the lounge.
F&B selection in the dedicated SQ area was nothing too interesting, and was similar to the main F&B area outside.
Had some light bites and beverages. Now I understood why some regular flyers may turn down the lounge invitation. The lounge is nothing fantastic to be worth the 20min to and fro hike.
FIDS. Schiphol is indeed a very busy airport!
Decided to leave the lounge early to take a look at the terminal departure airside. Anyway, the hike to the gate was even longer than the walk from immigration.
Finally to end my trip on a high note, I would be flying SQ's Business Class back home. Was initially expected to fly on the new A350, but with the repeated delays in delivery, I ended up flying on the "officially" 3rd last SQ B773ER service (noted "officially" as one of the A350 flights was swapped with a B773ER a week into operation) from AMS. It would also be the 3rd last day of First Class service from Amsterdam.
Check-in at Schiphol's Hall 3, with no wait at the Business Class counters. Business Class was pretty full today though.
During check-in, the agent asked if we wanted to proceed to the lounge as the lounge is a bit of a walking distance away. Why not, I guess, and the agent proceeded to issue a lounge pass. SQ would be using the contracted Aspire Lounge.
Security was fast (there is a dedicated lane for premium pax) but departure immigration was painfully slow for holders of non-EU passports. The number of counters for non-EU passports could not cope with the non-EU departure travellers, a blip in the Schiphol experience.
And indeed, the lounge was a long 10-15min walk from immigration. Lounge was not only used by SQ, but some other airlines as well as Priority Pass holders too, to name a few.
Lounge seems rather basic and was quite packed. Fortunately, SQ passengers had a dedicated area towards the end of the lounge, with an SQ agent ensuring that only SQ pax get to use the area.
View from the lounge.
F&B selection in the dedicated SQ area was nothing too interesting, and was similar to the main F&B area outside.
Had some light bites and beverages. Now I understood why some regular flyers may turn down the lounge invitation. The lounge is nothing fantastic to be worth the 20min to and fro hike.
FIDS. Schiphol is indeed a very busy airport!
Decided to leave the lounge early to take a look at the terminal departure airside. Anyway, the hike to the gate was even longer than the walk from immigration.
Comment