California Calling: SQ36 SIN-LAX (J) & AA Domestic First

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As China-US relations deteriorate to new lows and reach levels of hostility not seen since the cold war, I will be moving across the Pacific (hopefully won't end up over Taiwan), from Singapore to Los Angeles, California. In the process, I will take you along on my journey across the pond. First, I have finally had the chance to deplete my KF miles (thanks SQ for extending them) and upgraded myself onto J from PEY. For the first leg of the journey, I will finally be on one of SQ's direct service to the US, SQ36 SIN-LAX, after a three-year hiatus (I used to fly frequently on SQ32/31 to SFO). Then I will hop over the Southern USA via DFW all the way to Savannah, GA on the opposite coast where Stacey Abrams has just been sworn in as Governor!!!

No, I'm ahead of myself.

Anyhow, I visit this slowly (hopefully) purpling state of Georgia to see family members. Then, I head back to LA again via Charlotte, NC where I settle into my new life in the City of Angels. Domestic legs are all on AA First. My itinerary will be as follows:

1. SQ36 SIN-LAX in J (A359)
2. LAX-DFW-SAV in AA Domestic First (A321 & A319)
3. SAV-CLT-LAX in AA Domestic First (B738 & A321)

[RedEyeflight]

Part I of the trip report

SQ now solely operates out of Terminal 3. This is actually not the case when digging deeper as flights depart and/or arrive out of gates in T1 and T2 despite check-in centralised at T3 for now. This is not a problem thanks to the Skytrain system and in any case most SQ flights outside T3 tend to operate out of the C-gates which is within the vicinity of this people mover (at least to my knowledge). T2 will come back online in October this year and serve SQ flights to Southeast Asia.

Terminal 3 drop-off with Changi's iconoclastic structures: The Jewel and Control Tower.



T3 is busy as aviation has surged back. Despite a 6.40pm departure, somewhat before the European/Australian bank of night flights, the check-in hall was crowded given an assortment of Asian and North American departures.



Headed over to row 5 which is dedicated to business class passengers. After a short wait, we were checked in all the way to LAX.



Time to say goodbye to Singapore and head through immigration.



Airside, Terminal 3 was crowded. I was glad to see healthy traffic once more.



Of course, we headed up the escalators to the SilverKris Lounge.

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The lounge was typically SQ-esque. Light and airy, and superbly classy. This was my second time using the lounge this year, the last time was when I flew to PNH in March as KF Gold status still had access to this lounge prior to the opening of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge.



Some pictures of the lounge ambience...








The lounge was fairly busy but had copious space, so it felt comfortable...

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It is nice to see a healthy flow of SQ flights out of SIN. Of course, flights to Mainland China are noticeably absent and it will probably be a while before flights resume and bring things completely back to normal.


Food selection was excellent as always...





Cold sandwiches...



Selection of hot food...

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Vegetarian Dumplings...

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Meals on-demand namely Laksa and Nasi Lemak...



Drink selection...





Bar area...



Some views of the ramp are afforded in the lounge although these are mostly blocked by shutters...



Before long, it was time to head to the gate, C1, quite a long trek away on the other side of the airport at T1. Of course, we had to use the Skytrain...


Gate C1 for our flight SQ36 to LAX.

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Our aircraft for this evening's flight was 9V-SJB, delivered new to SQ in June 2021, making for just a one-year old plane.



Boarding commenced about 40 minutes prior to departure and we were warmly welcomed by cabin crew...



My seat 21D. Classic SQ-long haul J product. These 1-2-1 configured seats have been around since the mid-2010s and take inspiration from their predecessor which were first installed on the B777Ws in 2006...



Cabin crew then offered a welcome drink of juices and champagne. A flight time of 15 hours and 20 minutes was announced.



Menus in J are now back, although no sign of the Krisflyer magazine. Hot towels have also yet to make a comeback. I ask the flight attendants if they have a refreshing towlette and they hand me some wet whipes which was thoughtful of them.

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Pushback occured at exactly 6.40pm and the elegant safety video was shown...



It was a long taxi to runway 02R/20L past the T5 construction site which had just recently been re-activated. Soon we were climbing out of SIN.



Cabin after the seat belt signs were turned off...



Crew came around with more welcome drinks and I opted for orange juice again. Warm nuts have been cut from the service.



Contents of the menu. Amenity kits are distributed upon request. I did not ask for one as SQ already provides slippers and eye shades, while toothbrush/toothpaste can be found in the lavatories.



Two meals on this 15 hour flight (Dinner along with a light lunch served prior to arrival) with refreshments in the middle by-request.







Cocktail menu...

[RedEyeflight]

Meal service began about an hour after take-off. It started with some succulent satay. Every meal comes with a pack of wet whipes.


Then came the appetiser of smoked-salmon salad. The dish was a bit saltish but satisfactory overall.






The main dish of barramundi was great. The fish was fresh and it went well with a slightly tart sauce.







Then came dessert. I opted for the ice-cream. Can't really go wrong. Cheese service now comes on a pre-prepared plate. it used to be that you could chose from a selection of cheeses on a cart.

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Seat tour. Storage compartment.



Privacy divider.



Seat controls.



Sockets...



Reading light settings for different seat positions.



Shoe rack located under the seat.



Slippers and eye shades, along with the footwell for the bed.



Bottle of water and noise-cancelling headphones.



Ear pad covers that come with the noise-cancelling headphones.



My only complaint about the seat is I am unable to fully stretch my legs. I have to turn sideways and place them in the footwell for the bed. But I am quite tall about close to 6ft/180cm.

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Washroom tour.



Oral hygiene and shaving kits.



A nice flower as decoration.



Wifi was also complimentary in J. Information was neatly doled out to each seas via these pamphlets in the literature pocket. I did not use the wifi on the flight, however.



Front (above) and back (below).

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My bed folded down. With about 13 hours left of the flight, I gave in and decided I was going to sleep even though it was early morning in LAX.



I slept for a good 7 hours before waking up somewhere over the pacific. I then went back to sleep and woke up with about 4 hours left into the flight. Overall, the bed was ok because I'm used to sleeping on my side. However, the narrow footwell could not accommodate both my feet when I slept on my back so I was forced on my side the whole time. My feet are quite large and I am quite tall as previously mentioned.



4 hours prior to landing, the lights were turned on and a light lunch was served.

Appetiser included seared tuna.



For the main dish, I went for the salmon fillet. It was well-cooked, nothing to complain about.



I did not have the dessert as I am trying to loose weight.

With 3 hours left of the flight, I watched Up in the Air.

Before long, we were descending into LAX.



Views of Southern California as we made our way into LAX.



That's all for now. Spent one day in LA mostly recovering from jet lag at a hotel on the edge of LAX airport.

Next up, the trip to Savannah on AA in domestic first. It was an absolute disaster. Coming up!

[RedEyeflight]

Part II of the trip report.

We pull up to the kerbside at Terminal 4 at LAX at 8am in the morning. This, and Terminal 5, are used by AA (JetBlue and Spirit Airlines also use Terminal 5). Terminal 4 boasts an iconic curved ceiling and was opened in 1961.

We check-in all the way to Savannah, GA, and we are due to arrive at 10.30pm that night.

Our first flight to DFW is AA2853 departing at 10.44am, operated by an A321.

AA has a dedicated check-in counter for first/business passengers whereas main cabin passengers have to use an electronic kiosk. After check-in, we are directed to Terminal 5 where our flight will depart. We have to walk outside along the kerbside to Terminal 5 as the two terminals were separated by construction for the time being. Once in Terminal 5, we proceed through security which went quite smoothly.



Terminal 5 is quite dated. There are a decent spread of eating establishments but nothing else. Mask-wearing is optional, and while most TSA and check-in staff chose to wore a mask, few passengers did.

As we do not have status with AA, we are not allowed to use the Admirals Lounge. This is something I often take for granted flying within Asia. That is, even if you are flying in first class domestically in the US, this does not guarantee you lounge access. Only international first/business passengers, passengers on select inter-continental/Hawaii-bound routes and those with AAdvantage/Oneworld status can enjoy the lounge.

Our aircraft for today is an A321 registered as N586UW. It was first delivered to US Airways in February 2014. US Airways merged into AA in 2015 to create the world's largest airline.

Our seats for this leg of the journey which we will get across all our segments with AA. Nothing to shout about. These are the new recliners installed across the fleet over the last few years that do not feature any entertainment. AA has been aggressive about getting passengers to stream content through their own devices. They have since stripped their entire domestic and North American fleets of entertainment systems in all classes.



Universal power sockets are located under the seat. The chair does not have a legrest. It only reclines backwards. Frankly, SQ's PEY seat (minus the entertainment system) is probably a better hard product.

Seat pitch is about 40 inches and I was able to stretch my legs fully.



Device holder where you can place an iPhone or iPad to stream entertainment. These are not available in the Main Cabin (Economy).



Quite a large crum greeted me on the centre console.



Pushback occured exactly on schedule. The flight would take 2 hours and 35 minutes.



Waiting in line to depart. B6 departing first on 25R.



Turning onto runway 25R.

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As we climb out of LAX, I spot something rather unusual. A CZ A380 and MU B77W. I did not know that Chinese carriers were operating into the US given all the restrictions on travel to China? I wonder if someone can shed light on what these aircraft are doing at LAX and parked at a remote stand?



We soon overfly the pacific coastline offering views of Venice and Santa Monica beaches.




Banking left as we leave the coast behind and head inland to Texas. Today's flight will take us over the US Southwest namely Arizona, New Mexico and finally Texas.



The service soon starts with hot towels! I wonder when SQ will bring these back. I don't wish to speculate the health concerns that are holding them back from resuming hot towel service. But there probably is a reason why these haven't come back yet, and I respect SQ's decision.



Cabin crew then went around asking passengers for their choice of drink. 30 minutes into the flight we were served our drink of choice along with warm nuts. I just asked for a glass of water.

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Cabin crew then came around to take our orders for the main meal. As the flight was less than 3.5 hours, we were not served a hot meal. It was a choice between a non-vegetarian and vegetarian option. I went for the vegetarian option and we were served a spread of salads.



The main salad was fine. It consisted of dried peppers which blended well with the olive-oil dressing.


Silverware...



Scenery below as we head eastward...