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SIA 737 MAX 8 Business Class from Hanoi to Singapore

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  • SIA 737 MAX 8 Business Class from Hanoi to Singapore

    TR INDEX

    1. Introduction
    2. Changi Airport T2
    3. Lounge: T2 SilverKris Lounge
    4. Flight: SQ192 SIN-HAN on Airbus A350-900XWB 2-Class Medium Haul Configuration in Economy Class
    5. Hotel: JW Marriott Hanoi
    6. Dining: Vua Chả Cá
    7. Lounge: Song Hong Business Lounge at Hanoi Now Bai International Airport
    8. Flight: SQ193 HAN-SIN on Boeing 737 Max 8 in Business Class
    9. Final Reflections

    INTRODUCTION

    I was recently asked to head to Hanoi for a short business trip. For this journey, I took the opportunity to book my return sector on SQ's new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Probably to avoid the negative connotations of the 737 MAX name, these aircraft are now referred to, by both Boeing and by SQ, as 737-8's, however the overall jet family remains the Boeing 737 MAX. After rigorous testing and (re-)certification by the FAA etc, these planes are now back in service, and regarded by FAA, SIA and yflyer ( ;-) *wink* ) as safe to fly...



    My outbound SIN-HAN sector was flown on SQ's regional workhorse A359, in a 2 class medium haul configuration, with my return HAN-SIN operated by the 737-8.

    I was, of course, booked in economy class on both sectors, however I was very keen to try the new 737 business class product, which has a groundbreaking new lie-flat seat that is intended to bring the 737 business class experience on par with that on SQ's wide body aircraft. So when I received an online offer to upgrade from Y to business class for a very reasonable price, I grabbed it right away.

    Quite a few other firsts for me on this trip: This was the first time for me to depart from Changi Terminal 2 since it reopened on 11 October 2022, after closing from 1 May 2020 for extensive renovations. This would also be my first visit to the T2 SilverKris Lounge, since it too reopened that day.

    SQ has revamped it's economy class catering on short haul / regional sectors. The new meal format, for flights less than 3 hours long, is a radical departure from what SQ's Y meals for short sectors used to be. I experienced the new Y meal concept for the first time on my outbound SIN-HAN sector.

    My trip to Hanoi was a very short one: just a one night stay at the JW Marriott Hanoi, and a business meeting the next day before flying out in the evening. On this trip, I would be seeing a very different side of Hanoi from what I experienced on my previous trip there in March 2017.

    Regulars on SQTalk will know there is nothing I like better than a destination run, but I didn't manage one on this trip, as I just had my Moderna/Spikevax bivalent booster shot the week before, and was advised not to run or do any strenuous exercise for 14 days after my jab.

    The JW Marriott Hanoi was an amazing hotel to stay in, with jawdropping architecture, very nice rooms and a huge Executive Lounge. Coverage on the JW coming up as well.

    Let's start with the outbound sector on the A359 in Economy Class...
    Last edited by yflyer; 9 November 2022, 10:38 AM.

  • #2
    My trip began last Monday morning. It was the Deepavali public holiday that day, and I expected T2 to be a little less busy than usual, but it was still quite bustling.



    The SQ check-in area in T2 was towards the far end, at doors 7 and 8.



    Inside, a revamped T2, quite different from what it used to be...with a soaring ceiling in warm bronze tones...



    Keeping with Changi's form, the new T2 carpet design was quite striking...some might say garish...



    I personally am not a fan of the new carpet design -- to me it looks like something gone mouldy, but more importantly, as readers will see later in the TR, I found it a little too plush to comfortably push my wheeled luggage along...

    That aside, I thought the new T2 was quite pleasant, and at least most of the landside departure area flooring was shiny and smooth, which made it easy to handle my luggage...



    Not too many departures that day, although there were many SQ regional flights leaving in the early morning...



    Automated check-in kiosks for economy class pax, with a fairly fast moving bag drop queue...



    Regular check-in desks for business and first class pax...these were quite busy...



    On that day, only the Departure entrance closer to the F gates was operating, with most of the E-side of T2 still under renovations.



    Passport checks were now fully automated, with a scan of the passport, boarding pass and facial recognition all that was required.

    The airside area looked similar to what it was before, except for a change to the new carpets...



    Some of the public seating areas have been revamped...



    While some shops have re-opened, many were still closed...



    It was a fairly long walk to the SQ SilverKris Lounge, which was in E section of the terminal, where most of the shops were still boarded up...



    The T2 SKL was still in it's original location...

    Last edited by yflyer; 3 November 2022, 08:16 AM.

    Comment


    • #3
      The Changi T2 SilverKris Lounge looks to have undergone only very minor renovations since the lounge reopened in October 2022.



      Inside, apart from possibly new furniture and carpeting, the lounge looked quite similar to what it was before.



      The main seating area...



      This looked quite similar to the old seating arrangements and design of the old lounge.



      The lounge was also quite packed...

      Last edited by yflyer; 2 November 2022, 09:40 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        The dining area was also unchanged from before...



        At least in this part of the lounge, the design has, I think, withstood the test of time, and still looked quite attractive and modern (Which is more than I could say for the main seating area...).



        Dining tables for 2...



        A pretty decent buffet spread...



        ...with two large self service islands laid out with both Western and Asian hot food selections...

        Last edited by yflyer; 2 November 2022, 09:42 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          The crowd in the dining area ebbed and flowed, sometimes busy, some times less so. At one point there was a queue for coffee...



          A decent liquor selection, with Tiger Beer available on tap and a nice Teusner red wine...



          Soft drinks, juices, and 0.0% beer available in the fridge...



          2 white wines...



          It was a little early to indulge in a cocktail...



          ...but as good a time as any for a glass of Piper Heidseck Champagne...



          I savoured my morning bubbly before heading over to check out the food selections...
          Last edited by yflyer; 2 November 2022, 09:43 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            There were some very substantial breakfast options available, with an emphasis on local / Asian flavours, although international / western palates were also catered for.

            Some very tasty looking dim sum...



            Char siew bao and lor mai kai...



            Pretty decent looking Chwee kway as well...



            South Asian selections included South Asian Peas Upma and Sambar...



            As well as vadai, with coconut chutney, onion pakoras, and aloo bonda, along with Western style hash browns and croissants...



            Salads and yogurt...



            Cut fresh fruit and sandwiches...



            A highlight was the laksa, in self service format, rather than prepared by counter staff...



            You chose your ingredients...



            Then ladled in the fragrant, spicy and lemak laksa broth...



            There was also fish congee...



            Western style bread pudding...



            ...and pancakes...

            Last edited by yflyer; 3 November 2022, 08:26 AM.

            Comment


            • #7
              There were showers in the lounge...

              Comment


              • #8
                I made myself a bowl of laksa and slurped it down, standing at one of the high tables...



                ...and washed it down with another glass of Piper Heidseck...



                As I left the lounge I also couldn't resist sampling a little of the Teusner "Reubke" Shiraz from the Barossa Valley...



                Overall, I think this is a lounge that checks all the boxes in terms of facilities and F&B, but design-wise, it's clear that the lounge is quite dated, and was just quickly given a once over and re-opened, possibly as a stopgap measure to provide lounge facilities in T2 after re-opening. I hope SQ has a newer lounge in the works somewhere in T2. Positives for me were the catering, especially the local selections and the drink selection. Compared to the Asian dishes, I think the western breakfast spread looked a little uninspired. On the other hand, anyone looking for a local Singapore breakfast would be quite happy with the selection.

                I left the lounge and headed for my gate, F58 which was at the other end of T2...



                Given that only the F gates have re-opened, it is pretty much guaranteed that anyone who uses the T2 SilverKris Lounge, at the far end of the E section of the terminal, is in for a long walk to their gates in the F section of the terminal.



                Must be some sort of tie up between SIA and Singapore's Health Promotion Board...many travellers on SQ will be getting a lot of exercise in the new T2 :-)

                Last edited by yflyer; 31 October 2022, 03:39 PM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  At the gate, 9V-SHO, the Airbus A350-900XWB that would be taking us to Hanoi this morning...



                  Here is a nice view of the distinctive “Mask of Zorro” cockpit windshield of the A350, with its black border…



                  The Virgin Atlantic website gives a good explanation of why the windshield looks the way it does. It turns out that the A350 is the first Airbus aircraft with curved windshield glass that helps with aerodynamics. And the black border? It apparently helps with the thermal condition of the window area, which is quite temperature sensitive.

                  On time boarding…



                  …with Y earphones by the door…



                  Inside, the J cabin, with lie-flat seats in staggered 1-2-1 layout…



                  …and then the Y cabin, in standard 3-3-3 layout, with the latest 2017 Y seats.



                  Bulkhead seats with screens attached to the bulkhead…



                  Very comfortable Y seating, with good width and recline…



                  Bathrooms with off-white countertops and dark wood cabinets…


                  Last edited by yflyer; 31 October 2022, 03:26 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Here is the Y seat fully reclined…



                    No footrests, and no underseat obstructions…



                    Armrests can be raised by pushing button at the base of the armrest…



                    Large widescreen IFE touchscreen…



                    …with a single USB charging point…



                    A/C power…



                    Fold down tray table with cup holder…



                    Vanity mirror in the tray table…



                    Thales 3D Maps…



                    The contents of the seat pocket…



                    No printed menu…the menu would be viewable online…


                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Safety video with Vietnamese subtitles…



                      A smooth take-off on a wet morning…



                      A flight time of 2 hours 44 minutes to Hanoi today…



                      I turned on wifi and logged on to the 2 hour complimentary plan…



                      Paid plans were also available, but none really made sense for such a short flight.



                      You didn’t need to purchase a wifi plan to explore the inflight portal, to check out the menu etc.



                      Today’s breakfast menu…



                      Beverages and amenities…



                      Comment


                      • #12
                        As there was poor weather over Singapore, the seatbelt sign remained on for a long time after take-off.

                        As soon as seatbelts signs were off, breakfast service began, starting from the front of the aircraft…



                        I chose the mee siam.

                        This was SQ’s new short haul economy class meal concept, served in environmentally friendly cardboard containers, with wooden cutlery…



                        When I first saw this, I was a little taken aback. This was a lot more basic looking than what they used to serve in Economy, even on short sectors. In the past we had a proper meal tray with metal cutlery. Now this. Wow. Perhaps this was environmentally friendly, but it sure looked cheap. We seemed to be moving into LCC territory here.

                        On the bright side, the mee siam itself was very tasty, with bouncy prawns and half a hardboiled egg.



                        The gravy was piping hot, and the prawns and rice vermicilli tasted quite delicious.



                        The box looked small, but was quite deep, so there was quite a lot in there, so no issues with quantity.

                        Coffee was served in a paper cup.



                        For a sense of the difference between an SQ Y meal today compared to breakfast on SQ176 SIN-HAN in Y in 2017, take a look at this post.

                        Times sure have changed…



                        This flight had the November Krisworld programmes loaded. Needless to say, SQ’s Krisworld was fantastic, with a huge selection of movies, TV and music.

                        I rewatched the movie “Nobody”, an excellent thriller which made for very satisfying viewing even the 2nd time round.



                        Cabin ambience on this flight was very good. Bright, airy cabin that felt open and spacious even though the flight was very full.

                        Last edited by yflyer; 31 October 2022, 03:34 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Half an hour before arrival, the pilot came on the PA and announced the top of descent…



                          As I was in a centre aisle seat, I was content to watch the descent on the Thales Airshow map…





                          It was an uneventful landing, and on that morning, passengers lucked out as immigration queues were minimal. I was out of the terminal very quickly, and caught a taxi to the JW Marriott.

                          Overall, I thought this was a good flight, with state-of-the-art aircraft and cabin product, and a solid set of cabin crew.

                          As for SQ’s new short haul catering concept, I thought the dish itself was tasty and satisfying, but the presentation just felt very LCC-like and seemed a little incongruent compared to the excellence of SQ’s inflight experience in all other respects. It was the sort of meal I would expect on Scoot or Air Asia, not a premium airline like SQ, and definitely not for the price I paid for my ticket.

                          I would spend the next day or so in Hanoi, but what I was really looking forward to was my return flight in SQ’s new 737-8 business class.

                          To be continued!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Thank you for sharing another trip report yflyer.

                            Did you try any of the dim sum? They sure look tasty.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by SQ218 View Post
                              Thank you for sharing another trip report yflyer.
                              Thanks for reading, SQ218!

                              Originally posted by SQ218 View Post
                              Did you try any of the dim sum? They sure look tasty.
                              I didn't have any that day, but I did try the dim sum and chwee kway at the new T3 Krisflyer Elite Gold lounge last month before my SFO trip, and all tasted really good! Will be covering that in a future TR, but here's a preview for you...

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