SIA 737 MAX 8 Business Class from Hanoi to Singapore

[yflyer]

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...

[yflyer]

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...