SQ32/31 SIN-SFO-SIN in Y: Impressions of Post-COVID San Francisco

[SQfanatic]

Thanks for reading, SQfanatic!

The 9-abreast 3-3-3 on SQ is pretty comfortable, and definitely better than 10 abreast on any 777. 9-abreast on a 777 might be marginally wider, as the 777 fuselage is a little wider, but the difference is not really significant. Once you put 10-abreast on a 777, then it turns nightmarish. I try to avoid 10 abreast 777's (e.g. EK) and 9-abreast 787's where possible.

Of course! Keep up with the amazing TR's as always. They will serve as useful references as in the future, likely Winter 2023 and beyond, Europe will be next on our list at some point. We did go to London & Paris way back in 2005, but next year, probably to Spain & Rome. That plan is still in the works & could be finalized in the Spring for the next holiday season.

I agree, 9-abreast on the 77W is comfortable on any airline. I have also flown CX's 9-abreast version from HKG-MAA-HKG back in 2018/2019 and it was super comfortable and roomy. Aisles were also roomy, too. Even if they bring MAA back (very good likelihood), unfortunately even that would be a 10-across 77W, but I have learned and gotten used to it and not complained that much, because I have also flown UA's 77W (10-across), but it was comfortable enough to mine and my parents' liking.

Now that you mentioned 9-abreast 787's, I'm actually going to face that from SIN-MAA-SIN (SQ528/529) as my dad will again (for him SQ526/529). But at the same time would like to see the 787 in terms of the dimmable windows. No wonder my dad in his last September trip complained how crammed Y is on the 787 to MAA. And that's the unfortunate part of the A350's as well, with the new Y seats on the nonstop SFO-SIN route, which is why after this trip, we are going to try to shy away from taking SQ for a little while for future India trips, even in September. That crammed seat for 17.5 hours may not be worth it, given that my mom has a medical condition and wants to avoid that long of a flight in the future.

I guess the take away here is 9-abreast on any SQ aircraft (A350 and 787 is comfortable enough no matter what). Correct?

For 17.5 hours, it could be a challenge but I'll be seated in the window seat and using the Wifi and entertainment system and sleeping as needed. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to do this long of a flight going alone. In September, there's a likelihood of looking for other airlines, such that the time can be divided more properly in sectors (i.e. 9-9, 10-8, etc)

A380's in 10-abreast are super comfortable! I like EK's A380 Y cabin too. Night and day difference between an EK 10-abreast A380 and their 10-abreast 777. SQ's A380s are great too. While the economics of operating a 4 engine A380 are inferior to the latest generation 2 engine jets, from a passenger perspective, the comfort of an A380 is unbeatable.

It is. Just not sitting in the middle seat. Window seat and aisle seat is great no doubt on it, but sleeping near the window is easier to get sleep when seated in a window seat.

Yeah, honestly while the comfort is good, I'm not really an Airbus guy (more of a Boeing guy), let alone a fan of the A380. The A380 windows are way too big to my liking and sometimes the views aren't as good compared to Boeing planes (i.e 737, 747, 757, 767, or even 777, and very soon 787). Twin engine jets are better nowadays provided the comfort is not so much compromised.

Yes, one has to take care when taking photos, so as not to interfere with the privacy of pax and even cabin crew. I try to take pics of plane interiors when boarding, or from the rear where you don't see faces. And if I do take a picture from the front, I blur out the faces of passengers. Some airlines are very sensitive about taking pics onboard, and also in lounges. I don't hide the fact that I am taking pictures, but I do try to be unobtrusive about it, and if anyone tells me to stop, I stop.

I know that you blur people and that's not a problem. My problem is the fear that could happen if it was mid flight and I was taking a photo of the cabin facing the pax what they would think, that's why if I want to take, I'll take from the back.

It was surprising here, but I respected that. I have taken boarding videos and photos on SQ, CX, and even UA and no one said anything.

About when to take pics, that can usually be a challenge if everyone has already boarded and the flight is already full. Not that we're the last ones to board, but it has its own challenges.

Enjoyed reading your Dubai TR!

Thank you as always yflyer for your feedback & reading my TR's (and of course everyone else's) as always. It is appreciated.

But stay tuned for my TR on SQ31/528, Chennai, some bit of Coimbatore, Palakkad, Trivandrum, and again Chennai. Basically I'll be staying December 20 (night) & December 21, heading to the 3 mentioned places, and back to Chennai from December 27 to January 1 (evening). We will be staying at a hotel in all those places, even if we plan to spend time with family in Trivandrum & Chennai. In Chennai, also plan to catch up with some old coworkers who were part of an offshore team from my last job I had in Minneapolis (before November 2021). New Year's Eve evening, flying SQ529, connecting back on SQ32.

My dad will be leaving in a week and a half (December 11 ex-SFO) and returning back January 11 (ex- MAA/SIN) but he's taking SQ31 and coming back on SQ32...flying Y on SQ31, SQ526, and SQ529, while flying Premium Economy back on SQ32.

SQ and India TR coming up later this month & early January from my side.

[yflyer]

Fantastic as usual. Please don't stop writing these as they are a joy to read. Thank you!

Thanks for reading, jani! A couple of TR's in the works! Just off the plane a couple of days ago after a vacation with Mrs yflyer to Germany and Portugal, which will include coverage of SQ26/25 SIN-FRA-SIN, in A380 Biz and (gasp!) Suites...watch this space! :-)

[yflyer]

Thanks for the fantastic trip report and appreciate you quoting my dad on the equipment he got to and from SFO on SQ31/32.

Thanks for reading, SQfanatic!

I really liked how detailed you were in terms of SQ's Y class on the A359. It looks really nice, but it does remind me of CX's seating on their 10-across 77W, just a touchscreen you have to control everything on, no touchscreen remote.

The 9-abreast 3-3-3 on SQ is pretty comfortable, and definitely better than 10 abreast on any 777. 9-abreast on a 777 might be marginally wider, as the 777 fuselage is a little wider, but the difference is not really significant. Once you put 10-abreast on a 777, then it turns nightmarish. I try to avoid 10 abreast 777's (e.g. EK) and 9-abreast 787's where possible.

I just got off an Emirates A380 yesterday back home in San Francisco (after spending a week in Dubai for a week), and I can tell there's definitely a huge difference in terms of the seat width, but legroom does appear to be similar or sufficient enough. Lastly,

A380's in 10-abreast are super comfortable! I like EK's A380 Y cabin too. Night and day difference between an EK 10-abreast A380 and their 10-abreast 777. SQ's A380s are great too. While the economics of operating a 4 engine A380 are inferior to the latest generation 2 engine jets, from a passenger perspective, the comfort of an A380 is unbeatable.

Lastly, I was hoping to make the trip reports as detailed as your's, but I want to respect people's privacy if they don't want photos taken and just don't want to get stopped, like when walking in the cabin or around the seats. I would have put more detail about the seats, but the problem was the flight was already full that everyone was already sitting so wanted to respect their privacy and did not want any crew to stop me.

Yes, one has to take care when taking photos, so as not to interfere with the privacy of pax and even cabin crew. I try to take pics of plane interiors when boarding, or from the rear where you don't see faces. And if I do take a picture from the front, I blur out the faces of passengers. Some airlines are very sensitive about taking pics onboard, and also in lounges. I don't hide the fact that I am taking pictures, but I do try to be unobtrusive about it, and if anyone tells me to stop, I stop.

I'll post a TR on this as time allows in January (the beginning I'll probably post during my trip as time allows), as when coming back, posting all tends to be a chore.

Enjoyed reading your Dubai TR!

[jani]

Fantastic as usual. Please don't stop writing these as they are a joy to read. Thank you!

[SQfanatic]

Final Reflections

Like my outbound SQ32 SIN-SFO flight, my return sector SQ31 was wonderful. SQ appears to use their newest equipment, and possibly even their best cabin crew on these non-stop USA sectors. I thought the Y catering on this flight was excellent, with good portion sizes and nicely flavoured food. The A359 is a really comfortable aircraft to fly, even in Y: the aircraft is very quiet, and the lower cabin altitude (Compared to the previous generation of aircraft) and higher humidity also helped make this long flight more comfortable, I think.

As for San Francisco, the city looks to be just emerging from it's COVID slump, with many shops and restaurants still closed and a fairly quiet, even deserted city centre. But I did see encouraging signs that tourists were coming back, and I believe companies are starting to urge employees to return to the workplace as well. I hope San Francisco is able to recapture its former buzz and glory soon.

Thanks for reading!

Hi yflyer,

Thanks for the fantastic trip report and appreciate you quoting my dad on the equipment he got to and from SFO on SQ31/32.

I really liked how detailed you were in terms of SQ's Y class on the A359. It looks really nice, but it does remind me of CX's seating on their 10-across 77W, just a touchscreen you have to control everything on, no touchscreen remote. And the seat space I can tell by appearance is a little narrower. I'm not saying it's bad or anything, I can see the difference but it was still comfortable enough when I flew CX and I think next month when I fly SQ's A359 and their 787-10 to MAA, the seats will exactly be the same. My dad did say the 787 was less comfortable with 3-3-3 to his liking, my mom and I are yet to see as it'll be our first time on the 787.

I just got off an Emirates A380 yesterday back home in San Francisco (after spending a week in Dubai for a week), and I can tell there's definitely a huge difference in terms of the seat width, but legroom does appear to be similar or sufficient enough. The EK A380 reminded me a lot of SQ's 77W current seating, which has a touchscreen remote & Voyager 3D maps, just so much to play in and their Wifi is time based though it's by OnAir. It did help to pass the time on a very long 15-16 hr flight both ways.

At this point, from SQ, I am happy they brought back time based, but it's still bad that some of their 77W's have different wifi systems and even if the seating is all new, it doesn't change the fact the aircraft from the age of delivery is old and it eventually needs to go. I'm looking forward to when the 779's actually come and there is more consistency on the Wifi front (stick with 1 system for all kind of aircraft and have it time based). On one hand, I'm pretty happy HKG-SFO has not come back at all or with the 77W. SFO is blessed to only get brand new A359 from SFO-SIN, or even aircraft that are 4-5 years old, which is modern enough. The seating that's on SQ's A359 and 787 is something I'm glad SQ did not implement for their 77W or go 10-across and just waiting to replace all their 77W with the 779.

I'm glad you got to explore San Francisco. As I said, I live 25 miles from there in a city called Hayward and you came just at the right time my friend. No fog usually in September, but October we had quite some unusual summer like pattern with fog and a large difference in temperatures that resemble Summer than they do in Fall. Made it difficult to watch the air show.

I don't go to Union Square at all except during the holidays. During the holidays for sure, if you come, on another hand it'll be bustling with more crowds of people as holiday shopping season is underway plus the ice rink and the tree make for a great backdrop. This year, they lit the tree 2 weeks earlier before Thanksgiving in hopes that there is a recovery from the pandemic in terms of holiday shopping especially.

I'm flying out of SFO on December 18 with my mom on SQ33 (my dad will be flying a few days earlier on Y on SQ31, and coming a few days later after me and my mom on SQ32 in Premium Economy) and returning on SQ32 on January 2 with my mom. I'll report to you on how the Airbus A350 experience is. Again, I'm a Boeing person, but since A350's are only flying here, there's no other option. The Airbus aircraft in the past has always caused more significant clogging to the ears compared to Boeings on a few trips, but not this one recently on the EK A380 (my mom had significant clogging).

Lastly, I was hoping to make the trip reports as detailed as your's, but I want to respect people's privacy if they don't want photos taken and just don't want to get stopped, like when walking in the cabin or around the seats. I would have put more detail about the seats, but the problem was the flight was already full that everyone was already sitting so wanted to respect their privacy and did not want any crew to stop me.

I'll post a TR on this as time allows in January (the beginning I'll probably post during my trip as time allows), as when coming back, posting all tends to be a chore.

[yflyer]

Enjoyable read as usual yflyer. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks very much, SQ218!

[SQ218]

Enjoyable read as usual yflyer. Thank you for sharing.

[yflyer]

Final Reflections

Like my outbound SQ32 SIN-SFO flight, my return sector SQ31 was wonderful. SQ appears to use their newest equipment, and possibly even their best cabin crew on these non-stop USA sectors. I thought the Y catering on this flight was excellent, with good portion sizes and nicely flavoured food. The A359 is a really comfortable aircraft to fly, even in Y: the aircraft is very quiet, and the lower cabin altitude (Compared to the previous generation of aircraft) and higher humidity also helped make this long flight more comfortable, I think.

As for San Francisco, the city looks to be just emerging from it's COVID slump, with many shops and restaurants still closed and a fairly quiet, even deserted city centre. But I did see encouraging signs that tourists were coming back, and I believe companies are starting to urge employees to return to the workplace as well. I hope San Francisco is able to recapture its former buzz and glory soon.



Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

Off the plane into T2...



At that point in time, T2 was only being used for arrivals. Many of the shops were still closed and boarded up.



The new T2 carpets...urggghhhh....



The beautiful new T2 baggage claim...

[yflyer]

Eventually it was time to begin our descent into Singapore.

I noticed that the first row aisle seat in the Y cabin was occupied, but the middle and window seat were empty throughout the flight. I went over and asked the gentleman in the aisle seat if it was ok for me to take the window seat for descent...he nodded and motioned for me to take a seat...



"Great!" I thought to myself...I could now take some pictures out the window...



There were wonderful views out of seat 41K during our descent...



Speed brakes deployed...



Nice view of the whole of Changi Airport as we joined the landing pattern...



Banking low over the Indonesian Islands (Batam?) in order to line up for landing on Runway 02L...



Ships anchored off the East Coast...



On the ground in Singapore...



As one lands, another takes off...



A long taxi to our gate in T2. Still quite a few aircraft in storage on the ground...

[yflyer]

I got hungry again and headed to the rear galley...

Boxes of snacks were laid out...





There were also sandwiches and wraps available...



As usual, I couldn't resist asking for Cup Noodles...

[yflyer]

The flight routing for today took us much further south than my outbound SQ32. Enroute, we overflew the Philippines...



Not much of a view outside, as much of the Philippines was under thick cloud cover...



Pretty good cabin ambience on this flight...

The PEY cabin...



The first Y cabin...



The second Y cabin...

[yflyer]

8 hours into the flight, it was time for the 2nd meal service...perfect timing for dinner...



Thankfully on this flight, it really was dinner (and not "breakfast") on the menu. The choices were Beef Goulash, Thai Chicken Massaman Curry, or an Indian Vegetarian Option...

I chose the Beef Goulash...



...accompanied with a glass of red wine...



This was a very satisfying meal, with decent sized portions and pretty good flavour.

[yflyer]

There were SQ programmes as well, including "Travels with Cabin Crew"



...featuring cabin crew members travelling around Singapore...



...to places such as Changi Village...



...to sample the food...



...or visiting neighbourhoods like Joo Chiat...



...to see the iconic row of heritage Peranakan homes...




In between programmes on Krisworld, I asked D, a very warm and pleasant FSS, for a Bloody Mary...

She was quite apologetic, and replied, "I'm so sorry, we no longer have the Bloody Mary pre-mix...but I can make one for you with tomato juice and vodka if you like?"

How wonderful to have cabin crew go the extra mile like that. I gladly accepted.

"Would you like it spicy?"

"Yes please!"

She headed to the galley and came back a few minutes later with a perfect Bloody Mary.



Thumbs up!

[yflyer]

Lunch service began about an hour and a half into the flight...



For some reason, digital menus were not available on this flight. There was a western option and an Asian option, with meatballs and rice. I chose the Asian option.



This looked really good...



Dessert was chocolate ice cream...



I enjoyed the cheese and crackers as well...



As this was a daytime flight, I spent quite a bit of time browsing Krisworld and watching movies...the selection was very extensive...

There were some interesting programs on music, including the Beatles and India...



...where I learned more about George Harrison's meeting and lessons with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar



There was also a concert recording of Queen live at Wembley...



...with Freddy Mercury in top form...