Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Nonstop to NY on SIA:SQ24 SIN-JFK in Premium, SQ21 EWR-SIN in Business, TWA Hotel@JFK

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Nonstop to NY on SIA:SQ24 SIN-JFK in Premium, SQ21 EWR-SIN in Business, TWA Hotel@JFK

    Hello everyone, and happy 2024! I kicked off the travel year with a week long work trip to New York City on 12 January. On this trip, I finally got to fly SQ's new Airbus A350-900 ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft there and back, on the world's longest scheduled commercial flights. I flew there in Premium Economy, then flew home in Business Class.



    Nonstop flights from Singapore to New York started with SQ in 2004, with the 4-engined Airbus A340-500 doing SIN-EWR-SIN, a great circle distance of 9529 miles (Over 15,000km), the world's longest scheduled commercial flight. Then, when SQ started flying nonstop to JFK, SQ24/23 SIN-JFK-SIN pipped SQ22/21 SIN-EWR-SIN by just a few km to be crowned the new world's longest. What's the difference? From a Krisflyer mileage perspective, SIN-JFK gets you 9533 miles, whereas SIN-EWR gets you 9529 miles.

    The last time I flew nonstop from SIN to EWR was in 2006, on SQ's Airbus A345, in what was then called Exec Economy. Those were the days before I began writing TRs, but I did share a brief video of the flight on Youtube here:



    These days the flights are flown on modern twin-engined Airbus A350-900 ULRs, which have a 2 class configuration: 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy seats.

    On my outbound SIN-JFK sector in PEY, I snagged one of the sought after solo seats, located in the rear of the aircraft. There are only 6 of these solo seats, 3 on either side. These seats are special because while the PEY cabin is laid out 2-4-2, these solo seats are standalone (As the name implies), with storage cabinet next to the seat. My opinion of the solo seat coming up later in this TR.



    For my first night in NY after arriving at JFK, rather than head into the city, I checked into the TWA Hotel. This hotel was the iconic former Idlewild Terminal at JFK, designed by architect Eero Saarinen.



    This stunning terminal building, with its soaring curves and public spaces, has been lovingly restored, and is now a hotel, complete with Lockheed Constellation converted into a cocktail bar.



    I spent the rest of the week in Manhattan for work. This was my first post-pandemic visit to NY, and I was glad to see the city as lively and buzzing as ever.



    I flew home on SQ21 EWR-SIN a week later. This was my first time checking out SQ's 2013 J seat in its Airbus A359 version.



    How would this long haul seat fare on such a long 17+ hour sector? Read on to find out!
    Last edited by yflyer; 13 February 2024, 11:42 PM.

  • #2
    SQ24 SIN-JFK is a 12.35pm departure out of Changi T3, which gets you into JFK at 5.40pm the same day US Eastern time, for a block time of 18 hours and 5 minutes -- the world's longest scheduled commercial flight.



    As usual, the T3 landside departure area was serene and quiet...



    No queues at the Premium Economy / Krisflyer Elite Gold check-in counters...



    I was directed to the automated immigration lanes for Singapore passport holders, and got through that very quickly into the airside area...



    I headed straight to the Krisflyer Gold Lounge to chill for a few minutes...



    ...before heading to the gate, where AIrbus A350-900 ULR rego 9V-SGC was being prepped for take-off...



    This was a 5+ year old aircraft first delivered to SQ in 2018.



    This was a wet and overcast day...



    ...and some fairly heavy rain showers passed over the airport as pax waited for boarding to be called.

    Comment


    • #3
      Boarding was called on time...



      A fairly full flight today...



      The Premium Economy (PEY) cabin, laid out 2-4-2...



      These PEY seats are quite comfortable, with good recline and legroom that was a clear step up from Economy, but I could not help feeling that the ambience in this part of the cabin felt a little more like Economy than a premium cabin product. On SQ's A380, the PEY cabin on the main deck is also laid out 2-4-2 (With a different seat design), but the A380 fuselage is wider than the A350.



      PEY emex row seats on this aircraft...lots of legroom.



      The most sought after seats, by far, in this PEY cabin were the 6 solo seats in the rear of the cabin. Instead of a seatmate. you would have a large storage cabinet next to you. With the cabinet closed, you had a very convenient surface for you to put things on.



      These were excellent seats, which afforded both privacy (If travelling alone), convenience, and a feeling of spaciousness very different from the rest of the PEY cabin.



      A view of the seat back. Note some legroom obstruction because of the IFE box, but in practice I found that there was ample space for the feet in this seat.

      Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 12:19 AM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Safety card in the seat pocket...



        ...along with wifi guide (Free unlimited wifi onboard for all Krisflyer members!) and KrisShop catalog...



        ...but still no SilverKris magazine.

        Comment


        • #5
          Each seat came with a large orange fabric pillow, and a thick blanket.



          The tray table was stowed in the armest...



          The storage box was large enough to hold a backpack, or even a rollerboard...



          When closed the storage box lid became a flat surface which could be used as a side table...very useful!



          Seat recline and calf rest were controlled by buttons on the side of the armrest.



          The seat in fully reclined position, with calf rest extended...



          Adjustable footrest...

          Last edited by yflyer; 2 June 2024, 01:52 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Adjustable reading light...



            Bottle of water...



            Large and sharp widescreen touch screen with a huge number of programmes...



            ...including live TV...



            There was an IFE controller, however the touchscreen UI was so good we didn't need it,

            Comment


            • #7
              The headphones looked like those high end noise cancelling ones in business class, but these were a different model, and to my ears, sounded mediocre, and not as good as the business class headphones.



              USB charging port...



              A/C power...

              Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:19 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                A look at the toilet...



                Quite a full flight in the PEY cabin, today....

                Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 12:21 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hot towels are back! The cabin crew came by to hand out steaming hot towels...



                  I have always thought hot towels were a wonderful part of the SQ inflight experience. Hot towel service was suspended during the pandemic. I was so happy to receive one again on this flight.
                  Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:21 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The now-old new safety video...



                    The loudest take-off run I had ever heard from an A350...



                    Views of Changi Bay Park Connector and the Changi Exhibition Centre as we climbed out...



                    We were soon in clear blue skies...

                    Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:25 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      A bright and airy PEY cabin...



                      The cabin crew came round to confirm meal pre-orders.



                      Then, drink service from a tray of pre-poured beverages, including juices and Champagne. No guesses as to what I went for! The Champagne was served in a plastic goblet...



                      ...along with a packet of peas and crackers.



                      Next was meal service...



                      I had pre-ordered the BTC roasted chicken thigh...



                      This looked quite attractive...



                      Shrimp and cous cous as an appetiser...



                      The chicken was tender and tasty...



                      I asked for a glass of Champagne...surprise, surprise, this came in a proper glass!



                      Champagne tastes so much better in a glass than in a thin plastic goblet -- I kid you not!



                      Dessert was Haagen Dazs cookies and cream -- a foolproof crowd pleaser...

                      Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:26 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        By then, we were off the coast of Vietnam...



                        My Champagne was refilled ...I told myself I would hang on to this (real) glass for as long as I could...



                        Lots of music on the IFE...



                        ...and a huge movie selection as well. I watched snippets of an old favourite, Die Hard...

                        Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 09:50 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Later in the flight, I asked for ear plugs and eye shades...



                          "May I have a G&T with a lemon slice please?", I asked the cabin crew.

                          Alas, there were no lemon slices onboard (Sadness! Why does SQ skimp on this most basic of cocktail garnishes?). I would have to make do with a G&T without lemon...



                          I headed to the galley for a snack.

                          There was a selection of crisps, snacks (including the popular sambal ikan bilis bun) and fresh fruit...



                          ...as well as a chicken wrap...



                          In PEY on this flight, coffee / tea was served in cardboard cups...



                          We were now near the International Date Line...



                          I reclined my seat, and fell asleep.
                          Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:29 PM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            9 hours into the flight, the cabin lights came on...



                            It was time for dinner service...



                            I had pre-ordered another BTC item, the Japanese-style Unagi Don...



                            This was both very tasty and appealing to the eye...



                            I paired the unagi with white wine (served in a plastic cup).

                            Unagi is one of those dishes that works really well inflight. There is a similar BTC Unagi option for business class. This dish looks similar to the J version except that the portion size is about 70% of the J portion.



                            After that, another glass of Champagne to wash it all down...


                            Last edited by yflyer; 23 January 2024, 04:28 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              12 hours into the flight, I opened my window shades to take a look...



                              We were now over the Pacific Ocean, approaching Alaska and the west coast of North America...



                              Our routing so far...

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X