BA15/16 SIN-SYD-SIN: British Airways 787-9 to Sydney, and Uluru from the Air

[yflyer]

In May 2024, I had to make a business trip from Singapore to Australia, first heading to Melbourne, then Brisbane and Sydney, before heading home.

I had travelled to Sydney 2 months prior, in March 2024, on Scoot, in the ScootPlus cabin, but I had a terrible experience on that trip: the flight was delayed 2 hours, the cabin and seat were in poor condition, and the catering was dismal. It was not an experience I was keen to repeat. So for my next trip I decided I would rather fly economy on a full service airline, rather than subject myself to Scoot again, even in Scootplus.

I decided to fly BA to Sydney in Y on the SIN-SYD leg of BA15, a flight which originated in LHR. I returned to Singapore on BA16 SYD-SIN ten days later. On my return flight, I finally managed to sight Uluru from the air, at cruising altitude, something I had been trying to do for many years.

BA15/16 used to be operated by Boeing 777-300ER's. They then switched to the 787-9 before upgauging it to the 777-300ER again from October 2024. At the time I flew, this flight was still being operated by BA's 787-9, which was great, as I had not flown on BA's 787-9 before and I was keen to check it out.

[yflyer]

British Airways flight BA15 SIN-SYD was a 7.25pm departure that got you into Sydney at 5.10am, with a flight time of just under 8 hours. British Airways operates out of Changi T1.



There were no check-in queues at 5.50pm. My guess was that the majority of pax on this flight would have started their journey in LHR, with Singapore as their transit stop.

Once airside, I was amused to see this signboard advertising a weekly Ukelele performance. As if there weren't enought things to keep pax entertained at Changi Airport already.

[yflyer]

I headed straight for the BA Lounge which was open to Oneworld Sapphire members.

I was going to lose my QF Gold / Oneworld Sapphire status in a few months time (Since the pandemic, I have been flying less frequently, not enough to main status on both Star and Oneworld). This would be my last Oneworld hurrah before I switched to flying Star Alliance carriers exclusively.



This was a very nice lounge, with great facilities and decor.



It was also surprisingly quiet before the flight, mainly because many J / F pax on BA15 were transit pax, and would only have very limited time to use the lounge after deplaning from their LHR-SIN leg.

Lounge seating...



High tables...



High tables with a vew of the T1 arrival area.



Relaxation space...



There were well equipped shower rooms, all available for use at the time I was there.

[yflyer]

F&B options were pretty comprehensive, with a buffet spread...



...as well as dine-on-demand options.



Dedicated seating in the dining area.

[yflyer]

A very nice self service bar setup.



Lays potato chips...



A nice selection of red and white wines....



...all fully written up.



A choice of 2 sparkling wines, a Prosecco...



...and a French Cremant de Bourgogne...

[yflyer]

I was quite impressed with the dinner buffet spread.

Mushroom soup...



Chicken satay (Not as good as SQ's satay, though)...



Spring rolls...



Shanghai chicken dumplings...



Curry and yellow rice...



Beef stroganoff, and roasted pumpkin...



Dessert and fruit...



Sandwiches...

[yflyer]

I sampled a bit of everything. Pretty tasty.



A generous pour of Tequila Blanco on ice before heading to the gate...



Overall, I thought this was an excellent lounge to spend time in before a flight.

[yflyer]

At the gate Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-ZBKI, an 8 year old aircraft first delivered in 2016.



This was a 4 class aircraft. I was not able to see the F product onboard, but the J product was BA's forward/backward Club World seats, with all seats having aisle access.



Premium Economy in 2-3-2...



Economy in 3-3-3...



I was in the emex window seat today.



This was a comfortable seat, with lots of legroom.



The IFE controller was by the side of the armrest, which also held the tray table.



Fold-out IFE screen.



The IFE screen was slightly smaller than those on SQ Y, and marginally less crisp and bright, but the IFE movies and TV selections were pretty good.



The user interface was quite easy to use...



USB power...



...as well as A/C power.



Bathrooms styled in grey.

[yflyer]

The sun was setting as we prepared to push back.



Take-off on Runway 20C...



Over the coastline...



Wifi was available on this flight...



Time-based internet access for a fee...



Low cost messaging plans were also available...

[yflyer]

After take-off, drink service. Now this was they way to serve a Gin & Tonic. SQ please take note!



After drink service, dinner was served.



The tray as served...



There were 2 choices of main avaiable. I chose the Asian-style chicken curry with rice.



After my recent ScootPlus experience on the SIN-SYD sector, which had shocking catering, it was so nice to have a full dinner tray in front of me.

The appetiser was tangy and quite tasty.



The main was very satisfying as well.



Coffee/tea were served after dinner.



After dinner, I knocked right out and slept for much of the flight.

[yflyer]

An hour prior to arrival, a hot snack was served, along with your choice of beverage.



This was a ham and cheese puff.



We landed in Sydney just after the 5am arrival curfew lifted.



As we were among the first to land that morning, getting through the immigration e-gates was quick.



I was now landside at international arrivals. From there, I boarded a complimentary shuttle bus to SYD T3 for my QF domestic connection to Melbourne.



I arrived for my 7.45am connection, BA7443, SYD-MEL, a QF codeshare operated by a Qantas 737 with plenty of time to spare.



I spent most of the 1+ hour flight from SYD to MEL asleep in my emex row seat...



Overall, I had a great flight on BA15 from Singapore to Sydney. The seat and IFE were good, the catering was tasty, and the cabin crew were friendly. The icing on the cake was the wonderful BA lounge at Changi T1. My connection from Sydney to Melbourne on QF went without a hitch too.

So far, no regrets taking BA Economy to Sydney this time round, rather than attempting ScootPlus again.

[yflyer]

I spent the next 10 days in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney before catching BA16 from Sydney to Singapore.

I ate well in Melbourne, revisiting old favourites as well as checking out new places.

I dined at Movida Next Door at Hosier Lane, enjoying their take on Spanish fare...



...and sampled a fair number of their excellent sherries...



I headed to The Roe, an award-winning restaurant in the suburb of Glen Waverly, which specialised in sea urchin.



Sea urchin, with its unmistakeable taste of the sea, is one of those delicacies which you either love or hate. I personally love the eating this, so when Miss yflyer no.1, who now lives in Melbourne, suggested eating there, I eagerly accepted.

There were apparently very good reasons to consume sea urchin in Australia.



This restaurant, with its unique (Some may say OTT) ocean-themed decor, served up delicious sea urchin in a variety of ways, including a Japanese-style rice bowl.



I found the food there quite delicious, and the service was very attentive too.

After dining, one could also visit the shop and buy sea urchin to take home...



...along with all manner of sea urchin-related snacks and merch.



While in Melbourne, I also managed to catch up with fellow SQTalker Kyo for drinks at the bar at the Intercontinental Melbourne.

[yflyer]

From Melbourne, I flew to sunny Brisbane for a few days to attend a business event.



There was a rugby tournament on at the time, so the streets (and hotels) were full of fans. I stayed close to Queen Street Mall, which was a very pleasant part of the city to stroll around.



It was a pretty busy work week in Brisbane. I did not have much time for runs, but I did manage to head out one evening for a night run.



Brisbane is quite a runnable city, with many walking/cycllng paths through the city, and along the Brisbane River. The weather in the evenings was very pleasant at this time of year (March 2024) and many folks were out and about in the evening, either running, cycling, or even rock climbing...



I encountered this group out on a fun run...why the party hats, I wondered...



When visiting different cities, I like to head out for runs with just a very basic idea of the route, then decide on the fly where the run would take me. I've seen and discovered many interesting things on runs in this way. Sometimes, this approach works, other times, the mission has to be aborted (I still have unfinished business in Bangkok).

On this occasion, what was supposed to have been a 5-6km run turned into 10km because part of the route Google Maps included a segment over the Brisbane River, which I had assumed was a bridge. It turned out to be a water taxi/ferry, which departed just as I arrived at the pier.



Rather than wait a really long time for the next ferry, I just decided to turn around and head back the way I came, almost doubling the length of my run from 5km to about 10km.

Rather than return along exactly the same route, on my back 5km, I decided to cut through the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. It was already 7pm, pitch dark, when I entered the gardens, and it was very quiet and deserted.



How safe was it, I wondered? I decided to press on. Fortunately the park was very well lit. I sped through it and returned to my hotel without incident.

This was the route I took that evening. A very pleasant route, but perhaps better done in daytime than at night.

[yflyer]

My final stop in Australia was Sydney.

I couldn't resist revisiting one of my favourite running routes, along the coastline from the Royal Botanic Gardens, to the Opera House and under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then to Darling Harbour.



I've covered details of this route in previous TR's. Suffice to say, it was a very pleasant route, almost entirely on dedicated walking/running paths, with a lot to see along the way.



I revisited one of my favourite bars in Sydney, Dean & Nancy on 22...


They have a great team of bartenders/mixologists...


...who really took good care of you...


The cocktails here were supebly mixed, cutting-edge creations...

[yflyer]

After several days in Sydney, I headed to Sydney Airport for my flight home.

First, a quick pit stop at the QF Business Lounge...



...for a snack and a glass of bubbles...



...before boarding BA16 bound for Singapore.