A Wonderful Feeling To Be Back Aboard SQ After Eight Months Being Grounded

[SINFJ]

After dinner, it seems most the pax were sleeping. Well, since I realized the IFS has the new uniform, I can't resist the temptation asking her for picture. When I said I love the new aubergine kebaya, she said how would I know much about the kebaya.




Not to forget, thank you for the LSS who made my flight to Singapore pleasant as always.

Hi SQ LPP, did you manage to get the name of the IFS?? She was the one who served on SQ106 F some 14 months ago when me and the missus travelled to KUL and the missus wanted to pinch a butter dish and asked the IFS if she could take one home ... the IFS looked bemused and smiled coyly, "If you ask, of course I say cannot lah."

[StarG]

And yes, the most important part is loosing the staff who has been part of my last eight years living in Canada. They will be gone. I will loose them as part of my friends and families.

Thank you for the TR, SQ LPP.

Indeed it is a very sad news to hear about the culling of YVR from SQ system. My thought was with the wonderful YVR-based SQ staffs, especially Ms. M who was more than just helpful during my luggage crisis when I visited you two years ago. I have since wrote a letter of compliments to SQ about her.

I sincerely hope everyone in SQ YVR will get through this difficult situation okay, and hopefully SQ will rethink their decision and reinstate services to YVR.

[Kyo]

I'm so sad to hear this from you. Our office just opened in YVR and it would have been one of the reasons I would have paid it a visit. I've never had the opportunity to visit Canada before and it is definitely sad to see it go on such short notice.

I, for one, will write in also, although it seems alot of the time only a standard negative reply comes back (if at all).

Anyway, in the end there are still ways for you to fly on SQ, but yes, it will be more inconvenient. I hope SQ sincerely reconsiders this decision, but maybe they prefer SFO for whatever extra 'prestige' that route brings.

[SQ LPP]

The Unexpected

After getting off from the wonderful experience back on board Singapore Airlines, I was greeted with a sad news when arriving at Changi. Yes, it is in this thread regarding the suspension of SQ service to Vancouver. When I read or heard about suspended, I thought it was a temporary perhaps for couple of months or a year. But in reality it is a closing of the service to Vancouver, or being suspended indefinitely.

It is really a shocking news for me (and that's one of the reason I did not post anything on that thread). In fact it was a shocking news for the SQ staff and management in Canada. The news was delivered Friday morning in Canada. Friday the 13th. Isn't that scary?

What I heard is that the Korean market is very bad. SIN-ICN-SIN doesn't do well. ICN-YVR-ICN is doing fine, especially it is only three times a week. One of the flight, to/from SFO, SQ 15 or SQ 16, was not doing well at all. SQ head quarters had two things in their minds: suspended the service to SFO (SQ15/16) or suspended the service to YVR (SQ17/18). And yes, this was not something that they ponder around. It seemed that it was an instant decision, a quick blow. The SQ big shots decided to cull YVR.

Why YVR? Nobody knows. The load factors and yields for YVR is not that bad. Is it political? And why keeping SQ15/16 when in fact they were not doing well? Why not reduce the frequency for SQ15/16 and keep SQ17/18? I know there is a capacity control agreement for how many pax SQ can have between ICN and North America (shared between SFO and YVR). Is it the suspension of YVR having to do with a pressure from Canadian government? Or is it from Korean government? (After hearing in another news, Asiana will start a service to YVR.)

Doesn't SQ realize that YVR destination giving an option for flyers all over the world who wants to avoid the hassle of going through the US? I believe SQ big shots had made a big blunder in this move. Remember that in a year, Vancouver will host the Winter Olympics. And I am sure, SQ will be able to make a gain from the event.

Is SQ bleeding badly? All the staff and management who works for SQ are all being let go. In this kind of world economic crisis, how can you justify a redundancy of someone who is so dedicated to SQ for the past 20 years? I have met almost all the staff at YVR. I know how dedicated they are towards Singapore Airlines. Worst of all, Canada will no longer be SQ destination. Yes, the last flight will depart on Saturday the 25th of April. (I have been thinking of taking this last flight out from Canada. It will be one of my sad moments in my birthday. ) And starting that day, being the only LPP in Canada doesn't matter anymore. It is like being LPP living in Kenya, or in French Polynesian, or in Brazil. There will be no more god like treatment. And yes, the most important part is loosing the staff who has been part of my last eight years living in Canada. They will be gone. I will loose them as part of my friends and families.

I plead to all SQTalkers here to write to SQ. Let SQ knows how YVR plays an important role in your travel as an alternative of not going through the US. And remember, being 777-200ER, the saver award would stay. MAN Flyer, yvrcnx, jjpb3, cawhite, SQFAN, and others who have met and/or dealt with SQ YVR staff, I beg you to write to SQ to reconsider its decision. All SQTalkers who live in Canada, please write in for keeping Canada as one of SQ destinations in the world. Please PM me for the direct e-mail address, rather than the regular channel of communication. I hope our voice will be heard. Yes, being the only LPP in Canada, I can not make this plea alone. I hope SQTalk community will make a difference.

To close, in this challenging period of time, let all of us helps each other. Let all of us giving a hope alive for Canada being one of Singapore Airlines destination.

[SQ LPP]

Last Words

Being grounded for eight months has made me becoming an observant for how SQ service has deteriorated according to many posters in different flyer forums. In here, SQTalk, since June last year, I have read so many posts about how bad SQ is especially in the First Cabin. And yes, I have heard from many private messages from others that one of us here has been telling the world that SQ sucks and XXX airlines is the best, but this flyer is being polite in this forum - meaning his or her version about SQ posted in this forum is very pale in comparison to what his or her opinion outside SQTalk. (Of course I wish this won't happen but it shows how people are so different is so many ways.)

With the low expectations from reading many posts about the unsatisfactory service provided by SQ, for my first travel after being grounded, sensibly I don't expect much. But yes, I was determined to come back flying and taking the long haul on Singapore Airlines, not other airlines which I had booked the flights as well for back up.

One word to summarize my whole experience taking SQ 11 to SIN, (and also taking SQ 12 back to LAX a week later) SQ still delivers an excellent service on board. Yes, the SkySuite is outdated compare to the new seats on 77W or the Suites on A380, but the SkySuite is still comfortable and pleasant. The crew does make a difference.

A tiny gesture does wonder. Yes, the lady at LAX who remembers me. Also many of SKL staff who are still remember me. It makes all the travel experience beyond the ordinary.

[SQ LPP]

After dinner, it seems most the pax were sleeping. Well, since I realized the IFS has the new uniform, I can't resist the temptation asking her for picture. When I said I love the new aubergine kebaya, she said how would I know much about the kebaya.




Not to forget, thank you for the LSS who made my flight to Singapore pleasant as always.

[SQ LPP]

I skipped the salad, since I felt pretty full. And I sticked with my BTC lobster thermidor for the main course.




It was a thumb down. Too creamy. Not much meat. And it was not the ones used to be. I remember of different presentation, i.e. different rice and vegetables. I also wonder whether this BTC was really uploaded from NRT or was it the one from LAX since the crew from LAX-NRT segment kept telling me that there was a lobster thermidor for me that had been uploaded and was kept chilled in the fridge. But looking at the website, ex-NRT, the BTC details would be:

Lobster Thermidor with buttered zucchini, carrots, and pilaff rice with mixed peppers

The pilaff rice definitely different style and no mixed peppers.

We can not win all. I realize the lobster thermidor was inferior, but the service was excellent, and the dessert was yummy...




In addition, the melon was very sweet.

[SQ LPP]

From the two appetisers choices, the smoked duck breast was so wonderful. And the LSS was not hesistant in offering me both soups when I can not make up my mind. Yes, I was under the weather and soup might help.

[SQ LPP]

dinner FROM TOKYO TO SINGAPORE

APPETISERS
Smoked duck breast with duckliver terrine, grape jelly and walnut vinaigrette

Smoked, seared and marinated salmon with mixed lettuce

SOUPS
Oxtail consomme with julienne of root vegetables

Cream of cauliflower garnished with crouton

SALAD
Baby spinach, rucola, fruit tomato with red and yellow endives
Balsamic and virgin olive oil dressing
Thousand Island dressing

MAIN COURSES
Pot au feu
Simmered beef cheek with vegetables and potato in rich beef stock served with baby gherkin, horseradish cream and mustard

Five spice flavoured roasted chicken served with chilli sauce, seasonal vegetables and chicken flavoured rice

Grilled marinated lamb chops served with natural jus, roasted vegetables and mashed potato

Ricotta cheese ravioli served with sauteed baby spinach, roasted tomato coulis

DESSERTS
Warm soft center chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream and citrus salad

CHEESES
Camembert, gorgonzola, cheddar, pie d' angloys served with grapes, cracker and nuts

FRUITS
Fresh fruits in season

FINALE
A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas served with pralines

SQ11D LAX-NRT-SIN (LF/SN1/LMF/DF) 3-2.1 02 FC

[LHR]

Legend! Thank you.

[jjpb3]

Did you tell your co-workers what you were up to over the weekend?

Good to have you back in the air, SQ LPP.

[Lobster]

Great to hear than you are ungrounded SQLPP and thanks for sharing the trip report

[HUGE AL]

I said that I would take whatever left since I want other pax got what they wanted. The LSS was taken a back. She tried to make me to choose, but I was being pita who is very stubborn. At the end she gave in.

A class act!

...Krispy kreme doughnut.

Very cool. Is this an ex-LAX exclusive? Hmmm...perhaps I was drinking too much Krug.

BE CONSIDERATE.

That's what I expect from other fellow pax. In my flight, pax in 3CD looked like going to NRT for business. They have their business papers to read on, and discussed a bit about their own business matters. That's fine since SQ is fond of business travellers as we all know.
The problem with these two business travellers were the fact that they were ignorance and weren't being considerate. Look, I had my Bose NC2 on, and I could still hear them talking. Should be something wrong right? Yes, it was something wrong with them. A pax who was seated in 3A moved to 1B in the middle of dinner. The crew had mentioned the the pax 3C and 3D to tone down the noise, but seemed not working completely. Yes, they were not yapping all the time. But when they decided to talk to each other, that's when the loud noise came out.

The answer for the problem was so simple. The two business traveller seating on 3CD prefer to have an earplug. They did not take out their earplugs when conversing.

Well said. This is why most NH flights appear to be nicer. Usually all Japanese businessmen who are very considerate.

[SuperJonJon]

Congrats on your ungrounding, SQ LPP!
Hope to see you around soon.

[SQ LPP]

Once we were airborne, I once again offered the PJs which this time I chose M size (and I used the S size from previous segment. I know the M size would be perfect for a dearest friend!)
And this time, after she handed me the men's kits, instead I asked for the ladies amenity kits.












Anyhow, the satay service was started with another glass Krug and Dom to follow. It's a good feeling to have something familiar once again. Yes, the satay was delicious.




Being a pita, I was asked when I would like to start my dinner service. I said an hour later or more. But again, I changed my mind, and told the LSS that I would have the dinner whenever other pax would start theirs, which was 30 minutes after the satay.