9W SIN-BOM-SIN on A332

[UMD]

After loving my 1st experience back in Feb. 09, I decided to fly 9W to test the consistency of the product and the result is ...........

Well, this was how my trip started on May 3, 2009.

Flight: 9W 11 also code-share with QF 3951
Depart: T3
Check-in Row: 8
Gate: B5



After immigration, heading towards the SATS Lounge which is located 1 level up in the center of T3.



Arrived at SATS which at this time was reserved for use for 9W passengers flying Premiere Class (9W equivalent of C) and its JetPrivilege Gold and Platinum members.



Hot Food selections included: Wild Cream of Mushroom soup, Indian Curries (Veg and Non Veg), as well as Chinese Fried Rice.

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Unlike the Krisflyer lounge next door, this one actually has 2 shower rooms.....



and a great tarmac view looking out at B gates.





The OSIM relaxation chairs are also available in the lounge.



And soon it was boarding time...

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I walked to B5 and there I saw 2 9W aircraft. One was B738 which parked at B6 (I believe that one was flying to DEL) and next to it, the A332 that would take me to BOM.





My seat of 6K which is by far my favorite Herringbone seat on 9W A332 because it is on the last row of the front cabin and it is also facing the back partition of the middle aisle seat. All the A seats in the front cabin are facing the middle aisle seats. For the second cabin, the K seats will be facing the middle aisle seats instead.



6K being on the last row also has an extra space.



View from 6K



And of course, not to be missed, a SQFG's legs pose by UMD's legs:

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Soon, welcome drink was offered and as usual...nothing fancy for me ....the fool proof OJ. A complimentary uni-sex Bvlgari amenity kit was also given.
(taken with no flash on to show the natural ambience color of the cabin)



Another shot of the view from 6K



What this seat can do:



Water Bottle holder:



The big PTV screen when stored for Take-Off and Landing:



Reading lights which can be adjusted for 3 brightness settings on both sides of the seat:



Looking towards the back of the cabin:



One of the smart looking 9W flight attendants came to offer me a menu card:

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Soon, all doors were closed and the safety video was shown. 9W also goes with the animated version like those on ANA and CX.



The flight attendants came around the cabin to take after take-off drinks and dinner order. I of course ordered champagne. 9W serve free flowing Dom Perignon for its Premiere class. For dinner, I went for Murgh Tikka Masala, which is an Indian Chicken Curry dish.

Mood lighting was then activated for take-off:



My Dom was served after take-off with small cup of mixed cashew and almond nuts - and no the nuts were not warm.



And my second serving of Dom and nuts....the flight attendants were very attentive going around the cabin filling up champagne and wines as well as replenish the nuts.



I turned on JetScreen and browsed for things to watch. 9W's IFE is not bad in terms of the latest Hollywood blockbusters but being and Indian airline, it does have a lot more of Bollywood and Indian Regional selections (+ 1 Chinese movies) than our beloved SQ. I usually like my sitcom and comedy shows on my airline, 9W unfortunately only has 6 US/UK comedy shows to choose from. The system is based on a combination of Touch Screen and Remote Control.

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Dinner service commenced with the setting of the table with tray.



Then came the green salad which was quite refreshing but not as elaborate as SQ's salad which always comes with some proteins. Soup was actually on the menu as an alternative to salad.



Followed by the main course in which both the taste and the presentation put SQ's choice of Indian main course to shame,



and dessert which was the Lemon Grass Infused Brulee with Berry Compote. There were also Carrot Halwa and Ice Cream available for choice.



I decided not to go for cheese as I was so full by the time I finished my dessert.

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The compulsory trip to the washroom after dinner was made. The green indicator light on the door told me the washroom was available for use.



Selection of Bvlgari After Shave, Cologne, and Moisturizer lotion could be found there.



Single use cloth towers were also provided.



Out of the washroom, I managed to snap some photos of the galley which has laminated parquet flooring. I do like the design of this galley.





The bar area which was just about to be stocked by one of the attendants:



Back to my seat, I turned it to bed mode and turned on the DND light. I napped for about 2 1/2 hours. It was only 8:30 pm SIN time and 6 pm BOM.

This bed is definitely much wider than the new CX bed.





I woke up about 45 mins before arriving into BOM. The flight touched down on time but due to BOM terminal renovation and lack of gates, the aircraft parked at the remote bay and we had to be bused into the terminal.

It was when the 1st case of H1N1 flu was reported in Hong Kong, so the Indian government decided to get all arriving passengers to fill out a Health form and to have it stamped by the Health inspectors before any individual can go through the immigration. AND what a mess it was. I even yelled at the immigration officer to make me go back to get my "Health OK" stamp on my form.

Except for the remote bay and the incident at BOM with the immigration, I had another wonderful flight with 9W with a consistently excellent service by the cabin crews.

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Return Flight on 9W12: BOM - SIN

9W12 is an overnight flight leaving BOM at 23:30 and arriving SIN at 07:25 the next morning. I checked in for this flight at DEL instead of BOM. So when I arrived at BOM, I had to transfer to the International terminal for the immigration and customs process.

When I checked in at DEL, I was not given a lounge invitation card. 9W is using the Oberoi Clipper Lounge at BOM sharing with CO, CX, and some other airlines. This is the new lounge across from gate 12 - 14 at the newly renovated terminal building with a separate section for F class. When I got to the lounge and explained to the very friendly lounge lady that I checked in at DEL, I was issued an on the spot invitation card for the lounge. The lounge, as can be expected, was nothing compared to what Oberoi can offer in all its hospitality products. That's unfortunate.

Soon after I finished my Indian Chardonnay and a can of Diet Coke, a Jet Airways agent came to the lounge to announce the boarding of 9W12 to SIN.

The boarding was from gate 16 which is the last gate at BOM but when I got there I realized that the aircraft was again at the remote bay.

When I stepped inside the A332 after a long walk up the steps, I was greeted by a black jacket 9W boy. Arrived at my seat (Yes, I went for 6K again) which was just in front of the mid-section galley, a yellow cladded 9W girl who was the Inflight Supervisor, came to me and offered me a set of PYJAMAS (My first Surprise) and again the Bvlgari kit. I was quite surprised as I was not offered pyjamas during my 1st flight back to SIN 2 months ago. I learned later that this was just introduced for an overnight flight for Premiere Class pax.



Premiere class was 27 out of 30 tonight which was a pretty good load. A lot of pax actually changed into their pyjamas but I decided to just keep them in the bag and not bother changing for it is only a 5:10 hour flight.

Soon after, the 9W boy came to offer me a menu and beverage card. He welcomed me back and told me that he was happy to see me again. He remembered me from my flight 2 months ago from SIN - BOM because I had a conversation with him about his job back then (My second Surprise).

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Supper and drink order was taken. I decided to skip any supper and went for drinks instead. I thought a couple of red wines would help me sleep better. So, I went for some old world Beaune Premier Cru, Louis Jadot.

Mood lighting were then activated for the flight. After take-off, the other flight attendant came to serve me my wine and mixed nuts. Before he poured the wine, he actually asked if I would like to taste it first. So surprised by this gesture as I had never been offered to do this on all my previous flights, I asked him not to worry and to just pour me my wine. I guess I was being a cultural barbarian for doing so.

As I was tasting my wine, I noticed that the flight attendants were going around the cabin offering turn down services to those passengers not having anything to drink and dine. This is very surprising (My fourth Surprise) as I never expected this for Premiere Class. The 9W boys and girls were actually laying down white soft duvets on the seats to make them into comfortable beds.

Having enjoyed 2 glasses of red wines and 2 servings of mixed nuts, I made a compulsory trip to the washroom where I noticed that more amenities were provided in there for the overnight flight:



Out from the washroom, I told one of the 9W girls that I would like to sleep and she offered to turn my bed down for me as well. And this was my 6K on an overnight flight.





I slept like a baby for the next 3 hours and only woke up after the mood lighting was on. I was offered a hot towel and a glass of apple juice when we were only 35 minutes from landing into a stormy Singapore.

With all the surprises, it would be hard for me to fault 9W for this flight. Indeed, it was my best 9W flight ever and one of the best flights that I ever had.

9W really gives SQ a run for its money. I am impressed with this airline and [Cynical mode on] it is not even a 5 Star Skytrax airline [Cynical mode off].

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Beverage List

Champagne
Dom Perignon

Red Wine
Chateau Lyonnat, Lussac Saint-Emilon
Beaune Premier Cru, Louis Jadot

White Wine
Pouilly-Fume, Domaine Pabiot
Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons, J. Moreau et Fils

Port Wine
Graham's aged 20 years

Beverages

Cocktails:
Champagne Cocktail
Gimlet
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary

Aperitif:
Campari

Spirits:
Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky
Chivas Regal Premium Scotch Whisky
Glenfiddich Single Malt Whisky
Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin
Absolut Vodka
Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum

Liqueurs & Cognac:
Tia Maria
Baileys Original Irish Cream
Hennessey Cognac

Beer:
International Selection

Non-alcoholic Beverages

Fruit Juices:
Apple
Orange
Tomato
Pineapple

(not on the menu but offered as Welcome Drinks are: Lime Juice and Coconut Water)

Soft Beverages:
Aerated Drinks and Mineral Water

Hot Beverages

Tea Selection:
Assam
Earl Grey
Darjeeling
Masala Chai

Coffee Selection:
Brewed Coffee
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated Coffee

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Food Menu

SIN - BOM, 9W11

Appetizer or Soup

Mesclun Salad
Seasonal greens with cherry tomatoes, green beans, red radish served with vinaigrette dressing

Cream if Shitake Mushroom

Entree

Kadhai Murgh
Chicken, onions and bell pepper dices, tossed in an onion tomato masala with pounded spices

(V) Paneer Dilpasand
Picatta of cottage cheese simmered in a fenugreek enhanced gravy

Braised Snapper Fillet with Black Bean Sauce
Served with stir fired vegetables and steamed rice

(V) Braised Tofu with Pickled Chye Sim
Served with stir fried vegetables and ee fu noodles

All Indian entrees are served with Mahkana Mutter (green pea and lotus seed curry), Moong Dal (whole green lentils tempered with garlic), and Saffron Pulao. Raita and Manggo Chutney are also served.

Bread
Indian and Western Assortment

Dessert
Carrot Halwa
Lemon Grass Infused Brulee with Berry Compote
Ice Cream

Cheese
Selection of Gourmet Cheese
Served with crackers and accompaniments

Hot Beverages
Tea, Coffee or Hot Chocolate

(V) Vegetarian option

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Food Menu

BOM - SIN, 9W12

Entree

Murgh Tikka Masala
Tender morsels of chicken cooked in tandoor and simmered in dark browned onion gravy

(V) Paneer aur Chane ki Subzi
Homemade cottage cheese and garbanzo beans cooked with aromatic spices

Stir Fried Chicken in Chilli Basil Sauce
Serve with wok seared baby eggplant in oyster sauce and steamed jasmine rice

(V) Herbed Ciabatta Sandwich
Filled with cottage cheese and pesto relish accompanied by chickpea and oven dried tomato salad

All Indian entrees are served with Dum Aloo Kashmiri (baby potatoes stir fried in fragrant onion masala), Dal Makhni (black lentils with cream and butter) and Jeera Pulao (fragrant basmati rice cooked wiht roasted cumin)

Bread
Indian Assortment

Dessert
Mango Phirnee
Mango flavoured milk dessert thickened with rice powder

Thai Creme Caramel

Hot Beverages
Tea, Coffee or Hot Chocolate

(V) Vegetarian option

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Reserved for posting 11

[UMD]

Reserved for posting 12

[KeithMEL]

Nice bubbles in JCL!

Thanks for the most comprehensive pictorial report thus far, UMD. Eagerly anticipating the rest of your TR.