More of my favourite things: SQ 744 F, BA 744 J, QF 744 J

[KeithMEL]

Prologue

I know, I know, I'm meant to be a good boy - I'm supposed to be spending time on my thesis rather than overseas junkets and tapping out trip reports on the puter. But somehow a trip just doesn't feel right without some form of rant/rave! Especially considering that this will be one of the last Big Trips I'll be doing before I finally finish uni and commence full-time employment, ie enter the real world where month long breaks don't exist and where I'd be lucky to get more than 3 weeks off a year!

So dear reader, may I present to you some of the highlights of my mid year trip, which in true FF style consists of several PNRs stitched together into one nice little trip: a BMI Z9-1 Cash+Miles award repositioning me back to London, resuming my DONE4 from London where it was parked back in February, and commencing a new DONE4 out of Seoul! These highlights represent an opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of the most memorable travel experiences that money and/or miles can buy. Finally, after much debate and soul searching, I've decided that it's far more fun traveling as a top tier elite on my favourite carrier - so this trip also starts my quest for QFF Platinum status for the very first time.

To come...
SQ228 MEL-SIN, B744, First Class (Skysuites)
BA269 LHR-LAX, B744, Business Class (New Generation Club World)
QF30 HKG-MEL, B744, Business Class

Look out also for other bits and pieces of my trip* in seperate threads - including my first experience on the SQ A380 J, reaching a personal milestone in flight length on the CX 773ER J, and WorldWide WoW in LA, Seattle, NYC-Lexington Ave, Seoul and Hong Kong!

*subject to time constraints

[milehighj]

one of the last Big Trips I'll be doing before I finally finish uni and commence employment,

So at least a couple more to go then...

[KeithMEL]

Sector - MEL-SIN
Flight number - SQ228
Class - First
Aircraft - B747-400
Seat - 4F

I stood at the FCL check in counter waiting to be checked in, hoping that the family with 3 kids checking in ahead of me were using the FCL counter via status rather than class of travel. Not that I have anything against kids per se - but these ones seem loud and boisterous, and in any case I've come to enjoy a near-empty and quiet FCL cabin. Said family came away holding a bunch of red FCL boarding passes alas - well at the v least I know the kids won't be there to share the Krug! The check-in process was rather uneventful apart from that, and before too long I was already sitting in the SKL enjoying a glass of v tasty shiraz.

I'd meant to spend most of my time in the much nicer Air NZ lounge, however decided to pop into the SKL F to take a few pics anyway upon the boyf's insistence as well as the lack of such pics on SQTalk's lounge forum. I was ready to leave the rather grim little shoebox when I noticed that delightful bottle of shiraz on the beverage counter - and ended up spending my entire pre-flight time in the SKL F.



The boarding call came, and thus another SQ 744 F experience began - only this time I'd managed to snagged a redemption on the Skysuites. It was magical getting to turn left, and nice not having J and whY pax traipsing past with dagger stares whilst I enjoy Krug - main reasons why I prefer the 744 in FCL over the 777s.

And really, although the Skysuites are well past their prime in the world of SQ long haul travel, I looked around the cabin and wondered why anyone would pay a hefty premium for the 'class beyond First' on any given route unless the 744 had ceased operating on that route. The Skysuites are still a v good product holding their own, comfy, functional and offering ample space for storage. And most importantly - the openness of the Skysuites cabin is far more social and allows one to fully experience what little glamour that's left of air travel, whereas the enclosed Suites totally take away the magic and excitement of mass air transportation.







The IFS himself was greeting pax at the door. I was enthusiastically welcomed by name, and directed to the LSS who led me to my seat. After making sure that I was settled into my seat ok and handing me some mags (for some reason it seems that FCL FAs like to push Men's Health when it comes to me - this has also happened on QF), the LSS then circulated around the cabin to usher other pax to their seats. FCL seemed full, except perhaps the seat in the nose which I couldn't really see. Aforementioned family were seated around me in rows 3 and 4, but to my relief and pleasant surprise - the kids were extremely well-behaved once onboard. I was impressed by the efforts the crew made in taking care of the little ones, lavishing as much attention on them as they would on any other pax.

As the cabin was so full and hence a hive of activity, the crew waited till everybody was seated to start the pre take off service, rather than serving drinks to each pax as they settled in. Hot towels were given out, in contrast to the same sector last week where due to H1N1 precautions only wet wipes were available. I suppose by now I don't have to tell you what I had for pre take off drinkies, but if you really must know, there's nothing like starting any journey with some cheeky champers. Unfortunately we only had time for no more than a couple of glasses of Krug prior to take off.



Drink orders for the post take off bar service were also taken, and as I realised that I'd not tried the Singapore Sling on SQ F - I'd order it just to say that I've had Slings in all 3 classes onboard SQ. Yeah it's a bit silly and trivial, as the Slings can't be all that good when made onboard but somehow it sounds so much cooler saying 'I had some Singapore Sling at 36 000 feet above sea level' than 'I had some Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel' - they can't taste all that different anyway given the Raffles' version is of the pre-mixed variety.

Taking off in the nose was a unique feeling. I must be imagining it - but the aircraft seemed faster and more steeped at an angle than when I'm sitting anywhere else. I'm usually totally oblivious as to what's happening during pushback and take off, the most boring bits of the flight as far as I'm concerned as there's nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and wait till cruising altitude so that I can down more bubbles, or nap. But a BA 744 incident in JNB which was posted in one of the forums a day before had heightened my senses a little - not to panic levels, just a little more aware of my surroundings.

As soon as cruising altitude was reached, the crew quickly sprang into action. Amenity kits, PJs and other bits and bobs were handed out. I got my Sling in no time at all - which tasted heaps better than I expected. As another pax had a nut allergy, some biscuity snacks were served in place of the usual assorted selection of warm nuts. I went back to the Krug immediately after I depleted my glass of Sling, and stayed with it throughout the flight.



The main meal service soon began. My table was laid out all ceremoniously with the new Givenchy serviceware. The crew were not as prompt as my previous flights in FCL due to the extremely full cabin, however I think most people were rather understanding. I didn't really have to ring the call bell for top ups as the crew refilled my glass with Krug before it even emptied out. Wine list doesn't seem to have altered since Dec; I asked for the v yummy Ben Riggs shiraz to go with my main course - however it was served when I was halfway through salad and still on the Krug, perhaps the crew just wanted to get it out of the way so that they don't forget later on. I'd have made a complaint if this was a nice restaurant on the ground but seeing that the crew were simply off their feet with the full cabin (and the fact that all 3 of them were lovely individuals) I didn't have the heart to send the shiraz back.



First came the caviar - possibly my favourite feature of FCL travel. This is where SQ beats QF catering wise as QF only serves caviar on a very limited selection of routes; the latter serves other luxury items such as Iberico ham in place of caviar but caviar is defo my favourite item to start a meal with. I made a request in my most polite, "i-know-this-is-an-extraordinary-request-but..." voice and asked the LSS whether I could have a larger serving of caviar as I love caviar, and she promised to see what she could do. When serving the caviar, the jovial IFS boasted that it was "extra special, extra large just for you" - bless their souls. Unfortunately months of not writing TRs mean that I've become tardier with taking pics onboard and have thus missed out on taking photos of some of the meal items - this "extra special, extra large" serving of caviar included. Declined the offer of chilled vodka as it was the Absolut stuff, and stayed with Krug. I was in caviar heaven and didn't want it to end! In fact I could skip the rest of the meal and feast on caviar. I'd thought asking for seconds seemed rather rude when they'd seemingly gone out of their way to serve a bigger portion of caviar to me but it didn't seem to faze the crew. Ask and ye shall receive...



I didn't think the crew would be too thrilled if I asked for thirds so I quickly moved on to the next course which was the soup. The pasta tasted a little coarse, like it wasn't heated properly. Alas I'd finished the soup before remembering that I had to take a pic for my TR. But I didn't forget the salad, at least, which was next. I didn't care much for the dressing which was a little too sour - perhaps I'll leave out the dressing completely in future.



Finally, the main course. I didn't want to eat the same chicken main course I had last week, the Matt Moran special had shellfish, and I've rarely had good steak on flights. The IFS encouraged me to go for the Indian lamb shank as he reckoned that it looked the best of the 4 meals. It has a nice ring to it as it sounded all different and exotic given I rarely eat Indian food, and after making sure that the IFS's definition of 'mildly spicy' matched mine, I chose the lamb shank. And it reminded me of what an AA FA once told me when I tried to turn down sundae - always trust a flight attendant; I literally groaned with pleasure the moment I took a bite of the lamb. The meat was so tender and the curry added a nice fragrance to the dish - and it wasn't at all spicy. It might seem strange but although I can't stand spicy food, I actually love curry. I love the earthy smell and flavours. I'd just have to make sure I get non-spicy curry, which is an oxy moron in the extreme but there ya go.

[KeithMEL]

I skipped the rest of the meal as I was truly stuffed by then, having also already had brunch before I left for the airport. I watched the IFE intermittently but there was nothing that really interested me. After almost drinking my body weight in champers, the food and alcohol had got to me and I settled in for a nice nap. I fell asleep so quickly that the crew had no time to make my bed up for me - the IFS later told me that I'd slept so soundly that they hadn't want to disturb me. I had a really nice sleep on the Skysuite - after several flights on the MEL sector in regional F this was a huge improvement. Actually, the Skysuite felt more comfy than the filmsy stretcher style mattress one gets in Suites - somehow I prefer the thickness when the Skysuite was converted into a bed, and it also felt a bit more solid. I was actually disappointed that I'd slept so much as it's not often that one gets to experience FCL and an unlimited supply of premium champers - must go redeem my BMI miles before all the 744s get replaced by the 'class beyond First' or 77W.

As soon as I woke up an hour prior to landing, the LSS appeared to offer me refreshments - picked the chicken and leek pie. It was a rather simple and unexciting choice, the type you can get at servos and similar to the pies Air NZ serves in whY across the Tasman. But the pie itself was rather tasty and sated my hunger.

Menu for this flight here.

As you'd no doubt have surmised from the above, the service on this flight was top notch apart from minor slip ups which were largely trivial and probably due to the full cabin. All 3 crew members worked at top speed and couldn't do enough to make our time onboard a pleasant and comfy one. The IFS and LSS were particularly great characters to fly with - refreshingly personable and always ready for a chat. They stood in stark contrast to another SQ F flight a week ago when the crew were all business-like and simply went through the motions despite the cabin being nowhere near half as full.

The only element of the flight that dampened the experience somewhat was that row 4 was affected by the lights and noise of the galley - which was bothersome at times especially when meal service was underway. And whenever a PA was made, the LSS had to switch on a light behind my seat so that she could read her notes. Go for rows 2 or 3 next time me thinks.

All too soon we made an on-time arrival at Singapore's Changi Airport, where the crew had to don masks as a pax in another cabin exhibited flu-like symptoms. We were met by a full complement of ground staff wearing masks - and had to queue up to get our temperatures taken as well as fill up a health declaration form. A bit of an abrupt end to an otherwise memorable FCL experience.

Next: BA269 LHR-LAX J

[freddo]

Fantastic report, as always...
Newbie here, not sure if I should interrupt a post in between
but wow, the skysuites sure look every bit as good as they did when they first got launched years ago- remember staring at a mock up when I was in Singapore. My first taste of a Singapore Sling was in SQ Y years ago- it's been my regular order anytime I get the chance to fly SQ (which hasn't been too often lately )

Are those the champagne glasses which no longer have the FC logo- the logo that must face passengers?

Looking forward to the next post!

[SQ All The Way]

FANTASTIC TR KeithMEL and look forward to your next segment.

Looks like your fav seat is 4F as well......what would happen if SQflyergirl, SQ LPP or others who favor this seat are on the same flight, who would get seat 4F? lol

cheers.

[HUGE AL]

I didn't think the crew would be too thrilled if I asked for thirds...

CLASSIC!

[s7r0ng3r]

Fantastic TR KeithMEL!
Definitely looking forward to your next segment!

[view]

Great read, thanks! Looking forward to more.

[SQflyergirl]

Yeah, lets have the NNCW report!

[phaleesy]

2348: Tried calling our good boy at the PT about six minutes ago to hear about his latest SQ adventures but he is not in his room! Bet he's sitting at the bar.

[jhm]

The IFS encouraged me to go for the Indian lamb shank as he reckoned that it looked the best of the 4 meals. It has a nice ring to it as it sounded all different and exotic given I rarely eat Indian food, and after making sure that the IFS's definition of 'mildly spicy' matched mine, I chose the lamb shank. And it reminded me of what an AA FA once told me when I tried to turn down sundae - always trust a flight attendant; I literally groaned with pleasure the moment I took a bite of the lamb. The meat was so tender and the curry added a nice fragrance to the dish - and it wasn't at all spicy. It might seem strange but although I can't stand spicy food, I actually love curry. I love the earthy smell and flavours. I'd just have to make sure I get non-spicy curry, which is an oxy moron in the extreme but there ya go.

I've never been disappointed with lamb BTC on SQ the times I've had it! Much better than boring BTC lobster IMO (which I've never had).

The next time you pass through London, we should go to Rasoi Vineet Bhatia for some of the best Indian (creative) food in London (including lamb shank but updated). Forget about Maze!

[Kiwi]

I've never been disappointed with lamb BTC on SQ the times I've had it! Much better than boring BTC lobster IMO (which I've never had).

If you've never had it how do you know it is better?

[jhm]

If you've never had it how do you know it is better?

I meant that lamb is better than lobster which explains which I've never gone for the lobster BTC. A matter of personal taste of course.

[KeithMEL]

2348: Tried calling our good boy at the PT about six minutes ago to hear about his latest SQ adventures but he is not in his room! Bet he's sitting at the bar.

Sorry about that. Just got back, and about to go to bed... Early morning shopping tomorrow (mmmm that nice word spelt S-A-L-E plastered everywhere) before another round of catch ups.