Background
When we talk about the lists of the best of the best, the names SQ, EY, and EK will usually appear in them. No doubt that they are the cream of the crop and they have all pushed for groundbreaking innovations (double beds, showers, onboard chefs, etc) and have invested an enormous amount to create the best premium experience in the sky.
I fly with SQ regularly in Y and J, and once or twice a year have treated myself and the partner on their F and Suites. While it's always exciting to be on SQ F, we have recently been curious of all the others out there to see where SQ is positioned. And who doesn't it find it exhilarating to try something fresh.
Last year we had tried the Fs of JJ, TG and LH and found JJ and TG to be quite average while LH shone at the same level as SQ.
This year, we strived for the airlines with even higher reputations: EY and EK. This trip report will be a first hand account of this trio best. However, take it with a pinch of salt because this was our first time with EY and EK and we can't vouch for their consistency yet.
Part 1: Valentine Day in SQ Suites to Paris
Flight: SQ336
Route: SIN-CDG (Singapore to Paris)
Aircraft: A380-800 (9V-SKA)
Seat: 3C/D (bed), 3F (dining)
Class: Suites
Load: 8/12
What better way to spend Valentine day other than spending it in the City of Lights, Paris. While the original schedule was a 13 Feb flight, along the way, there was a schedule change which pushed the departure slightly past midnight and I was elated to be in possession of a Paris-bound boarding pass that stated 14 Feb - a Valentine Day flight in SQ.
The journey started in style (it has to be in style of course) with a Mercedes ride courtesy of the bank on the usage of one of my credit cards. I was dropped off at the First Class check-in hall, which for those unfamiliar with Changi, is located in a smaller annex building next to Terminal 3. Porters immediately grouped around the car to help with luggage while the concierge requested for my flight details and directed me to the check-in agents.
I never really took a picture of this building before although I had passed through it numerous times. So while I was waiting for my partner to arrive from a connecting flight, I walked around the corner to get a good look at this building. It's recessed from the main kerb with lots of landscaping in front of it and it feels quite intimate in scale compared to the rest of the airport complex. It feels like a small private airport terminal.
The interior was spacious and of just the right size in comparison to what I would have discovered later at EK's oversized hall.
Check-in is at individual desks hotel-style.
Check-in was smooth with the agent being quite friendly and proactive. She noticed we were seated separately on account of my partner having missed his flight from SGN and the offshore station re-seated him on a single suite. Fortunately, nobody was taking my other half of the double suite or else it would be quite awkward to spend Valentine Day with a third party in the double suite. LOL. A few minutes later, we were back together in the same suite.
She then gave me the invitation card to the Private Room because I was actually originating from BOM that morning and had no such invitation (yes, I know I did a crazy BOM-SIN-CDG at one shot and that was just the SQ sector because I started the journey in Goa the same day). I am not sure why they are still keeping this practice (the invitation card). I think the card is not necessary although it is a nice gesture. I would rather have a porter escort for my carry-on for example. Or a butler who can help run some last minute duty free shopping. Or massage
From the check-in-hall, there is also a separate immigration control and then the SilverKris lounges loom almost immediately before you.
I proceeded straight there where a concierge brought me through the First Class section which was very crowded that evening and then into the relative calm of the Private Room.
It was not my first time in the Private Room and my partner was sick (not very, more like recovering) so I didn't take too many pics. We ordered the lobster and the papaya salad which I think were just ok. I was looking forward more to the food onboard.
I didn't spend more than 20-25 minutes there before we had to make a move to look for a clinic to get some medicine. And since doctors were not stationed in any of the airside clinics, we spent quite a fair bit of time waiting for the doctor to come and were the last passengers to board 11 minutes before scheduled departure. Tight. Phew!
When we talk about the lists of the best of the best, the names SQ, EY, and EK will usually appear in them. No doubt that they are the cream of the crop and they have all pushed for groundbreaking innovations (double beds, showers, onboard chefs, etc) and have invested an enormous amount to create the best premium experience in the sky.
I fly with SQ regularly in Y and J, and once or twice a year have treated myself and the partner on their F and Suites. While it's always exciting to be on SQ F, we have recently been curious of all the others out there to see where SQ is positioned. And who doesn't it find it exhilarating to try something fresh.
Last year we had tried the Fs of JJ, TG and LH and found JJ and TG to be quite average while LH shone at the same level as SQ.
This year, we strived for the airlines with even higher reputations: EY and EK. This trip report will be a first hand account of this trio best. However, take it with a pinch of salt because this was our first time with EY and EK and we can't vouch for their consistency yet.
Part 1: Valentine Day in SQ Suites to Paris
Flight: SQ336
Route: SIN-CDG (Singapore to Paris)
Aircraft: A380-800 (9V-SKA)
Seat: 3C/D (bed), 3F (dining)
Class: Suites
Load: 8/12
What better way to spend Valentine day other than spending it in the City of Lights, Paris. While the original schedule was a 13 Feb flight, along the way, there was a schedule change which pushed the departure slightly past midnight and I was elated to be in possession of a Paris-bound boarding pass that stated 14 Feb - a Valentine Day flight in SQ.
The journey started in style (it has to be in style of course) with a Mercedes ride courtesy of the bank on the usage of one of my credit cards. I was dropped off at the First Class check-in hall, which for those unfamiliar with Changi, is located in a smaller annex building next to Terminal 3. Porters immediately grouped around the car to help with luggage while the concierge requested for my flight details and directed me to the check-in agents.
I never really took a picture of this building before although I had passed through it numerous times. So while I was waiting for my partner to arrive from a connecting flight, I walked around the corner to get a good look at this building. It's recessed from the main kerb with lots of landscaping in front of it and it feels quite intimate in scale compared to the rest of the airport complex. It feels like a small private airport terminal.
The interior was spacious and of just the right size in comparison to what I would have discovered later at EK's oversized hall.
Check-in is at individual desks hotel-style.
Check-in was smooth with the agent being quite friendly and proactive. She noticed we were seated separately on account of my partner having missed his flight from SGN and the offshore station re-seated him on a single suite. Fortunately, nobody was taking my other half of the double suite or else it would be quite awkward to spend Valentine Day with a third party in the double suite. LOL. A few minutes later, we were back together in the same suite.
She then gave me the invitation card to the Private Room because I was actually originating from BOM that morning and had no such invitation (yes, I know I did a crazy BOM-SIN-CDG at one shot and that was just the SQ sector because I started the journey in Goa the same day). I am not sure why they are still keeping this practice (the invitation card). I think the card is not necessary although it is a nice gesture. I would rather have a porter escort for my carry-on for example. Or a butler who can help run some last minute duty free shopping. Or massage
From the check-in-hall, there is also a separate immigration control and then the SilverKris lounges loom almost immediately before you.
I proceeded straight there where a concierge brought me through the First Class section which was very crowded that evening and then into the relative calm of the Private Room.
It was not my first time in the Private Room and my partner was sick (not very, more like recovering) so I didn't take too many pics. We ordered the lobster and the papaya salad which I think were just ok. I was looking forward more to the food onboard.
I didn't spend more than 20-25 minutes there before we had to make a move to look for a clinic to get some medicine. And since doctors were not stationed in any of the airside clinics, we spent quite a fair bit of time waiting for the doctor to come and were the last passengers to board 11 minutes before scheduled departure. Tight. Phew!
Comment