Three A350s and a Dreamliner: Regional Flights in Asia with SQ, TG and CX

[yflyer]

The IFE screen on this TG A350 to Singapore was a touchscreen, however a handheld controller was also provided.



These had keyboards on the back.



Air show with a range of views...



No individual air vents...



Bathrooms were in light white tones and dark wood trim...

[yflyer]

A flight time of 1 hour and 47 minutes to Singapore today...



I watched the fantasy themed safety video with the same sense of bewilderment as on my previous TG 787 flight...



Great views of the Bangkok skyline as we took off to the south west...



...before a gentle turn towards the south east, over the Gulf of Thailand...



A fairly overcast day...



A banner on the IFE shortly after take-off announced that wifi was available on this flight...



The wifi sign-up page on my iPhone...



Wifi was charged by MB of data usage...I wonder why airlines in Asia don't just switch to a time-based model, which is a much friendlier pricing scheme...



But Thai is one-up on SQ in that they offer an unlimited plan as well...thumbs up!

I think most folks would know how many hours they wanted to use wifi for, but I doubt anyone actually has a good idea of how much data they would use while surfing.

The TG system provided this page of "useful" information on how much data was used for common operations...



...but I really couldn't imagine anyone whipping out a calculator to add these up to work out how much data he or she would consume. On a long flight, I would just pick the unlimited option and surf away...

There was one thing in the IFE that either didn't exist or that I overlooked on the 787: The A359 IFE included a tail camera view!



This was a beautifully sharp HD camera...

[yflyer]

A hot meal was served on this flight...the online menus weren't functioning on this flight, so the cabin crew announced the meal options as they came round.

Today's choices were chicken with rice, or fish curry with rice. I went with the chicken...



The chicken with rice came with a cold pasta and ham starter, and a berry mousse dessert. I also asked for a glass of white wine with my meal...



The starter was very tasty...



The chicken was good as well, if comparatively bland and non-spicy compared to the fiery fish curry which my seatmate had.



I ended dinner with whisky on the rocks...





I spent the remainder of this short flight browsing the IFE...





This had the same large selection of movies, TV and music as the IFE on my earlier TG 787 flight.

[yflyer]

Cabin ambience in the Y cabin was very good...



A bright and airy cabin, which felt open and spacious despite a fairly full flight...





Today's flight flew east of the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula...



...and the city of Kuantan in Pahang State in West Malaysia.

[yflyer]

Final approach into Changi...





Note the landing gear deployment visible from the tailcam...



Landing on Runway 20R...



At the gate in Changi...





TG operates out of Changi Terminal 1. One of the best things about this is that you head out of arrivals and baggage claim right at the entrance to Jewel...



...which was as stunning by night as it was by day...



Overall, another great flight on TG, with service and catering at a similar level to my earlier JKT-BKK sector. In terms of hard product, both TG's 787 and A350 are very good, however comparing the two I would prefer the A359 on account of the slightly more spacious cabin and Y seating. That said, these are both very new aircraft types and I would be very comfortable flying on either type.

To be continued!

[SQ218]

Continuing with the TR...

My hotel in Bangkok was the Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit.


This was a high-rise tower in a bustling part of Sukhumvit, very conveniently located among shops, restaurants, just steps away from Thonglor BTS station.

I stayed at the Marriott Sukhumvit on two different occasions last month, and will likely be there again in coming weeks. If the sign of a good hotel is a repeat customer, then this should speak volumes about the appeal of this property.


I checked in late in the evening for my first stay, having earlier checked in online on my Marriott Bonvoy iPhone app. The app is great in that it has a chat/messaging function that puts you in direct contact with the hotel. I used the Bonvoy app chat to inform them of my late night arrival, and requested that they hold the room for me. Much more convenient than calling the hotel and speaking to the staff.

My room was on a high floor, and was very stylishly decorated in white, red and dark brown tones...



This was not a particularly large room, but everything was brand new, and I found the overall design quite attractive...

Thanks for report yflyer.

Is that the Executive Room?

[yflyer]

Thanks for report yflyer.

Welcome, SQ218!

Is that the Executive Room?

To be frank, the way these rooms are assigned is a mystery to me. I am Marriott Bonvoy Gold this year, which is one level below Platinum where the real benefits are, such as lounge access or Suite upgrades.

As Gold, I am typically offered a one category upgrade subject to availability, which typically means from a regular to a deluxe room or something similar, almost never to a Suite (Whereas as Platinum in previous years i was often upgraded to a Suite).

For my first stay last month, reception did not mention anything about an upgrade, but I was given the room with the beautiful large round bath tub, which I assume is a higher category room.

For the 2nd stay, the reception mentioned that I was being upgraded to a premier deluxe room, which was the one with the glass desk along the wall, and regular free-standing tub.

I actually preferred the first room (With the round tub), but both were very good.

Am there again later this month...let's see what they give me then ...

[SQ218]

Thank you yflyer. Good luck on your next stay.

[yflyer]

Thank you yflyer. Good luck on your next stay.

Thanks, SQ218! Looking forward to the next roll of the room upgrade dice later this month!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

After arriving back in Singapore on TG, I spent the weekend at home before heading out again the next week, for meetings in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

It is not so well known that CX not only flies to HKG from SIN, but also SIN-BKK and then onwards BKK-HKG. I took the opportunity to book a SIN-BKK-HKG-SIN sector operated wholly by CX. Later on, a meeting in KUL popped up on my calendar, which meant it was now SIN-BKK-HKG-KUL on a CX/KA combination, ending with KUL-SIN on SQ.

I was very excited to be flying CX again, as this would be my first Changi Terminal 4 airside experience...

I headed to Terminal 4 just before noon for my appointment with CX712...

[yflyer]

I love Changi Airport. The departure and arrival experiences at Changi are among the best in the world, whether you are at T1, T2 or T3. But even using these terminals as benchmarks, I found the T4 travel experience to be exceptional, in some ways even superior to Terminals 1-3.

After so many trips through Changi Airport, I sort of take it for granted.

Facilities are great: I don't spend much time in any queues at all, and there is plenty to do there if I am early. Changi is supremely well designed from the perspective of process flow and efficiency, with a lot of shopping and F&B, some very nice features such as the abundance of greenery and nature, and attention to little details, like water coolers and some of the nicest bathrooms you may ever encounter in an airport.

Aesthetically speaking, though, I've always found Changi to be a bit of a hodge podge, without the thematic unity or soaring grandeur of airports like HKG or PEK.

Jewel is jawdropping as architecture, but it is more of a shopping mall and public space attached to an airport, rather than an air travel facility per se.

I was therefore very delighted to experience Changi T4, which I think excels in terms of both efficiency as well as beautiful design, with a unified theme and aesthetic. This is a very user friendly terminal, not too large (Size in an airport facility is overrated), and a joy to spend time in.

The departure drop-off area, with the T4 control tower visible in the distance...



Some interesting design elements in the roof...



A bright and inviting check-in hall...



Self service check-in kiosks, with manned counters still available for premium pax...



Open concept automated immigration gates for Singaporeans and eligible passport holders, along with a centralized security checkpoint just after immigration...

[yflyer]

Right past security was duty-free shopping, but at least there was a clear path through, without having to weave around aisles of shopping...



A fairly conservative choice of carpet design, unlike the weird and sometimes vertigo inducing carpet patterns seen in the other Changi terminals...



Past the duty free outlets, passengers emerge into a large, beautifully decorated airside atrium...



...and beyond that another open area with more shops, F&B and a Heritage Zone...



...which showcased the frontage of traditional Singapore shophouses...



...as well as Peranakan culture and architecture...



...with some of the shophouse panels being video projections...



...showing very realistic high definition video depictions of local cultural events and activities taking place within the shophouses...



If I was in need of a snack, I would head straight to that comfort food favourite, Old Chang Kee...



...and pick up a chicken curry puff...



Not that there was any shortage of local F&B in the airside area. There was an excalator leading to an upper level...



...which had a large international food court.

[yflyer]

As Oneworld Sapphire, I was eligible to use the CX Lounge on the upper level of the Departure area...



This was a large and airy lounge...



...with the current CX decor theme: dark wood and warm, understated brown, turquoise and grey tones, which I found very sophisticated and attractive...





Parts of the lounge had airside views (It seems almost all other airlines try to incorporate these views, except SQ...)



The buffet dining area...



...which had a great selection of F&B, including Moet & Chandon Champagne...



...self service wine and liquor...



...with beer and white wine/champagne stored in fridge...

[yflyer]

There was a buffet spread laid out for lunch...



Cheese...



Salads...



Veggies and Aglio Olio Pasta...



Teriyaki chicken and fish fillets...



Rice...



Dessert in the fridge...

[yflyer]

And if all that wasn't enough food, there was a separate noodle bar and dining area, serving Hong Kong and local Singapore specialities...



Separate dining area for the noodle bar...



A very nice selection of noodles, including favourites such as wonton noodles, and even chicken laksa...



I ordered a bowl of wonton noodles...



...which was prepared fresh...



Full condiment selection...



Quite delicious...



To round off the catering, there were also biscuits and a coffee machine...



There was a small Mac-equipped work area...



And in-lounge restroom facilities (But no showers)...



Overall I found the CX Lounge in T4 to be a very impressive lounge. I actually preferred this lounge to any of the SQ SilverKris, Krisflyer Gold or SATS Premier Lounges in T2 or T3.

So far my favourite lounges in Changi are the Qantas Singapore Lounge in T1 and the Cathay Pacific Lounge in T4, with the aging SQ SilverKris Lounges lagging a good distance behind. Lounges have never been SQ's strong point, but hopefully SQ is able to turn things around with their upcoming lounge upgrades.

In the mean time, though, the CX travel experience out of Changi T4 was turning out to be quite superb...