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SIA 777-300ER Premium Economy on SQ2 SIN-HKG and a night at the W Hong Kong

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  • #31
    Nothing had changed in the Y bathrooms since I last flew 9V-SWO 2 days ago, but I did manage to snap a better picture of the "Hollywood Dressing Room" style lights that ran around the sides of the mirror...



    Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 06:20 PM.

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    • #32
      I settled into seat 41C and watched as the gracious cabin crew in the forward cabins handed out hot towels and pre-departure beverages to passengers seated there...



      Because of the 2-4-2 layout in the PEY cabin ahead of my aisle seat was actually in line with the aisle of the forward cabins, which gave me a lot of space to stretch out, not to mention line of sight to the front of the aircraft.

      Hot towels were handed out prior to take-off...



      My IFE screen in the bulkhead row was a fold-out affair...



      There was also a handheld controller, although this was a little redundant since the screen was a touch screen.



      Take-off on Runway 25L...



      Just over 3 hours flight time to Singapore today...



      Wonderful cabin ambience this morning, with bright sunlight streaming into the cabin...



      If legroom was your thing, then seat 41C (or 41H across the aisle) would be the seats to go for. Legroom for me today extended practically to the cockpit door...

      Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 07:38 PM.

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      • #33
        It was soon time for breakfast...



        The same set of cabin crew served PEY and Y, with service starting from the front of the cabin...



        The menu...



        In Y, as in PEY on my previous flight, amenity kits were listed inside the menu, and only handed out on request...



        Beverages...



        The breakfast menu on the HKG-SIN sector, with 3 choices available...



        For completeness, this was the menu for the previous SFO-HKG sector...

        Supper immediately after departure out of SFO...





        Mid flight snacks...



        Then breakfast prior to arrival in HKG...



        Interestingly, this meant that passengers flying from SFO to SIN would have two breakfasts that day: one before arrival in HKG, and one after...
        Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 06:21 PM.

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        • #34
          On previous HKG-SIN flights, I sampled the Hong Kong Dim Sum platter, but having already had dim sum in Kowloon the previous day, I decided to try something different, and instead ordered the Indian vegetarian selection...



          This was quite a spread...



          On the tray were masala uttapam (Spiced rice pancakes), with a sambar gravy, along with a vegetable croquette...utterly delicious stuff!



          I especially appreciated the tub of coconut chutney that was provided as a side dip...a very authentic touch!



          A cup of coffee to round off breakfast...

          Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 06:21 PM.

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          • #35
            This was a great day for flying, with great enroute views of the coast of Vietnam...





            ...as we passed close to Cam Ranh Bay...





            Wonderful cabin ambience in the spacious 9-abreast Y cabin...



            I browsed this month's SilverKris magazine, which had the futuristic theme theme 2030: A Singapore Odyssey...



            Inside, a feature on the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center at JFK, previously an airport terminal, and now an operating airport hotel. A must-see for any aviation enthusiast passing through JFK...



            There was also a feature on one of SIA's pilots...this is something I had not noticed in the magazine previously. I hope they continue to feature a member of the SIA staff (Either pilot, cabin crew or other staff role) in subsequent issues...always nice to read about the people that make SIA the great airline that it is.



            I spent the rest of the flight browsing through the Krisworld IFE...



            We landed in Changi 20 minutes early, at 11.25am...



            ...and deplaned into T3 just steps from the B-side arrival hall...



            There were no arrival queues at that hour...



            Another smooth flight on SQ, and seamless arrival experience at Changi T3. SQ and Changi are not perfect, but they do seem to achieve a very high level of comfort, consistency and clockwork precision on a fairly regular basis when I travel. At least on this trip, still a great way to fly!
            Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 06:23 PM.

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            • #36
              Final Reflections

              Overall, I had a very consistent, and mostly excellent, experience on SQ on both the PEY sector to Hong Kong, and the Y sector back to Singapore.

              Cabin service delivery, always an SQ strong point, didn't disappoint on this occasion, with very good cabin crew both ways.

              There has been talk of recent cost-cutting at SQ. Was any of this apparent? Yes, if you consider making amenity kits an on-request item to be cost-cutting. I personally see it as cost optimisation, because SQ aren't denying pax anything: You can still have it if you want it. A great way to reduce waste, I think.

              Where could SQ do better? At risk of repeating myself in TR after TR, I think SQ needs to offer a better PEY dining experience. Given how nice the PEY cabin ambience is (Especially on the 77WR and A380), it is a little jarring to be brought back to Y standards when meals are served. I feel that SQ Premium Economy will gain many more loyal fans if meals are similarly premium.

              I found the W Hong Kong to be a wonderful hotel, if not quite as whimsical and fantastical as the newer W Kuala Lumpur or W Bangkok. Rooms, service and dining there were all top notch. The W remains one of my favourite hotels in Hong Kong.

              As for the current situation in Hong Kong, I hope, for everyone's sake, that things get better, and return to normal soon. In the mean time, I would monitor the situation carefully and keep any travel plans flexible if I need to go there.

              As a learning from this trip, arriving at the airport late at night, and leaving early in the morning, seems to be a good risk mitigation strategy, as any disruptions are likely to occur during daytime hours.

              Let me end this TR with a wish that things will return to normal there soon.

              Thanks for reading!

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              • #37
                Hi yflyer!

                Enjoyed reading this TR! I think PEY is not covered often. I've only flown SQ's PEY once ever, while previously I had flown on BA's a couple of times. I do agree that the catering is the biggest let down in the whole experience. I have heard, however, that because PEY was sort of like an 'add-on' cabin to existing aircraft, the catering had to fit into the Y galleys. On other airlines like BA and QF where PEY has been around for many many years, the galleys have already been designed to accommodate some of the 'premium' elements such as the larger, porcelain plates for main courses etc...

                TBH i don't know how true it is? But hopefully we'll see improvements in the future.

                Once again thanks for posting this and glad you didn't get caught up in any HKG sagas.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by pokfur View Post
                  Enjoyed reading this TR! I think PEY is not covered often. I've only flown SQ's PEY once ever, while previously I had flown on BA's a couple of times. I do agree that the catering is the biggest let down in the whole experience. I have heard, however, that because PEY was sort of like an 'add-on' cabin to existing aircraft, the catering had to fit into the Y galleys. On other airlines like BA and QF where PEY has been around for many many years, the galleys have already been designed to accommodate some of the 'premium' elements such as the larger, porcelain plates for main courses etc...

                  TBH i don't know how true it is? But hopefully we'll see improvements in the future.
                  Thanks, pokfur! That's the best reason I've heard for why their PEY catering is what it is. Yes hope they do something about it in future.

                  Originally posted by pokfur View Post
                  Once again thanks for posting this and glad you didn't get caught up in any HKG sagas.
                  Thanks for reading! Was very lucky not to be caught up in any of the ongoing disruption. For any future trips, I would have to relook my plan, as not long after my trip they decided that the airport express train would no longer stop at Kowloon station, and instead only start/end at Hong Kong station.

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                  • #39
                    Thank you for the excellent TR as usual, yflyer.
                    I have always wanted to compare the comforts of PY on SQ A350 vs SQ 77Ws. Seems like it is more spacious on the 77Ws.

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by StarG View Post
                      Thank you for the excellent TR as usual, yflyer.
                      Thanks, StarG!

                      Originally posted by StarG View Post
                      I have always wanted to compare the comforts of PY on SQ A350 vs SQ 77Ws. Seems like it is more spacious on the 77Ws.
                      No question about that! The SQ 77W and A380 PEY seats are larger and more comfortable than the SQ A350 PEY seats, which use a different, slightly smaller, seat frame...

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                      • #41
                        SQ PEY is still not up to standards especially for its meals/ Just did a PEY trip from SIN to VCR on Eva Air and I can safely say that theie PEY service and meals are really up there. They do serve champagne too and what was unexpected is their amenity bag comes in a branded bag. Was very amazed with their PEY service and product and would put it even ahead of Qantas. However for SQ, well......

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                        • #42
                          Originally posted by flyguy View Post
                          SQ PEY is still not up to standards especially for its meals/ Just did a PEY trip from SIN to VCR on Eva Air and I can safely say that theie PEY service and meals are really up there. They do serve champagne too and what was unexpected is their amenity bag comes in a branded bag.
                          Thanks for sharing your opinion on EVA's PEY, flyguy! I've not yet flown EVA in any class of service but have heard very good things about the airline. I believe they were actually the first airline in the world to launch a PEY product many years ago.

                          Now that SQ no longer flies to Vancouver, SIN-TPE-YVR on EVA sounds like a decent way to get there, although SIN-SEA-YVR on SQ and either AC or AS also sounds tempting.

                          Originally posted by flyguy View Post
                          Was very amazed with their PEY service and product and would put it even ahead of Qantas. However for SQ, well......
                          Wow, that's amazing. I find QF's PEY almost as good as business class, so if Eva is even better than that, then they must be really impressive.

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                          • #43
                            Enjoyed the TR you put on SQ2/1 yflyer. You put a lot of thought in this. I love your pictures of Hong Kong as well. I am happy to know SQ retains 3-3-3 on their 77W and is still an option to choose when flying them.

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by SQfanatic View Post
                              Enjoyed the TR you put on SQ2/1 yflyer. You put a lot of thought in this. I love your pictures of Hong Kong as well. I am happy to know SQ retains 3-3-3 on their 77W and is still an option to choose when flying them.
                              Thanks, SQfanatic! Yes SQ's 3-3-3 layout on their 77WR is great!

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