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Two Parks and a River – PART 1: Singapore Airlines A380 to Frankfurt and New York

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  • #31
    With about 2 hours to go in the flight, there was great scenery to view off the coast of Canada, where we flew over Newfoundland...







    Picture out of the rear emergency door window...

    Last edited by yflyer; 5 July 2020, 03:33 PM.

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    • #32
      A light meal was served before landing in New York.



      The gentleman seated next to me across the aisle bore a striking resemblance to CCS. The cabin crew treated him no different from the other pax, though...so it probably wasn't...

      The wines served on this flight...



      Y Menu...



      A delicious bread roll...



      And starter...



      I chose the Beef Rendang...



      The rendang looked a little dried out, but this was only cosmetic. It was moist and tasty...



      Dessert was a Magnum chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream bar.

      Last edited by yflyer; 5 July 2020, 03:34 PM.

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      • #33
        Another very smooth flight, and once again near flawless from start to finish in terms of both hard and soft product. I continue to be amazed at how consistent SQ is, and how they have managed to make long flights in Y, such as SIN-FRA-JFK so comfortable.

        Our flight landed at JFK a few minutes early, and as a result, the aerobridge operator / ground staff were not quite ready to receive us, and it took a several minutes before we were able to deplane.



        Eventually doors opened, and we deplaned into the terminal.



        I braced myself for long immigration queues, but now luck was on our side. Our whalejet was the only arrival at that time, and the large immigration area, set up to process long queues, was totally empty. I breezed through immigration in minutes.
        Last edited by yflyer; 5 July 2020, 03:34 PM.

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        • #34
          There was a line of yellow cabs outside the terminal waiting for passengers, but I decided to save a few dollars, and travel to Manhattan on the NYC Airporter shuttle bus.

          This was great value, at USD 16 for a one-way ride into the city, however there was a longish line which took 20-25 minutes to clear before I could board the bus, and the bus itself had seen better days. The NYC Airporter website shows gleaming new coaches and minibuses, so clearly some of the vehicles they use must be new, but not the particular specimen that pulled up by kerb that day.

          I am sure this bus had suspension had some point in its past, but it must have worn out years ago: the ride was rickety, bumpy and bone-crunching.



          I haven't been bumped around so much since 10 years ago on a rented minibus in Mumbai. Which is an ironic comparison since these days Mumbai has a gleaming new airport, and ever improving road / transport infrastructure...

          And you could forget about sightseeing along the way because on my side of the bus, the windows were blurred out with printed graphics on the outside, and all you had were blurry views of the outside scenery.

          An uncomfortable journey, and I resolved to take a cab the next time.

          But all that unpleasantness was forgotten upon arrival in Manhattan, which is a truly magical city.

          The bus stopped close to Grand Central Terminal.

          I took the opportunity to go inside for a look. This is a stunning terminal, fully befitting the name -- this was truly grand.



          Outside the streets were lively and busy on this warm afternoon. The vibe in mid town is just unique!



          I was looking forward to a great weekend in Manhattan. More on that, and a Saturday evening run through Central Park, in Part 2 of this TR.
          Last edited by yflyer; 5 July 2020, 03:34 PM.

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          • #35
            Conclusions from Part 1?

            SQ has a superb offering in Y on the A380. SIN-FRA-JFK must be one of their flagship routes, and both the hard and soft product were what you would expect on this route.

            In terms of hard product, the A380 Y hard product on SQ isn't the newest cabin product any longer, but can certainly hold it's own against almost anything on the market:

            - The economy seat was wide (19") and comfortable, with good recline and average legroom. A little more softness in the cushioning would have made it even better.

            - Very good catering across both Western and Asian selections. I was pleasantly surprised to see 3 choices of main for supper on the SIN-FRA sector.

            - IFE was very comprehensive, with a wide range of AVOD programmes.

            - Inflight wifi was a plus. A/C power and USB charging facilities made it easy to keep devices powered for the duration of the flight.

            - Cabin ambience was excellent. A spacious, bright, Y cabin, spotlessly clean.

            - Clean lavatories, refreshed periodically during the flight by the FA's.

            Some comparisons:

            - Purely in terms of hard product I would rate SQ A380 Y as superior to 1st generation Emirates A380 Y, and comparable to QF A380 Y.

            - I would rate the newest 2nd generation Emirates A380 Y hard product to be slightly superior to SQ's current A380 Y (Slightly more comfortable Y seat / superior IFE on Emirates), but SQ's catering and cabin service are superior.

            - In terms of Y seat, the Qantas A380 Y seat remains the best I have sat on, followed by Emirates's new A380 Y. Then comes SQ's A380 seat, which is better than the 1st gen Emirates A380 Y seat.

            - Comparing hard product across different SQ equipment types: I think SQ's Y product is very consistent across A380, A330 and 77W -- really not much to choose between these. The new SQ 77WN Y product looks great though, and I look forward to trying this in future. Certainly from other TRs from SQueeze and B777rocks, the new 77WN Y looks really impressive.

            - Not an apple to apple comparison, but looking at the SQ A380 Y hard product compared to other full service carriers, I would say that SQ's A380 Y is on-par with JL's 787 Y (at 8-abreast 2-4-2), and also on par with CX's latest 77W Y and BA's 77W Y, but superior to BA's 787 Y (at 9-abreast 3-3-3), and far superior to CX's fixed shell Y (On 747, 777 and A330). I won't insult SQ by even attempting to compare their Y to any competitor's 10-abreast 777's...

            In terms of cabin service and cabin crew, SQ remains unbeatable. In general SQ has some of the best cabin crew in the business, but on this sector, the cabin crew were especially warm and polished -- absolutely top notch. All seemed to be enjoying the interaction with passengers, and were going about their cabin service on this completely full flight in a seemingly effortless manner (It certainly isn't effortless!).

            That wraps up Part 1 of this TR. The continuation, Part 2, can be found here.

            Thanks for reading!
            Last edited by yflyer; 14 August 2014, 05:25 PM.

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            • #36
              Thanks for sharing. Always a pleasure to read your TRs, please keep them coming

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              • #37
                Great TR, thanks! I've done FRA-JFK myself in Y whilst the OH slept like a baby in Suites

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by 9V-JKL View Post
                  Thanks for sharing. Always a pleasure to read your TRs, please keep them coming
                  Thanks, 9V-JKL! Part 2 coming up soon...

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Kyo View Post
                    Great TR, thanks! I've done FRA-JFK myself in Y whilst the OH slept like a baby in Suites
                    Thanks Kyo! I am sure the OH appreciated it! Was there a glass of Krug sent back to Y?

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                    • #40
                      Thanks for the running report and TR, awesome !

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by Durian View Post
                        Thanks for the running report and TR, awesome !
                        Thanks, Durian! The runs were a great way to help get over jetlag...of course my body clock has been thrown into disarray again after all the late nights watching World Cup Soccer...it was much better watching the World Cup while in Europe or the USA from a timezone perspective!
                        Last edited by yflyer; 6 July 2014, 07:07 PM.

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                        • #42
                          Originally posted by yflyer View Post
                          Thanks Kyo! I am sure the OH appreciated it! Was there a glass of Krug sent back to Y?
                          Whilst there could very well have been, the main incident on that flight that I recall was an overflowing plate of BTC duckling on a Y tray

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                          • #43
                            Really good report! Thank you.

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by hsf View Post
                              Really good report! Thank you.
                              Thanks, hsf!

                              Interestingly, after MH17 happened, I took a look back at the photos I took during my SIN-FRA flight...that was when I realized that I was onboard one of the many SQ flights that flew over Ukraine before the unfortunate events of 17 July...

                              Originally posted by yflyer View Post
                              About two and a half hours before arrival, lights were turned on and a second round of steaming hot towels were distributed.

                              ...snip...
                              By then we were flying over Central Europe.



                              Bright sunlight was streaming into the cabin, however it was fairly cloudy so views out the window weren't particularly interesting.

                              ...snip...

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