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The Airlines We Fly, the Air We Breathe: SQ A380 to India (BOM/DEL), St Regis, Oberoi

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  • #16
    Originally posted by balajih67 View Post
    wondering when SQ will launch a better product for consumers to MAA. their MAA product is too outdated compared to the products it offers on its other india routes.

    Considering SQ manages to run a full load in J and Y 75% of the week, wondering why the 77w is not serving MAA. the A330 is too old IMO
    I actually consider SQ's A330 Y product to be quite modern and competitive in the market. It is not the newest, but it is about the same as the current generation A380 Y.

    It is SQ's refurbished 772's which have the old Y seats which cannot be compared with the new products.

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    • #17
      Continuing with the TR...

      I arrived at the St Regis Mumbai late in the evening. The St Regis, located in South Parel, is in a 40 storey tower block, which is the tallest hotel in India at the moment.



      Some of the art works in the lobby...





      A non-alcoholic welcome drink for guests checking in...grape juice and sparkling water...



      Actually when I arrived late in the evening, I was warmly greeted and checked-in in my room itself, and so skipped the lobby where the welcome drink was served, but as I was checking out the next day, I noticed other guests checking in, who were sipping this striking looking beverage, and I asked for one as well. They were happy to oblige...

      I was upgraded at check-in to a Suite....

      Last edited by yflyer; 24 November 2017, 02:23 PM.

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      • #18
        This was a large and beautifully decorated room, with separate living room and bedroom...



        Dark wood tones and elegant cream/light coloured embroidered fabric.



        The bedroom was in an adjoining room...



        Large bed, very inviting after a long evening flight...





        Separate wardrobe....

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        • #19
          Very large bathroom with two basins...



          ...large tub...



          ...and separate shower stall with bench...



          Remede toiletries...





          Very comfortable bedroom slippers...

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          • #20
            My routine when travelling to Mumbai on the evening SQ424 flight is to arrive in the hotel, and then order a room service dinner as a late evening/midnight snack...

            The St Regis has a very tempting room service menu, with very good late night dining options...



            ...including many Indian selections...



            I ordered the Murgh Tambda Rassa - Home style Maharashtrian chicken curry and Baghara Khushka - Rice with Hyderabadi spices.

            Less than half an hour later, a full trolley was wheeled into my room...



            ...a delicious spread! Morsels of tender chicken in a light and very tasty curry...



            ...and delicious basmati rice lightly flavoured with spices....the rice had such a light texture and wonderful subtle flavour that I could have eaten it on its own...

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            • #21
              The next morning, I woke up to hazy skies...



              The hotel pool, far down below...



              As with most hotels in India, breakfast was included in my room rate. A bustling restaurant with a stupendously large selection of Indian and International dishes on offer...



              Too bad I had a full work day ahead, otherwise I would have indulged in one of their signature Mumbai Mary's...



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              • #22
                Indian specialities served in beautiful metal pots...



                Chickpeas...



                Poha...



                Paratha and Puri Bhaji station...



                Egg station...



                ...where I ordered my omelette Indian "masala" style, with green chilli, onion, coriander and cheese...



                Apart from your choice of coffee and tea, including expresso or latte's, there is also a recreation of a roadside masala chai stand...





                I could have spent hours sampling the wonderful breakfast selection here. If you are staying at the St Regis, don't skip breakfast!
                Last edited by yflyer; 25 November 2017, 06:33 PM.

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                • #23
                  A wonderful stay in my Suite at the St Regis, even if the total time I spent at the hotel was less than 12 hours (Most of it asleep).

                  From there, it was a busy work day before I headed to Mumbai airport in the mid afternoon for my flight to Delhi.



                  Mumbai's new terminal is the nicest airport terminal I have visited in India, and in fact beats many other airports all over the world in terms of sheer grandeur and design.



                  The regular Jet Airways check-in queue was fairly long, but I piggybacked on my colleague's Jet Airways Gold card, and joined the far shorter FF queue, where we had to change our tickets to an earlier flight.

                  I was quite impressed with Jet Airway's IT setup...there were 3 of us travelling on different types of Y ticket...at the counter, we were able to change our flights to an earlier flight (with seats available) for a small nominal fee, which was charged direct to our credit cards via a handheld mobile device right at the check in counter, with invoices electronically delivered via email. A smooth and very seamless process.

                  It was then on to security and the domestic airside area...

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                  • #24
                    There are lots of shopping and F&B options inside the airport terminal. We had snacks in one of the restaurants before heading to our gate.



                    At the gate, one of Jet Airways' 737-800s, rego VT-JFH.



                    Jet Airways runs a huge fleet of 738's, with their website stating that there are 67 of these aircraft in operation.

                    From the gate area, I could see ramshackle huts of the slum colonies surrounding the airport. Efforts to relocate the slum residents to new housing are underway, although it might take a very long time.

                    Last edited by yflyer; 24 November 2017, 02:25 PM.

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                    • #25
                      Boarding was called on time. I passed through the J cabin, configured 2-2.



                      As I did, I recalled the one time I was upgraded from Y to J on Jet Airways on this same sector, BOM-DEL. This was a memorable flight back in April 2011. It was completely full in Y, and we had a Bollywood celebrity up front: Shah Rukh Khan himself.

                      On that day years ago, I noticed some some excitement at the check-in counter, with hushed whispers from the counter staff, as well as at the gate, where several staff stood expectantly, waiting for the arrival of Mr Khan, who was last to board.

                      Onboard, sitting in one of the first rows of J, he was cheerful, chatting animatedly with passengers seated around him throughout the flight.

                      For the other J passengers, many of the other business class pax in the cabin appeared blasé, at least outwardly, about sharing the cabin with one of the great Bollywood stars. No-one whipped out their smartphones to snap photos, but I guess this was 2011, when the selfie/wefie trend was just beginning...

                      As for myself, I was seated far away in the last row of J...and I can brag to my wife and kids that I have actually spoken to the legendary SRK, if you can consider a mumbled "Excuse me" as I passed by his seat on the way to the forward lav as a conversation...

                      And on arrival in Delhi, a lot of attention as he deplaned and entered the terminal, surrounded by a small entourage and security detail, with starstruck gawkers all around.
                      Last edited by yflyer; 26 November 2017, 08:39 AM.

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                      • #26
                        Snapping back to the present day, the BSI (Boeing Sky Interior) equipped 738 was configured 3-3 in Y, with smart leather seats and light blue headrests.



                        Decent legroom...



                        Individual airvents above the seats, and unusually, life jackets stored in a small compartment overhead, next to the lights.



                        A fairly full flight, like most flights on the busy BOM-DEL sector...



                        This was an off-peak 4.30pm departure, so while quite packed, there were a few empty seats. I managed to snag an empty row of 3 in the last row.

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                        • #27
                          Pushback...



                          A short line of aircraft queuing for departure in the late afternoon haze...



                          Turning onto the runway...



                          ...and a powerful take-off over the Mumbai coastline...



                          Onboard, a hot snack was served...



                          There was a choice of veg or non-veg. I opted for the non-veg option...



                          A tasty snack.

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                          • #28
                            Not much of a view below, given hazy conditions at low altitude...



                            No seatback video screens, but this flight did have Jet Airways's wifi streaming entertainment, that you could play on your mobile/tablet/laptop.



                            A user-friendly system that was easy to setup and use, although some movies required you to download an app before the flight.





                            A nice selection of music...



                            Airshow information on your mobile or tablet...



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                            • #29
                              And I encountered Shah Rukh Khan onboard again, if only in the form of inflight entertainment...



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                              • #30
                                Cabin LED lighting turned to orange onboard during the flight...



                                ...which matched the fiery sunset out the window...





                                25 minute delay because of congestion in Delhi...



                                On the ground at Delhi's massive new airport.





                                I stepped out of the terminal, and almost immediately I felt a vague stinging sensation in my eyes. In the car on the way to the hotel, I felt a small tingle of discomfort in the back of my throat, which become more pronounced as the drive progressed...

                                To be continued!

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