UA1/2 Dreamliner Non-stop to San Francisco in Y

[yflyer]

Overall impressions? I had a good flight. I slept, and when I woke up, I got things done. And I had an aisle seat, which meant I could get up and stretch occasionally. Very important for a flight like this! Hard product was good (Except for the narrow 3-3-3 layout) and so was cabin service.

I really like UA1's flight timing: A 10.55pm departure, and 6.30am arrival in Singapore.

This is quite different from SQ31 SFO-SIN nonstop, which departs at 11.40am in the morning, and arrives at 7.10pm in the evening.

So while the SIN-SFO leg on UA2 and SQ32 are quite similar, with morning departures, the timing on the return is completely different.

Which is preferable? Some folks like long overnight flights (I certainly do). I think anyone who likes a late night departure to Europe (Think SIN-LHR departing late at night) would find UA1's timing perfect: A west-bound red-eye with a long stretch of sleep time.

On the other hand, if you are one of those who prefers daytime flights, then ignoring all other factors and considering only schedule, maybe SQ31 is preferable to UA1.

My conclusion on UA1/2 to and from San Francisco? A very convenient way to get from SIN to SFO, although I still have reservations around seat width in a 9-abreast Y cabin on the 787.

Which brings us to the the big question: Now that SQ flies this same SIN-SFO-SIN sector nonstop on the A350, who to choose. UA or SQ?

Well my next flight to SFO will definitely be nonstop on SQ, simply because I want to try it. Hopefully soon!

And in the mean time, I am keen to read about others' experiences on both UA1/2 and on SQ 31/32, especially anyone on the SQ inaugural!

Thanks for reading!

[CarbonMan]

Thanks for the TR, yflyer.

[yflyer]

Thanks for the TR, yflyer.

Thanks, CarbonMan!

[HUGE AL]

Spare a thought for those in the back! 2-2-2 is still far better than 3-3-3!

As J on SQ is similarly priced, 2-2-2 would be bad -- especially if flying solo and you get a bad seat mate.

[orionmiz]

Just asking, any hotel recommendation in San Francisco?

I'm trying to find a 1 night not-too-expensive hotel accommodation, and preferably be able to catch a 9+am flight using public transport to San Francisco airport.

[yflyer]

Just asking, any hotel recommendation in San Francisco?

I'm trying to find a 1 night not-too-expensive hotel accommodation, and preferably be able to catch a 9+am flight using public transport to San Francisco airport.

Hi orionmiz! Hotels in good locations in SF e.g. close to Union Square or Yerba Buena etc are generally quite expensive (USD200-300 and up depending on the time of year). The tripadvisor hotel site is a good starting point. Some possibilities:

Mid price hotels in the city:

1. Hampton Inn (Part of Hilton). A new, good value hotel in a decent location. I stayed there recently.

2. Clift Hotel. A designer hotel with a very lively bar. I've never stayed there but I have visited the hotel public areas.

3. Courtyard SF Downtown. I have not stayed there, but it looks promising.

Upscale hotels:

4. Grand Hyatt Union Square - One of my favourites. Nice rooms in an ideal location.

5. Le Meridien San Francisco - Good location near SF Ferry Terminal. Not the newest rooms but good styling and a very pleasant place to stay.

Airport Hotels (Some good deals there):

6. Aloft SF Airport - My favourite airport hotel. In-N-Out burger a 10-15 min walk away. I just read the tripadvisor reviews for this place: some folks don't like it (Can be overpriced, and they don't really treat SPG Plats anything special), but I still like the place very much just because of the vibe and location.

One strange thing about SF hotel rates: the price fluctuates quite wildly depending on dates, and the quality of hotel doesn't always correlate with the price. You may get very good rates at upscale/top hotels, and conversely get terrible rates at average hotels.

There are also many budget options under USD200 a night that are listed in tripadvisor. Some are in very good locations close to Union Sq. For a one night stay, it may be worthwhile checking those out and booking one based on the reviews.

My other suggestion would be consider Uber to get to the airport. I usually use either the train or Uber. Uber works great in SF.

Cheers!

[SQfanatic]

Just asking, any hotel recommendation in San Francisco?

I'm trying to find a 1 night not-too-expensive hotel accommodation, and preferably be able to catch a 9+am flight using public transport to San Francisco airport.

Depends on how far you would like to stay from SFO via transit. I would say, any place outside of SF would be less expensive. Avoid Oakland by all means, not very safe at all. And forget Hayward, that's like a 1+ hour BART ride.

I would probably look into the Peninsula like South SF, San Bruno, Colma, Millbrae, after all, if you want to explore downtown SF, it's only about a 15-20 min BART ride.

[alastairloh]

odd question here, but from my flight from ORD to SFO, i'll have a 7.5 hr connection. Would I have the time to actually get out to town and do a quick tour of San Fran?

Have never been there before so would really like to see the attractions

[yflyer]

odd question here, but from my flight from ORD to SFO, i'll have a 7.5 hr connection. Would I have the time to actually get out to town and do a quick tour of San Fran?

Have never been there before so would really like to see the attractions

Hi alastairloh! 7.5 hours is plenty of time to head out to visit San Francisco!

You can catch the BART (which is their mass transit system) from the airport to Market Street (Powell Street Station), which is a very central location, in less than 45 minutes. Or you can catch an Uber car (Or Taxi. These days I just use Uber) which will get you into the city in 30 min.

You should have a good 4-5 hours in the city to look around. It is enough time to do a whirlwind tour of some of the major attractions.

To optimize time, I would do it in this sequence. Note that this is a best case scenario (Timings below include time to get from one place to the next.):

1. BART from SFO to Powell Street Station near Union Square / Market Street. (1 hr)

2. Cable car from Powell Street to Fisherman's Wharf. (There are sometimes queues at peak times, budget 20-30 min wait in line for the cable car, then a 20 min cable car ride.) (1 hr)

3. Fisherman's Wharf. (1 hr)

4. Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Centre on the SF side to see the bridge. (20 min via Uber/Taxi from Fisherman's Wharf) (1 hr)

5. Union Square / Market Street. (25 min via Uber/taxi from GG Bridge). (1 hr)

6. BART (Powell St) / Uber back to SFO. (1 hr)

That is a total of 6 hrs, and should get you back to SFO 90 min before your flight.

If you had a little more time, you could also see the San Francisco Ferry Building, or take a stroll through SF Chinatown, but those would look too much for a 7.5 hr transit stop. Still, you can do a lot in 4-5 hours!

[yflyer]

An alternative itinerary, maybe preferable to the first one above, although there is a little more Uber, and a little more walking...

1. Uber from SFO Airport to Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. (40 min)

2. View & walk along the Golden Gate Bridge (30 min)

3. Uber from GG Bridge to Powell Street Cable Car, near Union Square. (20 min)

4. Cable car from Powell Street to Fisherman's Wharf. There are sometimes queues at peak times, budget 20-30 min wait in line for the cable car, then a 20 min cable car ride. (60 min)

5. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, and a walk along the Embarcadero to San Francisco Ferry Buildling (About a 3km walk). (90 min)

6. Uber from SF Ferry Buildling to Union Square, then walk around Union Square Area etc. (60 min)

7. Uber/Taxi back to SFO. (30 min)

[SQfanatic]

An alternative itinerary, maybe preferable to the first one above, although there is a little more Uber, and a little more walking...

1. Uber from SFO Airport to Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. (40 min)

2. View & walk along the Golden Gate Bridge (30 min)

3. Uber from GG Bridge to Powell Street Cable Car, near Union Square. (20 min)

4. Cable car from Powell Street to Fisherman's Wharf. There are sometimes queues at peak times, budget 20-30 min wait in line for the cable car, then a 20 min cable car ride. (60 min)

5. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, and a walk along the Embarcadero to San Francisco Ferry Buildling (About a 3km walk). (90 min)

6. Uber from SF Ferry Buildling to Union Square, then walk around Union Square Area etc. (60 min)

7. Uber/Taxi back to SFO. (30 min)

The Golden Gate Bridge part, of course is subject to time and traffic conditions. If it's outside of rush hour times on weekdays, your ride to the Golden Gate Bridge should be a smooth 40 minutes. I know this, because I go to college close to Junipero Serra/I-280 and I know there are buses going that route to the GGB, so my observation is that there can be heavy traffic at peak times (Even subject to events of course).

The Downtown SF part, the Uber part is up to you, from GGB to Powell and Downtown SF, a MUNI bus will probably do better, if there's obviously lots of traffic (There tends to be traffic in SF if there are major events at Pier 39, AT&T Park, etc).

[HUGE AL]

An alternative itinerary, maybe preferable to the first one above, although there is a little more Uber, and a little more walking...

1. Uber from SFO Airport to Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. (40 min)

2. View & walk along the Golden Gate Bridge (30 min)

3. Uber from GG Bridge to Powell Street Cable Car, near Union Square. (20 min)

4. Cable car from Powell Street to Fisherman's Wharf. There are sometimes queues at peak times, budget 20-30 min wait in line for the cable car, then a 20 min cable car ride. (60 min)

5. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, and a walk along the Embarcadero to San Francisco Ferry Buildling (About a 3km walk). (90 min)

6. Uber from SF Ferry Buildling to Union Square, then walk around Union Square Area etc. (60 min)

7. Uber/Taxi back to SFO. (30 min)

Those are some mighty generous Über times. If any of my drivers took that long, I would have bailed mid trip.

[yflyer]

Those are some mighty generous Über times. If any of my drivers took that long, I would have bailed mid trip.

I don't want alastairloh to miss his flight!

When I make travel plans, I tend to err on the safe side...

When I plan flight connections on separate tickets, it is Minimum Connection Time plus at least 2 hours, or even an overnight stay!

On one trip, I was connecting from Buffalo to Newark to catch the non stop EWR-SIN on SQ's A345 (In Exec Economy, way back in 2006 when they had such a thing) ...I budgeted many many hours in transit, which was just as well, cos the Continental Airlines regional jet I was on had to make an unscheduled landing in Albany, NY because of smoke in the cockpit, with fire engines and all alongside on landing, and we (Including Mrs yflyer and our two kids) had to be bus'ed to EWR, along with all the other pax. We still made our connection!

[alastairloh]

I don't want alastairloh to miss his flight!

When I make travel plans, I tend to err on the safe side...

When I plan flight connections on separate tickets, it is Minimum Connection Time plus at least 2 hours, or even an overnight stay!

On one trip, I was connecting from Buffalo to Newark to catch the non stop EWR-SIN on SQ's A345 (In Exec Economy, way back in 2006 when they had such a thing) ...I budgeted many many hours in transit, which was just as well, cos the Continental Airlines regional jet I was on had to make an unscheduled landing in Albany, NY because of smoke in the cockpit, with fire engines and all alongside on landing, and we (Including Mrs yflyer and our two kids) had to be bus'ed to EWR, along with all the other pax. We still made our connection!

well, speaking of MCT, i'll be having a 38min connection in ORD. let's hope everything runs wells, if not my visit to san fran will be a bust

[yflyer]

well, speaking of MCT, i'll be having a 38min connection in ORD. let's hope everything runs wells, if not my visit to san fran will be a bust

38 minutes?? You are a daring man, alastairloh...