Who wins? BR J vs SQ J on SIN-TPE route

[SQueeze]

Background

This trip report focuses on the J class products of 2 *A competitors on the SIN-TPE route - namely BR and SQ. For those unfamiliar, the route is served daily by SQ (2x), BR (1x), CI (2x), TZ (1-2x), 3K (2x), and TR (1-2x).

This trip was put together because my partner's VN miles was expiring and TPE is one of the destinations that is good-valued considering VN's zoning system for redemption. And we had not been to Taipei for a long time (for me, it has been 15 years!) and we were curious about the place, especially after so many Singaporean friends traveled there for vacation recently (including our friend, ycp81 whose recent trip report is here too on sqtalk).

My outbound flight was on BR, one-way revenue ticket. And I bought it ex-BOM. It's cheaper to fly BOM-SIN-TPE rather than BOM-SIN or SIN-TPE even! and I had a 3 month stopover between sectors. I had the option to fly either CI or BR for the same price and naturally I picked BR because they fly their 77Ws down to Singapore and I heard raving reviews of CX's new business class seat, which is of the same design as BR's.

My inbound flight was on SQ, one-way redemption in J.

SIN-TPE
Flight: BR226
Type: 777-300ER
Seat: 9K
Load: 100%

Now, to the report.

I arrived at the airport 1 hour before departure to a check-in area that was already very quiet. Not a soul was in the queue, which is surprising considering that as per expert flyer, the flight will be full-load in Y and almost full-load in PE

BR's business class is called Royal Laurel - one of those silly and cheesy names I can't stand, although still sounds better than OZ's Quadra Smartium. I much prefer the elegance of simply calling it The Business Class.





And then through a busy security and passport control towards airside. It was a busy period due to school vacation time and there were a lot of families travelling. There was still a little more time, so I got to check out the SATS Premier Lounge for some snacks. I have found that the food in all lounges have generally been going downhill in quality. I only ate the cheese, ham, and salad as the rest looked over-fried, over-gravied, carbo-laden junk only. The cake was quite good, better than the one served in my previous trip on Jet 2 weeks before.



Next, onwards to the gate - D42 and face to face with the huge 77W



It was 30 minutes to STD and yet it had not boarded. The stewardesses were still sitting around. So I figured - delay!
Boarding commenced 5 minutes to STD and Royal Laurel passengers and Diamond members were called first. And we boarded orderly. The other passengers were patient enough and didn't rush to the door, something that would not be observed on other flights I am familiar with like India and Indonesia.

On board, we were greeted with very cheerful stewardesses. My seat was 9K on the 2nd section (smaller business class section, just in front of the PE section). This is a window seat in reverse herringbone layout. First impression, thumbs up. It looks similar to UA First Class, and looks just as comfortable as the conventional herringbone. More thumbs up for the large side table which is missing on the conventional herringbone. There are also a lot of pockets to store magazines, iPad, etc.







Privacy is also well-considered. The window seats face away from the middle seats and unlike on the conventional herringbone, one looks towards the windows and not to each other's feet.



Slippers and amenities were then given out. Unfortunately, although earlier very hopeful, no Rimowa kit for this relatively short regional sector. The slippers are quite stylish - definitely better than SQ's silly looking baby socks.



The seat is equipped with massager too. I am not sure if I used it correctly but it seems to work only when pressed. Then it is not that functional. When massaged, i would like to relax and not having to be in an awkward position in order to keep pressing the button.



The IFE control and electrical sockets and other ports are at the side in plain view. Overall, the seat is very well equipped and functional. All the buttons are easy to find and it is not difficult to orientate oneself with the features.

[SQueeze]

The best thing about the seat: oriented towards the windows.



View of the giant 77W engines and a CX flight coming onto the next gate



Then the gate closed at 25 minutes past STD and we were on a long taxi to take off.

Once the seatbelt signs were off, menu cards were distributed. There is no choice for the appetiser, 3 choices for the main course, and no choice for the dessert and fruits.





And the menu of the inbound flight TPE-SIN in the same morning



I read reports of Dom Perignon served in BR's J. But on this flight, the champagne served was a Lallier. Just wonder if there is a change recently. It was served with mixed Asian snacks. First thumbs down here: the snack was served in its own unglamorous packaging on top of some serviettes. But the stewardess more than made up for it. She was friendly and addressed me by name, another thumbs up for BR crew.



More unglamorous mess but tasted good



90 minutes onto the flight, the main meal service started. First the hors d'oeuvres: prawns and smoked salmon. Not very nice. The mango salsa was pretty good but the salad, the prawn, and the smoked salmon didn't integrate to one another. And the salmon was dry.



Then the main courses arrived on a cart which I thought is interesting. Indeed it is rather old-fashioned but there is a classy feel to it. The good thing is that all was in plain view to see. When I first browsed through the menu, I settled with the Thai curry but it didn't look attractive on the cart so I changed my mind to the yong tau hoo instead. On SQ, with its tray service, one wouldn't be able to see and then decide.



My Yong Tau Hoo dish with 2 types of sauce at the side: chilli sambal on the left and sweet one on the right. The sambal was really really good. In fact, probably the best I have ever tasted that came with Yong Tau Hoo. Well done BR! My only criticism is that the noodles were slightly overcooked and not as al dente as I would prefer it to be.



Then came the fruits

[SQueeze]

And then the dessert course which was a chocolate cake with caramel pudding on it and served with my selection of coffee: salted coffee. Yup, on the menu, my eyes were drawn to this unusual item. After the flop that is coffee with brandy on SQ Suites a few months earlier, I hesitated a bit but I gave it a shot. Anyway, it was one of the best thing I ever drunk (next to Tibetan yak butter tea in a cold winter . It was slightly milky coffee, lightly sweetened and salted. All the contrasting flavours worked amazingly well together, similar to salted caramel. Perfect accompaniment to my caramel chocolate cake. There can't be a better way to end the meal with this cup of goodness.



Then the table was cleared and it's now IFE time. The IFE has an extensive selection of movies. Definitely way ahead of Jet Airways and on par with SQ.





Hello Kitty is a big thing and the duty free catalogue has special sections on them.



All the pink pages, haha



I was too tired to watch anything so I decided to try to take a nap. Here's the full flat position. There is also a small stand to the left of the seat that can be unlocked and raised to form a mini privacy screen.



But I didn't find the bed comfortable. And I began to notice a little claustrophobic feel which is not present when am lying down on Jet's conventional herringbone seats. Ok, so with the reverse herringbone, the seating mode is very good. One has more desk space, more privacy, view towards the window. But the trade-off is that the feet has to slot in a small hole. I don't like this feel, and I know this is psychological. Another thing I found rather uncomfortable is that the bed was rather hard, and the pillow too thin. So while I managed to get some nap, it was not sound nap. I was tossing around. I hope that for the long haul, the experience could be better, may be with duvet (like that provided on Jet Airways).

My neighbour having her noodles after the whole meal service had ended and the lights had been dimmed. I didn't know that one can pick meal timing as such. I wonder if one can do the same on SQ J Class



The rest of the flight was rather uneventful and by 5pm, the sun was setting. Really beautiful colours outside.





The flight managed to catch up with the earlier delay and we landed on time at TPE Terminal 1 and it got to be next to a Hello Kitty Jet - haha.

[SQueeze]

And now the return flight

TPE-SIN
Flight: SQ879
Type: A330
Seat: 12A
Load: Almost 100% (1 unoccupied)

After a few days in beautiful Taiwan, and a super relaxing overnight luxury spa stay in Wulai, we are back to Taoyuan airport for the return flight home. We found ourselves in an overcrowded terminal with chaotic queuing outside the SQ check-in counters. It was obviously a very full flight. This scene was 2 hours prior to departure.



Business Class had a queue too. But could be due to Star Golds using the same queue.







But it didn't take long for our turn to checkin and we were soon on our way to immigration. And it was another long queue at security and then more at passport control. All in all it took us 45 minutes from the departure kerb to the airside mall. Almost like Mumbai in the olden days!

SIA has a SilverKris Lounge here. Food in the lounge was certainly better than in Singapore's. More variety, better quality. We had dim sum selection, mushroom fried rice, delicious comforting braised pork, and steamed sweet broccolis. We wanted to check out BR lounges too but SQ is not listed as one of the airlines who is eligible to use so we gave it a miss. On hindsight, we should have just entered and tried our luck.



Since we were early and when we were stuffed full with sumptuous lunch, we decided to check out the Hello Kitty gate. We have been finding this concept interesting and bemusing. And yea, may be we will fly on one next year. Hello Kitty Gate is C3 which is a rather far trek from SQ's gate at the D wing.





The seating area. Couldn't help but smile at the thought of businessmen here too sitting and waiting for a flight in a space like this.



More seating



And the adjacent shop selling all sorts of Hello-Kitty cuties and goodies

[SQueeze]

And then next to Gate D5 to board. Today's flight is on 9V-STG, an A330



We were greeted by an enthusiastic IFS who addressed us by our names throughout our flight. It's a full flight, must be quite a task to remember all the passengers' names.

As most here would have known, the seating is the 'new' regional business class seat which is already showing its age with quite a bit of stain.





The hardware is definitely lacking compared to BR's.

The menu cards can be found in the pockets as is usually the case on all SQ's flights in J. Looks like a new cover design but then I haven't flown with them in J since July.



1 choice for appetiser, 4 for main course, and 2 for dessert. And then there is cheese course. The menu is definitely more varied and elaborate than BR's.



And the menu for the outbound SIN-TPE flight



Our drink selections



Followed by the iconic satay course. 3 sticks. I thought there were more on previous flights, but then may be it was in First.



The appetiser: smoked tuna with quinoa salad. Pretty good. Better than BR's for sure.



For this flight, I had BTC-ed the mushroom rice with tofu wrapped in lotus leaf. And I don't regret at all. It was really really good. This would be one of my favourites in the BTC menu. There were piles and piles of mushrooms and they were really earthy and flavourful. The tofu was basked in sweet savoury sauce. I wish the tofu could be a little less dry but overall many thumbs up for this dish. If only it were also available ex-SIN.





My partner's selection was Matthew Moran's lamb loin which was tough and rather dry. Not good at all. This is not the first time I am disappointed with Matthew Moran's inflight dish.

[SQueeze]

Dessert for my partner was passionfruit mousse cake which was refreshing and a thumbs up after the low of his lamb loin. Presentation-wise, not as impressive as BR's. Come on SQ, desserts look best plated on a plate and not on a bowl.



And for me, the dulce de leche haagen dasz ice cream. I liked this very much although i thought the fruits at the bottom of the ice cream were a bit out of place. They should have put something harder and crunchier like biscuits instead.



The rest of the flight was rather uneventful. I enjoyed Tom Cruise's Oblivion and then checked out our flight map only to discover that the flight originated from Sao Tome



We landed slightly behind time, 10-15 minutes past STA. We took off on time so I guess there was some holding on the SIN side. I didn't really pay attention, I was enjoying my IFE all the way to touch down. Yes, SQ now does allow IFE-watching on landing.

Conclusion

Both airlines definitely offer very good J products. The hardware is definitely better with BR with its reverse herringbone. I like this layout although I still find SQ's box seats superior by quite some league. The reverse herringbone layout offers a lot of storage space, well-considered privacy, and nice views towards the windows. But I do miss the conventional herringbone layout sense of openness when lying down. BR should also improve the padding and pillows. In terms of seat comfort, BR wins SQ on TPE route

For food, each has its own ups and downs. Menu variety is definitely better with SQ. Quality of the meal is comparable.

I really enjoyed the experience of the 2 flights and I will definitely fly EVA again in the future. I love Taiwan too with its beautiful scenery, exciting street food scene, value for money, and super super friendly people. We will be back and hopefully soon.

[eminere™]

Thanks for posting your TR, great comparison review. How interesting that your return SQ flight originated in São Tomé. I didn't know SQ flew there...

[SQflyergirl]

Thanks for the report. To me, since the flight is only 4 hours and a bit, the one who wins is the one who goes at the time i want to go

[CarbonMan]

Conclusion

Both airlines definitely offer very good J products. The hardware is definitely better with BR with its reverse herringbone. I like this layout although I still find SQ's box seats superior by quite some league. The reverse herringbone layout offers a lot of storage space, well-considered privacy, and nice views towards the windows. But I do miss the conventional herringbone layout sense of openness when lying down. BR should also improve the padding and pillows. In terms of seat comfort, BR wins SQ on TPE route

For food, each has its own ups and downs. Menu variety is definitely better with SQ. Quality of the meal is comparable.

I really enjoyed the experience of the 2 flights and I will definitely fly EVA again in the future. I love Taiwan too with its beautiful scenery, exciting street food scene, value for money, and super super friendly people. We will be back and hopefully soon.

Thanks, SQueeze for the comparative TR. My wife has raving about BR ever since she did a SIN-TPE-SEA return last September in PY. While she felt the food and IFE was just okay, she thinks the service was very attentive and the seat was very comfortable - this coming from a diehard SQ fan.

[9V-SIA]

Nice report. Thanks!

[zilchster]

I think BR flies the 77W to Singapore in between the timings from its arrival/departure to the US.

In fact it is the only airline on the SIN-TPE to offer a flat bed in Business.

Also, I read somewhere they are increasing the no of Y seats by a count of 20 something. Maybe they are going 3-4-3.

[9V-JKL]

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to flying on them soon

Also, I read somewhere they are increasing the no of Y seats by a count of 20 something. Maybe they are going 3-4-3.

That's the new config with the arrival of the new birds. Y+ is reduced from 63 to 56 to make way for 17 more regular Y

[SQueeze]

I think BR flies the 77W to Singapore in between the timings from its arrival/departure to the US.

Yup, smooth connections between Singapore and North America (as short as 55 min to the YYZ flight). They also fly the 77Ws to SGN for similar connections.

[SilverChris]

Yup, smooth connections between Singapore and North America (as short as 55 min to the YYZ flight). They also fly the 77Ws to SGN for similar connections.

Is that a legal connection? Tried redeeming BKK-TPE-SFO with a 1:15 connection and was told the MCT is 1:25.

[SQueeze]

Is that a legal connection? Tried redeeming BKK-TPE-SFO with a 1:15 connection and was told the MCT is 1:25.

Is that on the same airline?

When I got off the plane, I saw a rep holding a sign for connection to BR12.
And if you go to EVA website and try to make a booking, the connection is possible to LAX on BR12 and it is a 45 minute connection.

Are you using Krisflyer? May be you should call again. Sometimes, routing is not bookable one day with one agent and may be bookable on another. The other day, I was trying to book MEX-LAX-SIN-SGN and they said system not allowing it, only LAX-SIN-SGN would be possible. The next day, I managed to book the desired ex-MEX routing with no issue.