Strawberry Muppet

From: Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) T1 To: Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok (HKG) T1 On: Monday 1st April 2013 With: Qantas Airways Flight: QF127 In a: Boeing 747-438 Aircraft Registration: VH-OJL (Brisbane) Cabin: Premium Economy Sitting in: 37J (Aisle) Total distance flown: 4,578 miles Scheduled departure from SYD: 10:50 AEDT Scheduled arrival in HKG: 17:20 AEDT-3 Total scheduled travel time: 9hrs 30 mins Easter Monday dawned overcast and cool after the late showers Sunday night in Sydney. I woke up at 06:30am feeling rather fresh after a late night and took CityRail to Rockdale station (fare $4.40) with a bus connection on route 400 to the Int'l Terminal ($3.60). The direct train to the airport from the CBD costs $15.90 one way (see advert below). Travelling via Rockdale avoids the airport gate access fee but adds on about half an hour. It's also a short bus connection from Mascot station on the 400 but I prefer going via Rockdale as the transfer is easier. As I wasn't in a rush to get to the airport I didn't mind the longer journey. I've noticed Sydney become more expensive over the past few years and the weaker GBP certainly doesn't help. I arrived at T1 around 8am and checked-in for QF127 bound for HKG at the dedicated Qantas First Class counter where I was given my Express Path coupon to expedite my departure formalities. After clearing security and passport control I headed off to the Qantas First Lounge on the upper level of the departure lounge. British Airways Executive Club Gold members are entitled to First Class lounge access regardless of class of travel when flying on any oneworld carrier. Once inside I headed off to book a spa treatment. I didn't want the full 50 minute body massage so elected for the men's hot towel facial with neck and shoulder massage. Lovely. That was booked for 09:50, a good one hour before departure - I always prefer to board the plane at the last opportunity if I don't have much carry-on. Qantas First Lounge View from the lounge I had a light breakfast of delicious passionfruit yoghurt, fresh fruit salad and orange juice with a flat white before returning to the spa for my treatment. Anita introduced herself and gave me the most blissful and soothing facial and we chatted away like good friends whilst she gave me a good rub over. The waiters and spa staff together with the kitchen chefs within the Qantas First Lounge are employed by Sofitel Hotels, not Qantas. Anita really was fabulous, she really does enjoy her job having previously worked in the spa at a very well known luxury 5 star hotel in the city. We had a long and interesting talk about the hotel industry. I thanked Anita after my treatment and left the lounge just before 10:30am for the short walk to Gate 25 where QF127 was in the last stages of boarding. VH-OJL Today's flight would be completely full in both Economy and Premium Economy. I had originally selected 34A which is a bulkhead window seat at the front of the cabin but was concerned that the legroom would be slightly impeded by the bulkhead so I switched to 37J, which is the last row and an aisle seat on the starboard side. This was my first time flying Qantas international long haul and only my third time on a Qantas 747. One of my last flights on a Qantas 747 was in 2008, on the domestic SYD-MEL shuttle, in a 747 so ancient that the bulkhead and overhead bins rattled violently during the takeoff roll. The Premium Economy cabin on this 747 variant has 4 rows in a 2-4-2 configuration behind the business class cabin. Nice and cosy. Qantas' Premium Economy seat, built by Recaro, is perfect for a daytime flight of this length, featuring extra recline and a minimum 38" seat pitch, with in-arm individual video screens featuring AVOD. I was very happy with both the comfort and location of my seat and made the right choice to switch from the front row to the last row. The legroom in the front row looked slightly cramped. Premium Economy seat 37J Pushback from the gate commenced at 11:06. Due to congestion at Kingsford Smith takeoff was delayed until 11:34. QF127 took off to the south on Runway 16R, climbing out over Botany Bay and banking right to head inland over the western suburbs. An hour into the flight refreshing hot towels were offered prior to the drinks service. I had a cognac and sparkling water, served in proper full size glassware. Just before 1pm prior to lunch service the Customer Service Supervisor (CSS) in-charge of the Premium Economy cabin approached me by name and asked for my preferred meal choice, being seated in the last row. Nice to see Qantas recognising higher tier oneworld members and offering them their meal choice in advance of service. I flew BA15 LHR-SYD in the same cabin class recently and there was no recognition throughout the flight, except when they handed me an Express Path arrivals card. Lunch was rather good. I chose the beef brisket which was lovely and tender and well seasoned, in a nice mushroom sauce. I've been having quite a few beef dinners in the air recently...and I certainly enjoyed this one. To go with my meal I opted for a glass of excellent Australian shiraz. I was offered more bread and my wine and water glasses were constantly topped up. Definitely impressed with the overall business class quality of the meal and service on this Qantas flight over the poorer version on British Airways. Cabin crew service was excellent throughout, and the call bell was answered within 5 seconds when pressed. QF127 departed the Australian coast to the east of Darwin, over the Gulf of Carpentaria with about 5.5hrs to reach HKG. Full recline Mid-flight and I wandered over to the galley for some refreshments - fresh fruit and a packet of mixed nuts and fruit. A light refreshment was served 2hrs prior to landing - a choice of Toasted Italian Flat Bread with Leg Ham, Gruyere and Dijon Mustard or Blue Cheese and Broccoli Tart with Rocket Salad. I chose the ham sandwich which went down very nicely with another beer. Crew rest seats; row 40 Economy main cabin fully occupied QF127 landed in HKG at 17:12 local time and disembarkation and immigration were quick. I took the Airport Express to Tsing Yi to connect to the MTR for the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin where I would be staying one night before flying back home to LHR on British Airways Flight BA28 the following day. An excellent flight, Qantas certainly knows how to deliver a high quality experience in Premium Economy.

From: London Heathrow (LHR) T3 To: Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) T1 Via: Singapore Changi (SIN) T1 On: Saturday 23rd March 2013 With: British Airways Flight: BA15 In a: Boeing 747-400 (52J version) Aircraft Registration: G-CIVT Cabin: World Traveller Plus Sitting in: 11K - bulkhead window Total distance flown: 10,565 miles Scheduled departure from LHR: 23MAR 21:55 (GMT) Scheduled arrival in SIN: 18:45+1 Scheduled departure from SIN: 20:15 (GMT+8) Scheduled arrival in SYD: 25MAR 07:00 AEDT Total travel time: LHR-SYD: 22hrs 05 mins Snow, sleet and arctic winds battered much of the UK the day before I was due to fly out and so I kept a careful eye on the weather situation. We really can't cope with much more than a light dusting of the white stuff. I was due to fly to Barcelona and back the same day and managed to get to Gatwick early in the morning, after less than 3hrs sleep. I was at a staff party the night before and had a lovely time with fellow colleagues. Upon arrival at LGW at 08:15 I received a text message from BA informing me that my BA475 BCN-LHR flight was cancelled. A quick check on ba.com showed the following BCN-LHR flight was cancelled as well so I decided not to travel. I confirmed with BA at the ticketing desk to drop my initial BCN-LHR flight and start my itinerary at LHR later that evening. So I headed back to London. I managed to slip on the platform whilst trying to board the Gatwick Express and in doing so I plonked right on the platform with my legs dangling in the gap between the train and the platform. D'oh! After returning back to London I spent most of lunchtime writing an appeal to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service for a parking ticket I received whilst parking in Notting Hill Gate on a single yellow line. I am determined that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea won't get a penny off me the thieving scumbags. I headed back to LHR just after quarter past six in the evening and arrived at Terminal 3 approx 2.5hrs before my flight. I had already checked in online and reserved 11K. I headed over to the First Class check-in counter where I was given my boarding pass and my bag was checked through to SYD. Then it was off to the lounge. First stop the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge near Gate 5. I heard they do awesome noodles to order and I wasn't wrong. I had a delicious bowl of wanton noodles with prawn and pork dumplings. The lounge was nice and quiet with only a handful of people. I wanted to check out the BA Galleries First Lounge as I had only previously used BA shorthaul out of Terminal 5 and heard that the T3 lounge wasn't great. Turned out true. The lounge was packed with many pax waiting for the QF2, QF9, BA9 and BA15 flights to Australasia. I needed a shower but the waiting time was 45 minutes so I left after only 10 mins and returned to the tranquillity of the Cathay lounge where I got a shower cubicle straight away. Note the ticket wallet in the old BA livery from 1996 Boarding was delayed and due to the aircraft being de-iced there was no air bridge attached to the aircraft. It was a short walk across the apron and as I was admiring the plane I managed to walk outside the coned area and the ground agent barked at me to get back. "Alright darling!" I replied cheerfully. I managed to take a shot of the section where the World Traveller Plus cabin is situated on this 747. It's located behind the nose where First Class is, between doors 1 and 2. The walk up the steps to the aircraft was absolutely freezing! Luckily the heating was on full blast as soon as we entered. I was welcomed on board and settled into my premium economy seat. Seat configuration is 2-4-2 across with 4 rows on the A side and 6 rows on the K side. All the window shades in this cabin were lowered as you can see from the picture below. Strange I thought. Pushback from the gate commenced at 22:38 and BA15 was airborne at 22:55. Doors 1 and 2 - WT+ is located in this section My seat - 11K Legroom shot Pre-dinner drinks were served an hour into the flight and I opted for a Heineken. Dinner was served half an hour later, at 00.22. Main courses are from the Club World menu - the famous BA chicken or beef. I took a gamble on the beef as I don't do curries at 35,000 feet and was very surprised that it wasn't cooked to death. I'd say it was medium-well and quite juicy, and easy to carve with the metal cutlery. I quite enjoyed it, loved the veggies too. Even the bread was soft and tasted almost freshly baked! Amazing! What's going on?!! Is this really airline food? I was almost expecting a piece of dry, tough, chewy meat and I didn't get it! I passed on the starter and dessert as I had already eaten in the lounge earlier. Here is the menu for the first sector to SIN. I conked out shortly after dinner and had a good sleep waking up just a few minutes before 07:00 UK time. A water and juice run came almost instantly and then I pressed the call button to ask for my morning coffee. A stewardess came to my seat in less than 5 seconds! My coffee was brought to me with a Kit-Kat and biscuits and a warm smile. An hour later another juice and water run. Amazing! Am I really flying BA?!! My expectations have really been exceeded! I hadn't flown BA longhaul since 2003 when I flew to Tokyo in economy class. Since then it has been pretty much Star Alliance worldwide with the odd oneworld flight here and there. Breakfast was served exactly 9hrs after dinner, at 09.22 UK time - 17:22 SIN time - 20:22 SYD time. There was a choice of an omelette or the English breakfast. I opted for the English and thought it was very poor. The sausage was probably the worst I've had in a long time. Tasted like pork, beef and chicken all rolled in one. I could not determine what kind of breed this sausage was. One bite was more than enough though. The salt content in it was way too much! The egg, mushrooms and tomato tasted rather bland in comparison. I didn't touch the muffin, goodness knows how many E numbers are in it. I love Rachel's organic yoghurt though, bmi used to serve them for breakfast too. You can see that this is the economy class second meal, plastic utensils, no linen napkin, not very good at all for Premium Economy. BA15 made a smooth landing at Singapore's Changi International Airport one minute to seven in the evening local time. Being seated in front of the Club World cabin is a real bonus on this 747 and very quickly I disembarked and made my way to the Qantas lounge. A very good crew and a pleasant dinner made the first sector more than bearable. The World Traveller Plus cabin was full and so too was the main economy cabin. Just over an hour after landing I reboarded the plane from Gate C22 and returned to the same seat I was allocated. My seatmate in 11J was also flying straight through from LHR-SYD. The aircraft now had a fresh set of crew and the cabin had one passenger less. The crew came round with refreshing hot towels before BA15 pushed back at 20:26 and taxied out to the runway with an estimated flight time of 7hrs 05 mins. The in-seat safety video wasn't working so the crew did a manual demonstration. I gave my full attention as always. Shortly after 9pm SIN time (midnight AEDT) the pre-dinner drinks service commenced and I had another Heineken. Here is the menu for this sector. Guess what's on the menu again. I hesitated before opting for the beef...again. I concluded that it was healthier than the chicken because there were at least two veggies with the beef whilst the chicken had no veggies and the sauce had cream. This time round the beef was more like well done. Cutting through it was just about okay with the metal cutlery but I wouldn't have been happy if I had plastic utensils. I hope economy class didn't have steak well-done. Presentation wasn't the best - look at the sorry state of the mashed potato! Overall it wasn't too bad and I enjoyed a glass of Spanish tempranillo with it. The starter and dessert was...very uninspiring. I headed off to the land of nod around 2am in the morning (AEDT) over the Indian Ocean with just under 5hrs remaining before landing. I didn't sleep very well. I was awoken with severe turbulence over WA and found it hard to get back to sleep. The BA Deli Box was handed out as we approached Sydney with about an hour and twenty minutes to go, still cruising at flight level 390 and at 573mph. It was still dark. Yuck! What do you call this?! A plastic-wrapped Danish twist, small strawberry yoghurt and a cuplet of orange juice. No thanks. So this is what you get on those eastbound transatlantic flights in economy. I fished out a Braeburn apple and a packet of fruit biscuits pinched from the BA lounge from my carry-on bag and had that instead with my coffee. Besides, I would be having a proper breakfast on the ground once I got to my hotel, the Sheraton on the Park. The sun was just appearing over the horizon as BA15 landed at Kingsford Smith at 06:47. I was given an Express Path coupon to use but since I had declared something on the arrivals card I couldn't use it. The queue for immigration was very long, QF2 from LHR (A380) and QF6 from FRA (747) had just landed ahead of us. It took me an hour to clear immigration, customs and quarantine as I had my bags searched and questioned by Customs and Border Protection. Soon after I exited the terminal building into the glorious Sydney sunshine.

Join Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (frequent flyer programme) and receive instant Gold status for 12 months. You don't have to fly Virgin Atlantic to enjoy the benefits of Gold status. As a Flying Club Gold member you will be entitled to free lounge access and business class check-in when flying with partner airlines such as Virgin Blue in Australia or SIA in economy class. To get free Gold status you must enrol via the link below: http://www.sterlingtravel.co.uk/article92.html Then register your membership online: Now Expired. New sign ups will only get red membership.

Here's a video of the first passenger A380 at Zurich airport. I still marvel at the size of this plane! It's a great video! [ame=http://vimeo.com/10528999]Welcome Singapore A380 on Vimeo[/ame]

In hot and humid countries I always carry several fresh cotton face towels to wipe the dripping sweat from my face every now and again. Once I leave the comfort of air-conditioning I sweat like mad! Enjoying your adventures in Vietnam so far. The food is, of course, the best. If you like BBQ seafood I recommend Ngoc Suong, 17 Le Quy Don (District 3 if I remember). Cheap and delicious Vietnamese food.

Congratulations on your promotion! Well done!

From: Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL) - Singapore Changi (SIN) Flight: SQ228 Date: Monday 7th September 2009 Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 9V-SPA Departure time: 15:50 Arrival time: 21:40 (23:40 AEST) Distance: 3742 miles Springvale VIC 3171, is located about 15 miles southeast of Melbourne. It is one of many Melbourne suburbs with a large Vietnamese population. There is an abundance of Vietnamese restaurants, shopping malls, grocery stores and many other things Vietnamese here in Springvale. I was here on a short visit to spend some time catching up with my relatives, having already spent 6 days in Sydney the week before. Springvale VIC 3171 Springvale VIC 3171 I woke up early on Monday and had a leisurely breakfast of toast and Weet-bix (my favourite Aussie cereal) with soya milk. My cousin Julie invited me for lunch in Springvale before going to the airport but I declined. I told her, basically, on SIA they feed you so much that it would be impossible to have lunch before flying AND be able to eat everything onboard - well, at least for me. So lunch was out. I had decided not to eat anything after breakfast before getting on that plane. She agreed it was a good idea! I arrived at the SIA check-in desk at Tullamarine at exactly 2pm, 1hr 50mins before my scheduled departure time. The check-in agent was very pleasant and checked my case through to London Heathrow via Singapore Changi and Tokyo Narita. I would be flying over 13,000 miles from Australia to the UK! My boarding pass for my connecting ANA flight from Singapore to Tokyo was also issued - very good as it meant I didn't have to visit the transit desk in T2 on arrival in Changi. After passport control and security I popped into the SIA SilverKris lounge, decided it was too small and made a hasty retreat to the large and spacious Air New Zealand Koru lounge in the basement of the terminal. There were hot and cold nibbles but I didn't eat or drink anything whilst I was here. About half an hour before departure I left the lounge and made my way to Gate 8 where the last passengers were boarding Flight SQ228. 9V-SPA A familiar face greeted me as I entered the First Class cabin - it was Emily the Leading Stewardess. Emily displayed impeccable service on my flight, SQ231 SIN-SYD back in March and she also remembered me from that flight six months ago! I was really pleased to see her again! What a coincidence to bump into her on another 747 flight. We warmly greeted one another. I asked her if she was working the First Class cabin today and she replied that indeed she was. Well! I knew then and there that I was in for another superb flight. Emily displays genuine warmth and friendliness in her role as cabin crew and I can still remember how much I enjoyed my flight with her to Sydney earlier this year. Let me introduce the cabin crew. In the First Class cabin today is In-Flight Supervisor (IFS) Ong Choon Boon, Leading Steward (LS) Heng Quee Yong "Tony" and, of course, the lovely Leading Stewardess (LSS) Teo Yoke Yin "Emily." The first of many hot towels were offered as we prepared to pushback from the gate. I sipped my freshly squeezed orange juice as Emily came round the cabin with newspapers, magazines, menus, slippers, pyjamas and Salvatore Ferragamo washbags. Wow! She even remembered my pyjama size from my previous flight! The aircraft pushed back ahead of schedule at 3.42pm and taxied out to Runway 16. The 747 feels rather clumsy as it bumps along the tarmac, creaking and juddering, but once airborne it is magnificent and graceful as ever. At 4.02pm (2.02pm Singapore time), Flight SQ228 took off heading south towards Port Philip Bay before banking to the northwest and heading out towards the heart of Australia. The captain advised an estimated flight time today of 7hrs 10mins and an early arrival into Changi. Banking over Melbourne suburbs I had asked for a cup of Earl Grey tea after take-off. I've cut down my coffee consumption recently in favour of tea. I do love a refreshing cuppa. SIA has recently introduced this new Singaporean fresh loose tea onboard and I was keen to sample it again. Emily brought round the first of three cups of TWG Earl Grey tea, which I enjoyed very much, along with warm cashew nuts. She also asked me if I would prefer to have dinner now or later at 6pm Singapore time - 8pm AEST. SQ228 offers two meal servings in all classes - dinner and refreshment. Since it was only mid-afternoon Melbourne time and I was feeling peckish, not famished, I decided to have dinner at 8pm AEST and skip the refreshment service. There were three other passengers in First Class and they all decided to have dinner now rather than later. But first, some gorgeous fresh fruit for me to snack on. What could be more healthier? The fresh fruit basket was brought round and I looked at all the gorgeous fruit with delight, longing to munch on them all. But I only selected a few fruits, as I didn't want the cabin crew to think I was too greedy. I was especially pleased to see some delicious mangosteens in the basket. However, the plastic knives provided, thanks to Australian government regulations, proved to be fruitless in cutting the hard mangosteens (no pun intended). Near Broken Hill close to the SA/NSW state border 235km from Coober Pedy, SA Several hours into the flight and I popped over to the First Class galley to chat with the crew after the initial dinner service had been completed. In-Flight Supervisor (IFS) Mr. Ong is in the highest cabin crew position having worked for SIA for 25 years. He explained to me that SIA cabin crew must retire after 25 years' service or, in his case, after 28 years' extended service. He also told me that out of the 430 SIA IFSs only a very small proportion - about 30 - is female. Mr. Ong informed me that there are three pilots operating the flight today, the instructor pilot being the extra pilot overlooking the flight crew. A total of 17 crew members including the three pilots were operating this Boeing 747-400 today. We chatted about many other things, including non-aviation stuff, for a good while before I went off on a tour of the aircraft. Both the business class and economy class cabins were packed on this flight. Some photos flying over the heart of Australia: I took a photo of this panel located behind the business class cabin and asked Mr. Ong about it. He explained that it is used to make pre-recorded announcements in several languages on certain routes. Mr. Ong preparing a cup of Royal Darjeeling tea for me. Earlier, he dissected a tea bag to show me the fresh tea leaves inside. Dinner was served at exactly 8pm AEST as the plane headed out of Australian airspace. Here is the menu for today's flight: There was still just over three hours before arrival into Changi and the sun had disappeared well below the horizon. I started with the caviar and garlic bread as usual followed by a delicious chicken soup with Chinese mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Next, I had a very nice Caesar salad. I asked Emily if I should go for the stir-fried prawns or Singapore-style chicken, both served with rice. I always choose the Asian dishes when flying SIA. Emily recommended the Singapore-style chicken and rice. The chicken was succulent and the rice was gorgeous - fragrant, with a hint of ginger. The rice on SIA is always very good indeed and today was no exception. The crew anticipated that I wanted a second bowl of rice and this was offered before I had even finished my first bowl. Most excellent! As this was my last 747 flight in First Class I had to have a glass of the Dom Perignon. I don’t like to drink a lot of alcohol when I fly so when Emily came to top up my champagne glass I had to politely refuse. Dessert was divine. The vanilla crème brulee and coconut and lime sorbet with fresh fruit salad was sweet and delicious and I could have licked my plate clean. Unfortunately, I was also full and couldn't manage another helping from the fresh fruit basket. I finished my meal with another cup of the Royal Darjeeling tea. Emily asked me if I would like to have my seat converted into a bed. I politely declined, not wanting to make a fuss. Besides, I had no intention of sleeping on my final 747 flight. My seat, 2F, near the front of the First Class cabin The First Class galley To the upper deck I bought a box of Godiva chocolates from the in-flight duty free and offered it to Emily and her two colleagues in the First Class cabin. With 18 chocolates in the box there was enough for each of the crew and one left for me. Mr. Ong offered me a choc and we chatted even more before he disappeared to offer the rest of the flight crew a choc each. I told him to offer the pilots a choccie too. Before landing Emily came over to my seat and presented me with a bag full of SIA goodies - children's soft cuddly toys and colouring kits, four packs of playing cards and some First Class writing packs and pens. I never ask for freebies when I fly so I was touched by this small but kind gesture from the cabin crew. Emily even asked me if I would like to keep the First Class menu as a souvenir and I said if it's okay to take it then yes, please! Another freebie! Thank you! I had forgotten my jacket when I flew from London to Singapore two weeks earlier on SQ321. The jacket was found and handed into lost property at Changi. I asked Emily if she knew which terminal I could locate the lost property office. I had a lost property reference number and she copied it down and said she would find out for me. Flight SQ228 made a smooth touchdown into Changi at 9:09pm local time after a flight time of 7hrs 7mins. I was sad that this was to be my last ever SIA Boeing 747-400 flight. By the end of this month SQ227/228 will be operated by the A380 on the Melbourne route. Before disembarking I thanked and shook hands with Emily, Tony and, last but not least, Mr. Ong who informed me that Emily would be accompanying me to the SIA information helpdesk in T3 to enquire about my jacket. Emily and I chatted non-stop as we walked from the aircraft into the terminal and over to the helpdesk. I thanked her profusely for assisting me. Emily instructed the ground staff to inform the lost property office to deliver my jacket to the SIA SilverKris lounge in T2 where I would be waiting to catch my connecting flight. It took about 20mins for the staff to contact lost property and all the while she stood waiting patiently at the helpdesk as the staff called lost property. I apologised for taking her time and told her it wasn't necessary for her to stay. She insisted, saying she wasn't in a hurry. She made sure everything was sorted out before taking me over to the Skytrain even though she wasn't going over to T2. That's service beyond the call of duty! I thanked her again for her help and and she said it was her pleasure. We said good-bye to each other before going off on our own ways. The cabin crew on today's flight exceeded all my expectations and made my final 747 flight the most memorable SIA flight I've ever had the pleasure of being on. The crew displayed exemplary First Class service. Each crew member displayed their own warm personality and genuine hospitality. I was well looked after from the moment I boarded until well after I had disembarked. Special thanks to the wonderful First Class crew; the lovely Emily, Tony and Mr. Ong. I will be sending in a letter of praise to SIA to commend all three cabin crew members on Flight SQ228. If there were ever a perfect flight then this would be it. From left to right: IFS Ong Choon Boon, LSS Emily, myself and LS Tony

Thank you for reading my trip reports guys and greetings from the Air New Zealand Koru Lounge here at Melbourne Tullamarine where I am waiting to depart Australia on SQ228 to SIN.

Part II Sector 2: Singapore Changi (SIN) - Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL) Flight: SQ227 Date: Thursday 27th August 2009 Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 9V-SPE Departure time: 21:00 Arrival time: 06:10 (+1) AEST Distance: 3752 miles 9V-SPE Flight SQ227 was scheduled to depart from Gate B10, the furthest B gate from the lounges. 9V-SPE is the same aircraft which carried me from SIN-SYD back in March. My seat today is 4F in the nose of the jumbo. This time, however, I noticed some subtle changes to the First Class cabin. Gone are the old satin headrest covers, small cushions, pillows and duvets. In comes the new Givenchy designed pillows and duvets. I had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice before the doors closed and the aircraft pushed back on time. At 21:14 SQ227 rotated into the Singaporean night sky. After take-off drinks and warm nuts were served prior to dinner. I had a glass of water even though I would much rather have had a glass of the Dom Perignon. But I don't drink on flights where sleep is important to me. In any case I don't like to drink champagne alone...so I sipped on my water and nibbled on my nuts whilst perusing the menu, which was as follows:- dinner FROM SINGAPORE TO MELBOURNE Create your gastronomic experience from our selection of tantalising options APPETISERS Chilled malossal caviar With melba toast and condiments Duckliver terrine and smoked duck breast with apple fennel salad Peach compote and balsamic vinaigrette SOUPS Oriental style crabmeat and sweetcorn soup Sundried tomato-flavoured beef consomme SALAD Butter lettuce heart with baby cress and cherry tomato Balsamic and virgin olive oil dressing Singapore dressing infused in shallot oil with sambal, lime and honey MAIN COURSES Click here for details DESSERTS Warm peach frangipane flan with strawberry ice cream and fresh berries CHEESES Selection of brie, mild cheddar, true blue and smokey pepper cheeses served with garnishes FRUITS Fresh fruits in season FINALE A selection of gourmet coffees & fine teas served with pralines I decided to save my main course for breakfast instead of having it for dinner, since there was no chance of me stuffing my face before going to sleep. I started with the usual caviar – I simply can’t resist it – followed by the crabmeat and sweetcorn soup. This was very nice indeed. The salad which came next was nothing exciting. A few rocket leaves here and there would have livened it up. The dessert was the best part of the meal. The tart was lovely and warm and delicious. I’m not a cheese eater so I always skip this course and end my meal with fresh fruit. The fruit basket was brought over to my seat enabling me to pick whatever I fancied. Peaches, apples, lychees, melon, strawberries and more! I think next time I will have to leave more room for more fresh fruit. You gorgeous strawberry!!! At 01:15 AEST I fell asleep for little over 2 hours waking up at around 03:30 AEST. I had my lobster noodles for breakfast at 04:00 AEST even though I wasn’t that hungry. The dumplings were delicious and the vegetables perfectly cooked. The leading stewardess (wearing the green kebaya) was professional, courteous and not a lot more. She delivered what was expected and kept talking to a minimum. She made no attempt to engage in conversation with any of the other passengers including myself. So I went out of the First Class cabin in search of someone I could chat to. It didn’t take me long to find the delightful Chief Stewardess (wearing the red kebaya) who was working the business class section. She immediately offered me a drink and then we had a wonderful 20 minute chat in the confines of the business class galley, like we were long lost friends, even though we had never met before! Damn! If only she’d been working in First Class rather than Miss Non Chatterbox! As the crew began to prepare for arrival I returned to my seat with about 40 minutes to go before landing. Just before touchdown, the lovely Chief Stewardess popped over to my seat to thank me and say good bye. I told her it was a pleasure talking to her and I hoped she would get a chance to visit London again in the not too distant future (she’s yet to train to fly the A380). By the way, she’s the first SIA stewardess to tell me her age – and I never asked! Let’s just say she looks amazing for her age. SQ227 touched down at Tullamarine at exactly 05:30 in the morning on Friday 28th August. In conclusion, I much prefer the late evening departures to MEL/SYD which are timed to leave around midnight, give or take half an hour or so. This gives me the opportunity to sleep as much as possible after take-off and wake up to a nice breakfast. The problem with flight SQ227 is that there isn’t much time to do any sleeping after dinner and the arrival time is just silly. Immigration, customs and quarantine were all a breeze and I was outside by the taxi rank in the chilly Melbourne air at 6am. Goodies galore! I always give away my in-flight goodies

I didn't see any of the cabin crew lifting the hatch up and popping their heads out lol! :biggrin: No, I believe it's just an escape hatch for the crew bunks below deck. On a long flight such as LHR-SIN each cabin crew member will have 4 hrs rest. On shorter flights such as SIN-SYD the crew do not receive official rest periods so I don't think the bunks are used on the shorter flights. Also, on the longer overnight flights each A380 will have two pilots and two first officers so crew bunks are essential.

Part I Sector 1: London Heathrow (LHR) - Singapore Changi (SIN) Flight: SQ321 Date: Wednesday 26th August 2009 Aircraft: Airbus 380-800 Departure time: 22:05 BST Arrival time: 17:55 (+1) BST +7 Distance: 6761 miles Welcome to another of my Singapore Airlines trip reports. This report is of my second visit to Australia this year and includes my penultimate flight aboard SIA's Boeing 747-400, my favourite SIA aircraft, currently being phased out of the SIA fleet. :frown: The trip starts at Heathrow's Terminal 3 where I arrived in good time for Flight SQ321. I checked in my case through to MEL and received my boarding passes for both sectors. The check-in agent was superb; she was welcoming and friendly - maybe it's my unique charm lol?! I lingered in the SIA SilverKris lounge before making my way to gate 7 to board my flight. It was about 9.40pm and everyone had boarded - I was the last passenger and not for the first time. Upon entering the aircraft I was greeted by name and welcomed onboard. Once settled into my seat - 48D - in the economy cabin on the main deck hot towels were brought round. On SIA you get lovely hot towels no matter which class you're flying in. The captain made an announcement advising due to congestion at LHR the estimated take-off time would be 22:33. Actual take-off was at 22:38 and the estimated flight time was 12hrs 15mins. Tonight's flight wasn't full at all, I guess around 70% load in economy. I had an excellent seat with ample legroom. There is no seat in front due to the emergency hatch for the crew bunks below. Seat 48E next to me was vacant and I made full use of the seatback adjacent. The armrest next to 48E is movable and I was able to spread out and enjoy the extra space, none of which is possible if you are in an emergency exit seat. The cabin crew offered juice, beer and wine after take-off before supper service commenced. The menu for tonight's flight is: supper LONDON TO SINGAPORE appetiser Smoked ham with vegetable & couscous salad main courses Roast beef served with tomato herb sauce, buttered vegetables and mashed potato or Indian tandoori chicken, mixed vegetables curry and pilaff rice with almonds or Chinese style sweet and sour prawns served with selected vegetables and steamed rice cheese Cheese and crackers dessert Ice cream from the bakery Roll and butter hot beverages Coffee-Tea The couscous and ham was nice enough. I opted for the sweet and sour prawns which tasted far too vinegary. The rice was beautiful though. I love rice. I need rice. It's my staple diet where I originally come from, Vietnam, and I eat it almost every day. The rice onboard was as good as it gets at 38,000 ft. Not sticky, not dry, not hard. Almost as perfect as the rice I cook! I said almost. The SIA rice was much, much better than some of the rice you can find in some Chinese restaurants in London Chinatown. Sometimes, it's an embarrassment to eat rice in Chinatown. I had eaten before the flight (one banana in the lounge) and I didn't want to overeat onboard - something which is easily done when flying SIA. I passed on the bread roll (no need for extra carbs, the rice provided plenty), cheese and crackers (no need for extra fat and salt), and also the ice-cream (too much sugar). Throughout the flight I counted how many juice/water runs were made after supper and before breakfast. Five! The cabin crew plyed the cabin five times offering juice and water in the space of 7 hours. And I was asleep for two hours during that time so it could have been more! That's SIA service for you. I didn't have the need to press the call button at any time during the flight. Snack service comprised of savoury sandwiches, peanuts, chocolate bars, crisps and little bags of fresh fruit. I went for the healthy option - a bag of fresh apple slices and grapes. Just the perfect snack! Give me fresh fruit anytime! At 08:20 am UK time or 3.20pm SIN time the cabin was awakened with refreshing hot towels and breakfast was served shortly after. before touch-down LONDON TO SINGAPORE fruit Sliced fresh fruit light starter Fruit yoghurt Wholesome beginnings Fried rice with char siew, shrimps and vegetables or Vegetable fritatta served with chicken sausage, baked bean (plural!) and hash brown potato from the bakery Breakfast roll Butter - Fruit preserve hot beverages Coffee - Tea I was pleased to see yet more rice on the breakfast menu rather than the usual stir-fried noodles and I was not disappointed. Again I passed on the bread roll. To me, it is a bit odd to eat bread with fried rice. Or any rice for that matter. Eating bread with rice is like eating ice-cream with custard, is it not? Flight SQ321 touched down at Changi at exactly 6pm local time after a flight of 12hrs 22mins. I had exactly 3hrs in my favourite airport before my onward flight to MEL on SQ227 departing at 9pm. Even though SQ227 departs from T3 where I had arrived at I made my way over to T2 to use the SilverKris First Class lounge there as I much prefer the tranquility in the T2 lounges over the more busy T3 lounges, particuarly when it comes to evening departures. Overall, another excellent flight with SIA. The cabin crew were attentive, the toilets stayed fresh right to the end of the flight, the food was good (actually, it was better than the food I had in June when I flew from London to Bangkok with SIA in economy class) and flight was relatively peaceful despite a couple of babies seated in my section of the cabin. Stay tuned for Part II.

Stunning photos of the landscape, really enjoyed them. Looking forward to Part 2.

I wasn't at this airshow but saw it on You Tube today. Pretty cool flying display. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwB33SWQC9I]YouTube - Virgin Atlantic 747 & Red Arrows Formation Flyby. Biggin Hill Airshow 2009[/ame]

Sector 1: London Heathrow (LHR) – Singapore Changi (SIN) Flight: SQ319 Date: Saturday 21st March 2009 Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Departure time: 18:15 Arrival time: 14:55 +1 (GMT+8) Distance: 6761 miles Firstly I’d like to apologise for some of the poor quality photos in my trip report. My camera sustained damage after being accidently dropped by someone and the focus does not work properly in low light. I was due to fly to Australia in February but for personal reasons I had to delay my trip a month and I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to fly out until only a few days before departure when I booked my ticket. After a busy morning I arrived at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 just before half past three in the afternoon and checked-in my case at one of the new SIA check-in counters located in Zone A, next to Virgin Atlantic. My seat was already pre-assigned; I had chosen 4A, a window seat at the rear of the First Class cabin. My onward boarding pass from SIN-SYD was also issued. I was travelling on a one-way award ticket to Australia (I would book my return trip back to the UK later whilst I was in Sydney) and I expected the check-in agent to ask me for my return or onward ticket/itinerary but that didn’t happen. My plan would have been to book an award ticket on Virgin Atlantic out of Sydney there and then but in the end I didn’t have to do that. As it was I wasn’t too sure exactly how long I would be in Australia. Check-in completed and I was inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge by quarter to four. As usual, before I sit down to eat or relax, I like to book my haircut and a slot was available at 16:30. Perfect! Just time to grab a late lunch in the brasserie before my appointment. I was a little hungry and decided on the British beef casserole and dumplings followed by the steamed (or rather, in my case, microwaved) Belgian chocolate pudding washed down with a few glasses of fresh orange juice. Portions sizes were small which was good as I had a feast to look forward to onboard. I finished my late lunch with a cappuccino. They do make good cappuccinos in the Clubhouse. SQ319 awaiting departure at LHR Elizabeth cut my hair very nicely in the Bumble hair salon and we chatted along as she gave me my shampoo and cut. After a refreshing shower I left the lounge a little earlier than usual having spent only 90 minutes inside. Gate 7 was the departure gate and I was thankful it wasn’t too far a walk. I arrived at the gate about 20 minutes before departure and boarded what was to be my last ever SIA Boeing 747 flight from London. SIA has since replaced the last 747 flight with the Boeing 777-300 ER from the beginning of the Summer 2009 timetable. Currently SIA operates three daily departures from LHR-SIN utilising two A380 and one 777 aircraft. I was a little dismayed to see a fully occupied cabin when I settled into my seat. Plus one crying baby. Never mind, I didn’t plan to sleep much on this sector anyway. I have a routine when flying from Europe to Australia via Asia. I like to sleep as little as possible on the first sector to Asia then crash out on the second sector to Australia. That way, I can arrive refreshed and ready for the 11 hour time difference between the UK and Sydney. Flight SQ319 took off from runway 27R at exactly 18:40. Flight time today would be 12hrs and 7mins. Before the dinner service commenced I had a glass of the Dom Pérignon served with chicken satay sticks. Delicious. For dinner I booked the cook as I wanted to have the Cantonese roast duck with rice again which I had on my previous SQ319 flight last year. Here is the menu on today’s flight: To begin I had the caviar as usual followed by the double-boiled chicken soup with ginseng. The soup tasted very refreshing indeed. This was followed by the Caesar salad before my main course of duck and accompanied with another glass of the Dom vintage champagne. Dinner was finished off with a cup of Earl Grey tea and some pralines. I didn’t have any room for dessert, I felt so stuffed! Why do they feed you so much in First Class?!!! Cantonese roast duck with steamed rice After dinner, at about half past nine London time, I decided to have a little snooze – all that food sure makes you sleepy! My seat was converted into a very inviting bed whilst I was in the washroom brushing my teeth and changing into my Givenchy pyjamas. Everyone else in the cabin was settling down for the night but I didn’t want to sleep for hours on end. I awoke as we flew over the Caspian Sea after a very quick nap of only an hour and a half at 23:10 GMT (07:10 in SIN). It was time to get up in Singapore anyway! And time for my morning caffeine fix! A cappuccino was the order of the day. I entertained myself with KrisWorld on-demand in-flight entertainment and a selection of onboard magazines until breakfast was served an hour and forty-five mins prior to landing. For breakfast I had the fresh fruit, a croissant and a bowl of the Thai style rice porridge (congee) with sliced pork and pork meatball, fried garlic and pickled vegetable. The congee was nice but the meatballs were simply massive! The crew did their job well despite a full cabin with everyone expecting to be wined and dined upon. Still, the service was excellent, if less attentive than on previous flights. At 14:47 local time we touched down at Changi and I was quickly off the aircraft and into the city for a short visit before my onward flight to Sydney just after midnight. Rice congee with pork and pork meatballs On approach to Changi A380 at Changi Sector 2: Singapore Changi (SIN) – Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) Flight: SQ221 Date: Monday 23rd March 2009 Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 9V-SPE Departure time: 00:30 (03:30 AEDT) Arrival time: 11:00 AEDT Distance: 3912 miles I arrived back at the airport a few hours before my flight and had a light dinner of yellow cucumber and chicken broth, sweet and sour pork with rice, and fresh fruit in the SilverKris First Class lounge at T2. A quick shower and then I headed over to T3 to board my flight. I was hoping to be the only passenger in First Class but my hopes were dashed when I saw 2A occupied. Still, with ten unoccupied seats in the cabin it should make for a nice and quiet flight. I was welcomed onboard and immediately offered assistance to stow my carry on. With only a small backpack and a few carrier bags I declined and stowed my bags on the floor under the LCD monitor. The lovely leading stewardess asked me if I wanted to sit in any of the unoccupied seats but I said I was happy with my assigned seat, which was again 4A. I was offered a drink and asked only for a glass of water (I had already brushed my teeth prior to boarding). After the usual amenities were distributed I was asked if I would like my meal served shortly after take-off or before landing. SQ221 is a sleeper service and there is only one meal served. Naturally, at this late time of departure, having had dinner earlier already, I didn’t want to eat so asked for breakfast to be served as late as possible. I just wanted to sleep straight after take-off and declined any orders for drinks after take-off. We pushed back at 00:28 and exactly 15 minutes later took off from runway 02L. Passenger 2A also opted to sleep immediately after take-off and by 01:00 I was tucked up in bed and the lights were out. I quickly fell asleep as I was very tired from being awake for so long on my earlier flight from London and going into Singapore for the evening. I woke up as we flew 196km north of Coober Pedy, SA, after a most refreshing night’s sleep. The time was 08:15 ACDT (08:45 Sydney time). I had just under 5hrs sleep and felt most refreshed. And it was time for breakfast! The crew noticed I had woken up and immediately offered me a drink. I asked for a cappuccino. It came with a lovely hot towel. Breakfast would be served about 2 hrs before landing anyway and I had awoken as the crew were preparing to serve. Good timing I thought! Breakfast was served at 09:00 Sydney time as we flew over the state of South Australia heading for New South Wales. The sun was shining brightly and I looked forward to arriving back in Sydney, the place where I used to live and know so well. During breakfast I took the opportunity to chat to the crew, who were all simply fantastic. The leading stewardess explained to me that this flight used to have two meal services in First Class but because of the scheduled departure time and flight duration it was better to serve only one meal. I couldn’t agree more. Some people would like to eat twice but for me, one meal is just fine. I’ve taken SQ231 in economy class before and always skipped the refreshment service after take-off in order to maximise sleep time and wake up to a nice hot breakfast. For the menu So on to breakfast. What a treat! I had fresh fruit to begin and chose the dim sum selection as well as a bowl of the Thai rice congee which I had just had on my previous flight. This time the meatballs were smaller and easier to eat. The food was outstanding and very well presented and I finished every single morsel. I declined the croissants and bread. More cappuccinos, Earl Grey tea and orange juice and I was very satisfied indeed. I chatted some more with the flight crew and we talked a lot about aviation and aircraft and, of course SIA! Strawberry! Dim sum Rice congee with pork and pork meatballs (again) Seat 4A At 10:28 we began our descent into Kingsford Smith. Coming in to land over Botany Bay we touched down at 10:52 local time after a flight time of 7hrs and 9 mins. I thanked the crew before disembarking and made my way to Customs. My passport was stamped without a single word uttered or even an acknowledgment or smile. Quarantine decided to give me a drugs screening so I had to have my case emptied and x-rayed before I was allowed on my way. Exactly the same thing happened to me when I arrived at SYD last year so I wasn’t in the least surprised. Anyway, the sun was shining and it was a lovely warm morning to arrive in Sydney. I felt refreshed and did not feel at all sleepy until late in the evening. Overall, another excellent First Class flight with my favourite airline, Singapore Airlines. Finally some random shots taken in Sydney: Hyde Park from the Sheraton Executive Lounge Qantas A380 on finals over Sydenham railway station One of my favourite Northern beaches; Collaroy

Just want to say all the best for your future Darren.