flights are really full now because the airline is so successful !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Where to start, where to start....
Singapore Airlines fares are definitely a shade more expensive than say BA or any other leading airline that flies to Singapore, but remember you have paid a premium and you are getting an excellent service. On average you will pay over £4,000 for a first class ticket (return) from London Heathrow (Term 3) to Singapore Changi Airport, but "oh, my, god!" it is definitely worth it. For those of us not made of money (or who have to pay for our own flights) return flights in coach are a shade under £800. These are the fares taken from the website, but I am sure that there are often deals about.
Singapore airlines is part of the Star Alliance which includes airlines such as Quantas, BMI & Air Canada. This often means that you could have booked a flight on Quantas to go to say Sydney and turn up to your departure gate and find that you have a Singapore Airlines plane - Bonus!
A benefit of the Star Alliance is that if you are collecting your air miles and you fly any airline that is part of the Star Alliance, your miles are added into the same place....much quicker! Also, if you have a Singapore Airlines PPS (Priority Passenger Service) card, you can use it when travelling on any of the airlines that are a part of the star alliance - this means you automatically get first class check in and get to use the first class lounges (but more about the reward schemes later).
~A Brief History & Advanced Technology~
Anyway, back to the airline. Singapore Airlines is a relatively young airline, it started flying in 1947, and today, they currently operate the youngest fleet in the world, the average age of an airplane is just a shade under 6 years old, and they have always strived to have the most up to date technology on board, and put the most advanced and fuel efficient planes in the sky. Today Singapore Airlines currently fly to (from what I can tell) about 60 destinations worldwide. In 2004 Singapore Airlines made their first flight from Singapore to the US non-stop, shortening journey time by up to 4 hours! Later this year, Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to fly that massive beast the A380 - the biggest passenger aircraft....like ever!
Singapore Airlines not only offer an impressive fleet of pretty much brand spanking new aircraft, but they also offer top of the range technology on board their flights. In 2005 the airline was the first airline to provide broadband internet access to their passengers whilst they were 35,000 feet off the ground! Not only can you check your emails, check your eBay bids and basically just bum around on the net, it even provides live global television programming, which means that you have a selection of four channels - BBC World, CNBC, EuroNews & EuroSport News - none of which are really my thing and to be honest I think that I will just stick to the in-flight entertainment, but more about that later!
Anyway, the internet service was first launched on the Singapore - London route in March 2005 (I actually flew on one of the first flights to offer this service) and then if that wasn't enough in November they launched their broadband service - Connexion. At the moment this service doesn't operate on all routes, but I am sure that by the end of this year, all Singapore Airline flights will be able to offer you this service - if that's what you want! Oh quick price guide - $9.95USD for an hour (can get 2 hours or 3 hours) & $26.95USD for 24 hours, not really that bad is it?
~Punctuality~
The airline is so well organised, it is very rare to be delayed, we had the last time I flew, and it was because the tail winds were really good and Heathrow would not be open on time for us to land early!
Oh and another time that I got delayed was when a bird flew into the pilots windshield and they had to replace!
Since Singapore Airlines is a high priority airline, you normally always leave and arrive at a convienient gate that isn't too much of a trek, and generally you will never have to get onto a bus to get to your plane.
Obviously in Singapore, Singapore Airline planes have main priority to land...I must also add that Singapore Airlines have the smoothest landings out of all the airlines I have ever travelled!
~First Class~
Ok so you've got your mega expensive tickets and are about to get onto the plane, so what do you get for your £4000?
Well, Singapore airlines claim to have the largest seats in the world, which I don't doubt for a second. They have reduced the number of first class seats, sorry they are called "SkySuites", available from 16 to 12, which obviously means that you get more room. The seats are a camel leather colour trimmed in burr wood (at least I think that's what they are) oh and you get a 14" personal TV screen to watch your in-flight movies and play your playstation games.
You can expect an extremely high level of service, and excellent food and wine, upon the arrival of your behind into your "SkySuite" you can expect to be offered caviar (not the crappy cheap kind either) and a glass of Dom. You can then choose when you want your meal, so if you are hungry as soon as the plane takes off, have your meal then, or if you want to wait until later, wait until later.
~Food & Wine in First~ So I think I should address my first love - alca-mar-ol. Singapore Airlines actually employs wine consultants, they currently have three on their books, a woman from the states, a yank and a brit, Steven Spurrier who has well over 40 years experience under his belt. So you can expect top quality wines approved by the experts.
Unfortunately, there is not much to get excited about on the wine front, they are good, actually really good and that's it, now the food on the other hand...the food in first & business on Singapore Airlines would put a lot of good, reputable restaurants to shame! Since Singapore Airlines have employed a panellist of wine consultants, naturally they have employed a panellist of food consultants to create seasonal menus for their £4,000 a head customers, there are currently 8 panellists and Gordon Ramsey is their British Panellist (he gets everywhere doesn't he!).
Travelling in first you are entitled to the "book the cook" service, basically this means that you order from the a la carte menu 24 hours before you fly, you can choose from scrumptious mains such as Lobster Thermidor, Rib Eye Steak & Garlic Mash, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta, Roast Breast of Guinea Fowl stuffed with Stilton ohhh do I need to go on?!
~Amenities~ So you get pyjamas, not just any pyjamas, a Givenchy sleeper suit, which comes in purple (more of a lilac) or a powder blue - they are really comfy, but the elastic is not so great, I found that I needed t tie them with a spare hair band. You also get a wonderful goody bag full of toiletries, the last time I flew first (a good few years ago now - oh boo hoo, poor me!) you got an Hermes toiletry bag, but now they are Bvlgari. Inside these lovely wash bags (which I still use as they are or where leather) you get everything that you need, men get shaving stuff, which include Gillette razors (not the crappy kind either) although I am not sure if you still get given those with all this terrorism crap going on, and in the women's there is lip balm, moisturiser, perfume, cotton buds, cotton wool (much better than the crap you get in hotels!) etc etc. Oh....I forgot the slippers!!!
~Final Touches~ There is a turn-down service, this is for customers on long haul flights, seven hours (night) or nine hours (day) minimum. Basically when you wish to "retire" you shout "oi skivvy, turn down mah bed!" next thing you know, you have a down filled mattress, duvet and massive pillow where you seat used to be!
Oh, there is a personal stationary drawer in your seat that has a writing kit so you can send letters home from the sky!
Headphones are made by Recoton and they cut out all background noise - there is an explanation something about sound frequency and phase reversal - but all you need to know is you won't be able to hear any background noise with your luxurious headphones on!
~Hints to get the most for your £4,000~ Back in the day, when my Dad's company was still paying for his travel, he was a regular traveller of First Class, he also had a favourite seat, which was 2F, one day some Sultan or someone was sitting in his regular seat, so he had to sit in a different one, he kicked up a massive fuss and when he arrived home, he got a massive create of Fortnum and Maison Wine - so well worth kicking up a fuss if you are ever lucky enough to travel First!
~Business Class~
Ok there are more poncy names for seats in this class they are called "SpaceBeds" which recline to an angle of 8 degrees, and mould to your body, you also get little divider screens so you don't have to look at your neighbour! Again, Singapore Airlines claim to have the largest business class seats, measuring a massive 69cm wide x 198cm long. Each seat has its own laptop power supply and a massive 10.4" TV screen, oh and don't forget the Dolby surround sound!
~Food & Wine~ The wine is pretty much the same as in first class, and so is the food, you are also offered a "book the cook" service and the stuff on the menu is pretty similar. Just don't expect the same quality of snackage, you won't be offered the caviar on arrival!
~Amenities~ The goody bag is no where as good as the one that you get in first, but it is still name branded stuff, last time I flew there was molten brown in the toilets. You still get combs, and shaving kits (not sure if they still give those out!), nice toothbrush and other essentials. Oh and if you want you can get a writing kit from First.
~Rich Kiddies Travelling First or Business~ For children aged between 2 & 11 you can pre-order food too from their "Yummy!" menu, all the main meals come with fruit flavoured drinks, sweets, cookies or yummy desserts. To be honest I wish I was a kid, the food looks great, the menu features burgers, served with crisps and coleslaw, spaghetti meat balls & fried rice surprise (fried rice wrapped in an omelette), oh and for breakfast you can get pancakes and maple syrup served with chipolata sausages and tomatoes!
~Coach Class~
Ok for economy there is a blinding service, there is quite a lot of space for an economy cabin, the seat width is 20" (which is apparently "industry leading"), you get a 37" pitch, great if you are me sized & an adjustable head & foot rest. There are also in-flight telephones in every seat, a plug an play port for your laptop & a 9" personal TV screen in every seat. Singapore Airlines also offer you the service to pre-book your seat when you book your ticket, so if you prefer to be by the loos then you can choose to be by the loos (if that's your thing!)
~Food & Wine~ The food isn't bad in economy, although I never really touch it, generally you get a main meal, chicken/pork/beef or fish. The breakfasts have been the same since I started flying Singapore, probably about 12/13 years ago, an omelette with sausage, hash brown and tomatoes or noodles. I normally only eat the breakfasts and smother it with maggi chilli sauce! The wine is okay, I normally go for the red and drink loads of it to knock myself out for the 12 hour flight! Dessert is normally ice-cream (Haagen-Dazs or magnums oh or yummy mars ones!) and they generally keep you well nourished, there is plenty of fruit such as apples, oranges or banana on request and half way through a long haul they will come round with pot noodles, sandwiches or a snack box.
~Amenities~ You get a little pack when you get on board, some socks and a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste, there are no eye shades back in coach, but in the toilets there are some amenities in the drawer, such as "ladies items" and apparently some razors (still not sure if they are there anymore)
You can get postcards to send to your friends and family back home and you can hand them to the cabin staff to post them for you!
~Special Meals~
There are a selection of special meals that you can order before you fly, regardless of what class you are in. There are special meals for mini people, you get a "main meal" in a jar, "veggies" in a jar and "dessert" in a jar. For the 1-2 year old they offer more "substantial" baby meals and for the 2 - 11 year olds you can get kids meals (like chicken nuggets or fish fingers).
They offer a good range of Medial foods and Religious meals, a list are available on their website.
~Entertainment (KrisWorld)~
There is a brilliant selection of entertainment, and because everything is on your personal TV screen in front of you, you can watch what ever you want, whenever you want!
There is a good selection of 60 movies, which include the latest blockbusters, classics and foreign films, over 100 TV programmes to choose from (Comedy, Discovery, Kids, News, Lifestyle etc etc), I particularly like the comedy channel, which normally plays Friends, Will and Grace, That 70's Show..you get the picture!
For music lovers there are over 200 different albums that you can listen to, again that cater to tastes from every angle and you can stop, start, skip tracks as you wish.
To keep the young ones happy there are plenty of video games (about 90 in total) there are a lot of puzzle type games (like the ones that you can play on line) and a good selection of classic Nintendo games such as Mario.
For those of you who can't wait to land (all of us that aren't sitting in first or business probably) you can regularly check the flight path and progress and also you can view your destination information, so a quick overview of what to expect when you land, so you can start planning your first day!
OK! I think I have covered just about everything that you can expect from this airline, expect the really friendly service and a really pleasant flight, all the staff will do everything they can to help, and I have never experienced a rude member of the cabin crew.
If you are lucky enough to be flying first or business, take full advantage of the lounges, free pre-flight alcohol and nice fodder, definitely check out the lounges in Singapore, they are the best I have ever seen!
Sorry this was so long....thanks for reading!
p.s. also on dooyoo
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
All the time
Where did you book
Directly with this airline
Safety
Very safe
How well does it cater for disabled people
Very well
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