Airliners-India.com Forum Index Airliners-India.com
Flickr Group & Facebook
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Back to Singapore on the upper deck: SQ consistency!

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Airliners-India.com Forum Index -> Trip Reports
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:16 am    Post subject: Back to Singapore on the upper deck: SQ consistency! Reply with quote

So, the story so far:
We had arrived into Hong Kong after a 4 year gap on SQ's A330 and A380, which led to some unfortunate and unnecessary drama, due to positive vibes in Hong Kong. Once the drama was overcome, it was time to head for Taiwan, on the ultra rare (outside the US, at least) MD-90 aircraft. Taipei was most certainly a fun experience, but it ended much too soon. It was time to get to the airport on the
Taiwan High Speed Rail
. I put a significant tick mark on my bucket list as the long dream of being on a 747 flight was finally done as we came back from Taiwan into Hong Kong for a final night. It was now time to head back to Colombo. Talk about depressing Sad

FLIGHT #5: SQ861 HONG KONG-SINGAPORE 26TH AUGUST 2014
So after catching up with Mum and Dad, it was to time to head for the airport…..walk to the airport from the hotel Razz
We reached the terminal, taking pictures of the Airport Express for one last time along the way. Soon, we reached the Airport Terminal (T1) and we headed for the check in area.
Went up to the departures level: row F for SQ861 to Hong Kong.

The Regal Airport Hotel


Oh, the airport express. You shall be missed!


Outside the elevated walkway, HKIA!




CHECK IN
Getting a bit of a formality here in Hong Kong, check in took longer than expected. Third time, and probably the shortest wait of the three though. Just about 7 or 8 minutes for our stuff to be checked in. All bags were checked in to Colombo (via SIN T2), while our boarding passes for both flights were printed. A sticker was placed on the boarding pass stub, signifying UPPER DECK Very Happy
Furthermore, we were given some idiot-proof stickers which had ‘SQ861’ written on them with the SQ logo. This is (I think) because SQ863 still had around 45 odd minutes for departure, and check in for this flight was still open (this flight leaves HKG at 1330, compared to 1520 for our flight..), and some SQ861 would perhaps rush to the gate of 863…only to find out that its the wrong flight…oh well. I saw that my seat change request from 36A to 33K was not reflected…my bad since I did not ‘save’ the change after making the change. Oh well.




I went around the check in area a bit. I was desperate to sit. Very. I was standing for almost 2 hours now. Mum and Dad entered a store, I saw the trolley.
'Hey, how about sitting down on that? You used to do that as a child!’ So I sat…..what followed next was a slow rotation of the world in front of me, followed by a large thud and eventually all bags falling off the trolley, a minor shock in the back, people looking at me and helping me out, while Mum’s worried face is perhaps something I will never forget. Despite being just 30 days away from my 18th birthday when this incident happened, I knew my childhood was over: no more sitting on trolleys Crying or Very sad Yeah, that’s enough of that, I shall not elaborate ShockedEmbarassedRolling Eyes


Departure listings. SQ861 codeshares with (AC) Air Canada 63 and (VA) Virgin Australia 5642.


The Wright Flyer, mock up at least Smile


SQ861 it is! Very Happy

PRE-BOARDING STUFF
Immigration and security were a breeze again, as we decided to head for Cafe Deco once again….and once again the place from where the planes could be photographed easily, were taken. I ordered a Cheese and Ham Baguette, as it was promised to be delivered in 15 minutes. True to their word, this is what exactly happened. So more spotting time then! Very Happy
I switched on the laptop, and went straight to Hong Kong Airport…SKG was on final approach! Dad and I quickly got up to see the bird arrive…after standing for barely 5 or 6 seconds. SKG followed in G-XLED, the BA A380, which parked where the QF A380 was parked when we went to Taipei. Once I ate the stuff, I head for my last round of spotting…..



There she arrives!


Ditched my parents, I head off for spotting!

Dad's pics:






I reunited with Mum and Dad - they had reached the gate through the automated people mover underground! Of course, who'd walk so far?! (Ahm, avgeeks would... Razz )



Ugly egg head! Razz



BOARDING
Spotting session lasted nearly 54 minutes as I practically walked around the entire Hong Kong International Airport building, finding all the beauties. Boarding started pretty much on time. Dad told me that he and Mum were brought close to the gate via the Automated People Mover…something I missed out, but worth it due to the immense amount of data collected! The usual, Suite passengers first, followed by the loyalty members, then J class, passengers in J, upper deck Y passengers and finally Y class passengers. It surely felt weird walking down the aerobridge, and then upwards again, since this was the upper deck Razz

UPPER! And SQ's sticker indicating UD!




Another warm welcome from the SQ crew, I was sent towards the other aisle. I passed the awesome looking business class. One day. Some day. In terms of cleanliness, this bird was perhaps in a better shape than SKB. Since this factor didn’t affect service, I really couldn’t care much, but it would be great if SQ looked into it. I found my seat 75K. I nearly selected seat 74K for this flight, but thank God I didn’t: there is no storage on the side! Speaking of storage in the side: this has spoilt me for the rest of my life. I dumped my pillow, blanket, laptop, and crushed my camera bag into this area, and WOW I could instantly feel the space around me! This is a blessing an absolute blessing! As I looked around, I saw an ANA B767.


A380 and B747 done, now, to get on the B767......

Dad took a couple of pics before putting his camera away for the flight..




This was such a convenient thing!


WiFi works Smile


So much F1. Wow.


Pen marks. Oh no.

A few minutes later, there was ANOTHER A380 which parked at Gate 64! This was an A380 of….Emirates. The airline on which I could’ve had my first flight. But I’m happy with the original A380 operator Smile
The upper deck Y at least, took some time to get filled in. I made the horrible error of getting my hopes high of 75H being empty, as well as 74H/K. The 74s got filled in first, and then one pax walked by.
Sadly though, he came back to 75H. Dang it Crying or Very sad
Anyways, it was quite long till the Captain came over the PA to make his customary announcements.
A delay, a big one, was imminent. Once the Captain did come over the PA... Captain Lee was the excited kind! Very chirpy. He introduced his cockpit crew, also mentioning check pilot Capt. P. P. Singh. He also named the entire crew. For the first the one Singapore Airlines. He also said things like 'We are very happy to have you all onboard, and happy to serve you all...' Happy. Twice in a sentence! On the downside though, he did announce a delayed departure by around 15 or 20 minutes due to air traffic delays.
That's okay though, since about 7-8 minutes after his announcement, pushback commenced 18 minutes late at 1538 hours.



Wing tip views...look at the man! Very Happy



Please be empty please be empty...or not?


Oh no...


Mood lighting!







767 or 748i? Ugh, this choice is killing me!

DEPARTURE
The 4 Trent 900 engines were brought into life, and a slow taxi towards the runway began. Certainly, we weren't the only ones running towards the runway. We had to wait for a MH 737 to taxi by...strange, since there was a MH B772 which had just departed. So after that wait, it was a similar taxiing pattern as BR1852. Except, it was in the day. And yeah, the crew did not secure the cabin properly, and they did not confirm the meals and all. Oh well. A Formula One advert, showing the 2014 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix was played…felt good to hear a V8 engine being played over the planes’ PA system! Although, most of the F1 people here would know how sad the V6 hybrids are…



Reflection..always pretty cool! Very Happy

Maintenance area!


The race is ON!


Oh damn..that's beautiful!


That's the third MD90 of BR in ONE DAY! With that, I've seen the entire BR fleet of MD90s Very Happy



We were now holding short of the runway. We had overtaken the MH B73H, as we used another taxiway. The enthusiastic captain came over the PA to announce that we number 5 for take off, and would take us at least 10 minutes to get into the air. He gave us the message in a very nice and controlled manner, but that did not stop the passengers from their usual moans and groans. And rightfully so, since we’d be in air a whole 50 minutes after departure! Indeed, we were number 5 as we waited for an Air China and Vietnam Airlines A321, Dragon Air A330 and a Cathay Pacific 777, while we cheekily overtook the MH B737, and an Air Canada 777-200LR. Yeah, the 777 did look angry this time, but yup, we won Razz
Once again, the enthusiastic Captain Lee came over the PA to greet the FAs, and asking them to be seated for departure. Soon, we turned onto the runway as all 4 of the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines were powered up for departure. Slowly, SKG rolled down the runway, BARELY any noise, almost as if the engines were shut off! Soon, we turned over the Victoria Harbour as we took a slightly southwards turn, before heading for Singapore. At around 12500 feet, the seatbelt signs were turned off. Time for yet more of Singapore Airlines!





IN FLIGHT
Just as the seatbelt signs were turned off, I decided that this was the best time to take a tour of the bird, head down to the lower deck, take some decent camera photos and then get back to my seat…who knows, there could be some turbulence along the way as Captain Lee advised! So I went to one of the upper deck washrooms AFTER walking up and down the stairs…yeah, I kinda struggled to walk back up, it took a great amount of force to pull me back up the stairs! I mean, this was the first time I’ve ever been on a set of stairs in a plane, that too, mid air, so perhaps an anti-gravity thing? I don’t know….







Signs of oldness. Come on SQ, you surely can do better than that!


Cap of Eau de Toilette - gone! Trays - dirty!


Empty, almost.


Yes, glad they're there...but that's all? I shouldn't be complaining about this though...there aren't many airlines who give combs in Y!



By the time I got to my seat, the drink service had began (1621 hours). I started off my proceedings with an apple juice.



SO much depth!

Come 1635 hours, there was some serious turbulence. How glad I was to do the tour stuff first! But still though, at 1637, the crew distributed the special meals. Despite the heavy turbulence. They did a great job Smile
Did I miss something? Ah yes, of course! I asked for a soya bean milk (sweetened) at 1632. The nice FA also asked my co-pax if he wanted some of that…and he said yes to it...



Progress report!

That’s when I start writing this TR, while at 1652, the meal service started from the back with meal trolleys being rolled towards the front. I asked for the chicken, enough with the oriental stuff!


I got my tray at 1707, with an Apple Juice. The ham, corn and onion salad had an overpowering smell of not-so-fresh salad, so this wasn’t nice. And other than this, the boiled veggies in the main course was OVERLY SALTY! How did SQ manage to mess up here?! Other than these flaws, the rest was…brilliant, I cannot complain. Oh wait…the bun was cold. Not at all warm…wow…
But the potato wedges and chicken? AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! Very Happy
Dessert was HaagenDazs ice-cream, something which I thought was exclusive to CX on this route, turns out, SQ are up there, too!
So really, quite a mixed bag of a meal, at two extremes. Probably not what I was expecting off SQ, but I guess I’ll let this one go….









1728, the trays were collected. I took some time to have my ice cream. Oh, I also kept my window closed for most of the flight…. Some heavy turbulence hit the bird again, and that was just when the FA took hold of the coffee and tea kettles. So then, they stuck to their policy of no hot beverages…they are the strictest here, aren’t they? However though, they took individual orders for each passenger of their hot beverage request - well done SQ! I asked for a cup of Oolong Tea.
I kept working on the TR, while keeping the airshow open in front of me - cruising at 40000 feet, while reaching a top speed of 927km/h!
Got my tea at 1812 hours, she told me to be careful as its hot - no worries! While I got that, I quickly asked for another Soya Milk…this time a slightly emotionless face….what was I doing wrong? Crying or Very sad

Less than 5 minutes later, the FA comes with a tray holding 7 or 8 glasses - including my soya bean milk, coke, sprite, juices, beer, all ordered by the passengers! This is props to the SQ crew for being so efficient!




That light - amazing!

Continued writing this TR, not long before I decided to head for the washroom, completely packing everything away (into the oh so convenient stowage box!). Captain Lee came over the PA system to make his final announcements. We were 230nm away from Singapore, good visibility, 32C and 82F temperature, a touchdown at latest 1915 hours, while taxiing to gate at longest would be 15 minutes long, so eventually we would be at gate at 1930, 30 minutes late.
And before I knew it, a beautiful sunset took place while the plane dipped down a little - my A380 experience was coming to and end Crying or Very sad




Seriously, SQ?! Barely an hour to go!













I hate these windows. I really do Smile

Land ho!



ARRIVAL
Nothing to dramatic here, same procedure, only difference being that it was in the middle of a beautiful sunset! Smile
Furthermore, it was a bit of a strange experience from the upper deck, as I felt we landed a second or two too soon…but then again, I was seated a few meters above where I’d usually be! Razz
Touch down at 1904, a short taxi followed, docked at gate A2 at 1910 hours, well inside inside Captain Lee's estimates! SKG would later go off to Melbourne.
Our long-ish transit had begun…..


Another decent pic! Wait, the lighting is not good enough Sad


Thank you, SKG. Thank you, A380. Thank you, Singapore Airlines Smile




Ooh, Vietnam Airlines to Chennai and Jet to Ho Chi Minh city?! Also, ANA to Mumbai Wink

Walked around the T3 for a bit, I went to a magazine store from where I purchased a F1 and a Boeing magazine. Supreme end to the trip then! Smile
I checked the FIDs closely - there was a Jet Airways flight to Ho Chi Minh city, and a Vietnam Airlines flight to Chennai. We know what happened there Smile


There are 2 sets of SkyTrains, one set heading to T2 B gates, while another set heading to T1 and T2 F gates.

In the next part - a short TR featuring the last flight back to CMB.

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
sumantra
Member


Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4685
Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is life. Aditya's TR with breakfast, and Jishnu's with lunch!
I guess I must cook some dinner myself.
This is a lovely TR, starting with a nice gist of the previous ones in the series, as a reminder to the reader to put things in place.
The HKG Airport Express: there are no power-ports on board. At least, they were not there when I visited the place, last.
Interesting description of sitting on a trolley! I have done similar things in front of Junior's classmates, and ended up with a red face, to say the least. Junior was quite amused, I must add.
Nice fists-up picture!
Nice description of the A388 boarding process.
Nice A388-A388 wingtip view, with the man underneath!
Now Sir, you have three `Nice's in three sentences, above: a bit unlike the SQ Captain's `happy's Smile
I enjoyed the interior pics, the light streaming in from the window, the meal pictures (obviously!), and some lovely sunset pics!
I look forward to the TR describing the next leg, SIN-CMB.
Cheers, Sumantra.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sumantra wrote:
This is life. Aditya's TR with breakfast, and Jishnu's with lunch!

I timed it accordingly Razz

sumantra wrote:
This is a lovely TR, starting with a nice gist of the previous ones in the series, as a reminder to the reader to put things in place.

Thank you so much, sir! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
The HKG Airport Express: there are no power-ports on board. At least, they were not there when I visited the place, last.

Still the same. No power ports on board Sad Other than laptops, who needs those in the increasingly popular era of power banks today? Even Dad purchased one!

sumantra wrote:
Interesting description of sitting on a trolley! I have done similar things in front of Junior's classmates, and ended up with a red face, to say the least. Junior was quite amused, I must add.

Damn, it surely didn't sound nice Rolling Eyes Always embarrassing, no doubt...

sumantra wrote:
Nice fists-up picture!
Nice description of the A388 boarding process.
Nice A388-A388 wingtip view, with the man underneath!
Now Sir, you have three `Nice's in three sentences, above: a bit unlike the SQ Captain's `happy's Smile

Haha! Nice one! Wink

sumantra wrote:
I enjoyed the interior pics, the light streaming in from the window, the meal pictures (obviously!), and some lovely sunset pics!

Thanks again sir! It means a lot! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
I look forward to the TR describing the next leg, SIN-CMB.

Sunday for sure! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some pictures from the (hopefully) newly converted avgeek Smile (Mum, that is)



Always a picture worth taking when two A380s are parked side by side...and you're on one of them Very Happy


Seafood meal on HKG-SIN

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
sumantra
Member


Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4685
Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely Sir, at least 3 out of 4 aviation geeks is an awesome percentage.
It is even more awesome if all 4 are good photographers!
The first has the North Satellite Terminal: I hope I got it right here Smile
The second is a beautifully-framed picture, more so, with the beige framing!
The third looks like a something your Mummy loves: I seem to recount exactly the same choice on most flights you have been together! My mummy is unfortunately allergic to most seafood, but The Wife over-compensates for this Razz
Cheers, Sumantra.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sri_bom
Member


Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 2365
Location: Singapore

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great report Jishnu and a nice way to wrap up your long south east asia holiday.


I think you got one of the older A380 birds which would be around seven years old, hence the dust and grime but that is not SQ style so surprised to note that. Most of the newer A380’s do not have economy class upper deck so you are lucky to fly on the older bird. The toilet accessories looks sparse but still better than nothing. I never understood why would they call perfume “Eau De Toilette” who the hell named that?

Great food and the Ice Cream is fairly consistent on SQ and most of the times I get the Hagen Dazs frozen so much that my plastic spoon keeps breaking. I am sure Sumantra would love this frozen rock as he likes his butter that way. On other occasions I have got Ice Cream on a stick which was made in Thailand and quite good as well.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
sumantra
Member


Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4685
Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sri_bom wrote:
I never understood why would they call perfume “Eau De Toilette” who the hell named that?
Srinivas, it is worse when some refer to related historical volatile liquids as `toilet water'. In India, the more subtle Eau de Cologne is often pronounced as `Audi-Colon', and has been used for applying on a handkerchief with cold water, in instance of high fever, to allow the volatile part to evaporate, and have the slight medicinal properties of the essential oils to help.

sri_bom wrote:
I get the Hagen Dazs frozen so much that my plastic spoon keeps breaking. I am sure Sumantra would love this frozen rock as he likes his butter that way.
He ha, you got that absolutely right. The well-heeled crowd would recommend that you request the cabin crew to put it in the oven for about half a minute, and then serve it: depending on how it has been served: whether the ice-cream+container is at all suitable to go into a particular type of oven. I usually attack heard-frozen ice cream with care, though I have suffered from broken spoons, and consequently, a broken heart as well.

I am sure well-heeled travellers on this forum know this, but just for the record, aircraft usually do not have freezers on board. It is a closed container with dry ice (solid carbon di-oxide). Trains on the other hand, usually have freezers. I love ice cream, but Air India does not serve the dish on its flights, on a matter of principle, from what I figured out. They have traditionally served Indian desserts, some western bakes-based ones, and their constant innovation: the fusion deserts, fusing different types of Indian delicacies, as well as Indian ones with Western ones. As the forum's resident glutton, I must confess that I love all of it Razz

Cheers, Sumantra.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sumantra wrote:
Lovely Sir, at least 3 out of 4 aviation geeks is an awesome percentage.

The fourth one (bro) will be converted soon, he has no choice Smile

sumantra wrote:
It is even more awesome if all 4 are good photographers!

Mum's getting the hang of it, but then she prefers to hold the camera bags rather than the camera. Well I feel bad Rolling Eyes Bro has my ex-camera, the Nikon D40 Smile

sumantra wrote:
The first has the North Satellite Terminal: I hope I got it right here Smile

Affirm! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
The third looks like a something your Mummy loves: I seem to recount exactly the same choice on most flights you have been together! My mummy is unfortunately allergic to most seafood, but The Wife over-compensates for this Razz

For Mum, its a weird thing - no beef, pork and chicken for her, lamb mutton and seafood are okay for her. Fish was one of the two options on the CMB-SIN and SIN-CMB flights (other being chicken), while pork made up the other option on the HKG flights (alongside chicken, of course..) So I took no risks with these flights, and ordered her seafood meals Smile

sri_bom wrote:
Great report Jishnu and a nice way to wrap up your long south east asia holiday.

Thank you so much, Sir! Very Happy

sri_bom wrote:
I think you got one of the older A380 birds which would be around seven years old, hence the dust and grime but that is not SQ style so surprised to note that. Most of the newer A380’s do not have economy class upper deck so you are lucky to fly on the older bird.

Perhaps the only time I ever wanted the 'older' of the flagship birds, since they had the upper deck Y seating, while the newer ones do not. Both flights were scheduled to have Y in the upper deck. The full J class upper deck flights are the ones to the US and Europe. Asian and Australian routes (I think) get some more Y seats up there. But yes, surprise that SQ haven't maintained them as well as one would expect...

sri_bom wrote:
The toilet accessories looks sparse but still better than nothing. I never understood why would they call perfume “Eau De Toilette” who the hell named that?

True, something better than nothing! And I was more than impressed to see dental kits, shaving kits, combs, etc! Good stuff Smile

sri_bom wrote:
Great food and the Ice Cream is fairly consistent on SQ and most of the times I get the Hagen Dazs frozen so much that my plastic spoon keeps breaking. I am sure Sumantra would love this frozen rock as he likes his butter that way. On other occasions I have got Ice Cream on a stick which was made in Thailand and quite good as well.

I didn't get the plastic spoon...I preserved the main cutlery spoon for this mission - and it was some task! I let it melt down a bit. And the steel spoon worked perfectly, no the spoon didn't bend or anything Smile

sumantra wrote:
I usually attack heard-frozen ice cream with care, though I have suffered from broken spoons, and consequently, a broken heart as well.

Sorry, that cracked me up big time LaughingLaughing

sumantra wrote:
I am sure well-heeled travellers on this forum know this, but just for the record, aircraft usually do not have freezers on board. It is a closed container with dry ice (solid carbon di-oxide).

I remember reading a similar explanation from you after my first ice cream encounter on board 9W362 in 2013 Smile

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
sumantra
Member


Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4685
Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbalonso777 wrote:
For Mum, its a weird thing - no beef, pork and chicken for her, lamb mutton and seafood are okay for her.

No Sir, there is nothing weird about this. I can well relate to this: The Wife's Mummy has exactly the same dietary preferences. Exactly the same.

jbalonso777 wrote:
I remember reading a similar explanation from you after my first ice cream encounter on board 9W362
Trust me to forget things that easily. One who talks and comments incessantly, is prone to making such mistakes. But yes, I love ice cream, too! On the Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto lunches/dinners, that is about the only food item to look forward to, now-a-days. Most unfortunate, given that a lot of train food used to be excellent even in the 2000s.
Cheers, Sumantra.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Spiderguy252
Member


Joined: 10 Aug 2007
Posts: 4259
Location: Indian Ocean

PostPosted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent once again! I wish I get to fly the A380 soon too. Smile

Do you know where that UA 737 was headed?
_________________
Yeah.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sumantra wrote:
On the Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto lunches/dinners, that is about the only food item to look forward to, now-a-days. Most unfortunate, given that a lot of train food used to be excellent even in the 2000s.
Cheers, Sumantra.

Yes, ice cream is the only dessert I've received on the recent train journeys. But its sad to see IR on the downward trend, I had some of their food on the AK Rajdhani and twice on the CSTM-HWH Duronto, it didn't end well for the stomach. Apologies for the sick imagery but more time was spent in the washroom than counting idols seen during the 2010 Durga Puja: very un-Bong like Rolling Eyes Hmm, I was thinking about a BOM-CCU or BOM-DEL train trip, looks like I might end up on the latter, but on Vistara instead...lets see how it goes Smile

Spiderguy252 wrote:
Excellent once again! I wish I get to fly the A380 soon too. Smile

Thanks Varun! And yes, I surely hope you'll fly on one of these ugly egg heads soon Wink

Spiderguy252 wrote:
Do you know where that UA 737 was headed?

The 737s are based in HKG only, or perhaps at GUM (Guam).
One of the UA 737 flights is part of the EWR-HKG-SGN flight (UA117 and 118 ), the EWR-HKG segment on the B772, and the HKG-SGN part on the B73H. Just like the CDG-DEL-MAA flight on the B788 and A319!
The other 737 flight, is of course, to GUM. 5 hours. Quite a stretch for the B73H!

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are the meal choices for the flight, both the International selection and the Oriental selection Smile




I'm uploading the videos for this flight still, I'll put the link up when its done Smile

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Nimish
Member


Joined: 16 Dec 2006
Posts: 9757
Location: Bangalore, India

PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely report Jishnu and great pictures to go with it. Now if we could only get the sounds and the smell of the aircraft too Smile
_________________
We miss you Nalini!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
ameya
Member


Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 3671
Location: Pune,Maharashtra

PostPosted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Enjoyed reading the TR Jishnu.
I started on multiple occassions and something or the other cropped up

Today was the day to finish it

Liked the SQ861 sticker photo ! and envy you for the upper deck

I hoped that I would get to fly SQ 380 to Singapore in Sept, but the trip was substituted with
the trip to Mexico, so I do not know when I would get a chance next.

The SQcabin is looking refresing in your pictures

The pic of Cathay T7 and Vietnam A321 is very nice !

How was the ice cream, I once had some horrible tasting ice cream after a fantastic meal on Swiss, of all airlines
Since then, if at all there is an ice cream.. I avoid !
_________________
www.networkthoughts.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nimish wrote:
Lovely report Jishnu and great pictures to go with it. Now if we could only get the sounds and the smell of the aircraft too Smile

Thank you so much Nimish!
For the sounds, I can get you some parts of it: the videos from the flight! Perhaps I should do a video TR, but since that is Aditya's original idea, let him have it.
Speaking of which, I have uploaded the three videos off this flight! Smile

Start up and pushback (Note the EK A380 and LH B748)
Take off (Captain Lee requests the crew to sit down, also an announcement in Mandarin, something which did not happen on SQ856!)
Landing in the sunset (Again, Mandarin announcement..)

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ameya sir, thank you for taking the time out! Very Happy

Upper deck is a blessing in disguise, and perhaps the closest you can get to Y+ without paying even a cent extra Smile And it will surely help on the longer flights!

Ice cream was very good. Extremely hard initially, but just when it started melting, the FAs came around to clear up the trays. I hurried it up since I knew I would be bothering the FAs with more soya milk, and didn't want them to come back just for my tray!
But seriously, after a while, it was some classy Häagen-Dazs Ice cream Smile

Surprised that LX ice cream was bad! Really a shocker Shocked But then again, as Sumantra sir has stated, planes do not have a freezer, so that could be a reason... Some airlines serve Häagen-Dazs in J or F, while here we have SQ and CX serving it in Y! But it was good, to be honest. But that's just my opinion!
What brand did you receive in LX?

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
avbuff
Member


Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 5031

PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 12:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

great report and a splendid set of pictures .....

SQ A380 always remain special as they were the first!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

avbuff wrote:
great report and a splendid set of pictures .....

SQ A380 always remain special as they were the first!!!

Ojas, great to hear from you! Very Happy
I'm glad you could go through my trip report! Smile
True about the SQ A380, they are special since they are the first. But then again, we know which airline has the most A380s flying around! Wink
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
ameya
Member


Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 3671
Location: Pune,Maharashtra

PostPosted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jbalonso777 wrote:
Ameya sir, thank you for taking the time out! Very Happy

Upper deck is a blessing in disguise, and perhaps the closest you can get to Y+ without paying even a cent extra Smile And it will surely help on the longer flights!

Ice cream was very good. Extremely hard initially, but just when it started melting, the FAs came around to clear up the trays. I hurried it up since I knew I would be bothering the FAs with more soya milk, and didn't want them to come back just for my tray!
But seriously, after a while, it was some classy Häagen-Dazs Ice cream Smile

Surprised that LX ice cream was bad! Really a shocker Shocked But then again, as Sumantra sir has stated, planes do not have a freezer, so that could be a reason... Some airlines serve Häagen-Dazs in J or F, while here we have SQ and CX serving it in Y! But it was good, to be honest. But that's just my opinion!
What brand did you receive in LX?

Regards
Jish

Movenpick was the ice cream served in Swiss. May be it was the flavor that was the killer probably!
_________________
www.networkthoughts.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jbalonso777
Member


Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ameya wrote:
Movenpick was the ice cream served in Swiss. May be it was the flavor that was the killer probably!

Ah. No, I personally am not a fan of Movenpick, but that's just me. Perhaps, as you said, it could be the flavor.
But then again, since these are not kept in freezers, and kept in dry ice instead, there is a weird taste to it...
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Airliners-India.com Forum Index -> Trip Reports All times are GMT + 5.5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group. Hosted by phpBB.BizHat.com