Things had quitened down significantly since I had last walked through the transit area, yet most of the shops were still open, even if they had shopfitters replacing some of the displays at the same time!
Changi obviously never really sleeps, and has no concept of a regular working day. It's a genuine 24 hour airport, the jet-age evolution of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles original vision of a trading post.
Enough waxing lyrical. I'm writing a TR, oh, and I have a plane to catch.
Beware at Changi - the security screening is sensibly done at the gates themselves, this means that there are fewer issues about 'contraband' items (like metal cutlery) in the transit area. It also means that the gate rooms are closed 10 minutes before departure time. They definitely want to have you there on time [:)].
So, I got to the gate, the security check was performed rapidly, with no long queues or fuss, and passports were checked by some branch of the Airport Police, surrendered my boarding card, and straight onboard Boeing 777 9V-SRG for the 5 hour flight to Perth. Again, loading was done through dual jetways at Singapore, meaning Raffles pax got their own doorway. Very civilised.
Got settled into 15A, and took another glass of the bubbly stuff (Piper NV 1999). Be rude not to, really?[;)]
Menus were offered, and because of the fairly short flying time and late night schedule, there was only officially one meal offered on the flight, and you could elect to eat after departure, or about 90 minutes out of Perth. As such the dishes were a mixture of light snacky food, or things with a breakfast twist, and no satay! Oh well, I have an excuse to fly SQ again some time in the future, I'll just have to pick my flight more carefully!
I still felt hungry, despite snacking, so I chose to take the Ginger Chicken Udon noodles after takeoff.
This crew were really excellent. Very friendly, lots of eye contact, always using your name, and always around and available.
Picked up a couple of stragglers, and we were pushing back on schedule, taxiing out to Runway 02C for departure, where we waited for an Emirates twin (couldn't see if it was an A330 or 777) to land, before we took off and made a big sweeping right hand turn over the harbour to head South.
Hot towels were offered as soon as the seatbelt sign was off, drinks served, with a pack of nuts (watch those wasabi coated ones!), and the meals to people who wanted them. The cabin lights were dimmed almost as soon as all the meals had been brought out. I guess this is SQ's version of a GNF, but it didn't seem stingy considering the short flight time.
The noodles were good, with some sort oriental crunchy greens on the side, but the fruit it was served with was a bit disappointing. UA's fresh fruit choices still take some beating, two days running. Hot towels again after food.
The KrisWorld IFE on this aircraft wasn't AVOD, it was basically the same as VS' Odyssey platform, including the controller.
Laptop power on this aircraft was 15V DC EmPower, like on VS, which was different to the 110V Euro/US/Aus 'androgynous' socket on the Spacebed-equipped 744. Alas, no Connexion by Boeing on this leg.
Given the light load, I moved back a row, so that I didn't have to climb over the person on the aisle, and dozed for a while.
At this point we picked up some moderate and bouncy turbulence, as we flew over Indonesia, which the Captain had warned us about. The flight was then slighly bumpy for the whole remainder of the flight.
I managed a couple of hours sleep, and as soon as I woke up, a 'Singapore Girl' was at my side offering another Hot Towel and asking if I wanted a drink, and the sawn was breaking over the Western Australian coast. I also asked if there were any snacks. She said that she'd go and check what was left. There was definitely biscuits, but there maybe have been meals left as well, and it turned out that a salmon ciabatta-style sandwich was available, so I took it, and a cappucino.
Who needs Freedom when you fly SQ? [;)]
The sandwich was quite nice, and came with a good side salad of cherry tomatoes. It's a shame that the dressing was already on it, as the sandwich had soaked this up and gone a bit soggy. It was a good dish, it just needed a bit more thought. Anyway, mustn't grumble, really!
Now descending into Perth, and I visited the little boys room. What an enormous airplane lav next to the L1 door on these planes! Loads of space, and a massive sink! SQ really do configure their planes nicely. VS should take note!
We followed the coastline, passed the mouth of the Swan River, giving a good view of the city, before making a left turn to land about 20 minutes early at 0615 local.
A nice thing is that the crew keep the cabin divider curtains shut and blocked between Economy and Raffles until all the premium pax have got off, before letting the Hoi Polloi charge through!
Immigration in Perth was a breeze, bags were coming out just as we got to the carousel, and we all got our bags sniffed over by a beagle. The Australians are probably more paranoid than the US about contraband items.
From landing to stepping outside into a sunny Summer morning took no more than about 10 minutes. Excellent flight, and a really good experience overall. The crew on this leg were great.
Unfortunately, marks down to the Parmelia Hilton, who didn't have a room available at 7.30am.
So, I stay put for a few days now, and I'm dying for sleep.
Cheers,
Mike
