IMHO, the often very inconsistent service, generally really poor food, chaotic boarding, favouring of staff on staff travel etc etc, all wear you down and make you realise that quite often you’re simply being taken for granted. This isn’t always the case, but VAA seem to be sliding further and further from where they started when I first travelled with them back in ’94 (I think).
A short notice requirement to go to Australia meant that I couldn’t get the VAA fare/tickets I wanted, so I decided to take the plunge and try SIA Business Class and see what the competition was like. This TR is not short, as I want to try and convey some of the detail of the flight to give some sort of comparison on what’s available outside the “funky world of purple and red”.
So, set off by taxi at 07:15 for a 10:55am SIA flight to SIN and then on to SYD. Taxi arrived a few minutes early so we left about on time; however traffic on the M25 was obviously going to be bad, so we went “cross-country” which in some ways I prefer – no endless queues to look at.
Check-in - I’d done my homework, and knew that the Singapore T3 check-in was likely to be somewhere around Zone E (as that’s where their ticket/sales desk is, right?) Wrong! It’s (possibly not surprisingly) next to VAA in Zone A; bugger – that’ll teach me to bother to try and work it out ahead of time and look at what turns out to be out of date maps on the BAA web site.
Found the SIA check-in desks (at the extreme left hand end of Zone A) and arrived (at 08:20) to no queues anywhere in sight and was checked into my business-class seat K21 in a matter of minutes – if there’s an additional check-in load given this was for a 380 flight then it was nowhere in sight - at all; it literally took 3 minutes and it was all done.
I was asked if I was aware of the SIA SilverKris Flyer lounge and I said I wasn’t, and was told it was next to gate 8/9. So I duly headed upstairs and picked up some AUS$ currency and joined the so-called “fast-track” security.
Security - OK, so far no difference to an UCS journey, but this was always going to be one of the differences; it took about 12-13 minutes from joining the “Fastrack” queue to getting through, partly as a result of the lady in front of me having to cope on her own (with a little help from yours truly) with a stroppy toddler in a pushchair.
Got through with no other dramas, and reflected on the fact that it would have been nice to have been gone through the VAA private security channel – but what the heck, I’ve got to be somewhere?
Lounge - At this point I have to admit I “tried it on” a little, and thought I’d go to the VAA CH and see if my SIA Business ticket and VAA FC Au had any leverage (well, old habits do die hard don’t they?). Er, no basically! Apparently suitably qualified VAA passengers can use the SIA lounge but not vice-versa – herrumph!
So, it was the horrendous "walk of shame"
down the marble stairs and round to the SIA lounge. And here was the second somewhat major (but obviously not unexpected) difference of the overall experience – LHR T3 Club House this is not. It’s the basic airline lounge; quiet, near the gate, simple (but ok) food, not very large and all in all fairly anonymous. Headed off to the gate about 30 minutes before the flight was due to leave, and noticed that it was being listed as “closing”, which was fine as it clearly wasn’t going anywhere early.Boarding - Through the gate in about 30 seconds with visibly marked priority boarding (sadly no “hello Mr. Vizibiz you’ve been upgraded to a suite!) and onto the plane (welcomed by name) - surprisingly the jetway took us straight onto the upper deck; I somehow thought that it would be like boarding a 747 where you get on to the lower deck and have the thrill of “going upstairs”.
The first thing that struck me was the whole understated nature of the SIA experience; I was welcomed onboard by name (and I’ve never flown SIA before) and TAKEN to my seat by very attentive crew.
On-board - Now, it’s been reported more than once, the SIA 380 business seat is, well, cavernous. Despite looking at the seat/layout online more than once (yes I know, sad git!), it still struck me as the biggest seat I’ve ever flown in.
My only concern was that I might (despite my non-athletic build) rattle around in it, and make no mistake it is totally different, and writing this approaching the end of a 13 hour leg I can confirm it works really well for me (although it may not be to everyone’s liking); it’s definitely not like the cocoon of a suite, it’s MUCH wider and more spacious.
I’d asked about the age of the plane out of curiosity and was told it was the first 380 in service for SIA, so it was interesting to note that everything seemed in immaculate condition; no scuff/wear marks, broken bits hanging off etc. All very spick and span.
Settled in, and quickly offered a glass of very nicely chilled Charles Heidseck Reserve (I detest room-temp champagne) and/or OJ etc. The SIA equivalent of the FSM came by and greeted me by name, and confirmed my “Book the Cook” choice had been loaded and was ready for me when lunch was served.
Another crew member came by and asked me what I’d like to drink after take-off; I asked for a G&T. The entire experience was very understated; the crew were very helpful, very attentive, but somehow you never noticed them – this may have something to do with the way the seat/section is laid out, but I can only it all worked really well.
A hot towel was offered before take-off, which was a nice touch, and we were wheels-up about 10 minutes late. The seat-belts-fastened sign was turned off what seemed remarkably early, no more than 10-12 minutes after take-off, which for me must be some sort of record (subsequently beaten on the SIN-SYD leg; 5 minutes from wheels up to seat-belt sign off!).
Settling in to the flight, all was very calm, with the CC never seemingly more than a few seconds away and the couple of times I needed to push the call button resulted in immediate responses – very impressive.
One thing that registered was that SIA appear to have copied one element of the VAA branding – the funky purple overhead lighting! Yay - home from home!
Lunch service commenced fairly promptly, and there was what can best be described as a Satay “appetizer” offered, prior to the starter, which was very good. The overall menu to Singapore comprised the following;
Appetizer – Satay chicken with onion, cucumber and peanut sauce (I know, I know, I thought Satay was the peanut sauce anyway!).
Starter – Seared tuna with Nicoise salad, choice of citrus vinaigrette or creamy piri-piri dressing.
Mains –
- Breast of chicken supreme, white cabbage, pickled ginger, prune puree.
- Stir fried beef with ginger and spring onion, braised beancurd with eggplant, asparagus and steamed rice.
- Prawns in Indian curry, with vegetables “jalfereizi” and steamed rice.
- Pan roasted pancetta-wrapped monkfish, leek and onion ragout, ratatouille and steamed potato.
- The option to pre-book 1 of 6-8 main course “book the cook” mains. I had an excellent Sea-food Thermidoor.
Finale(!) - Creme brulee ice cream with almond and bitter chocolate sauce.
- White chocolate ice cream with berry compote.
- Gourmet cheeses with garnishes
- Selection of fresh fruit
- Gourmet coffees and selection of teas, with pralines.
Snacks on Request at any time
- Noodles; Macaroni in light chicken broth garnished with Chinese greens and sliced chicken.
- Noodles; Vegetarian and non-Vegetarian instant noodles.
- Sandwiches; Assorted savoury finger sandwiches.
- Sandwiches; Roasted vegetables and hummus wrap
- Assorted nuts, Chips, cereal bars, chocolate bars, assorted biscuits, fruit.
Wines - Charles Heidseck Reserve Champagne
- Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Marlborough – NZ
- Yalumba unwooded Chardonnay 2007 South Aus.
- 2008 D’arenberg Olive Grove Chardonnay, McClaren Vale, Aus.
- Heartland Shiraz, 2005, Aus.
- Mt Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz, 2006, Aus.
- Chateau Baret 2005 Pessac-Leognan
- Graham’s 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Port.
- Too many cocktails to list....
Tea’s and Coffee’s – about 12 teas and half a dozen different coffees.
Wine – slight disappointment here, as I have a particular weak spot for D’arenberg wines, and having spotted the Chardonnay on offer was a D’arenberg I was really looking forward to try it; the crew informed me that they typically only carry 2 each of the 4 white and 4 reds listed in their menu on any give sector, and the D’arenberg wasn’t available on this flight.
Throughout the flight the crew kept my glass topped up, and there were continuous water runs and checking to see if everything was ok.
The level of attentiveness was a really nice surprise, and you can tell this wasn’t a one-off it’s clearly ingrained in the way they do things.
Breakfast - was served about 90 minutes out from SIN, and I had fresh (real) orange juice – and plenty of it, coffee and a variation on Eggs Benedict that was excellent and very welcome – the best inflight breakfast I’ve had in a long tine. The crew continued to keep an eye on my every need, and I was offered a hot towel (the 4th) prior to landing.
IFE - One shortcoming compared to VAA is of course the IFE – whilst there is a nice large screen, there isn’t the breadth of films that V-Port can offer. This was no surprise and I’d brought along a load of DVD’s to watch on my laptop which was no problem from a power point of view as there is a 110v ac socket easily accessible next to the screen.
Also next to the screen is a variety of USB (and video sockets if you feel like plugging your iPod into the 15” screen and watching your videos on a bigger screen). Conversely there was a very wide variety of other programmes and more music than you could ever listen to.
NO Bar!!! - I suppose I always consider the bar on the VAA flights almost part of the in-flight entertainment – some of the most memorable flights (and some I can’t remember!) resulted from meeting truly fun and interesting people at the bar. I don’t think the other airlines realise what a plus the bar is for a lot of flyers (V or otherwise!), and that it can be (if not clogged with travelling staff and/or food being prepared) a not-insignificant factor in the decision process of selecting a carrier.
Loo’s - were immaculate throughout the trip, spotlessly clean and totally up to date with the latest mod-cons etc. Several of the loos were very large and spacious if space is what you need.
Overall, the service was pretty well faultless, the seat extremely comfortable and I have to say it’s the least tiring flight out to this neck of the woods I’ve made in some years – and I’ve done the VS200/201 trip a few times. The standard of in-flight service was exemplary, after 10 years of VAA long haul you forget that there may be other airlines out there who’ve got this sussed. Food and drink were consistently excellent.
Oh, and did I mention, I get 20 TP’s and whatever miles for this trip )
Summary versus VAA
Check-in is a tie.
Security – VAA
Lounge - VAA
Lounge Service - SIA
Boarding – SIA
Seat – SIA (just)
Food – SIA by a mile
IFE – VAA (only because of the selection of films)
Inflight-Service – SIA by a mile.
Overall Experience – SIA.
Postscript – one thing worth mentioning about the routing I was on, was that it meant I was travelling via Singapore, and it has to be said that their Terminal 3 is an amazing terminal in every possible way. It’s really hard to find a single thing to be critical about – on the contrary it is certainly the most spacious, light and airy terminal (of this size at least) I’ve ever been in. I really don’t like shopping but SIN T3 had me exploring every nook and cranny. Amongst the more interesting things to while away the hours with – fabulous shopping aside – try the butterfly house, or the free tour of Singapore, or perhaps the free cinema, or why not one of the spacious comfy restaurants or bars. 10 out of 10 Singapore Airport!
) where the service was impeccable.
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