SamWardill - 19/04/2011 08:59 GMT
Check In
I checked in online and printed my boarding pass. However this didn’t yield me much benefit as there is not much to choose between the seats (according to the various online reviews). On arrival in Singapore airport I had forgotten that business check-in was all in a separate plush area so I went to the economy check in. As there was no queue I dropped off my bags there.
Lounge
The Qantas/BA lounge at Singapore is pretty basic. There is not a great choice of food, drink or newspapers. The ambiance is nothing special. I went off to find the airport food court for a last hit of Singapore hawker centre style food before departure.
Boarding
Boarding is where an A380 business class comes into its own. You are guaranteed a dedicated business class ramp. This was my second ever flight on an A380. The first had been a few days earlier with SQ in economy from HKG. It was good to be on the upper deck this time! When I got on to the plane the stewardess was very welcoming and even searched the plane (to no avail) for a copy of Business Traveller magazine for me.
Seat
The seat is comfortable to sit in with its massage function. I didn’t find it particularly comfortable to sleep in. It didn’t quite feel like a flat bed. It felt more like a lie-flat seat. There was, however, lots of space. There was also a bar area up front where passengers could chill out. However I didn’t see anybody really using it.
IFE
Because I didn’t find the seat that comfortable for sleeping, I was glad that there was a good selection of films to watch. I managed to get through four films and did not get bored. The supplied headset was good quality so much so that I left my own Audio Technica noise reducing cans in the bag.
Food
The evening meal was very light. I assume that this was partly because the flight departed SG so late and partly because many passengers had already eaten a large meal on departure from Sydney. The food did also seem to take an age to be served which wasn’t ideal for a very late evening departure. The breakfast order was a la carte with the order taken on departure on a hotel door knob style breakfast menu. It was one of the best flight breakfasts that I had ever had and clearly was the main event on this route.
Arrival
Arrival in London was very smooth. My bag appeared quickly and I was on my way home.
Summary
I had been anticipating my first A380 flight for some time. I am a bit of a flight nerd and I wanted to see what it had to offer. My experience with the Qantas A380 was good but it did not wow me. I think that next time I would choose to fly BA on this route. You can’t beat the cosiness of the upper deck on a 747 and I prefer the BA seat for sleeping.
