[dutchyankee]

Dear Mark and LondonCity, Thanks very much for your great advice and insight. I have checked a number of options on-line and have now booked my flights. From BRU SQ has not operated their own services for over two years now so the suggestion on SQ booking site was a flight connecting in via FRA, but the variety of aircraft exit FRA was, as so well pointed out by Mark earlier and even on SQ’s webpage, they said on this particular flight from FRA, ‘this aircraft has 4 configurations.’ So I avoided this option. Exit AMS was a similar situation on the return flight. I have now booked 14 March CDG-SIN-SYD on SQ 333 and 221 (both A380) but with a very long lay over in SIN, so will probably exit Changi and go to a city center hotel for a good Day Room. Return flights 22 March are great SQ 222 and 334 with a 2 hour connection, and again all A380. I will take the Thalys return from BRU directly to CDG. Fare I thought was a great deal when compared to BA/SQ exit LHR, fare was €4357 total. Thanks again, I will certainly send my view of the flights when I am back if anyone is interested, and am really looking forward to my first flight on the A380. If you have suggestions which seats to choose please let me know????? All the best.

[austline]

Good luck! Just returned from Europe on SQ very ordinary. Seats on the A380 and 77w felt claustrophobic, food and wine not up to QF/BA standard, crew good, lounges okay but once again not up to QF and BA First lounges. Also just lost a heap of FF points as they are only vaild for 3 years.

[MarcusUK]

Hi DY.
Thanks for yr comments too.
Pleased you got a good deal & the input was useful.
For the A380, i would suggest the upper floor forward cabin, best seats rows 12-15. It is a smaller cabin, in front of the galley, & less up & down activity than the longer cabin behind you for C.
Also the quite beautiful wide & lit stairs down to the suites, with the bathroom here, & a bit more space to stretch out & walk around.

I think you made a great choice with the A380, & be interested to see how you feel about the extra wide seats.I really curled up like a sofa for me, i thought they were great.

Changai Airport Hotel – AIRSIDE T3
I have in my diary the Changai Airport Transit hotel card, in T3 (+65 6507 9788), better to call as booking on the website causes delays.
(www.athmg.com)

Book as soon as you can they are often booked full a month ahead. Can ask for a quiet room over the gates area, & pay the higher premium room rate for single. Perfectly functional, pleasant, private & secure, & the rates about £32 for approx 6 hrs i recall. Very decent place, & great Airside, 5 mins from your gate…book your baggage direct through to Oz & you have no worries, & with yr passport, can nip into the city or use yr SQ Boarding Pass privilage perks, or just rest & freshen up.
This brief few transit hotel hours makes the whole journey much more easily tolerable.
Hope it breaks up yr flight, & you have an enjoyable, comfortable flight down to Oz.

[DarrylW]

Transitting at Changi Airport. May I suggest as an alternative to the Changi Airport Transit Hotel, there is the Crown Plaza Hotel which is also connected to the airport building. It’s facilities are very good. So if you don’t fancy going all the way into the City, the CP is a very good option.

With regards to service on-board, I’ve flown on QF and BA in Club recently. QF to Singapore and BA to China. I could not fault QF at all. Overall an excellent on-board experience (everything from cabin crew service, food, lie-flat seats, etc). My previous experience with SQ business has been very good too. But in comparison the airlines that impressed me the most for overall business class is QF and QR.

Unfortunately my experience on BA Club World was the total opposite. Just to clarify, I am not anti-BA. But sad to say, the crew on all flights were generally unfriendly and unhelpful, the food was very disappointing, and even when I wanted to purchase something from the duty free, they couldn’t be bothered.

We all know that even the best airlines in the world have good and bad days. But my last flight with BA, and I have flown with them on numerous occasion, was the last straw. I will only fly with BA unless no other airline does.

With regards to on-board catering for business class, again QF, QR, MH & NZ are all very good. Sad to say, when it came to choice and presentation, BA again is no where near that standard. I would agree with the others re. the SQ on-board catering to Australia. That’s really disappointing!!

On the other hand, the things I do like about BA is the consistency of the long haul Club World seats, check-in luggage allowance, direct flights from UK and the new Terminal 5.

[Jan]

Thank you Mark for a very informative independent view on SQ.
I concur with you entirely, with 4 trips to The Far East on them in the last 8 weeks, but one into Sydney.
Same experience with this 773 overnight.
Unless flying the A380 or new Business cabins, my colleagues & i shall be avoiding them, like Thai, as the consistency is now at a poor level on many service issues.

A year old, but may help to see the seats we are taking about…

http://www.singaporeair.com/mediacentre/pacontent/news/NE_0709.jsp

[Hess963]

Hi everyone !

Regarding transiting in Changi Airport–it is really recommendable to take and have the more comfortable Crown Plaza and really chic ! But the airport hotel is okay as well. I personally would recommend everyone flying from Europe to Oz or NZ to make a stopover of 2 days inorder to relax and enjoy Singapore. The hotels in the city are far more better in choices and are more moderate in prices.

About the comparison SQ and BA in C class. Well, about consistency of seatings–a point for BA. It is a shame that SQ is not installing a full flat bed generally without any annoying angles. About the food — a point for SQ: .(beside the problems of not having a decent breakfast in some flights) — better food quality and choices because of “Book the Cook “. About the cabin crew service — the SQ girls are still better than the BA ones, but in some cases– there are some highlights on BA’s side. So the point goes to SQ. About the lounges — of course both carriers have their best performances in their home base. Their lounges are respectively good in T5 Terraces Lounges or the Silver Kris lounges in SIN. But the winning point here goes to BA as fellow carrier QF share their lounges in Australia with BA which are far more better than SQ or fellow Star Aliiance lounges in Australia or LHR respectively. So the point here goes to BA.

So at the moment it is a tie — well, you can find other criterias on your own like the entertainment system offered, snacks offered onboard after meals, cleanliness of toiletts etc…

For me the huge SQ dominance in the past — is now not so huge anymore and in some aspects — not so dominating anymore. SQ has still the very good image of a premium and leading carrier of the industry — but it will only stay in the future when they start solving those annoying aspects commented here in BT, otherwise those premium pax will definitely fly with other carriers and the longstanding yearly award of being the best in the industry will be a part of the good old days.

[bombayteddy]

I couldnt agree more with the last para in Hess’ posting. SQ now seems to have become really complacent, cutting corners wherever they think they can get away with it; and generally giving premium passengers a raw deal for the amount of money charged. This has become the norm in C…..but even F hasnt been spared in certain sectors. I hope they heed this wake-up call….as hype will only take them this far!

[MarcusUK]

Thanks to Alex, for an excellent article in this months BT, re the Asian C class variations, especially down to Australia.
Puts the arguments very well, balanced, & examines the problems reported by many of us on here.

However, it seems as though SQ is set on this policy of regarding SIN-OZ routes as regional, with cabins & seats that are not suitable & not worth the rates they charge.
I will not be using them in the future, as others down to Australia.
These services do not match their usual standard of travel, & the faults they have made no attempt to correct or alter.
Very complacent…my business goes elsewhere via other asian Gateways.

[AsiaFrequentFlyer]

OK. Done. Lets stop talking about SQ business to Oz. I’m bored with this thread. Can’t change the seats and they don’t read this blog anyway. Steve

[MarcusUK]

Clearly it is relevant to warrent a 3 page article in the BT Magazine this month.

And the SQ NSW Manager did contact me following my feedback, so they do read..but clearly he cant change a set policy from Singapore.

At least people are now informed about the variations & can make their choice. Stimulated a great debate on here & for the magazine…

[suitdude30]

I agree with all the negative comments re. the varied C class products on the different aircraft. Why is there no consistency? Flying between MEL and SIN every other month in the past 14 months, I have found the 773 to be extremely noisy and uncomfortable, and the provision of just one meal (either supper OR breakfast) is appalling, considering that the airfare is the same as one would pay on 773-ER or A380. Having flown SIN-MEL a fortnight ago, the 773 was so old that the seats were not only frayed, but the tiny PTV screen was creaky and its resolution so poor as to render it almost unwatchable.

I had been looking forward to sampling the refurbished C on the 773 (which has still NOT reached the SIN-MEL route yet!), but after reading so many negative posts, perhaps I won’t bother.

On the subject of the unrefurbished 773, the F seat is only a little more comfortable than its C counterpart, on account of more legroom, but one would expect a full-flat bed rather than a reclining chair on an overnight flight (as is the case on SQ 237 SIN-MEL). Once again, you pay the same fare as on the 773-ER (though less than R class (Suites) on the A380, yet are only offered either supper OR breakfast, yes, even in F class. Simply appalling. Yes, one could argue, why not just pick the better aircraft, but often, circumstances do not permit you the luxury of such choice.

Re. Silver Kris lounge in Changi T3, I have no complaints, and give SQ full marks for its F class section, esp the Private Room for full-fare paying passengers, where meals are a la carte.

I agree that SQ’s standards have dropped considerably, and is no longer my first choice, since its airfares are almost identical to QF’s. On the Oz-SIN route, I would also consider EK, and if I don’t need to stop in SIN, then definitely Etihad.

In January, I flew F overnight SIN-MEL, and had to change seats 3 times because of defects (electric footrest would not extend), and there was a large piece of plastic hanging loose from the seat in front of me (I was in 2A). I asked for both supper and breakfast, and the response was a grudging…”errr…….ok”. All this for A$5,700 return, and I was the only passenger in F! When I wrote a complaint to SQ, all I received was a one-class upgrade voucher, which I thought simply pathetic.

I do wonder if SQ is resting on its laurels and trading solely on its (once) sterling reputation. Perhaps people don’t care enough to vote with their feet and their wallets.

[bombayteddy]

I’m glad more and more people are realising that SQ’s standards have dropped abysmally and they are indeed “resting on their laurels”. No caviar in F any more, on BOM-SIN-BOM. And vis-a-vis meals, you need to go through hoops to request a cheese-platter in advance…. and if you “book” a fruit-platter, you are told you will have to forego the main meal, since its an either/or situation!!!

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