A Singapore Airlines A350 performing the inaugural flight from Seattle. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
Flying on flight SQ24 has been ot the top of my aviation bucket list for a while now. The opportunity to fly on the world’s longest flight isn’t something you can do every day but I wanted to see what it would be like to survive on an airplane for nearly a full day.
Check-in for this Singapore Airlines flight was done in Jakarta as a part of my connection. The staff was friendly and helpful and I was on my way promptly. While I didn’t have time to utilize the lounge during my layover in Singapore all business class passengers are invited to utilize the SilverKris lounge at Changi Airport.
Singapore Changi does the security screening at each gate so once you clear security you are essentially in a box that you can’t leave without having to go through security once again. It is worth noting that there are no restrooms in the secure area so plan accordingly. Once boarding was called all passengers pushed their way to the jet bridge with no real organization. I was seated in 29K, the last row of business class and if you find yourself in the second business class cabin I recommend using the economy jet bridge, it saves a good bit of time.
Laying flat at an angle (Photo: Taylor Guglielmino)
The seat is large and comfortable with ample storage space near the window as well as under the footwell. The main complaint that many have, and I tend to agree, is that you are required to sleep diagonally across the seat. I found that you can get comfortable, even on your back, when the seat is in bed mode. The trouble with Singapore Air’s seat comes when you try to put your feet up, the seat is facing straight ahead but the footwell is at a 45-degree angle towards the window.
The Singapore Airline Business Class Cabin (Photo: Taylor Guglielmino)
The food on this flight was average, I went for a mixture of Southeast Asian and Western and I ordered all my meals via “Book the Cook.” My first meal started with a seared tuna salad followed by a main course of Chicken and Rice that was underwhelmingly underseasoned. To finish an ice cream thing was plopped down in front of me along with a fruit plate, I learned that these were just the last two things on the cart so that’s what I was given with no real explanation. The second dinner service started with Singapore Airlines’ famous chicken satay, which I believe must have been the mid-flight snack that I missed out on because I was asleep. Following the satay was a salmon salad with potatoes and eggs and finally for the main I was served the beef steak with polenta and vegetables.
The service on this flight was well below expectations and well below what SQ advertises, ultimately I felt ignored while the passenger directly across the aisle waited on hand and foot. When I asked for an amenity kit and slippers, which is what the information left at your seat tells you to do, the flight attendant made it seem like I was bothering him. Ultimately it was a very poor showing for the SQ crew on this flight.
The big question at the end of this is, Will I fly Singapore Airlines again? It’s a hard maybe, I won’t go out of my way to fly with them again considering there are so many very good airlines in Asia but when the time comes I will give SQ another shot and I’ll report back. I’m happy I got to fly on this route and it definitely checks something off my AvGeek bucket list and that is the whole reason I took this flight.
If you’d like to watch the video trip report of this flight it can be found here:
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