New route is the business
Dana Johannsen flew business class on Singapore Airlines’ newest route to Stockholm, and found the pointy end of the plane is for her.
The airline
Singapore Airlines.
The route
Singapore to Stockholm, with a brief pit stop in Moscow, which is great if you want to be able to tell your friends you have been to Russia, but don’t actually want to go to Russia.
The plane
The Airbus A350.
Time in the air
About 14 hours, not including the one-and-a-half hour stopover in Moscow. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Up the back or at the pointy end
Business class (don’t hate me), row 19.
The seat stuff
The new A350-900 fleet has a comfortable and sleek interior fitout. The seats are extra roomy, with a lot of little storage spaces so you can keep all your in-flight essentials at arm’s reach.
I spent my first five minutes on board arranging then rearranging my things in the various compartments. There’s also a USB port and power point inside the smaller cupboard if you need to charge your phone after taking all your smug business-class selfies.
The seat converts into a lie-flat bed with a simple click of a button. It’s easy enough to figure out without any assistance from the airline staff if you’re fiercely independent like I am. As I was in the front row of the cabin and had a bulkhead seat, I was lucky enough to have even more legroom.
Baggage allowance
A generous 40 kilograms for checked luggage.
Comfort factor
There’s nothing like a lie-flat bed when you want to get some shut-eye. I usually have trouble getting uninterrupted sleep on airplanes, but having already travelled from Auckland to Singapore, by the time I boarded the flight to Stockholm it was 4am New Zealand time.
Once in the air, I promptly donned my sleep mask and noise-cancelling headphones, and crawled under the cosy duvet and slept for nine hours.
That’s entertainment
The TV screens are a good size, and easy to watch while seated or fully reclined. There’s also a massive array of entertainment on offer, but because of my aforementioned need for sleep, I did not make the most of it.
The service
Impeccable. The staff are friendly and courteous without being overbearing. Business class also comes with the usual perks – hot towels, bowls of nuts, glasses of Champagne, self-importance, etc.
The toiletry bag wasn’t as well-stocked as some other business-class flights, however, with just the basic toothpaste, toothbrush, sleep mask and comb.
Feeding time
You will not go hungry on this flight. Again, my need for sleep, not to mention the fact I had stuffed myself silly in the SilverKris business-class lounge during the four-hour stopover in Singapore, trumped the lure of the top-class food and wine menu on board. The flight staff tried to compensate for this by offering me an array of snacks – hot and cold – when I woke up.
There’s also the option of using Singapore Airlines’ ‘‘book the cook’’ service, which allows you to pre-order your meal from a menu put together by world-renowned chefs. Lobster thermidor, anyone?
The verdict
Singapore Airlines knows how to do flying right. Business class was a beautiful cosy cloud of luxury, from which I did not want to emerge.
Frequency
The airline operates five times weekly between Singapore and Stockholm (via Moscow), and 21 times weekly between Auckland and Singapore.
Return flights from Auckland to Stockholm start at $2126 (economy), and $9175 for business.
For more information
Visit singaporeair.com. The writer flew courtesy of Singapore Airlines.