Sally Blyth
flies Singapore to Moscow on Singapore Airlines SQ362
The plane: An Airbus A350-900, which made its first flight in April 2017. Class: Economy. At one point I asked if I could please visit one of my group in Business Class — no-go. My seat: 60K — a window seat one row from the very back of the plane. How full? There were quite a few gaps dotted about the cabin and I had a spare seat between me and the aisle seat — this was on account of the [big] guy in the middle seat moving to another seat to enable more space for us all. The crew were very helpful and proactive about this. The forward Economy cabin seemed much fuller than the rear cabin where I was sitting.
Flight time: Scheduled as 10hr 40m. We left 20 minutes late and arrived 16 minutes early at 5.43am, making it a 10-hour flight. The plane was flying on to Stockholm after Moscow.
Fellow passengers: As a Tour Leader I was travelling with a group of 18 Kiwis; the bulk of us were in Economy (not quite full), several were in Premium Economy (full) and a couple in Business Class (not at all full). Plenty of Russians and Scandinavians on board, as to be expected, also a lot of Indians.
Luggage: 30kg checked baggage allowance. Service: Attentive staff, efficient and gracious service. Hot towels offered several times, water many times. The Singapore Airlines uniform is attractive and timeless and service does come with a smile.
Entertainment: The usual — new releases and classics plus plenty of options for action film fans and kids. A wide range of world/festival films from many countries and a small range of art/cultural films. I watched a mixture, played the Trivia game and slept a bit. The earphones offered are the old “bud” style — I’d taken my own.
Food and drink: Being a night flight, with a departure time of 00.25, we had a light supper after take-off and breakfast before landing — a choice of Western and Eastern style for each meal. We were offered a rare pre-supper drink like the old days which was very welcome. Snacks were available throughout the flight.
A flip-down cup holder on the seat back in front (separate to the tray table) is extremely handy — much more stable and means you don’t have to have your tray down if you’re sipping on wine or water.
Toilets: Clean and tidy, but only one loo at the back of the plane. Others at the front of the forward Economy cabin.
Wi-Fi: Available in Economy but you pay for it — there are several price/data options. I didn’t bother.
Airport experience: Changi Airport is huge but easy to navigate. We were early to check in, done as a group, at Terminal 3. Streamlined but quite slow. Some people in my group walked to the Jewel before going through to the departures area. We reached our gate by Skytrain; there wasn’t a lot of seating nearby while we waited for the gate to open, after which security checks took place. Plenty of shops and cafes to fill spare time with.
The landing: Rough. After touchdown the plane slewed strongly from side to side and felt like it was going to tip sideways (it wasn’t, of course!) This was one of the roughest landings I’ve had in a long time — but still not as ferocious as the previous Aucklandto-Singapore leg a couple of days earlier. I wonder if it was the same newbie pilot . . .
The bottom line: It’s been a while since I’ve flown with Singapore Airlines and, apart from the alarming landing, this flight was a very pleasant experience with no hiccups. Every element of SQ oozes poise, charm and polite efficiency. This is a daily service and an ideal way to reach Russia or Sweden/ Scandinavia from New Zealand.