I finally found a place that has Internet access and I can use my computer. I had no luck in the Sydney airport and when I got to Cairns airport, my battery ran out before I could make the update and I could not find a place to buy an Australian adapter in that airport. So you can catch up with me in the next few posts.
26 Dec. 2007
Singapore Changi International, Singapore (SIN)
As instructed, I went back to the Transfer Desk at 7:50p and waited. I then asked the agent if the standbys were cleared and she went and got my ticket. She asked me for my passport and then gave me a boarding pass for seat 33E on the main deck. I asked if there was a seat available on the Upper Deck and she advised me to ask when I got to the gate. She then instructed me to get to the gate as they were boarding. I then thanked her and went towards the gate.
I stopped briefly to enter a blog post about getting a seat on the flight. Needless to say, I was very excited about this happening.
I walked over to gate F31; the only area specifically designed for the A380 at Changi and cleared security. I had forgotten about the water I had taken from the previous flight and the security folks tagged me on that one. I just drank it right there and then.
I asked the agent if I could switch my seat from the lower deck to the upper deck and she obliged, writing the number on the boarding pass and changing the “MAIN DECK” designation to “UPPER.” Cool, I figure that I always fly on the lower deck, so now it is time for a change.
I took a picture of the seating configuration, noting that I was at the back of the bus in row 80; kind of nice I thought, row 80 on the A380…
5 SQ 221 26DEC WE Singapore (SIN) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 380 830P 700A 27DEC 9V-SKA
As I boarded, I went to the right for the upper deck and passengers in the main deck and Suites (although they are on the upper deck) went to the left. It was weird going up so high while boarding an airplane. I stopped and looked outside to see how high I was. An agent cautioned me to come this way, so I did.
On entering the plane, I was greeted by two flight attendants. The male took my boarding pass and sent me down the aisle on the right. I walked past the Business Class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. They are so wide, I think that three persons can sit in them with ease. A flight attendant was handing out hot towels as we were boarding.
When I got to the Economy Class section, a flight attendant took my boarding pass and showed me to my seat; WOW! I thought. She even offered to hang my jacket, which she took along with my boarding pass. Now this is service I thought.
I actually scored a seat in the Exit row at the back of the plane, just three rows from the back; the last two rows have a 2 seats together configuration. The Economy class section is configured in a 2-4-2 configuration. The cabin interior is that of a combination of an Airbus A340-600 and the Boeing 777-200 as the lighting is from the Airbus and the bins from the Boeing . It is all really nice and clean; very well done I thought. The windows are huge, tapering to a smaller circumference as it goes to the outside of the plane.
They had poinsettias on the sides of the plane as it is Christmas; this was a very nice touch and added character to the cabin. Every seat has a video screen with Audio/Video on Demand service. There also an Ethernet cable, a USB port and a port for what looks like a headset or a video in/out cable. Below the seat is a power cable to charge your electronic stuff. All that is missing is the Internet now.
People were just getting themselves settled in and taking pictures all over the place. There is a step at the back of the galley that leads to the lower deck. It is actually quite steep though. I’ll have to take the camera around later and take some pictures.
I looked through the KrisWorld entertainment guide and oh wow! Way too many movies. The menu choices are:
· Entertainment
o Movies
§ New Releases
§ Action
§ Comedy
§ Drama
§ Family
§ European
§ Chinese
§ Japanese
o TV
o Music
o Radio
o Games
o Settings
· Just for Kids
o Movies
o TV
o Music
o Radio
o Games
· Travel
o Flight Path
o Connecting Gate
o Live Text news
o City Guide
o Inflight Phone
· Learning
o Health Info
o Executive Book Summaries
o Cultural Quest
o Take a Flight
· PC
o File manager
o Spreadsheet
o Presentation
o Media Player
o Photo Viewer
We pushed back at about 8:41p and it was difficult to tell; I had to look through the window by the door to tell. The two right engines were started first and I did not even hear when the left ones started. In a few moments, we were on our way. I was psyched!
For takeoff, we had to clear the seat area of everything, but we were able to place them under the seats in front of us. Except that folks by the doors did not have that luxury; their stuff had to go in the bin above.
Takeoff was smooth and very quiet. It is different being so far off the ground, you hardly feel it all. I talked with the flight attendant who was sitting in front of me after we were clear of the ground for a bit. I wanted to know if this was the only plane they had so far. He said yes and they were getting another in January and then one more and after that one per year I think. Additional routes would include London and Tokyo. I felt special to have been on the only aircraft they have which had only been flying since Oct. 25, 2007 when I was here last.
I got up to use the lavatory after the seatbelt sign went off and while the service started with the flight attendants handing out a brown amenity kit that contained a pair of socks as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste. This was followed by a menu; you know how I love that part of the flight. I was talking to another passenger and we decided to take a walk downstairs to check it out. We chatted for a bit and before long the seatbelt sign came on as we were having some turbulence. So we had to go back upstairs to our seats. This plane is huge!
Today, well tonight, we will have dinner followed by breakfast. The menu had a page with all the beverages listed. It is the normal fare, except on Singapore Airlines you also have the Singapore Sling included.
For dinner we would have:
appetizer
Marinated prawns with crispy romaine lettuce
main coursesBaked fillet of perch with garlic paste, wood fungus and carrots, fried rice
Or
Beef goulash with vegetables and mashed potatoes
cheese
Cheese and crackers
dessert
Ice cream
from the bakery
Roll and butter
hot beveragesCoffee – Tea
For breakfast
fruit
fruit appetizer
from the bakery
Assorted breakfast rolls (roll, muffin)
Butter – fruit preserve
Hot beverages
Coffee – tea
The crew then came by with glasses of beer, wine, apple juice or orange juice and as usual always smiling. Then they followed that up with roasted peanuts in a plastic packet with a napkin included.
Dinner was then served and I opted for the perch which was really tasty; the lady next to me had the beef which also looked good, but would have been too chewy for me. Although the meal was good, it took a while to chew it as there was some shrimp in it that really stuck to my teeth.
Dinner was quite good and was cleared up expeditiously; I was able to brush my teeth after chatting with two guys for quite sometime. I also was able to check out the cabin below, although out efforts to see the Suites were denied. I did find out the Business Class was full except for possibly two seats. Economy class looked very full as well.
There are three compartments on the main deck for Economy Class and not enough lavatories I think as the lines were quite long on both decks. The main deck had a 3-4-3 configuration while the upper is 2-4-2 as it sloped at the top. It was hard to see so many people in one space, but it is impressive!
I then walked back to the back of the plane and took the stairs back to the upper deck. It was time for a little sleep and watch some more of the spectacular entertainment system.
With about 1:30 to go, we got hot towels although I just missed it as I was asleep. We were then served breakfast which was quite good. The sun had come up so it was good to see outside.
We landed without any issues after the crew prepared the cabin. It was weird to land when sitting so high off the ground. The engines were not as quite as I thought they should ne though.
The GE90s are much quieter on landing.
I started to gather my things and ended up dropping the computer :-(. This will cost me to have it fixed now, I thought since it is my fault. As we deplaned, there was some kind of hold up and I got a chance to see the Business Class cabin and take a few pictures. There is really no way of seeing the Suites if you exit this way. I assume that there is another stairs near the forward galley behind the cockpit.
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