Now 100% SARS free: Singapore Airlines
Written: Jul 17 '03 (Updated Jul 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Impeccable service, wide array of entertainment options
Cons: Seat pitch a little tight in economy; no e-ticket kiosk
The Bottom Line: My only complaints about this airline were nit-picky. The cabin was comfortable and pleasant, I've never had better service on a flight, and the array of entertainment choices was staggering.
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| mark_thomas's Full Review: Singapore Airlines |
Before a recent trip from New York to Frankfurt (and back) on Singapore Airlines (SA), my acquaintances subjected me endlessly to tiresome, predictable "warnings" to "Look out you don't catch the SARS! Haw! Haw! Haw!"
This is merely because all of my acquaintances are helpless morons, recidivist felons and/or finger-sniffing dorks; the WHO long ago declared Singapore free of SARS, the occasionally deadly respiratory disease that originated in Asia.
Though there were at least three sneezing Asians on my return flight to New York, I am happy to report that I am, three days after the flight, pulminarily A-OK.
Almost as importantly, I've also had one of the best flying experiences of my life, at a reasonable price.
SA on the Web
On the recommendation of two globe-trotting co-workers, my girlfriend Lisa looked into using SA for a planned trip to Germany and found we could fly to Frankfurt and back for the low base price of $398 each.
What's more, we were able to tailor our flight dates to suit our schedule – we flew into Frankfurt on a Thursday night/Friday morning and went back to New York on a super-convenient Sunday morning.
Lisa tried to book the tickets on SA's web site, http://www.singaporeair.com, but discovered it was necessary to have a passport number to do so, and neither of us incorrigible procrastinators had gotten our passports renewed at that point. Fortunately, she was able to book the flight through Travelocity.com with no trouble.
As for SA's web site, I found it to be relatively informative and user-friendly. One nit-picking problem I had with it was the absence of a map showing all the cities the airline serves. On the "make a booking" page, you're provided with a helpful drop-down menu showing 82 destination and departure cities, but there's also a cryptic option called "other."
There's also a page where you can check "schedules" from a limited number of departure/arrival cities, but the site says "Flights shown do not necessarily represent all possibilities. For more flight schedules, please contact your local SA office or your nearest travel agent," and it provides a link to search for the phone number and address of your local SA office.
In other words, if you're hoping to go somewhere other than the 82 destination cities listed on the web site, you're going to have to do a little more legwork.
SA on the ground
Upon arrival at the SA counter at JFK in New York, we were disappointed to find there were no e-ticket kiosks – but I suppose this could be chalked up to the heightened security measures for international flights, including the need to show a ticket agent your passport. There is a “check-in online” option on the SA web site, but I can’t vouch for its effectiveness.
There was an excrutiatingly long line at check-in, which made the lack of an e-ticket kiosk all the more painful. Fortunately, there was a very short line for people who weren't checking bags, and both Lisa and I were traveling very light, with only two backpacks between us.
I had a pretty big pack and was a little worried it wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment, but the ticket agent assured me it would, and he was right – there turned out to be plenty of space on the plane for carry-ons.
The ticket agents in both New York and Frankfurt were as pleasant and helpful as could be expected, and the line in Frankfurt wasn't so bad. But, for the sake of the poor souls in the long line in JFK, there could have been a few more ticket agents working in New York.
The flight was a little late boarding, but the process was relatively orderly.
SA in the air
The plane’s cabin was as aesthetically pleasing as any I’ve ever seen, with a soothing bluish-purple (periwinkle, according to Lisa), plum and lavender color scheme. Before take-offs and after landings, calming music played – including, bizarrely, the theme from The Deer Hunter.
Our plane, a Boeing 747-400 Megatop, was staffed by a crew of attractive Asian men and women, all genetically engineered to be incessantly cheerful and helpful, without being annoying – in contrast to most domestic flights, on which the service is roughly comparable to that of a high-school cafeteria or Soviet work camp.
The male attendants wore powder-blue jackets and dark ties, while the women wore long, tight-fitting dresses with an attractive, Pacific-island print similar to some I’ve seen on tablecloths in Indonesian restaurants. I mean that in a good way. For a sample, please see SA’s home page.
Our seats in economy class were relatively roomy. According to a survey by Cheapflights.co.uk, SA’s international economy-class seat width is 17.7 inches, better than most of the international airlines in the survey.
The “seat pitch,” on the other hand, left something to be desired. Seat pitch is basically the distance between one seat’s headrest and the headrest of the seat behind it. It’s fairly inadequate as a measure of leg room, but it’s the only standard we’ve got. According to Cheapflights, SA’s seat pitch is on the low end of other international airlines.
Though I felt I had reasonably adequate leg room (I’m six feet tall), I found that the headrest in front of me often came too close to my face, which was a problem when trying to watch the video screen embedded in the seatback in front of me. In order to not have the monitor just inches from my face, I had to fully recline my seat, forcing the people behind me to do the same.
For those of you who are independently wealthy, considerably more comfortable options are available in business class (called “Raffles Class” for some reason) and first class. Raffles class seats were spacious and well-padded, like first-class seats on domestic flights, and set in a Givenchy-designed cabin. Raffles flyers get terry-cloth socks and eyeshades and a writing kit.
In first class, though, you are put on a fat leather dealie that folds into a bed, on which you are treated like a deity. You get all the same stuff as in Raffles class, but when you’re ready for seepy time, the attendant makes your seat into a bed, complete with mattress, duvet and large pillow. You also get a Givenchy “sleeper suit” and a toiletry kit.
For the exorbitant price of first class (see below), I would also expect to receive a wide array of sexual favors from one or more of the flight attendants, but such options are not listed on the web site.
Once we were taxiing to take-off, everybody got a little package containing a “Refreshing Wet Towel,” which was a cool handi-wipe with a lemony smell. Alas, the handi-wipe couldn’t distract me from the fact that it was swelteringly hot in the cabin during the taxi; but things did cool off eventually.
Early in the flight, everybody also got an “Amenities Kit,” containing two red socks, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Attendants also occasionally handed out free cups of water, orange juice and beer, along with packages of “Local Mixed Nuts” (no word on what “local” meant – New York? Singapore? No telling).
The Food
The food was certainly good, but didn’t quite match the hype in its menu, which looked like the bill of fare at some hip Tribeca Asian fusion place.
“We are pleased to offer you World Gourmet Cuisine," the menu said, "which includes a selection of dishes specially prepared by our own chefs."
As opposed to dishes mundanely prepared by somebody else’s chefs, I suppose.
On the New York to Frankfurt trip, I had a dinner of beef tournedos with mushroom gravy and rosemary mashed potatoes.
The beef was a little chewy, and the gravy was tasteless, but the taters were to die for, the multi-grain roll was good, and the three-bean salad on the side wasn’t bad. Dessert was a Snickers ice cream bar and coffee, with a quick offer for a refill.
I don’t drink, but Lisa got three free glasses of wine with her vegetarian dinner. She said her meal – a tray of sliced raw vegetables, a fruit cup and a plate of steamed asparagus, spinach, Portobello mushroom, tomatoes and peppers -- was good.
“Better than I’d be eating at home,” she said.
It looked like a big pile of slimy mush to me, but I’m not a vegetarian. Maybe all the wine helped her choke it down.
For “breakfast” -- which was the meal I ate after several hours of trying, with little success, to sleep while seated next to a large, hairy, hyperactive, German man -- I had a delicious croissant with smoked salmon, cucumber and a wasabi mayo spread.
Lisa’s veggie breakfast was pretty lame – simply a sandwich with tomato, cucumber and lettuce – but she had good raspberry yogurt and some cereal.
On the return trip, I had a strange but tasty “brunch” of Thai curry chicken with rice, along with a fruit cup, a slice of apple strudel, a blueberry muffin and a roll. Lisa finally got an interesting veggie choice: potato croquettes, with mushrooms and shaved almonds. She also got two cups of fruit, a blueberry muffin and a banana.
Entertainment
Without a doubt, the highlight of both SA flights was the staggering array of choices available on the in-flight entertainment system.
There were 16 “blockbuster” movies, including Shanghai Knights and Bringing Down the House. There were three “Favourites,” including The Usual Suspects and Legally Blonde. There were 10 international movies.
The movie choices change every month. All movies were available on demand and could be fast-forwarded, rewound and paused.
One of the “blockbusters,” The Core, a god-awful movie about people boring into the core of the earth – and the key word here is “boring” – was especially useful for helping me sleep away a rich, rewarding 30 minutes.
There were 56 on-demand TV shows, including American sitcoms such as Frasier, Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, documentaries such as Walking With Cavemen, kids shows such as Bob the Builder, several international programs and 60 minutes of MTV videos.
The “Flightpath” feature let you check the plane’s position on its flight path and provided the distance traveled, local times and an ETA.
“Destination Videos” were available, which offered tips on clearing customs and finding ground transportation and hotel accommodations in several big cities.
There were 53 albums, ranging from pop (Madonna, Blur), classical (Yo Yo Ma), oldies (Elvis), jazz (Nina Simone), new age (Yanni), country (Lucinda Williams) and international.
There were 12 different music channels, with show tunes, kid music, rock, house, new age, jazz, swing, classics, pop, easy listening, old favorites, Latin, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese.
There were three “multi-player” games – chess, trivia and Mah Jong – which allowed you to challenge other passengers in the plane. I didn’t have the heart to try – I was afraid I’d find one lonely soul out there patiently waiting for a Mah Jong tilt.
There were 31 Nintendo games, but almost all involved young’un-friendly “adventure” games starring Mario, Pokemon and Kirby.
Nevertheless, I got my Super Mario Bros. 2 on for a little bit, until Lisa reminded me I was “a grown man.” Whatever.
There were 13 “PC Games,” such as solitaire, crossword, Go Moku and similar word/puzzle/brainteaser games, which were described as being “intellectually stimulating and irresistibly challenging.”
This wide array of entertainment options, along with the impeccably good service and the steady stream of little freebies, made my experience with SA entirely satisfying. I would certainly fly with them again. And you don’t even have to wear a surgical mask!
Ticket prices
Just to get an idea of the different prices charged in each class, I ran a quick search for a ticket for a round trip from New York to Frankfurt and back, leaving July 24 and coming back July 31.
An economy class ticket under those circumstances cost just $684. A business-class ticket cost a whopping US$4,869.00. The same trip in first class was a shudder-inducing $8,021.90. All are full, unrestricted fares; lower fares are available under certain conditions. But you get the picture – the better classes are super-expensive.
Fun SA facts
SA claims it was the first airline to offer free drinks and headsets to passengers.
According to its web site, SA has won awards by readers and editors of several global publications, including Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes.com, The Guardian and Travel & Leisure for its amenities, service and all-around wonderfulness.
Airline quality tracker Skytrax, http://www.airlinequality.com, voted SA the No. 3 airline in the world in 2003, after Cathay Pacific and Emirates. It had the third-best economy class (after Emirates and Malaysia Airlines) and the best first class.
SA by the numbers
Year SA began: 1947
Number of cities served: 90+
Number of countries served: 40+
Size of fleet: 97 aircraft, with 28 on order and 51 on option
Average age of passenger fleet: 5 years, 7 months
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mark_thomas
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 25 members
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Wholly without merit.
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