Pre-departure
With Australia finally opening its international borders, we were determined to go overseas for our annual Easter break.
Trouble was, where could we go without too much hoop-jumping? We also wanted to stay within an 8-10 hour flight of Australia in case our government went feral with borders again, though at time of writing I think we're well past the point of arbitrary border closures for COVID.
We initially had coughet booked, as we wanted a “drop and flop” and "do nothing" style of holiday so a luxury beach resort in South East Asia appealed. The number of hoops you had to go through to visit Thailand, and the uncertainty around quarantine protocol should one test positive to COVID made us uneasy. Honolulu was another option but I'd hoped to spend a few months in America on uni exchange in 2023 so wanted somewhere 'different.'
As Singapore began removing its restrictions (all post-arrival testing removed!), and with rumours of Malaysia moving in the right direction, it made sense to switch our plans to Singapore in the hope that we could catch up with family across the land border in Johor Bahru that we hadn’t seen since November 2019. A week of great food and coughtails in one of our favourite playgrounds in the region, here we come!
For our trip to Singapore, all that was needed was proof of vaccination against COVID, and clearing a Rapid Antigen Test (“RAT Test” as it’s commonly known in Oz) up to 48h before departure. Additionally, we also had to complete Singapore’s Digital Arrival Card, and download and register for (but not ‘activate’ our profiles until we cleared immigration at Changi) their TraceTogether App, which is mandatory for proving one’s vaccination status in Singapore for entry to a wide-ranging list of venues including restaurants, bars, shopping malls – basically any indoor venue.
We had to upload our vaccination certificates into our Digital Arrival Cards – this is an important step as the Digital Arrival Cards are linked to your Trace Together App profiles and this step in the process is what creates your temporary (30 day) vaccination status for your Singapore visit. For people who can’t upload their certificates for whatever reason – commonly because they don’t know how to (like my parents) or hold certificates that aren’t QR code enabled - the immigration folks in SIN will be able to verify your vaccination status manually so you can prove your vaccination status during your trip via Trace Together. Those efficient, customer-friendly Singaporeans think of everything!
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on which way you look at it), both of us caught COVID ~2 weeks before we were due to travel. The sensible Singaporeans permitted an exemption for recent (7-60 days before departure) COVID infections so long as we showed proof of COVID recovery in the form of a letter from our GP – the letters themselves were $9 cheaper a pop than international RATs, #winningatlife!
I note the recent Singapore announcement that they are eliminating all pre-arrival tests which basically brings Singapore back to pre-COVID normality for travel.
Day of departure
We’d read about all the horror stories of crowded domestic airport terminals across Australia (particularly SYD and MEL) in the lead up to Easter, and feared SYD International was going to be a total s*itshow on Good Friday.
Rocked up to the SQ check-in counters ridiculously early as a result at T-4 which was when they opened for our flight, much to the OH’s annoyance as it meant a 5.30am wake up call for an 11am flight (we live 20 mins from the airport but don't like rushing). The SQ check-in counter was empty for Business Class which certainly took the winds out of my sails!!
We had checked in online but boarding passes could only be issued in-person because of all the additional documentation checks. In addition to our passports, we had to present:
- COVID19 vaccination certificates
- GP letters certifying recent COVID infection & recovery
- Evidence of travel insurance cover (even though it's no longer a requirement for SIN)
We were not asked about the Digital Arrival Pass so I assume it's digitally linked to our passport or booking somehow.
There was a phenomenal amount of tapping before the check-in process was completed, largely because the SQ check-in operator had to input information from our COVID recovery letters.
The Express Lanes were closed for both immigration and security at SYD, which meant it was about an hour before we finally emerged airside to top up on our whisky supplies at duty free. A lot of people had to be coached through both processes, for example having to remove masks for passport control clearance with the Smartgates, and forgetting about removing liquids and laptops from bags at security. I guess there was an element of truth in what Alan Joyce said about pax not being ‘match fit’ for travel.
SYD was nowhere as busy as a regular pre-COVID Good Friday, but neither was it completely empty like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie (unlike when we went through the domestic terminal in Sept 2020 when it was like we were the only flight arriving / departing). This isn't entirely a bad thing as it was literal hell the last time we departed SYD on a Good Friday in 2018, and I swore I'd never travel on Good Friday ever again.
It all felt almost normal, almost like the before times. Life is good.
SQ lounge at SYD
I was surprised by how busy the SQ J lounge was given how early we were, until we realised a lot of *A partners (AI, UA, AC and TG pax were all in the lounge) had been using the SQ lounge for their ex-SYD pax while the NZ lounge – normally the bigger and therefore default *A lounge - had closed until very recently. Had a bit of brekky to fill ourselves up. Barista-made (a positive enhancement!) coffee was passable, and T2 tea was on offer. Fizz was Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige – basically Mumm made in New Zealand - $30 at Dan Murphy’s. I really don’t mind faux champagne, over COVID I’d tried lots of really nice methode traditionelles across Australia, NZ and England, sadly this wasn’t it. The rest of the bevvies on offer was pretty sad (JW Red, Chivas Regal etc) so pretty unusually for us, we didn’t drink a drop of booze until we boarded the plane.
SQ Regional J (A350-900)
Much has been written elsewhere about how superlative the SQ business class inflight service is so I won’t labour on here. I’m glad that the very high standards have been maintained despite everything the airline and its employees went through during COVID. The only irritation was that PDBs are no longer proactively offered. I enquired about this as the crew came to take our orders for post-take off drinks and lunch, as I was practically dying of thirst by this point, and they were more than happy to pour some bubbles for the OH and myself (and several other pax who clued on to the fact that pre-departure champagne is now only 'on request').
Paper menus are also no longer handed out. They're available for perusal online and you could also view digital copies within the IFE system.
I found the regional J seats to be pretty comfortable for the day flight but there was very little storage, and no bedding if you wanted a snooze. Those taller and broader than myself may find the footwell to be a bit of a squeeze.
Great quality fizz on offer – Piper Heidsieck vintage 2014. Yum! PH is one of the most underrated big houses I reckon - Regis Camus has done some amazing things in his time, and long may the high standards at keen pricing continue.
Scotch was a very good Aberfeldy 18, delicious drop for fans of sherried whiskies.
www.instagram.com
We were finally outside Australia for the first time since Nov 2019 - f*ck! This genuinely blew my mind!!
Sidebar - bumped into another AFF member and his wife onboard, and also our dentist and his wife, all travelling on award redemptions, exceedingly generous availability for SQ (probably won't last as travel returns to normality).
Next: arrival in SIN, Andaz SIN and some culinary highlights from the trip
With Australia finally opening its international borders, we were determined to go overseas for our annual Easter break.
Trouble was, where could we go without too much hoop-jumping? We also wanted to stay within an 8-10 hour flight of Australia in case our government went feral with borders again, though at time of writing I think we're well past the point of arbitrary border closures for COVID.
We initially had coughet booked, as we wanted a “drop and flop” and "do nothing" style of holiday so a luxury beach resort in South East Asia appealed. The number of hoops you had to go through to visit Thailand, and the uncertainty around quarantine protocol should one test positive to COVID made us uneasy. Honolulu was another option but I'd hoped to spend a few months in America on uni exchange in 2023 so wanted somewhere 'different.'
As Singapore began removing its restrictions (all post-arrival testing removed!), and with rumours of Malaysia moving in the right direction, it made sense to switch our plans to Singapore in the hope that we could catch up with family across the land border in Johor Bahru that we hadn’t seen since November 2019. A week of great food and coughtails in one of our favourite playgrounds in the region, here we come!
For our trip to Singapore, all that was needed was proof of vaccination against COVID, and clearing a Rapid Antigen Test (“RAT Test” as it’s commonly known in Oz) up to 48h before departure. Additionally, we also had to complete Singapore’s Digital Arrival Card, and download and register for (but not ‘activate’ our profiles until we cleared immigration at Changi) their TraceTogether App, which is mandatory for proving one’s vaccination status in Singapore for entry to a wide-ranging list of venues including restaurants, bars, shopping malls – basically any indoor venue.
We had to upload our vaccination certificates into our Digital Arrival Cards – this is an important step as the Digital Arrival Cards are linked to your Trace Together App profiles and this step in the process is what creates your temporary (30 day) vaccination status for your Singapore visit. For people who can’t upload their certificates for whatever reason – commonly because they don’t know how to (like my parents) or hold certificates that aren’t QR code enabled - the immigration folks in SIN will be able to verify your vaccination status manually so you can prove your vaccination status during your trip via Trace Together. Those efficient, customer-friendly Singaporeans think of everything!
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on which way you look at it), both of us caught COVID ~2 weeks before we were due to travel. The sensible Singaporeans permitted an exemption for recent (7-60 days before departure) COVID infections so long as we showed proof of COVID recovery in the form of a letter from our GP – the letters themselves were $9 cheaper a pop than international RATs, #winningatlife!
I note the recent Singapore announcement that they are eliminating all pre-arrival tests which basically brings Singapore back to pre-COVID normality for travel.
Day of departure
We’d read about all the horror stories of crowded domestic airport terminals across Australia (particularly SYD and MEL) in the lead up to Easter, and feared SYD International was going to be a total s*itshow on Good Friday.
Rocked up to the SQ check-in counters ridiculously early as a result at T-4 which was when they opened for our flight, much to the OH’s annoyance as it meant a 5.30am wake up call for an 11am flight (we live 20 mins from the airport but don't like rushing). The SQ check-in counter was empty for Business Class which certainly took the winds out of my sails!!
We had checked in online but boarding passes could only be issued in-person because of all the additional documentation checks. In addition to our passports, we had to present:
- COVID19 vaccination certificates
- GP letters certifying recent COVID infection & recovery
- Evidence of travel insurance cover (even though it's no longer a requirement for SIN)
We were not asked about the Digital Arrival Pass so I assume it's digitally linked to our passport or booking somehow.
There was a phenomenal amount of tapping before the check-in process was completed, largely because the SQ check-in operator had to input information from our COVID recovery letters.
The Express Lanes were closed for both immigration and security at SYD, which meant it was about an hour before we finally emerged airside to top up on our whisky supplies at duty free. A lot of people had to be coached through both processes, for example having to remove masks for passport control clearance with the Smartgates, and forgetting about removing liquids and laptops from bags at security. I guess there was an element of truth in what Alan Joyce said about pax not being ‘match fit’ for travel.
SYD was nowhere as busy as a regular pre-COVID Good Friday, but neither was it completely empty like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie (unlike when we went through the domestic terminal in Sept 2020 when it was like we were the only flight arriving / departing). This isn't entirely a bad thing as it was literal hell the last time we departed SYD on a Good Friday in 2018, and I swore I'd never travel on Good Friday ever again.
It all felt almost normal, almost like the before times. Life is good.
SQ lounge at SYD
I was surprised by how busy the SQ J lounge was given how early we were, until we realised a lot of *A partners (AI, UA, AC and TG pax were all in the lounge) had been using the SQ lounge for their ex-SYD pax while the NZ lounge – normally the bigger and therefore default *A lounge - had closed until very recently. Had a bit of brekky to fill ourselves up. Barista-made (a positive enhancement!) coffee was passable, and T2 tea was on offer. Fizz was Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige – basically Mumm made in New Zealand - $30 at Dan Murphy’s. I really don’t mind faux champagne, over COVID I’d tried lots of really nice methode traditionelles across Australia, NZ and England, sadly this wasn’t it. The rest of the bevvies on offer was pretty sad (JW Red, Chivas Regal etc) so pretty unusually for us, we didn’t drink a drop of booze until we boarded the plane.
SQ Regional J (A350-900)
Much has been written elsewhere about how superlative the SQ business class inflight service is so I won’t labour on here. I’m glad that the very high standards have been maintained despite everything the airline and its employees went through during COVID. The only irritation was that PDBs are no longer proactively offered. I enquired about this as the crew came to take our orders for post-take off drinks and lunch, as I was practically dying of thirst by this point, and they were more than happy to pour some bubbles for the OH and myself (and several other pax who clued on to the fact that pre-departure champagne is now only 'on request').
Paper menus are also no longer handed out. They're available for perusal online and you could also view digital copies within the IFE system.
I found the regional J seats to be pretty comfortable for the day flight but there was very little storage, and no bedding if you wanted a snooze. Those taller and broader than myself may find the footwell to be a bit of a squeeze.
Great quality fizz on offer – Piper Heidsieck vintage 2014. Yum! PH is one of the most underrated big houses I reckon - Regis Camus has done some amazing things in his time, and long may the high standards at keen pricing continue.
Scotch was a very good Aberfeldy 18, delicious drop for fans of sherried whiskies.
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We were finally outside Australia for the first time since Nov 2019 - f*ck! This genuinely blew my mind!!
Sidebar - bumped into another AFF member and his wife onboard, and also our dentist and his wife, all travelling on award redemptions, exceedingly generous availability for SQ (probably won't last as travel returns to normality).
Next: arrival in SIN, Andaz SIN and some culinary highlights from the trip
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