A350 First Time Flyer

[penegal]

So I recently flew DUS-SIN on the A350 (in J of course), and thought I would share some thoughts.

Hard Product - Okay:
The seat feels like a proper Seat with a better recline function than the 77W/388 J product
Overall the seat feels "small"
The screen feels closer to your face than the 77W/388 J product
I got used to the seat after a little while, but then as soon as I went into bed mode, I really noticed how small the foot-well is. It is tiny. I am only 5'9", but I tell people 5'10"... and I was having trouble with my shins hitting the side of the foot-well. I would hate to be any bigger than I am. It took a little while to get used to the cramped feeling of space, but once I did, I appreciated the flat surface and slept well.

Soft Product - Outstanding:
IMHO SQ really shines with their soft product.
The usual SQ creepiness ensued when I boarded. As I strolled down the aerobridge, the leading steward greeted me by name without seeing my boarding pass. Several staff greeted me by name and a young FA helped me and my bags to my seat, and the overhead bin. Turns out she was working in my aisle up front for the duration of the flight. What a legend.
The food was actually outstanding. Probably one of the best SQ Business Class experiences ever. Usual yawn at the appetiser, but I had a veal fillet for main course ex-DUS, and it was amazing. A number of wines were on offer. Charles Heidsieck was the bubbles, along with reasonable "middle of the road" German, French, Australian and South African tables wines.
The crew seemed quite proud of the very new air-frame, and were attentive as always.


Overall, good, but not great. The hard product was a let down. I think they squeezed too many seats in at the expense of comfort, especially for "larger" customers.

I will be interested to hear other's opinions as people get to fly this configuration.

 

[penegal]

Some pictures:

 

[penegal]

 

[blingy90]

Interesting feedback!

I flew SIN-HND rtn in January, and I thought opposite.
Hard product fantastic, soft product not so impressive.

We we were in row 11 both legs.
Compared to the a380 product, I personally found the new J far superior

 

[penegal]

To clarify, I think it is superior to both the older 77W/388 J product, and obviously well ahead of the 333/etc product... But I don't think it is substantially superior.

The improvement is most noticeable in seat mode, however it did take some getting used to.

 

[TomVexille]

Well SQ KWYA

 

[NZflygirl]

Quick question does the remote act like a screen like it does on some other airlines? I like having the flight map up on the remote screen if you're watching something else on main screen.

 

[clazman]

The meal looks good, how was the rest of the service?

 

[Duffa]

Thanks Penegal.

I have a double A350 trip in July MEL-SIN-Manchester
I have the bulkhead seats booked for both legs but I might switch the MEL-SIN leg Dep. 18.25, to another seat, in order to sample the oft-reported small footwell.
If it is the nightmare you described then that knocks SQ off my list for the future, unless I can get the wider 11 or 19
It's a pity, because the soft product is so good IMHO

D

p.s. I flew the A350 out of AMS about a month after it was introduced and didn't see a huge difference to the old product, bar the seat being more of a "seat". I certainly didn't notice the bigger windows or the 'improved cabin airflow' etc, etc - bubbles and port meant I arrived in SIN with the same fuzzy head I always get.
Again, I didn't try the tiny footwell.

 

[penegal]

Quick question does the remote act like a screen like it does on some other airlines? I like having the flight map up on the remote screen if you're watching something else on main screen.

Yeah, I think you can get the flight info on it.

The meal looks good, how was the rest of the service?

Outstanding. F&B and crew were both very good.

 

[penegal]

Thanks Penegal.

I have a double A350 trip in July MEL-SIN-Manchester
I have the bulkhead seats booked for both legs but I might switch the MEL-SIN leg Dep. 18.25, to another seat, in order to sample the oft-reported small footwell.
If it is the nightmare you described then that knocks SQ off my list for the future, unless I can get the wider 11 or 19
It's a pity, because the soft product is so good IMHO

D

p.s. I flew the A350 out of AMS about a month after it was introduced and didn't see a huge difference to the old product, bar the seat being more of a "seat". I certainly didn't notice the bigger windows or the 'improved cabin airflow' etc, etc - bubbles and port meant I arrived in SIN with the same fuzzy head I always get.
Again, I didn't try the tiny footwell.

Good point about the bulkhead. Perhaps I picked a poor seat. I don't think it's a "killer". But it did take a little bit of getting used to.

Definitely agree that this product shines in seat mode, as it is a seat...

 

[Aus ATC]

We are looking forward to the A350 on SIN-MAN later this year. Seems that booking row 11 and avoiding the small footwell was a good idea.

 

[RooFlyer]

What is it with SQ and their tiny foot wells? I raged against it when I flew their F not long ago ('old config' - but so what?) and I thought (and wrote) it abominable when I flew their B777 J the other day. (same seat as the one you had).

I used to really, really want to fly SQ business longhaul. Now I'd just try to avoid it, if there was a choice.

 

[jazza1971]

Good read, I have a SIN-SFO return booked for later in the year and made sure I got the center bulkhead for the extra foot room.

 

[davidould]

Just did SIN-MAN both ways in April and have to say I didn't mind the footwell so much.
My main observation would have to be that the A350 made the A380 (SIN-SYD) look positively tired.

 

[blingy90]

Just did SIN-MAN both ways in April and have to say I didn't mind the footwell so much.
My main observation would have to be that the A350 made the A380 (SIN-SYD) look positively tired.

Couldn't agree more with your final statement.

 

[davidould]

Couldn't agree more with your final statement.

I don't think my assessment was helped by the quite perfunctory service on the red-eye; one of the disadvantages of having such a large J section on the top deck.
I really did feel like I was being processed through the flight - in stark contrast to the great service on the outgoing B777 SYD-SIN and the A350s.

 

[Lemon_Party]

Comparison shots of minor differences in J seat between a350 and 773 over on sqtalk - They're actually different! (A350 vs 77WR/N J) - SQTalk

 

[samh004]

The usual SQ creepiness ensued when I boarded. As I strolled down the aerobridge, the leading steward greeted me by name without seeing my boarding pass. Several staff greeted me by name and a young FA helped me and my bags to my seat, and the overhead bin.

I was under the impression you were PPS... so they would obviously greet you by name as it's a very high level? I understand you're saying how did they know who you were, but for valued customers I'd say it's expected.

 

[Duffa]

Well, it seems the negative feedback about the minuscule footwell has got back to SQ !!
Just tried to dummy-book multiple flights from Europe on said a/c and all bulkhead rows are blocked off. NOTHING available.
Will have to settle for feet tucked in toes first, I guess.
As ever --- first world problem