A380: Mel - Sin - NRT very underwhelming experience

[whoistheg]

Just got back from my trip Melbourne - Singapore - Narita return on the A380 and i'm left very underwhelmed at Singapore Airlines J Class.

This is the first time i have ever flown J.

The highest i have flown is QF Y+ to HK.

The A380 aircraft was amazing. Nice and smooth and very very quiet

My main gripes were the food and the seats

Food was shocking for business class. We did Book the Cook for the whole trip and the only good meals were from Melb - Sin.

The 2 trips from Sin - Nrt and Nrt - Sin the food was very very average.
I think i would of been better off the economy meal.

The trip from Sin - Nrt we were not even offered breakfast.

The trip from Sin - Mel breakfast consisted of 3 pieces of fruit and a croissant, No eggs? No cereal ?

Seats: Yes they are massively big and roomy but they are not that comfortable to sit in.

As the monitor is in the middle you have to sit on the angle to see it.

Also in bed mode there is a hinge approx where your knees are and its very
easy to knock your knees on it. Also the bed is very very hard.

Lounges: Melb is ok. Singapore Silver is massive and was very crowded.
once again food there was average. Probably better off buying outside
in the food court

Also all they gave us was the coughpy eye shades and some socks. Don't QF give you a set of PJ's and some nice hand cream etc in business?

I guess i had an illusion the business class was meant to be awesome, you
get the best of everything and you are treated like a king.

Besides the bigger seats i would say QF premium econ was just as good.

I got my Tickets at a 50% off sale but boy i would not of been happy if
i paid a full fare for them.

 

[trooper]

I am not an uncritical SQ supporter myself (I am one of those who describe their service as very-good-but-robotic fr'instance) but it sounds like you hit the worst of.. well.. everything!

I too have only flown in the new J seat once.. but I found the food excellent and the seat fine for sitting and GREAT for sleeping... With the pillow(s) it was like being on the lounge at home.... one could actually "lounge" around which was a nice change...

......we are all different I spose!

Breakfast started with fruit etc... but there were several hot offerings as well.... far too much for me to eat in fact....

No, SQ don't hand out PJ's or amenity "kits" in J.. but I thought that was well known??? I certainly had heard it...so no unfulfilled expectations for me there.... I believe a bunch of stuff is available on request....

What a shame it ended up so disapointing.....

 

[dajop]

I too have only flown in the new J seat once.. but I found the food excellent and the seat fine for sitting and GREAT for sleeping... With the pillow(s) it was like being on the lounge at home.... one could actually "lounge" around which was a nice change...

......we are all different I spose!

+1 here I've flown the A380 and 777-300ER seats multiple times and has always been great for both sleeping and seating (I love that you can slip out of the seat whilst the trays still up with a full meal/ computer/ whatever on it).

Shame that the SQ experience wasn't up to expectations - it's still J and not F - that is probably awesome "king" like experience you were expecting.

As for breakfast, on flights like SIN-MEL overnight they only serve a light breakfast, on the assumption that most pax are more interested in sleeping than having a full breakfast (after all with 6-6.5 hour flight time it doesn't leave a lot of time for a full dinner and full breakfast service).

The handcreams etc for SQ are in the toilets, and no amenity kit was dissappointing initially.

You must have had a real shocking set of flights, as I would so there is light years between SQ J and QF Y+ - you mention the big difference is the seat, aah that's the main reason many people fly J, all the extras are just nice add ons. On any flight of considerable length, I'd take J lie flat seat without catering over Y+ everry time (even if Y+ has food and service akin to the top restaurants in Aus). YMMV I guess.

As for meals, unless there is something specific you want, you are often better off chancing it with the menu than Book the Cook, but I am surprised you think economy meals were better, I've had some really nice lamb and beef on BTC ex-SIN on several occassions.

 

[Keith009]

Re food: Your mistake was using the Book the Cook service. With rare exceptions, I have rarely found the BTC options to be all that good, and they're especially poor out of MEL (i'm surprised you found ex-MEL to be good).

Unless you're really keen on lobster, the onboard menu is usually better. But I do like the Duck with Yam Rice out of SIN.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

It seems the OP was expecting 2 full meal services on both MEL/SIN and SIN/NRT. MEL/SIN is 1 meal, and then a refreshment basically, and I believe SIN/NRT is 1 meal. Expectations were a little unrealistic in my opinion.

Pyjamas and luxury amenity kits are a first class benefit. There is hand cream, perfume, toothbrushes all available in the lavatories.

 

[whoistheg]

Just to add a few more thing about my trip.

The Mel - Sin flight was 17:00 mel arrive Sin 21:00

Then the Sin - NRT was 23:00 Sin to 07:00 Nrt. As this is a whole
night flight this is when i assumed we would be getting some Jarmies
and a hot breakfast

The other thin that i also found strange is the 2 toilets for the main J cabin
are the same size as the Econ ones. The one in the front cabin is massive
and there is one beside the galley i went there once but got a dirty look from the FA.

During all 4 flights i was never address by my name. No one ever called me Mr Smith at all. I found this a little poor as even QF Y+ they addressed
me by my name.

If Book the Cook is so average then why not scap it. I would hate to think
what Matt Moran would of said if someone had of presented that food in
front of him. But advice taken i will not do that again.

It was still a decent trip overall. Just those little things which dont really
cost too much would of made it outstanding. Now if i decide to fly J again
i will def be trying out other carriers.

Maybe i just expected too much and got average service.

If i paid full price (or any amount over 6k) i would probably of been a little bitter.

 

[kamchatsky]

I will be on SQ J in Jan as well. However it is not on A380 but 733A SIN-SYD. Whilst most people here and FT mention BTC is not as good as normal meal, my flight would be exception where only light breakfast is served, and I will BTC for that flight.

 

[joeymelb]

I will not attempt to defend SQ on this. My personal experience on SQ A380 J was ... hmm... blackout. Flight levelled off, stood up, turn seat into bed and ZZzzz... on my trip about 3 weeks ago.

I didn't remember KrisWorld nor inflight catering... The only thing I remembered clearly was the rude awakening by the captain telling me that the crew had to prepare the cabin for landing :evil:

So, all in all.... the inflight catering for me was non-existent... all I got was a bottle of water and a preflight drink... Can't comment on the service, I was woken up about 4:30am ADST and I was in my morning grumpy mode.

As a punishment to myself, I just booked SQ218/227 J over the March/April School holiday...

(Note: I did the SQ217 back in October, I didn't bother BTC, the pot luck was Teriyaki Beef which was very nice. Again, I didn't sit up long enough to realise there was no lumber support or enjoyed KrisWorld. The new J seat, IMHO, is designed for sleeping. Pity, I can't sleep with my wife in my arm on those J seats... )

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Hi,

I have just flown the A380 on MEL-SIN and on the whol;e found it good.

For sitting the seats are very wide and falt...and so for sitting other J seats are better.

However one plus of the wide seat is that you can leave the tray in place and slide in and and out to get up.

However my wife and two daughters loved laying it us a day bed and spent most the flight like that.

Asa bed the seat is very good.

Food and drink I found to be quite ok. We had used book the cook for the main course.

My daughter did not like the supper offered, but the stewardesses willing whipped her upa fried rice instead.

Service we all found tro be good. From the champagne on arrival to the Singapore Slings just after take off.

We found the staff very receptive to our requests and will to be frlexible.

ie two lots of ice cream for one daughter and extra bags of crips etc..

Food was not gourmet standard, but was quite good and the staff willing swapped items.

I think also that one has to use the call button to order extra drinks if you want them. For us no request was refused or was slow in coming.

 

[dajop]

Service we all found tro be good. From the champagne on arrival to the Singapore Slings just after take off.

There's a couple of times on SQ where I've asked for a Singapore Sling at just after take off, and was on my third by the time the meal came, the last two just came as refills without asking! Also every time I've taken a day flight and been working, buzzed for a coke once and the glass was not empty for the rest of the flight (and that wasn't because I didn't drink it). Never had that on any other airline, I know some that will take your glass away when it is empty (or half an hour after it is empty) without offering a replacement.