- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
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- Qantas
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- Red
- Oneworld
- Emerald
I was fortunate to be status matched by TK to *G. I took the opportunity of some cheap J fares with TK out of BKK to head to Monza and Singapore to watch cars go round really, really fast. And this is how I got there and back.
Tuesday 4th September 2012
I arrived on the bus to MEL at 12:30 and was speedily through checkin... thanks to my TK express card.
I had a quick look in the NZ lounge and was suitably impressed. They were about to close so I just had time for a crisp NZ sauv blanc and a bite to eat. Then it was up to the SQ lounge.
I think I was the second or third one in there so had a bit of a look around. It is not a large lounge but well stocked. The food was freshly presented, however it was only luke-warm which was surprising.

A rather empty MEL KFL

'When in Rome'
I met with mikew in the Flounge briefly, which made it three lounges and two alliances.
I boarded SQ228 and before take-off was offered a hot towel. I chose to move across to 72G as my chosen 71A was against the door frame and the room felt a little restricted even though there was plenty of leg room. Next time I won't bother with the preferred seat and will just have a window seat. This will give me a storage locker under the window, and not much less leg room than I ended up with in the end. It was a long climb out of MEL but as soon as the seatbelt sign was off we were offered drinks. No bottled water was available, so lots of requests for glasses of water. Soon the FAs started giving me the little 110ml containers they serve with the meals.
The seat was comfortable without being too firm. The carpet looked a little worn at the edges, but only because I was looking. The upholstery seemed new. All the seats that weren't forward of the section had split trays and fold down drink holders with a small pocket for reading glasses, a nice touch I thought.

The Krisworld entertainment system was responsive with a broad range of choices - I even practiced some Italian. I watched Men In Black 3 and Brave, and still have a few new releases for the return journey.
The seatbelt sign came on about 3 hours before SIN and stayed on for an hour.
The vego meal was the blandest meal I have had on a plane. Pasta with mushroom and a tomato sauce. I don't recommend it. The regular choices were beef rendang or panfried chicken in a basil cream sauce. I asked for an extra meal as I was still hungry (I eat chicken) however I was told that MEL did not load as many as they should have and they were a bit short. The FAs didn't seem to clear rubbish and empty glasses as often as I thought they might, either. They did keep the water up to me though.

Must remember to take photo before I start eating.
The toilet ratio for economy on the upper deck should have been 2:88 however as one was not working it was 1:88 which meant a bit of a wait even at quiet times, or a trip downstairs where there was usually one free. A good thing we don't have to get changed at the start and end of the flight.
Dinner was served after a hot towel. A definite improvement this time... A bruschetta with roast capsicum, eggplant and artichoke topped with melted cheese. The FA also offered me a chicken dish as well, but the bruschetta was enough. They must have had enough for this service.

Sitting in the front row meant there was noise from the J toilet every time it was flushed, which was a little distracting. I would rather not be in this seat for a night flight and trying to sleep. Fussy, aren't I?
For the start of the flight we had a 40 knot headwind as a result of the high pressure system sitting over Victoria, but that soon turned around to a 50 knot tailwind which got us on the ground about 15 minutes early. This information was all displayed on the flight path section of the AVOD system.
Tuesday 4th September 2012
I arrived on the bus to MEL at 12:30 and was speedily through checkin... thanks to my TK express card.
I had a quick look in the NZ lounge and was suitably impressed. They were about to close so I just had time for a crisp NZ sauv blanc and a bite to eat. Then it was up to the SQ lounge.
I think I was the second or third one in there so had a bit of a look around. It is not a large lounge but well stocked. The food was freshly presented, however it was only luke-warm which was surprising.

A rather empty MEL KFL

'When in Rome'
I met with mikew in the Flounge briefly, which made it three lounges and two alliances.
I boarded SQ228 and before take-off was offered a hot towel. I chose to move across to 72G as my chosen 71A was against the door frame and the room felt a little restricted even though there was plenty of leg room. Next time I won't bother with the preferred seat and will just have a window seat. This will give me a storage locker under the window, and not much less leg room than I ended up with in the end. It was a long climb out of MEL but as soon as the seatbelt sign was off we were offered drinks. No bottled water was available, so lots of requests for glasses of water. Soon the FAs started giving me the little 110ml containers they serve with the meals.
The seat was comfortable without being too firm. The carpet looked a little worn at the edges, but only because I was looking. The upholstery seemed new. All the seats that weren't forward of the section had split trays and fold down drink holders with a small pocket for reading glasses, a nice touch I thought.

The Krisworld entertainment system was responsive with a broad range of choices - I even practiced some Italian. I watched Men In Black 3 and Brave, and still have a few new releases for the return journey.
The seatbelt sign came on about 3 hours before SIN and stayed on for an hour.
The vego meal was the blandest meal I have had on a plane. Pasta with mushroom and a tomato sauce. I don't recommend it. The regular choices were beef rendang or panfried chicken in a basil cream sauce. I asked for an extra meal as I was still hungry (I eat chicken) however I was told that MEL did not load as many as they should have and they were a bit short. The FAs didn't seem to clear rubbish and empty glasses as often as I thought they might, either. They did keep the water up to me though.

Must remember to take photo before I start eating.
The toilet ratio for economy on the upper deck should have been 2:88 however as one was not working it was 1:88 which meant a bit of a wait even at quiet times, or a trip downstairs where there was usually one free. A good thing we don't have to get changed at the start and end of the flight.
Dinner was served after a hot towel. A definite improvement this time... A bruschetta with roast capsicum, eggplant and artichoke topped with melted cheese. The FA also offered me a chicken dish as well, but the bruschetta was enough. They must have had enough for this service.

Sitting in the front row meant there was noise from the J toilet every time it was flushed, which was a little distracting. I would rather not be in this seat for a night flight and trying to sleep. Fussy, aren't I?
For the start of the flight we had a 40 knot headwind as a result of the high pressure system sitting over Victoria, but that soon turned around to a 50 knot tailwind which got us on the ground about 15 minutes early. This information was all displayed on the flight path section of the AVOD system.