QF1/2 F pax experience through SIN

[moa999]

I've had a couple of QF staff members tell me QF is working on the issue.

Should've been obvious six months ago however

 

[dairyfloss]

Now that the kangaroo route is going via SIN again, is anyone booked in F on QF1/2 in the near future who can report on the experience?

No F lounge and guessing no F treatment. I'm sure some of us here would hope otherwise.
Champagne like in LHR?
Maybe a roped off area in the J-level lounge like some other airlines do

Only just seen this one today, but I came through SIN from KUL to meet QF36 SIN-MEL (another 388) on the 25th March, and went to the QF SIN Lounge. This would have been around 6:00-6:30PM, and so based on some of the capacity and overflow estimates that I and others charted out a number of months ago, would have been nearing it's peak occupancy (which was well over the number of seats inside). With a queue to get in, and staff fawning over various PAX near the entry, I was brave enough only to have something done at the service counter, before heading directly to the EK J Lounge. Peaceful, with good food and champagne, and a short walk to the C gates, it was a wise decision.

EDIT: Adding the link to what I believe was the last workings done here on the occupancy numbers for the lounge, post March 25th 2018 - don't miss the chart which is attached. It will be interesting to see how folks think it compares to the now actual use: QF to Europe returns to the Kangaroo Route (via SIN)

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[harvyk]

Actually, members of AFF don’t need the coin because they have an equally valuable asset - knowledge. Many here have the privilege to fly F on regular basis, including SQ, without paying anything remotely close to the retail cash price.

Whilst I partly agree with you, let's not kid ourselves, whilst many of us have knowledge to make our travel dollar go further than the average person off the street there is still the requirement for some coin to actually make things happen.

The example given in a later post about simply getting a credit card with points sign on bonus is probably not going to be available to someone who is already financially stretched.

 

[amaroo]

I'm pretty happy with the SIN alternative - was never a welded on slag to the sand pit option.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

With a queue to get in, and staff fawning over various PAX near the entry, I was brave enough only to have something done at the service counter, before heading directly to the EK J Lounge. Peaceful, with good food and champagne, and a short walk to the C gates, it was a wise decision.

Crowding was also an issue even before the recent changes. Having said that, we're very fortunate to have the QF lounge, the adjacent BA lounge and the EK lounge. (Of course not always accessible depending on the circumstances.)

I like the showers and food in the QF lounge. The recent chicken laksa was excellent. But the lounge ramps up pretty quickly so I prefer to skedaddle over to BA, which is usually nice and quiet. The food and showers are pretty ordinary.

I'm not a fan of the EK lounge, which also seems to tend to busy, but it is definitely appreciated having another option, including in that location near the transfer desk and C gates.

It'll be interesting to see if QF can do anything to improve the lounge situation. Access to the BA Concorde Bar seems unlikely.

 

[dairyfloss]

Crowding was also an issue even before the recent changes. Having said that, we're very fortunate to have the QF lounge, the adjacent BA lounge and the EK lounge. (Of course not always accessible depending on the circumstances.)

I like the showers and food in the QF lounge. The recent chicken laksa was excellent. But the lounge ramps up pretty quickly so I prefer to skedaddle over to BA, which is usually nice and quiet. The food and showers are pretty ordinary.

I'm not a fan of the EK lounge, which also seems to tend to busy, but it is definitely appreciated having another option, including in that location near the transfer desk and C gates.

It'll be interesting to see if QF can do anything to improve the lounge situation. Access to the BA Concorde Bar seems unlikely.

Yes, true on the crowding beforehand, but this is something else!

I've also enjoyed various made-to-order dishes (the pork belly bao a big favourite!), but that's about the only attraction for me. As I tend to head out on flights which depart around this now untenable peak between 6PM & 8PM, it's unlikely I'll return unless there's no other option. EK is generally quiet around this time, but picks up later.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[TonyHancock]

Access to the BA Concorde Bar seems unlikely.

Heavens above! One can only hope BA is not so desperate for cash that it hands over the CC Bar keys to the Bintang swilling, singlet, thongs and sandals brigade.

 

[dairyfloss]

Heavens above! One can only hope BA is not so desperate for cash that it hands over the CC Bar keys to the Bintang swilling, singlet, thongs and sandals brigade.

Hey TH, do they not have Bundy & Coke on tap in there?

 

[JohnK]

No more QF SIN F lounge does put a downer on things.

If you ever visited that lounge then you'd know it was not really an F lounge and not a great loss.

Reserving an area in current SIN lounge for F passengers could be a possible solution.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Doing the SYD>SIN>LHR thing next week, but in J not F. I think I'll just wander around the terminal for the <2hr transit. Singapore is a fun enough airport to explore.

 

[harvyk]

I realise I'm probably going to get shot down for this but...

Why can't the lounge just be the lounge? Why does an area need to be roped off? Yes a person flying in F or a WP is certainly a premium pax, but so is the person flying J or who is a SG. J is not cheap, and airlines don't just hand out status without some degree of loyalty.

Don't get me wrong, a dedicated F lounge sure, and I certainly take advantage of (and enjoy it) when I have the opportunity to do so. But the idea of same lounge, just roped off seems almost an insult to others in the lounge who are also very much so premium pax.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that the SIN lounge was never designed to handle a kangaroo route level of pax, and perhaps that's something they should have considered before re-routing aircraft.

 

[TonyHancock]

But the idea of same lounge, just roped off seems almost an insult to others in the lounge who are also very much so premium pax.

Quelle Horreur!

As a fully trained DYKWIA there is nothing better than the somewhat dingy, poorly stocked (On the food front) and ice cold Concorde Room Bar at SIN, with its wonderful key code requirement for entry. Oh the sheer joy in entering that modern day Black Hole of Calcutta and looking over one's shoulder at the GGL's (who haven't quite made it to CCR access) the BA Golds and Silvers, the OWE's and OWS' and J pax.....all barred from this wondrous dark and dingy cupboard of a room.

I will leave and enter at least 10 times on every visit....carefully shielding the view into this secret chamber.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Oh the sheer joy in entering that modern day Black Hole of Calcutta and looking over one's shoulder at the GGL's (who haven't quite made it to CCR access)

That is truly one of the best things about the slog between Australia and LHR.

 

[love_the_life]

Quelle Horreur!

As a fully trained DYKWIA there is nothing better than the somewhat dingy, poorly stocked (On the food front) and ice cold Concorde Room Bar at SIN, with its wonderful key code requirement for entry. Oh the sheer joy in entering that modern day Black Hole of Calcutta and looking over one's shoulder at the GGL's (who haven't quite made it to CCR access) the BA Golds and Silvers, the OWE's and OWS' and J pax.....all barred from this wondrous dark and dingy cupboard of a room.

I will leave and enter at least 10 times on every visit....carefully shielding the view into this secret chamber.

Oh so it's just like the Broome QP (unless it's changed since I was there a few years back). You have a code to get into the marvellous space.
OT though (slap).

 

[TonyHancock]

Oh so it's just like the Broome QP (unless it's changed since I was there a few years back). You have a code to get into the marvellous space.
OT though (slap).

I fear you are closer to the mark than you think.....although to be fair the alcohol selection is half decent in the CC Bar. The CC Bar is a windowless small room with a poor food selection, recently augmented by a fractionally improved dining menu. It is however "exclusive".

 

[SeatBackForward]

Quelle Horreur!

As a fully trained DYKWIA there is nothing better than the somewhat dingy, poorly stocked (On the food front) and ice cold Concorde Room Bar at SIN, with its wonderful key code requirement for entry. Oh the sheer joy in entering that modern day Black Hole of Calcutta and looking over one's shoulder at the GGL's (who haven't quite made it to CCR access) the BA Golds and Silvers, the OWE's and OWS' and J pax.....all barred from this wondrous dark and dingy cupboard of a room.

I will leave and enter at least 10 times on every visit....carefully shielding the view into this secret chamber.

@TonyHancock doesn't your travelling entourage of porters and boot polishers include a courtier who's role is to place rope barriers in a 6ft exclusion zone around your persons, granting you that exclusivity that only one of your stature can rightly claim at any airport, lounge or gate?

 

[boomy]

Whilst I partly agree with you, let's not kid ourselves, whilst many of us have knowledge to make our travel dollar go further than the average person off the street there is still the requirement for some coin to actually make things happen.

Agree, one needs some coin. So if one can afford to pay for leisure flight in Y to Europe or USA they will most like have the means to add few hundreds to significantly upgrade their travel experience. What prevents most people from making it happen is not the lack of coin but lack of knowledge that flying J or F should not necessarily cost thousands more out of pocket.

The example given in a later post about simply getting a credit card with points sign on bonus is probably not going to be available to someone who is already financially stretched.

Despite what many think, there is no need for high credit score nor high income to get multiple credit cards in Australia. Things may change in July when new regulations take place but I’m sure credit card companies will find ways to bypass anything because they are desperate for new customers.

 

[Townsend]

Was in the QF Sin lounge on 25 March. It was reasonably full but not ridiculously so. If they split some of groups of four chairs into more groups of two chairs, it would work better.

As for the food there was a great range of salads which sounds boring but they were delicious. Laksas and pork pancakes (name forgotten but delicious) were made to order which meant that I didn’t sample the regular hot dishes.

 

[vantage03]

I was on QF1 last night in F and was very very pleasantly surprised with the service in the SIN lounge. From arrival it was very personalised, with the host who escorted me to the shower and then seat in the reserved P1/CL area by the windows (rather than the darker left then left area), and the servers all addressing me by name. Much better than service in Sydney or LAX F lounges, and on board really. I don’t need an F lounge with service that good.

Also, the lounge really wasn’t that busy. I’d say 50% full at max. The host did say that I was there at a better time as earlier it gets busier.

Having said that, security before boarding was an embarrassment. 25min wait in the ‘premium line’ (all SG, Y+ and up) so can only imagine how slow it was for other pax. Only one screener open for the premium lane, two for Y. Moved comically slowly, the queue was almost back to the ramp where you enter that part of the C pier (QF gate is at the very end).

They absolutely need to do something about that, SQ seems to manage this so much better - I pad through SIN very regularly and have never waited more than a few mins for security before.

 

[mrsterryn]

I was on QF1 last night in F and was very very pleasantly surprised with the service in the SIN lounge. From arrival it was very personalised, with the host who escorted me to the shower and then seat in the reserved P1/CL area by the windows (rather than the darker left then left area), and the servers all addressing me by name. Much better than service in Sydney or LAX F lounges, and on board really. I don’t need an F lounge with service that

The roped off area was only for P1 and CLs?
Or was it for F plus the others ?
Thanks