Flying Singapore Airlines during the pandemic

Damien Chung
Apr 5, 2022
7 min read

I had the opportunity to finally try out Singapore Airlines' flagship fleet A350-900 on their economy class, from Auckland, New Zealand to Singapore, and transit to continue on their newest addition to their fleet, the B737 Max-8 from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

I last flew with Singapore Airlines on the Kuala Lumpur - Singapore leg on their A330 back in around 2015, and further back I flew their A380 from Singapore to Melbourne back in 2010, but I didn't have much recollection of those flights.

CHECK IN

There was queue snaking back past the queue management lines by the time I arrive at the airport about 20 minutes after check in open, the check in process is delayed by the complex border rules that are still being enforced across the world. As Singapore is a gateway to connect the Tasman to the rest of the world, in addition to being one of the only airlines flying in and out of New Zealand on a regular scheduled basis, they are vital and the only lifeline to many travellers who are travelling for various reasons including myself. I was finally in front of the queue after 1 hour, and check in took around 10 minutes for me as there is still strict border control for entering Malaysia.

FLIGHT 1: Auckland - Singapore [Airbus 350-900]

Our boarding was delayed 20 minutes or so due to the late arrival of the inbound flight. Once the crew settled into the aircraft, boarding commenced.

The seat has already come with a pillow, blanket, and headset. I did not realise it at the time of booking as there was only 1 window seat remaining, as I booked it 2 days prior to departure, and it was actually an extra legroom seat. I am not sure if they charge for this seat when booking early but they might have released all the remaining seats when online check in is open a few days prior to departure.

The seat width is more than enough for me as a fairly slim person, but I think for an average person it would still fit comfortably. Given it's an extra legroom seat, the Inflight Entertainment Unit is placed on the armrest, giving a slightly narrower seat width. As the middle seat is blocked off for social distancing, I was able to utilise the storage space as an extra legroom seat wouldn't normally have room for storage if all seats are filled.

This A350 is equipped with cellular signal so people will be able to use their phones to send texts and use their data roaming, which is the very first time I've heard of such feature being available on an aircraft, it must have been a very new feature since there was only emphasis on turning the 5G function off but not turning it to Airplane mode or off completely, which is a technological evolution and a great step towards allowing people to stay connected from gate to gate. The IFE also features live TV which I have only come across on US airlines and I was assuming it was possible with their good connectivity as most of their flights are over land, but it seems like Singapore Airlines are able to stream live TV all across the world possibly utilising the satellite, but the choices are still fairly limited with only 4 choices of news available, I would assume this could be expanded with deals signed with other networks.

Our flight departed just after 2am, given I have woke up at 7am, I was fairly beaten, but I force myself to stay awake for the meal service which commenced not too long after departure. As I am a vegetarian, the meal was served to me early which give me the advantage to take off my mask prior to everyone else and by the time the main meals are served, I would be finishing my meal and have my mask back on, and also being able to go to sleep first.

While having the extra legroom helped, my reclining situation was not as good, I felt like my seat kept getting further and further upright and after a few times of reclining, I wasn't able to recline anymore as the person behind me blocked my ability to recline, so my seat was half reclined for the next few hours and I wasn't able to get back to sleep. I was served drinks and snacks as the cabin crew walk around giving out refreshments regularly, and I also see them tidying the bathroom fairly regularly. I took the remaining few hours of my flight watching some TV shows and doing a bit of work, then breakfast was served.

I do have to say that I was let down on the 2nd meal as it was somewhat similar to the meal I was served in the 1st meal, except that they swapped out the rice for potatoes and some eggs. The meal was fine but wouldn't be praiseworthy.

We started our descent into Singapore, with some circling around the islands South of Singapore, and eventually touches down Singapore about 25 minutes delayed. While I was hoping to be able to have a glance at the terminal and aircraft, the fog on the windows took over and there was no sight out of the window apart from a white sheet.

TRANSIT: Singapore Changi Terminal 3

As I am continuing my flight onwards to Kuala Lumpur, I read prior to departure that all passengers must stay within the transit area, when I got to the counter, it was a tiny area some a couple of chairs so I wasn't sure if that is where I will have to remain for the next 5.5 hours, but the staff told me I could walk around the terminal and go to the gate directly.

Many of the shops remained closed, while the food court also shut with only Burger King the only food store open in the terminal. I was keen to visit the butterfly garden as well which is right next door but it was closed off, the movie theatre was also closed. The lounges are operating though, but as I am not holding a priority pass, I didn't have the intention to pay to go into the lounge.

I spent the majority of my remaining transit time in Burger King, and eventually head over to my next gate for a short wait to hop onboard this short 1 hour flight over to Kuala Lumpur.

FLIGHT 2: Singapore - Kuala Lumpur [Boeing 737 Max-8]

I was told by the check in agent in Auckland that they have reassigned my seat for this flight to have the entire row to myself. As the flight was relatively empty, most people have a full row to themselves.

The seat padding is slightly less comfortable on this aircraft, for longer flight time it may not be the most comfortable seat to be in. While the engine was praised for its low noise, I was feeling like it is much noisier than the 737NG, but it didn't bother me too much as we didn't cruise for long and by the time drinks service was done, the Captain had ordered the crew to prepare for landing.

I think they could have dragged out the preparation for landing a little later as it was a light flight load and buckling people in their seats for 30 minutes before landing is a bit of a stretch as there was no time to enjoy the drinks that were served.

The IFE operating system was more modern than the A350, but same responsiveness and slight difference in features for the map viewing, but apart from that all of the shows and live TV are present.

We were set up for approach and landing pretty early, it took a couple of minutes before we touch down on the runway, and it was fairly rough as well as there were quite a lot of updrafts from the heat.

CONCLUSION

Singapore Airlines is maintaining its status as having some of the best crew flying in our skies right now, and possibly why they are one of the top choices for flying around the world. The first group of crew who got on the same airtrain as me in Singapore knew my name and chatted with me asking about my camera, I suppose that is due to me having ordered a vegetarian meal so I got my name highlighted on their list. The approachability, friendliness and professionalism undoubtedly make them one of the leading airlines in the world.

The only letdown for me would be the vegetarian meal being served on board. As a world leading airline, I would have expected the catering to be better, it would be better if they are able to transport us into the land of Singapore with their diverse and extensive cuisine, giving us a taste of what's to come for people that are visiting Singapore. Twice during the meal service they serve me with the meal tray without cutlery, so I have to wait for them to come past to get it from their trolley, I wasn't sure what was happening back in the galley but I would have thought they have done this enough times to not forget something like that. I think that it was a misopportunity to present it as a true gateway to Asia and there is a lot of improvement that can be made in the catering department.

While all these being said, the purpose of my travel was an urgent and personal matter, and I do appreciate that Singapore Airlines still continuously connecting people across the world to see their loved ones while the world came to a stop. The packed aircraft is a testament to the demand that is still available. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention my mother, who I made this trip to be able to see one last time before passing in late March 2022. Her battle with brain cancer for over a decade had come to an end, and I hope she is in peace now. She'll be missed.