RB
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- Nov 17, 2004
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Re: And Our Driver Said You Need A Good Horn, Good Brakes & Good Luck to Drive In Ind
21[SUP]st[/SUP] Nov 2013 DEL-SIN SQ401 J 777-200 14D & 14F
A 5.30am wakeup, 6.15am pickup from the hotel and by 7.10am we are in the Silverkris lounge. New Delhi is now a very modern airport & the drop off point sees Indian traffic at its most orderly. We had checked in online but still needed to drop bags etc. No waiting, served straight away at separate business counter & issued with boarding passes that suffice for entry to the lounge-no separate invite.
There are separate Immigration & security lines for business & 1[SUP]st[/SUP] & at this hour there are few people at the airport. One cabin bag is put back through at security after we were told to remove the camera & all associated power cords. There are modern brand name shops, Duty Free and food outlets-our driver had been told it was now the best airport in the Asia-Pacific region!
The Silver Kris lounge is on Level 3 via a lift. There was 1 other person there when we arrived & the attendance topped out at about 12 while we were there. We were each give a 40 min voucher for the wi-fi (could also use the voucher on the 2 provided computers). Hot food included Indian options, baked beans & scrambled eggs. There was toast, corn flakes, fruit & yoghurt also available. There was JW black & canned Kingfisher if required. The coffee machine made good cappuccinos. The Ashes test was on live & I saw Warner’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP] innings dismissal. There were good clean toilets but no sign of showers. I believe the lounge runs on restricted hrs that vary with the travel seasons. Our flight was called in the lounge & the lift ride down & a short walk saw us there in less than 5 minutes. Priority boarding was well executed & there were 2 distinct channels for walking down to the plane. Onboard Delhi customs were blamed for the lack of alcohol in the pre-departure drinks. Crew were a delight-very polite, greeted us by name at all times yet worked in a relaxed, friendly manner. There were a few Xmas decorations adorning the walls of the cabin. Push back was 2 min late but there was an apology! Some congestion then delayed takeoff. We enjoyed the SQ satays then a long break before other food. There was a prawn entrée & a choice of a chicken dish or Indian lamb-both great. We enjoyed a Silver Kris Sling, Heidsieck bubbles, Tiger beer & Highland Park 12yr single malt. The seatbelt sign was on for a while. The angled seats were pretty comfortable & the entertainment system worked well. Approx 15 passengers in J & most of the window seat flyers enjoyed an empty set beside them. I was a little intrigued by the title of a book being read by a fellow passenger-How Not to Make Money. Also a bit topical given the news this week, a couple of staff walked through the plane with a spray.
The SQ Delhi lounge
Silver Kris slings
Reading material of fellow passenger
View of the J seats-good for day flight & snoozing
Satay
21[SUP]st[/SUP] Nov 2013 DEL-SIN SQ401 J 777-200 14D & 14F
A 5.30am wakeup, 6.15am pickup from the hotel and by 7.10am we are in the Silverkris lounge. New Delhi is now a very modern airport & the drop off point sees Indian traffic at its most orderly. We had checked in online but still needed to drop bags etc. No waiting, served straight away at separate business counter & issued with boarding passes that suffice for entry to the lounge-no separate invite.
There are separate Immigration & security lines for business & 1[SUP]st[/SUP] & at this hour there are few people at the airport. One cabin bag is put back through at security after we were told to remove the camera & all associated power cords. There are modern brand name shops, Duty Free and food outlets-our driver had been told it was now the best airport in the Asia-Pacific region!
The Silver Kris lounge is on Level 3 via a lift. There was 1 other person there when we arrived & the attendance topped out at about 12 while we were there. We were each give a 40 min voucher for the wi-fi (could also use the voucher on the 2 provided computers). Hot food included Indian options, baked beans & scrambled eggs. There was toast, corn flakes, fruit & yoghurt also available. There was JW black & canned Kingfisher if required. The coffee machine made good cappuccinos. The Ashes test was on live & I saw Warner’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP] innings dismissal. There were good clean toilets but no sign of showers. I believe the lounge runs on restricted hrs that vary with the travel seasons. Our flight was called in the lounge & the lift ride down & a short walk saw us there in less than 5 minutes. Priority boarding was well executed & there were 2 distinct channels for walking down to the plane. Onboard Delhi customs were blamed for the lack of alcohol in the pre-departure drinks. Crew were a delight-very polite, greeted us by name at all times yet worked in a relaxed, friendly manner. There were a few Xmas decorations adorning the walls of the cabin. Push back was 2 min late but there was an apology! Some congestion then delayed takeoff. We enjoyed the SQ satays then a long break before other food. There was a prawn entrée & a choice of a chicken dish or Indian lamb-both great. We enjoyed a Silver Kris Sling, Heidsieck bubbles, Tiger beer & Highland Park 12yr single malt. The seatbelt sign was on for a while. The angled seats were pretty comfortable & the entertainment system worked well. Approx 15 passengers in J & most of the window seat flyers enjoyed an empty set beside them. I was a little intrigued by the title of a book being read by a fellow passenger-How Not to Make Money. Also a bit topical given the news this week, a couple of staff walked through the plane with a spray.
The SQ Delhi lounge
Silver Kris slings
Reading material of fellow passenger
View of the J seats-good for day flight & snoozing
Satay