SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

[MEL_Traveller]

SQ32 SIN-SFO overnight, weirdly for a transpac flight the breakfast was served about 10 hours in - i.e. six hours before arrival! I’ve never seen this before, can’t think why they would do it that way and it would still have been 7pm Singapore time and around 2am in San Francisco. Is anyone able to shed any light on the logic behind this one?

Was there another meal after that?

Cathay serves the second main meal about 1/2 to 2/3rds the way through the flight on trans-pacs. It gives hungry passengers a full meal (saves the crew getting snacks) and also something to do!

If you're asking 'why breakfast' in particular.. well.. scheduling of airline meals is stillsomething that escapes me. But it's common for breakfast to be served before an evening arrival into the USA on transpacs.

 

[JessicaTam]

SQ32 SIN-SFO overnight, weirdly for a transpac flight the breakfast was served about 10 hours in - i.e. six hours before arrival! I’ve never seen this before, can’t think why they would do it that way and it would still have been 7pm Singapore time and around 2am in San Francisco. Is anyone able to shed any light on the logic behind this one?

Easy. It will reduce the weight of the aircraft for the last part of the flight.

 

[aaronm]

Was there another meal after that?

Cathay serves the second main meal about 1/2 to 2/3rds the way through the flight on trans-pacs. It gives hungry passengers a full meal (saves the crew getting snacks) and also something to do!

2 meal services like most transpacs, dinner shortly after departure then breakfast. Based on other long hauls I’ve done would have expected this to be served about 2 hours prior to landing, not 2/3 of the way through. Just seems weird to wake everyone up for a meal so long before arrival.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

2 meal services like most transpacs, dinner shortly after departure then breakfast. Based on other long hauls I’ve done would have expected this to be served about 2 hours prior to landing, not 2/3 of the way through. Just seems weird to wake everyone up for a meal so long before arrival.

I think it was a CX 'innovation', but they list it on the menu as being served 'half way through the flight'. Perhaps popular enough for SQ to copy? I guess it would break the monotony of an ultra long haul if in economy. Business should have the option of dine on demand in these cases.

 

[drron]

We are talking about airline practices here. Logic doesn't come into it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

We are talking about airline practices here. Logic doesn't come into it.

Difficult situation for airlines I think. Half the people want dinner before an evening arrival into the USA. The other half reckon they can't stomach eating dinner when it's supposed to be breakfast time.

 

[Pleb Status]

This may have been reported previously, but for information, all of the toilet facilities are not working in the SQ lounge at HKG.

A temporary reduction to KFG lounge level...

 

[jgm]

For my flights LAX-SIN-MEL in Feb next year in J, I can't change the meal selection. For both legs, it shows "Inflight Menu", and the selection/change button is greyed out. So I can't even change to a special meal selection let alone book the cook. Is this only because the flights are too far ahead, or is there something else going on?

 

[N860CR]

I've got 4 upcoming SQ bookings in F/J. Just looking to "book the cook" however all four of them have a message that the service is "temporarily unavailable" with the "select" option greyed out. Anyone seen that before? Bookings are 4-8 months away

 

[Denali]

I asked similar and was told it's because they change the menu every quarter so book closer to departure date.

 

[MicoPico]

Flew SQ221 last Thursday in R. I had choice of 1F and 3F. Given that I had already tried 3F on my last flight, I picked 1F.

The proximity to the wall during take off position isn’t that great as alluded to by others here, but having the smaller monitor right in front does make watching movies easier than turning your head at an angle. However, this is only true if the crew remembered to activate the smaller screen to show IFE. My crew forgot during take off. So I was looking at a blank screen, thinking that the small monitor is only used to show the safety video. During landing, the crew pressed a few buttons on the door panel and that’s when I first realised that the small monitor is capable of showing IFE. Silly me.

Due to strong tail winds, the flight was very short: 7 hours. It felt rushed to finish dinner quickly and I constantly noticed crew peeking and checking on whether I finished my plate. Hit the bed for a very nice quick 3-hr sleep and was awoken by crew 1.5 hrs prior to landing to have my breakkie.

The rocking of the chair is still by far the biggest annoyance to me.

 

[tizey]

Not stoked at two things on Sq802 sin-pek

No PJs
No amenities kit
No caviar

I'd put it in the same length flight as sin-nrt, which in F has all these. Bit odd I thought.

New lalique PJs are great - super comfy!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not stoked at two things on Sq802 sin-pek

No PJs
No amenities kit
No caviar

I'd put it in the same length flight as sin-nrt, which in F has all these. Bit odd I thought.

New lalique PJs are great - super comfy!

No caviar for brekky! PJs only on day flights over seven hours, or on night flights of shorter duration that arrive or depart within a certain window (i forget what the exact rule is but it's something like four hours and arriving or departing betwen midnight and six am).

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Direct from SQ:

‘We would like to clarify that our current uplift criteria for First Class sleeper suits and amenity kits are for day flights with a duration of more than 7 hours, and for night flights with a duration of more than 5 hours, departing after 1800 hours and where the scheduled time of arrival is after 0030 hours.’

802 is always Brunch or rather glorified breakfast - I hate the concept - this is one of the few flts I book BTC but you can only order main course - you still get fruit, cereal, etc and not much else.

 

[Steady]

Not stoked at two things on Sq802 sin-pek

No PJs
No amenities kit
No caviar

I'd put it in the same length flight as sin-nrt, which in F has all these. Bit odd I thought.

New lalique PJs are great - super comfy!

I too was disappointed for the same 3 reasons

 

[Comoman]

I also had Brunch on SQ305 that leaves LHR 09h25. But there was no cereal etc. Quite weird - I was in F and no caviar either. The later flight that morning does have caviar.

The “supper” service is also disappointing sometimes - saved by BTC

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Snip from another thread I think best answered here:

Twice now we have checked in at the F checkin in SIN and have not received an invitation for the TPR.Our BPs got us in anyway.

drron are you sure you checked in at stand alone dedicated F Chckin at traffic approach end to T3 - opposite end to Crowne Plaza? If you checkin in main checkin in T3 no you will not receive TPR Invitation.

But if you do checkin in dedicated F checkin then it is nigh on impossible to NOT receive hand written in gold TPR Invitation.

It is the responsibility of the Senior on duty each day to check passenger manifests and pre-prepare the Invitations 1-2 days in advance for ALL R/F pax dep SIN*.

If you are arriving and departing same day with shortish connection - like up to 6hrs or so - Senior will make a decision that you are not likely to clear immig so no Invitation will be prepared for you.

With different day arr and dep then it will be assumed it is very likely you will clear immig and stay at a SIN hotel and hence Invitations will be prepared for you. With longer same day arr/dep stopovers Senior will assume there is possibility that for whatever reason you may well clear immig and return later that day - again an Invitation will be prepared for you.

It makes zero diff whatever your original port of dep is - if you fall into categories above you SHOULD receive Invitations.

Clearly no system is perfect - I have personally o/n’ed in SIN dozens of times - I cannot ever remember not receiving Invitation. And clearly BP will get you in anyway.

FTR - SYD is perennial offender at not issuing Invitations to TPR - go figure.

 

[potm]

I’m not really sure what the point of the invitations are. I guess they feel kind of special the first time you get one but then they take it from you anyway.

I exited immigration on a Sin stopover and checked in again at the F class check in to get a new invitation which I kept and didn’t show when I entered the lounge again. I just walked in like I owned the place and nobody stopped me. It was probably just SQ being very good at monitoring who had been in before though. I couldn’t care less about them now for my next trip.

In Mel, I received the invite at the SQ lounge. In Lax, I received it at bag drop.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I’m not really sure what the point of the invitations are. I guess they feel kind of special the first time you get one but then they take it from you anyway.

Only value is a great souvenir that once of / occasional fliers really appreciate. And no you don’t have them taken from you - you put them away out of site before reaching top of escalator.

 

[Steady]

I didn’t get an invitation when checking in at SYD last Thursday - even after asking for one - they were out of card stock