I am back on board the A350 for my flight back to Singapore. I specifically chose this flight for the timing and the meals served on board. It will also get me back in Singapore just in time for a great night’s sleep before continuing on my travels the next day. It is finally time to head back after an amazing 1.5 weeks back down under. I paid 68,500 for this flight. This is the old rate, and as of now, Australia flights cost 72,000 KF miles. I also managed to tag on a flight to Ho Chi Minh for no extra cost. Australia taxes are a little higher than expected, and I paid 107.90 SGD in taxes and fees for this ticket. After 1 Nov, you can no longer tag on another sector for free; this itinerary would have cost 75,500 KF miles. It will be nice returning to Saigon after a good decade or so. I will also be able to base myself there in time to catch my virgin flight with Starlux!!! I had a really spectacular flight here to Sydney, and now I am hoping that my beloved A350 will be similarly good! Do remember to check out my compilation of SQ Premium cabins’ flight experience over here, too. 

Checking In

I took an Uber to the airport, which took around 30 minutes or so. The traffic was pretty bad. Upon arrival, I went to the check-in desks over in Terminal 2. Singapore Airlines uses check-in counters over at the R and F rows. There was quite a long line, even over in the priority lines. They have clear lines for both premium cabins, premium economy, KrisFlyer Gold and Silver. It was a good 15 mins before I was helped to. I appreciate the station manager coming over to check on us and apologising for the wait. Checking in was very smooth and efficient. We were helped by a very friendly and professional lady who did everything in no time. I was then issued my boarding pass for both of my flights. One thing that I didn’t like here was this really flimsy boarding pass that they use, similar to the one in LHR. We were also informed of the fast-track security lines that we can use. It didn’t turn out to be necessary at this time since the lines were virtually empty. This will be really handy during peak timing. 

Boarding Process

Rather weird, but I would have expected them to use a gate that is near the SQ lounge. This is usually a benefit of renting an airport space and operating a lounge here? It was quite a walk from the lounge, and boarding was already underway as I got there. I was welcomed by the crew at the door before being ushered over to my seat. Calynn, who was working my aisle, was pretty lovely and helped with my jacket. This time around, we will be seated in 12 D and F. While on the ground, the crew came by with hot towels as well as welcome drinks. I went with some OJ. I was also offered an amenity kit. Later on, meal orders were also taken, and my BTC meal choice was reconfirmed. We had a slight delay while on the ground and pushed back shortly after 6.15pm. We had a super powerful take-off run and were in the air by 6.35pm.

Singapore Airlines A350 LH Business Class

I shall not dwell too much on the hardware and the seats since I have reviewed this product countless times. You can find some of my recent reviews of this cabin here and here. I will include some pictures of my seats here. The bulkhead seats are amazing and the best on board. These are as good as or superior to some First Class out there.

Do also note that the toilets are now stocked with the latest amenities from Payot rather than Penhaligons.

Meal Service

Service was a mixed bag. I was really surprised that they don’t even have basic snacks and chips for this particular flight. Isn’t this the standard on a flight of this duration and routing? This is also a flight with a full meal service. You can find the menu for the flight here. After the flight levelled off and the seat belt signs turned off, the crew came by to offer welcome drinks. I had a glass of the 2021 Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz-Mataro, which was excellent. This is offered with some nuts. 

The meal started roughly around an hour after takeoff. We had the appetiser, which was a Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad with Tomatoes, green beans, poached quail egg, and potatoes. I had the tuna removed since I don’t take that. It was left almost untouched.

For my main, I pre-selected via Book The Cook and got the Chargrilled Mackas Black Angus. The MB2+ Beef tenderloin was served with jus and truffles, Mac & Cheese. It was way overcooked and overheated. The entire steak is so tough. This wasn’t very pleasant. The best steak I had on SQ was still from Japan Stations.

Here is the Stir-fried Prawn in Ginger Shallot sauce with pak choy, carrot flower and sauteed baby king mushroom. Served with Jasmine rice.

I also tried the Confit of Chicken with Cannellini Bean and Saffron Stew served with Buttered green beans and parsley breadcrumbs, which was offered to me since I left my steak almost untouched. It was decent, but could be better if the skin were crispy. I appreciate the crew for offering this. Drinks refills were offered throughout the meal service.  

For desserts, I got the Vanilla Ice Cream garnished with buttery crumbs. I paired it with a Jubilee Lining and a Double Espresso. Somehow, this is my first time having this cocktail on board. I am not really a fan of it.

Service wrapped up with the crew coming by with pralines. This is a recent addition to the meal service onboard Singapore Airlines. The whole meal took about 1.5 hours. By the time we finished, it was around 8.30pm Melbourne time. 

The second meal refreshment service is served approximately 2 hours before landing. There are two choices, and you can’t pre-order them. It was either the Whole Grain Bread with Beef Pastrami or Cold Prawns on Rice Noodles. I am not a fan of either. I decided to have a cup noodles instead, which the crew gladly did up. This always hits the spot in the air.

Calynn, the main FSS working my aisle, was quite nice and went the extra mile. She constantly offered me alternatives and suggestions. She also felt bad for not having any snacks on board. Thanks, Calynn!  

Conclusion

After this flight and this trip, I have come to a different conclusion. For now, I am changing my rankings of Singapore Airlines Business Class. I will probably rank the A380 above the A350 and 777. Despite it being a less exclusive and much more crowded cabin, you benefit from having a more experienced crew. This is an inherent issue currently at SQ where the A350 and 777 fleet is generally staffed by more recent hires and junior cabin crew. With SQ not getting any more A380 planes, the newer crews are rarely trained for this aircraft these days. You frequently find J Class-trained crews having only joined the airline for less than 1 year now on the A350 and 777. While I won’t say that they are not well-trained, they are certainly not polished. This set of crew was just unmemorable and going through the motions. I am expecting a lot more proactivity from them. The flight went by in no time, and I got back in Singapore for a couple of hours before hopping on to another flight. I also felt that the 380 seats offer much more contour back support. The IFM is pretty much a no-show on this flight. I still cannot comprehend why they can’t do a simple welcome or greeting to every premium passenger on a flight this long. Flying this makes me appreciate how lovely my previous flight to Sydney was. They wow it! I am looking forward to my next A380 long haul.