Longest Commercial Flight in the World – SQ 22 Singapore to Newark on September 2013

[Carfield]

Longest Commercial Flight in the World – SQ 22 Singapore to Newark on September 2013



I finally got a chance to experience the world’s longest commercial flight before it will bid goodbye on November 2013. Thanks to a very generous cousin, who redeems this free one-way award ticket on SQ 22 using her Silver Kris miles. She offered me a roundtrip ticket, but SQ 21 really departs at rather unattractive time. I honestly am appreciative of this opportunity to fly this special flight before its discontinuation. This flight has been recorded before so I am going to go into too many details. In terms of catering and services, it is fairly typical Singapore Airlines. For this particular flight, I can’t really fault the crews but in the same time, I feel that they are not very personable like other Asian airlines. Catering – I still think three meals should be offered, not two meals and refreshment. I will discuss more as we talk about it later.

Here is the full photo album:
http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Ca...SINEWR09112013

SQ 22 SIN-EWR Lv1055 Arr1750 Airbus A340-500 9V-SGC

Check-in:
It was very quiet here in Singapore Changi’s Terminal Three, as all morning flights have already departed. The business class area was not busy and there were plenty of counters to choose from.





I went to the Silver Kris lounge and spent a few hours there. Sorry that there were no photos, as there were plenty of them in various trip reports. The breakfast buffet was very nice this morning and I love chicken porridge offered – a perfect light dish to enjoy before a long flight.

Various SQ planes at T-3 this morning



SQ 22 departed from gate A15 this morning, and instead of riding the shuttle, I decided to walk there, as I would be stuck in a tube for the next 19 hours. I arrived t the gate quite early but unfortunately gate A15 did not allow any good angle for taking a good picture of the plane. There was an additional document check before passing the security checkpoint. Everyone was extremely friendly and I felt that the staffs were specially selected to handle this all-business-class flight.

9V-SGC before the long flight to Newark




Gate A15

[Carfield]

Most passengers rushed to Door “A” but since my seat was 20A this morning, I just used Door “B”. A flight attendant immediately welcomed me onboard and I was not very happy when I see my original seat 20A!


There was a window missing, but thankfully the flight was not full and I asked the F/A if I could move to 19A, the bulkhead window seat. She went to check and I got the okay. Here is my new seat 19A.



It was clear that it was a very experienced set of crews, as everyone knew what to do. Headsets and menus were first offered, and then pre-takeoff beverages were offered. I got the special SQ cocktail – I believe it was the Silver Kris Sling.


Newspapers and magazines were then offered, and I was happy to get a copy of the New York Times, despite it was two days old.

Here are the reading literatures – safety card, Krisworld guide, duty free catalog, and SQ inflight magazine


View of the engines


Flight information:
Boarding began at 10:30am and with a light load of around fifty passengers, the process was completed in less than fifteen minutes. Door was closed at 10:50am and we pushed back six minutes later. It took ten minutes for the plane to start up but unfortunately we had to stop in a taxiway for a while, due to congestion and a last minute runway change. Beverage and lunch entrée orders were also taken during the delays.

Philippine Airlines A319 heading to Manila


An all-white ex-SQ Boeing 777-200


We finally took off at 11:35am from R/W20C and the runway roll lasted almost a full minute (58 seconds to be exact) before lifting off. Some views shortly after takeoff as we left the Singapore strait!

[Carfield]

The routing today was fairly normal, as we took the Great Circle route across the Pacific Ocean.
Here is a map of our route:


We first climbed to 31,000feet as we entered the South China Sea, and then we climbed to 32,000feet before crossing the North of the Philippines. We further climbed to 35,000feet before passing Naha and the Okinawa Islands. We cruised along the Japanese coast before heading towards the Pacific Ocean. We then climbed to 37,000feet before passing the Attu Islands and Bering Sea, and entering the Alaskan coast and passing cities of Kipnuk and Willow. We further climbed to 39,000feet and passed Gulkana Airport and then entering the Canadian Airspace and crossing Yukon, Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and then reached our final cruising altitude of 41,000feet. We crossed Lake Superior, city of Sault Ste Marie, North Channel, Oower Sound, Shelburne, Toronto, and entering the US airspace again by passing the city of Rochester. We descent to 27,000feet and took a circular route (ATC delay) and then headed towards Newark.

Seat belt sign was turned off at 11:46am and the F/As first passed out the familiar socks and eyeshades. This topic has been discussing to death and I personally think these amenities are cheap looking. One can debate if amenity kit is necessary (IMHO, an amenity kit is necessary and SQ should have no issue finding a sponsor. Given how expensive a SQ business class ticket is, skipping an amenity kit is just cheap!) However I think a real pair of cotton slippers is not too much to ask. I brought my own slippers. I actually think SQ should have offered pajamas for the nonstop LAX and EWR flights especially they did not offer any amenity kit.


The first beverage was offered at 11:56am and a bowl of warmed mixed nuts was offered.



Here is the wine list:
Wine List
Champagne
Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut, Champagne, France

White Wine
2010 La Crema Monterey Chardonnay, Monterey, USA
2011 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany

Red Wines
2009 Chateau Loudenne Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France
2011 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia

Sweet Wine
2009 Chateau Filhot Sauternes

Port
Taylor’s 10 Years Old Tawny Port, Portugal

My choice for the first beverage was the Silver Kris Sling
One of Singapore Airlines’ special touches, this cocktail is a delicious mix of gin, Cointreau, orange juice and pineapple juice, topped with Champagne


It was delicious and I like the fact that SQ uses freshly squeezed orange juice for this cocktail. Lunch was then served, and SQ no longer uses tray for its main meal services, and tables are individually setup like traditional first class.

Catering:
Menu


Lunch


Salt & Pepper Shaker and butter


Singapore Airlines logo in the bottom of the glasses


Bread plate


Starter
Trilogy of salmon with Mesclun salad
Slices of hot smoked, cold smoked, and marinated salmon
This was a very nice salmon appetizer and it showcases different ways that salmon can be presented.

[Carfield]

Main
*Spring chicken with pork chorizo sausage, chickpeas and sautéed cavalo nero leaves
Exclusively created by Matthew Moran of Aria Restaurant, Sydney
I got to give SQ credits for these innovative and restaurant quality entrées. I would have gladly paid for this dish in a restaurant. The chicken was cooked just right.


Or
Gaeng phed pla
Thai style red curry fish, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Or
Seared tournedos of beef with thyme jus, roasted vegetables and seared asparagus
A healthier choice – lower in carbohydrate and calories
Or
Char siew and wanton noodle soup
Egg noodles in rich broth garnished with honey roasted pork, pork dumplings and leafy greens
A renowned favorite in Singapore

Finale
Choice of dessert
Viennetta ice cream or panna cotta with citrus compote
Dessert was always a weak part for most Asian airlines, but this panna cotta was quite interesting – a perfect end to the lunch service.



Fruits in season
It was interesting that fresh fruit basket was only offered for lunch service, and there was no cheese service. Dinner was the opposite. The selection of fruits today included bananas, cantaloupes, peach, sliced pineapples, and apples.


Gourmet coffees & selections of fine teas, with pralines

I know this is like picking bone from an egg, but the F/As were not very attentive serving my aisle, as beverages were not refilled till I asked. Apart from the setup, the F/A did not ask if I want a glass of wine after she took away my empty cocktail glasses. If this is one of the European or US airlines, I won’t be surprised but I held SQ to a higher standard. After lunch, the cabin light was lightly dimmed, not turned off. The F/A patrolled the cabin regularly with beverage orders and snack basket. The choice of packaged snacks was not particularly impressive and the US airlines have more interesting choices, and I was surprised at the lack of more substantive snack items like sandwiches and noodle cups. The snack basket features Lay’s BBQ chips, dried fruit mix, Walker’s shortbread cookies, SQ packaged nuts (almonds & cashews), and Toblerone chocolate bars.

After lunch, it was time to explore the entertainment options, and KrisWorld is just the best entertainment program that an airline can offer and no other airline can ever surpass the selection of US, Asian and international programs. I was surprised at the amount of lifestyle programs and was pleasantly surprised that the complete Season Three of the Voice (USA) was featured. I was able to watch the blind auditions, the battles and the knockout rounds during this flight, along with a few episodes of “Big Bang Theory.”

One of the unique features of the Airbus A340-500s was the inflight connectivity option and ability to connect to wifi and to be able to make phone calls. I decided to give the wifi a try, as I had previously used American Airliens and JAL services and wanted to see how SQ compared. The price was very expensive and here are the two plans offered - 5MB for $5.99/10MB for $9.99.





I picked the 10MB plan and the connection speed was very slow from the beginning. I was able to use my whatsapp to chat with friends and even send them pictures. I was able to receive emails but sending emails are almost possible. Tweeter is possible if only text is involved. I used flightradar to track my flight and it was possible but used up many data. I like the fact that I could connect and disconnect at my desire. In terms of coverage, I had no problem to use it initially after takeoff but we had a number of blindspots in the middle of the South China Sea and I could not really use it till we got closed to Japan. Then I ran out of my 10MB plan so I decided not to add value to my plan. I would not recommend anyone use to it, unless you really need to.

Some mid-flight pictures of the engines


Okinawa

[Carfield]

Cabin pictures – here is a variety of cabin pictures:







Seat – interchange between beige and blue colored leather seats – Not sure but I am never a big fan of Singapore Airlines lie flat seats. I am not a fan of flipping the seats and prefer the ability to recline to the seat deeply.

Seat 21A


Back of a normal seat –non-bulkhead seat




Back of the bulkhead seat – no beverage tray but there were the storage spaces for mobile phones, light objects, power outlets and mirrors. The legrest was larger.

[Carfield]

Beverage console


Tray table


Literature pocket


Headset hanger and side readlng light


The other side


Recline buttons


Entertainment console


Legrest for normal seat (non-bulkhead)



Sidearm pillow

[Carfield]

Seat in full recline position




Rather useless legrest


Seat in full flat position





Dinner
Around 6pm Singapore time, the leading F/A was coming around taking beverage and entrée order for the dinner service. I had pre-ordered Lobster Thermidor for dinner, and she also verified my order.

My ordered Singapore Sling was served around 6:50pm.
Synonymous with the Lion City since the early 1900s, this classic cocktail is made with dry gin, DOM Benedicine, Cointreau cherry brandy, Angostura bitters and Grenadine, mixed with lime and pineapple juice


Hot towels were then passed out and at 7pm, satays were passed out. There was no trolley and everything was already pre-plated.

Prelude
Satay
With onion, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce
It is a nice appetizer dish, but Malaysia Airlines has the upper hand on the satays in the air area.



Starter
Cajun spiced prawns
With marinated capsicums and sweet pepper pesto

[Carfield]

A nice selection of breads – Garlic bread and Lavosh crackers are my choices this evening


Main
*Wok-fried beef in black pepper sauce with garlic, French beans with dried shrimps, fried rice
Exclusively created by Chef Sam Leong, Singapore
Or
Famous Singapore Chicken Rice
Fragrant poached chicken with pandan flavored rice, served with ginger, soya, and chili sauce
A renowed local favorite
Or
Spaghetti Marinara
Italian pasta with seafood in herb-tomato sauce
Or
Seared Berkshire pork loin in balsamic sage sauce
With roasted vegetables and fondant potatoes

Lobster Thermidor – my book the cook choice, and it was a bit better than the slipper lobster served previously on my Singapore Airlines a couple years ago.




Finale
Tiramisu
Mascarpone cheesecake with coffee



Water chestnut pudding with mungbeans

Payson brenton Brie, delice des bois, stokes point smoked cheddar
Served with fig paste, grapes, walnut and biscuits


Gourmet coffees & selections of fine teas, with pralines



Bottled waters were passed out after dinner and duty free service also began. Cabin lights were eventually dimmed as most passengers went to sleep. Not sure why, sleep was hard to come. The cabin was extremely warm and the seat was very hard to get comfortable. I also like the seats to be placed in a certain angle. I gave up after an hour of tossing around. I continued my viewing of the Voice and managed to take a picture of sunrise.


Bathroom

[Carfield]

Around three hours prior to arrival, the leading F/A came around again and asked all those passengers, who were awake on your choice of light bites. This is where I think SQ really cuts costs too far. I still believe that there should be three meals on this flight, and the pre-arrival meal does not need a full dinner, but it should be a proper breakfast/brunch service with two to three courses. Three out of the four entrées were really main meal type dishes, and a light brunch should be offered – something that can be served two hours prior to arrival. The normal mid-flight snack menu that features on other long haul flights should be offered. The current snack menus on most transpacific flights include sandwiches, noodles (instant) and packaged stuff. SQ 22 is really a daytime flight and you feel hungrier. Anyway the F/As seemed to be in a rush to complete all the meal service, which I did not appreciate. It was just one single entrée and it did not take hours to prepare a bowl of noodles, so I made it clear to the F/A that I wanted to wait another hour before eating again. In the end, they still served my snack two and half hours prior to arrival.

Light Bites Menu
To Nibble On
Egg noodles soup with scallop, prawn and leafy greens

[Carfield]

Or
Korean style fried rice with chicken, egg and kimchi
With pickles and toasted seaweed served on this side
Or
Spinach fettuccine Milanese
Pasta in a tomato, mushroom and ham sauce
Or
Cheese Omelette with chicken sausage, grilled tomato and potatoes

Finale
Gourmet coffees & selections of fine teas

About an hour prior to arrival, there were more cabin activities, and here is a shot of the plane over Ontario, Canada!



Initial descent than began at 4:47pm New York local time, as we stayed at 27,000feet for a while. The pilot made an announcement and then hot towels were passed out. The F/A then came around with a tray of juices, and I had a final glass of orange juice.


Pilot made an announcement that there would be some turbulent on our descent and had requested the F/As to be seated earlier than normal. The passengers should use the bathroom now.

Seat belt sign was then turned on at 5:13pm, and it was a very slow descent, as expected for Newark.




Finally view of Manhattan



We landed on R/W22L at 5:51pm and the whole flight took eighteen hours and sixteen minutes. This flight is definitely the longest flight I have ever taken, and will most likely stay this way, until the major aircraft manufacturers are able to invest in a next generation of aircraft with extra range while economically feasible.

Engines in reverse


We parked at gate 63 at Terminal B eight minutes later. A nearby Lufthansa Boeing 747 D-ABVH was pushing back and getting ready for its flight back to Frankfurt.


A final view of the engines


A final view of the plane


Immigration was very quiet this evening, but baggage service was very slow. The first bag did not appear till 6:23pm and since all the bags are priority tagged, it did not make a difference. I was not able to collect all my bags till 6:50pm. But the F/As were all waiting for every passenger collecting their bags before exiting the custom – something you would never see any airline to do. I guess this is because of our all business class nature.

I honestly appreciate the effort of being able to fly this ultra-long-haul flight but at the same time, I am not that impressed with the service, amenities and catering offered on this flight. I flew TG BKK to LAX nonstop before, and while TG was not as polished, there are more amenities and food. Once again, this is a purely “picking bones from an egg” type situation but since SQ charges so much for these ultra long haul flights, my expectation is higher.
I cannot really fault the flight attendants service, as they are still better than most Asian airlines and way better than most European and US airlines. However, they are not personable and remain distant. Their smiles are a bit forced and only one of the leading female F/As are more attentive and genuine. I just can't imagine how they will react if I request a second light bites entree or things like that nature. The only time they chatted with me was when they needed to reset my entertainment system as we got near to Japan. There was only this other leading flight attendant (an older gentleman) that greeted passengers and asked how everything was. It is obvious that the Singapore girls are no longer in the same league as a decade ago.

Nonetheless, I am happy to be able to fly this flight once, and hope you will enjoy this report.

Carfield

[CarbonMan]

You beat me to it, Carfield. My flight is this weekend.

[B727]

Once again, this is a purely “picking bones from an egg” type situation but since SQ charges so much for these ultra long haul flights, my expectation is higher.
I cannot really fault the flight attendants service, as they are still better than most Asian airlines and way better than most European and US airlines. They are not personable and remain distant. Their smiles are a bit forced and only one of the leading F/As are more attentive and genuine. Anyway, I am happy to be able to fly this flight once, and hope you will enjoy this report.

Very nice TR. I'm a little leery of ultra-long haul flights myself because of this precise scenario

[SIA5390]

A flight attendant immediately welcomed me onboard and I was not very happy when I see my original seat 20A!


There was a window missing, but thankfully the flight was not full and I asked the F/A if I could move to 19A, the bulkhead window seat. She went to check and I got the okay.

So the flight attendant was talking about you when she let me take 20A midflight because "the passenger moved to 19A".

[Carfield]

So the flight attendant was talking about you when she let me take 20A midflight because "the passenger moved to 19A".

So were you on my flight? Nobody sat on 20A during the whole flight!

[SIA5390]

So were you on my flight? Nobody sat on 20A during the whole flight!

I did. I was at 21K, moved over to 20A for a while over Japan. There was a really long taxi departing from Singapore because they changed runways right?