The Airlines We Fly, the Air We Breathe: SQ A380 to India (BOM/DEL), St Regis, Oberoi

[SQ025]

Thanks for the TR.

wondering when SQ will launch a better product for consumers to MAA. their MAA product is too outdated compared to the products it offers on its other india routes.

Considering SQ manages to run a full load in J and Y 75% of the week, wondering why the 77w is not serving MAA. the A330 is too old IMO

The A330 offers in Y in principle the same product as the A380. Just that the seat is slightly more narrow. Yes the C-Regional seat might not be comparable to the A380/77W flatbeds, but considering the flight time, the seat is IMHO perfectly fine.

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

In the taxi on the way to the hotel, I put on my facemask...

I checked the weather...



The temperature that evening was a pleasant 22 degrees...but what to make of the description: "Smoke"?

Another website provided PSI readings...



A terrifying PSI reading of 619...practically off the scale...this was bad even by Delhi standards. In Singapore, there is something approaching a crisis on the rare occasions that the PSI exceeds 300. The reading in Delhi that day was very worrying. And I was just there for a day. What of the residents?

And yet, almost no-one wore facemasks. I had brought a few spare N95 masks with me, but my India-based colleagues politely declined, although a few of them were noticeably suffering from coughs and throat discomfort. I am sure I stuck out like a sore thumb, in business suit and white facemask, but I wore it anyway, whenever I was outdoors.

The next day, one of my clients remarked that they did a test of air quality indoors in one of their offices, and the PSI was 200+ even inside, so perhaps I should have left the mask on during my meetings as well...

Thankfully the air quality improved a little as the week progressed...and a week later, at time of writing this TR, the PSI had dropped to just under 200...still unhealthy, but thankfully a lot lower than when I was there.

[yflyer]

I arrived at the Oberoi Gurgaon late in the evening...

This is a low-rise property in Udyog Vihar, close to Ambience Mall and the various office complexes in the DLF Cyber City in Gurgaon.



In this bustling part of Gurgaon, the Oberoi is an oasis of tranquility.



Like the adjoining Trident Gurgaon, the Oberoi makes very effective use of large reflection pools on the grounds as part of the landscaping, although the Trident and Oberoi are very different hotels in terms of architectural style.

At the Oberoi, the style is modern, with gleaming white marble and polished metal, with red accents.



This is a very intimate hotel that takes guest service to the next level, with an exceptional standard of personalised service that I have seldom ever experienced in a hotel. From the moment you arrive, you are well taken care of, with your preferences noted, and your needs anticipated. The staff are top notch: warm, gracious and very attentive to your needs. It is no wonder that guests of Oberoi properties in India such as this one often become very loyal customers. If this were an airline, then the level of service you had here was probably at the level of SQ Suites...

[yflyer]

The regular rooms here are large, and very impressive.



Although I had just checked out of a Suite in the St Regis Mumbai that morning, I was still quite bowled over by my room at the Oberoi -- in fact if I had to choose between the two rooms, I would probably prefer the Oberoi.





The room decor was quite outstanding, with a modern, sophisticated theme that I found very appealing.

[yflyer]

Spacious bathroom with two sinks and freestanding tub...



Separate shower stall...

[yflyer]

Once again, after arrival, I ordered a room service Dum Briyani, washed down with Kingfisher beer and a shot of whisky...



A selection of several kinds of crisp papadums...



...wonderful gosht briyani, served out of a traditional clay pot with the lidsealed with dough to keep the flavours/moisture in...

[yflyer]

And just to highlight the level of guest service this property provided, there was a button marked "Butler" next to the switches by the bed.



In the middle of the night, I woke up from my slumber in the darkened room, and reached for what I thought was the light switch, and pressed the butler button by mistake...

Within less than 5 minutes, there was a knock on the door. Through the peephole, I saw the butler standing outside. "Very sorry! I pressed the button by mistake!", I apologised...

[yflyer]

Some photos of the room, and the property from the next morning...











As the air quality was poor, there was no-one using the pool when I popped by for a look...

[yflyer]

The spacious main restaurant, with great water feature views out of full height windows...



A very impressive breakfast buffet...



Smoothies...



Hot selections...



A-la carte breakfast mains included as part of the breakfast spread...both Western and Indian selections available...



...including hot, crisp dosas...



...served with a variety of chutneys...

[yflyer]

I spent the day at work in Gurgaon...



As mentioned, no-one appeared to be wearing masks. Were they not aware of the risks?

On one hand, I think it showed resilience...residents here are used to overcoming both small and large challenges in day-to-day life, whether it is peak hour traffic congestion, or the occasional power outage. Even crossing the street here was an exercise in skill, strategy and daring. Perhaps the bad air was just another issue to add to the list. Still, with the air quality so dire that day, a mask would have helped to ease the discomfort, not to mention help prevent any long term health issues...why wasn't anyone wearing one?

[yflyer]

As my flight home that evening was very late, I opted to pay half the daily rate for an evening checkout from the Oberoi.

After work, I headed back to the hotel for a run on the gym treadmill (Heading outside for a run was out of the question), before heading back to the restaurant bar for a drink.



There were tables setup outside for dining, although I suspect most diners would still have eaten indoors that day...



There were flames lit in the middle of the large artificial pond/water feature...



An intriguing list of signature cocktails, many with an Indian twist...



I asked for a Gurgaon Lady, which apart from the ingredients listed, included an egg white from a freshly cracked and separated egg, and shaken in a cocktail shaker along with the other ingredients...



A very pleasant drink...

I checked out and headed to the airport...

[yflyer]

Like the new Mumbai airport terminal, the terminal in New Delhi is a massive, gleaming building.



That said, the architecture here was more austere and functional than the elegant, elaborate design of the Mumbai terminal.

The elephant in the room...



A fairly busy SQ check-in counter...



Airside shopping...



For aviation enthusiasts with time to kill, there is a 737 simulator available to check out. Sessions as short as 15 minutes are available.



I headed to the SilverKris Lounge.



This lounge is tucked away a few floors above the main terminal floor, accessible by a small elevator.

Walking along the corridor to the lounge, I could see the main terminal level far down below. I spotted the SQ cabin crew for my flight arriving and walking towards the gate...

[yflyer]

The SilverKris Lounge in Delhi Airport is located right next to the Lufthansa Lounge.



The LH lounge is also accessible to Star Gold members, however it only opens at 9.30pm, too late for SQ pax on SQ403, a 10.10pm departure.

The SQ Lounge is a fairly compact lounge, constrained by a less-than-ideal L-shaped space.

Seats near the entrance reserved for Suites customers.



Main seating area...



It was quite busy the day I was there.

Workstations...



A small dining section at the end of the lounge, with bar counter seating.



Wine and liquor selection...



Appetizers and small bites...

[yflyer]

Both veg and non-veg mains...

The vegetarian selection...





And the non-veg selection...

Chicken macaroni soup...



Noodles...



Mutton vindaloo and Goan fish curry...



Overall, the lounge ambience and facilities were quite average. This was not among the most impressive lounges in SQ's portfolio, and I would apportion much of the blame on the less-than-ideal location and awkward, narrow L-shaped space, which is really too small for a decent lounge.

All that said, I thought the mutton vindaloo and Goan fish curry were excellent...enough reason for me to visit the lounge the next time I am departing from Delhi.

[yflyer]

A fairly long walk to the gate...





A fairly organised boarding process with separate queues for different passenger classes (KF Gold could board via the J queue).

Earbud headphones in a box next to the aircraft door, which pax could help themselves to. These were the new ones, with separate airline headphone adapter.



As I was in the upper deck mini economy cabin, I boarded through the upper deck door...



...and passed through the Business Class cabin, with its 2006 J seats laid out 1-2-1.



While these seats have now been superseded by the new 2017 A380 J seats (Internally codenamed "Monocoque" for their carbon fiber shell design), I still find the 2006 J seats on the A380 marvellously comfortable to sit in, on the rare occasions I fly J. And on this plane, the J cabin, and the seats, looked spacious and very inviting.



Just a quick photo comparison of the current seat vs the new seat...

Current 2006 J...



The new 2017 J...



For more on the new SQ cabin products, please join the discussion in this thread here.