A trip to Denmark & Sweden: To Copenhagen on SQ352/351 in Economy

[RedEyeflight]

Hello,

In less than three weeks time, I will embark on a return to long-haul travel. This time for a partial conference, partial holiday in Denmark and Sweden. I will post pictures of my trip on this thread. As you know, I'm quite excited about the prospect of faraway travel again, so I hope to produce a trip report with many pictures and detailed accounts. My excitement has also led me to post this update, so I hope you're not too disappointed there are no pictures yet. For two years exactly, between March 2020 and March 2022, I remained in Singapore the whole time. The first time I flew on an aircraft since the pandemic was for a work-trip to Phnom Penh in March this year. Sadly, it did not cross my mind to write a trip report then. Indeed, a report on SQ's 737MAX8 Y service would have been interesting.

This will be my second time on an airplane since the pandemic and the first time on long-haul travel. For this upcoming trip, I will take one of SQ's fist decoupled SQ352 services to Copenhagen on the first week of June. In case you are curious of my itinerary, it is as follows:

1. SQ352 to CPH in Y
2. Copenhagen to Gothenburg by Oresundstag regional train service which includes the Oresund Bridge crossing
3. Gothenburg to Stockholm by MTRX high-speed service
4. ARN to CPH on Norwegian Air Shuttle
5. SQ351 to SIN in Y

Thanks! I look forward to writing this trip report.

Cheers

[RedEyeflight]

As per usual, my journey starts at Terminal 3.



A notable change since the last time I travelled in March were the widespread use of self-check in counters. This is probably due to the fact that staff no longer need to check travel documents with easing of covid-19 restrictions. Thankfully, I was directed to use one of the self-check machines since the queues for check-in assistance were quite long. The terminal was quite busy due to many departures to Europe and Australia late at night, plus it was also the June school holidays at the time of my travels. The machine spits out a boarding pass on receipt paper.



Next I head to the bag drop. No hassle at all. My bag is scanned by the machine and it heads into the system. I am printed a receipt with my bag details.



After clearing immigration, I walk up the escalators to the Kris Flyer Gold Lounge.



The lounge just recently opened about two weeks earlier. It does not feel terribly spacious and frankly it looks a bit cheap compared to the business class lounge. Maybe my standards are just quite high. It was very busy that time of night making it feel a bit stuffy and cramped when I first entered, but I eventually ignored the crowds. However, it's still a nice place to spend the next hour and I was able to find a seat in a semi-occupied part of the lounge.

[RedEyeflight]

The food selection is mostly a local affair. There is only one food station with drinks available in glass refrigerators at the side.



There is also this pretty cool wine dispenser.



There is a much quieter part of the lounge tucked away in the rear.



Showers are available in this lounge.



Less than an hour before departure time I head to gate A1 which is not much of a walk to get to.

[RedEyeflight]

Boarding commences slightly after midnight. Our aircraft for this 12.5 hour flight is 9V-SMO an A350-900 delivered to SQ in June 2017.



Cabin during boarding. It is a full flight tonight. Every seat is occupied. I am seated next to a rather chatty Danish man going home from a holiday in the Philippines. We talk about a variety of topics, but I learn about his views towards the high level of taxes in Denmark and the social welfare state.



Screens prior to the safety video.

It goes without saying that hot towels were never handed out. I do miss these dearly and look forward to the day when SQ can hygienically distribute these again. You can definitely feel the difference on a long flight without the towels.

Care Kits have also been removed at this point. Flight attendants only dawn masks and are no longer wearing eye-shields.



We take a long taxi past the idle T5 construction site to Changi's newly opened third runway 02R/20L. You might be able to see the outline of Terminal 2 in the background.



Dinner is served within an hour of take-off. I chose the Noodles with Chicken. Appetisers have been removed. I believe this has been the case for a while. I'm not sure if I would prefer high quality disposable cutlery and an appetiser or metal cutlery and no appetisers. If this is the trade-off, I suppose the market prefers the latter. Overall, the meal is quite good. My Danish neighbour is quite impressed with Udders ice cream. Afterwards, I settle in for some sleep.

NOTE that for this sector it escaped my mind to take screenshots of the online menu thinking they would still be available after the flight. Sadly, they were not. Unfortunately I won't be displaying the food options for this sector and will only show the selections I made. I do remember that for both meals it was a choice between a Western dish and an Asian dish, which is quite common on SQ on these European sectors. I will display menus for the CPH-SIN sector on SQ351.

[RedEyeflight]

The flight is somewhat longer as the aircraft has to avoid Afghan, Russian and Ukrainian air space. The air show still shows the old routing over Russia, although it is continuously adjusted throughout the flight.


The cabin wakes up about 2.5 hours before landing.


I chose the Western dish for breakfast. It was Chicken Sausage with Eggs and Green Beans. The meal was satisfactory.


Before we begin our descent, the sun comes up bright and shining.



Landing in CPH provides you a view of the Oresund Bridge connecting Copenhagen, Denmark with Malmö, Sweden.

[RedEyeflight]

SAS land


We park at the far side of the C-pier next to a TG B77W from BKK.


Disembarking in CPH. It is a long walk to passport control.


I bid farewell to my Danish seat-mate at immigration. There are extremely long queues. However, they move quickly and I am stamped in within 20 minutes.

[RedEyeflight]

Here are an assortment of pictures from weekend in Copenhagen. This is my second time in the city.

First meal in Copenhagen. I opt to have brunch in Vesterbro (the hipster neighbourhood) at a cafe called Mad & Kaffe. Fresh off the flight, I was the only person who wore a mask. Eventually, I decide to forget about mask-wearing. Reported cases are quite low in both Denmark and Sweden, and things are essentially back to normal.



A mural in Vesterbro...



I am lucky to be in the city during a very sunny weekend. It was a great time for a stroll up the harbour...



The Little Mermaid soaked in sunlight...



Several buildings throughout the city fly the Ukrainian flag, in solidarity I suppose. Then there is this van I spotted...

[RedEyeflight]

Nyhavn was quite crowded that day...


Superkilen Cultural Park...



More brunch...



Louisiana Art Museum outside Copenhagen with views of the Swedish coast...



Original timber-framed house that survived the Copenhagen fires...

[RedEyeflight]

Final brunch before leaving Denmark...



I emerge from the Metro at Copenhagen Central Station greeted by Danish and Ukrainian flags...



Today I am taking the Øresundståg, which translates into Oresund Train. Its name is a combination of Øresund in Danish for the straits that divide Sweden and Denmark, and Ståg which is Swedish for train. These services are jointly operated by DSB (Danish state railway company) and SJ Oresund (Swedish rail operator for the Oresund region). The trains operate within the trans-border region of Denmark and Sweden.

A network map can be found here: https://www.oresundstag.se/reseinfo/tidtabeller/



Unfortunately, I am unable to capture our train pulling up to the platform. This is because I realise that only the first three cars are going to Gothenburg. Indeed, the train is split up along our journey. I caution you to pay attention to the platform screens to board the right section of train for your journey when travelling on the Øresundståg.

All seats however come in a 4-seat configuration facing each other with a table in the middle. This means it can be quite awkward to share your journey with strangers. Thankfully, the nordic culture is one where you mind your own business and avoid eye-contact. So even though there were passengers seated beside me and across from me, I never felt intruded on. The train also has on-board wifi and each cluster of seats have power outlets.



After leaving Copenhagen Airport station the train immediately heads to the Oresund Bridge. Many people commute daily between Copenhagen and Malmö, as housing prices are cheaper in the latter...

[RedEyeflight]

Making landfall in Sweden. And we are welcomed by these solar panels...



After we arrive in Sweden, there is an announcement about a passport check. However, no police officers are in sight and we are soon on our way...

The train passes along the coast at various places and offers some beautiful scenery...







90km outside of Gothenburg our train comes to an abrupt stop. The lights and air conditioning come off. Announcements are made in Swedish only, so I surmise that there is a problem and the train has to be re-started. There is a British lady seated in front of me who is equally confused. She is making a phone call using the on-board wifi and can't continue talking. 15 minutes later the lights come on and we are moving again.

Suddenly, two stations later, another set of announcements in Swedish are made. Everyone is grabbing their bags and getting off the train. Turns out the train will not make it to Gothenburg and we are shifted to a waiting commuter train that will take us the rest of the way. I am standing and holding my suitcase for the remaining journey. As I am tired and a bit bewildered I do not photograph the ordeal. We arrive in Gothenburg about 20 minutes behind schedule.

[RedEyeflight]

Photographs of Gothenburg...



Bike and pedestrian lanes in a leafy street island in the city centre...



A walk through the Botanical Gardens...


City waterfront...



As part of the work trip, we were taken on a boat ride around the Gothenburg archipelago. On the boat we were served a lovely meal of Swedish holiday food including salmon. herring, caviar pizza, cream cheesecake, etc.

[RedEyeflight]

My plate after finishing my meal...



Entering Gothenburg city...



View of the city...


Vintage M29 trams in Gothenburg still in regular service. These trams are from the 1960s and 70s, and look like they were inspired by the PCC Streetcars in the US...



I also had the opportunity to experience many rounds of Fika on this work trip. These are 30 minute work breaks usually at 10am and 3pm mandated by law for all Swedish workers. Different sandwiches and pastries were served, but the most classic are these cinnamon buns. Tea and coffee are also provided, and everyone is expected to partake and socialise. I quite appreciated these breaks. It was a good time to get to know people and to exchange ideas.

[RedEyeflight]

Final view of Gothenburg before leaving by train to Stockholm...


Gothenburg Central Station...



My MTRX train...


Passengers wait at the side for the doors to be opened...


This train makes several stops and takes about 3.5 hours. MTRX is a subsidiary of MTR nordic (MTR is the public transport operator of HK)...

[RedEyeflight]

Seats come in 2-2 configuration and are quite ergonomical...



Seat pitch is quite generous too. Sadly there are no power points although free wi-fi is available...


Tray table...



Rubbish bags are provided by the side...



Rest of the train cabin...

[RedEyeflight]

We pass mostly agricultural land on the way to Stockholm...



Stopping outside Gothenburg...



More scenery on the way...





First time in Stockholm and my first meal...