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TR INDEX
Index
INTRODUCTION
It is now the end of 2022, and there's finally some normalcy in travel in many parts of the world. Certainly in Singapore, with the relaxation of COVID restrictions, there has been a significant reopening, and a surge in travel, now without the hassle of COVID tests and, for the most part, without the need for masks.
As late as mid 2021, the entire SQ A380 fleet remained grounded, and many in the industry were questioning whether there was a future for the A380. I wondered if I would ever fly a 4-holer again. What a difference a year or so makes. Now airlines from BA to QR are all pressing their A380's back into service to cope with the surging demand in air travel.
It was great to once again experience the smooth, silent, majesty of an A380 in flight...
Mrs yflyer and I recently flew from Singapore to Frankfurt on SQ26 in A380 Biz. We then spent 2 weeks travelling through Portugal: To Porto, Lisbon and Funchal, on the island of Madeira, travelling on TAP, then spending a couple of days in Frankfurt before returning home on SQ25, with myself in business class, and Mrs yflyer experiencing the new SQ A380 Suites for the first time.
The trip was planned waaaaaayyyyy in advance, at the time when airfares were still reasonable (Airfares to many destinations are just nuts right now), and many of our flights were Krisflyer redemptions, redeemed just before the most recent 10% Krisflyer devaluation kicked in, in August 2022. Still, it was a ton of points redeemed, including an Advantage redemption for Mrs yflyer's Suites ticket for the FRA-SIN sector.
I was really happy to be on the A380 again, and also elated to be able to try SQ's current A380 Business Class product, the so called "Monocoque" seat, for the very first time.
We decided on a trip to Portugal because I had gone to Lisbon for work in 2019, and had found it so beautiful and memorable that I decided that I had to bring Mrs yflyer there for a holiday at some point.
Our first stop in Portugal was Porto, an achingly beautiful city, now changing and developing rapidly to cater to a huge influx of tourists, but at this time, still very authentic...
...with a romantic, "frozen in time" feeling in the old town that one simply didn't get in many European cities these days...
We then headed to Lisbon...
...where the highlight of our trip, in culinary terms, was lunch at the chef's table at Belcanto, one of Portugal's most celebrated restaurants.
Our lunch there was almost a vacation within a vacation. The meal took us on a flight of fancy unlike anything Mrs yflyer and I had ever experienced.
Our next stop was Funchal, on the island of Madeira.
"In the interest of full disclosure...", I explained to Mrs yflyer, some weeks after booking the trip, "...Funchal airport is supposed to be one of the most challenging airports for pilots to land at..."
I thought I saw Mrs yflyer heave a deep sigh, but she was unfazed...after more than 2 decades of marriage, she knew me well and probably expected this sort of thing from me...
"But there's nothing to worry about!", I continued, "They haven't had a bad accident in 45 years..."
Funchal, the largest city on the island of Madeira, part of Portugal, was not previously on our radar of holiday destinations, but I had recently watched an episode of the BBC's Amazing Hotels series, which featured Reid's Palace hotel in Madeira, and it looked to be an amazing place to check out.
Besides, a white knuckle landing at FNC was reason enough for me to head to Madeira...
In the event, Madeira blew us both away. It was an amazingly beautiful island, with lots to see, do and eat. Reid's Palace lived up to the hype as well. We only stayed there for one night, but it was heavenly. I think every hotel we stay in from this point forward will be compared to this benchmark. One does not need this level of luxury every day (Indeed the next day, we moved to a different hotel which made a far smaller dent in our budget), but to experience it briefly, for one night, was priceless.
"I want to head back there again", was Mrs yflyer's verdict...
It was also great to be travelling in Europe while the World Cup was in progress. Everywhere we went, whenever World Cup matches were on, screens in public places, whether parks or restaurants and bars, would be screening the matches live, not least in Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo's home town.
When Portugal was playing, the city of Funchal essentially came to a standstill, with everyone watching their favourite son, CR7, on the screens, whether in parks, or just standing in the street watching a nearby screen.
Our last stop was Frankfurt, which had a very festive, Christmassy feel, with Christmas markets all open and very busy.
And then it was time to fly home, with Mrs yflyer happily ensconced in Suite 1F on SQ26 FRA-SIN, and me a little further back, in 11K, the first row of business class.
"You need to take lots of photos", I told Mrs yflyer...
"Can't we both be in Suites?" she asked, when I first booked the tickets.
"Nope, not enough points. Besides, I already tried Suites from Sydney to Singapore. It's your turn now..."
Besides, I told her, by the time she stepped into the Suite, she wouldn't miss me one bit...
All that (and a few runs...) coming up shortly...
Index
INTRODUCTION
It is now the end of 2022, and there's finally some normalcy in travel in many parts of the world. Certainly in Singapore, with the relaxation of COVID restrictions, there has been a significant reopening, and a surge in travel, now without the hassle of COVID tests and, for the most part, without the need for masks.
As late as mid 2021, the entire SQ A380 fleet remained grounded, and many in the industry were questioning whether there was a future for the A380. I wondered if I would ever fly a 4-holer again. What a difference a year or so makes. Now airlines from BA to QR are all pressing their A380's back into service to cope with the surging demand in air travel.
It was great to once again experience the smooth, silent, majesty of an A380 in flight...
Mrs yflyer and I recently flew from Singapore to Frankfurt on SQ26 in A380 Biz. We then spent 2 weeks travelling through Portugal: To Porto, Lisbon and Funchal, on the island of Madeira, travelling on TAP, then spending a couple of days in Frankfurt before returning home on SQ25, with myself in business class, and Mrs yflyer experiencing the new SQ A380 Suites for the first time.
The trip was planned waaaaaayyyyy in advance, at the time when airfares were still reasonable (Airfares to many destinations are just nuts right now), and many of our flights were Krisflyer redemptions, redeemed just before the most recent 10% Krisflyer devaluation kicked in, in August 2022. Still, it was a ton of points redeemed, including an Advantage redemption for Mrs yflyer's Suites ticket for the FRA-SIN sector.
I was really happy to be on the A380 again, and also elated to be able to try SQ's current A380 Business Class product, the so called "Monocoque" seat, for the very first time.
We decided on a trip to Portugal because I had gone to Lisbon for work in 2019, and had found it so beautiful and memorable that I decided that I had to bring Mrs yflyer there for a holiday at some point.
Our first stop in Portugal was Porto, an achingly beautiful city, now changing and developing rapidly to cater to a huge influx of tourists, but at this time, still very authentic...
...with a romantic, "frozen in time" feeling in the old town that one simply didn't get in many European cities these days...
We then headed to Lisbon...
...where the highlight of our trip, in culinary terms, was lunch at the chef's table at Belcanto, one of Portugal's most celebrated restaurants.
Our lunch there was almost a vacation within a vacation. The meal took us on a flight of fancy unlike anything Mrs yflyer and I had ever experienced.
Our next stop was Funchal, on the island of Madeira.
"In the interest of full disclosure...", I explained to Mrs yflyer, some weeks after booking the trip, "...Funchal airport is supposed to be one of the most challenging airports for pilots to land at..."
I thought I saw Mrs yflyer heave a deep sigh, but she was unfazed...after more than 2 decades of marriage, she knew me well and probably expected this sort of thing from me...
"But there's nothing to worry about!", I continued, "They haven't had a bad accident in 45 years..."
Funchal, the largest city on the island of Madeira, part of Portugal, was not previously on our radar of holiday destinations, but I had recently watched an episode of the BBC's Amazing Hotels series, which featured Reid's Palace hotel in Madeira, and it looked to be an amazing place to check out.
Besides, a white knuckle landing at FNC was reason enough for me to head to Madeira...
In the event, Madeira blew us both away. It was an amazingly beautiful island, with lots to see, do and eat. Reid's Palace lived up to the hype as well. We only stayed there for one night, but it was heavenly. I think every hotel we stay in from this point forward will be compared to this benchmark. One does not need this level of luxury every day (Indeed the next day, we moved to a different hotel which made a far smaller dent in our budget), but to experience it briefly, for one night, was priceless.
"I want to head back there again", was Mrs yflyer's verdict...
It was also great to be travelling in Europe while the World Cup was in progress. Everywhere we went, whenever World Cup matches were on, screens in public places, whether parks or restaurants and bars, would be screening the matches live, not least in Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo's home town.
When Portugal was playing, the city of Funchal essentially came to a standstill, with everyone watching their favourite son, CR7, on the screens, whether in parks, or just standing in the street watching a nearby screen.
Our last stop was Frankfurt, which had a very festive, Christmassy feel, with Christmas markets all open and very busy.
And then it was time to fly home, with Mrs yflyer happily ensconced in Suite 1F on SQ26 FRA-SIN, and me a little further back, in 11K, the first row of business class.
"You need to take lots of photos", I told Mrs yflyer...
"Can't we both be in Suites?" she asked, when I first booked the tickets.
"Nope, not enough points. Besides, I already tried Suites from Sydney to Singapore. It's your turn now..."
Besides, I told her, by the time she stepped into the Suite, she wouldn't miss me one bit...
All that (and a few runs...) coming up shortly...
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