Homeward Bound on SQ34 &SE Asia Travel - Limited Photography

[RedEyeflight]

Greetings. It's been a while since I've posted something on this forum. There's been some travel I've missed out on writing a trip report in these last two years namely domestic travel in the states such as Nashville and upstate New York, as well as Australia and Hong Kong. After spending more than 2 years in the US, I'm moving home to Singapore. In this TR, I report on my flight from San Francisco to Singapore on SQ33 and regional travel I make in Southeast Asia once I return. While I had intended to write a full TR on SQ33, I succumbed to exhaustion for most of the flight so you will have to rely on my written account.

[Note the error in the title, it should read "Homeward bound on SQ33..."]

Flight: SQ 33
Aircraft: A350-900 (9V-SMY)
Origin: San Francisco (SFO)
Destination: Singapore (SIN)
Class: Premium Economy
Date: December 2024

I pull up to the curb at the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport. Before this I say goodbye to my apartment in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood. My roommate helps me with my luggage and I call an Uber to the airport. Once at the airport, there is some construction going on at the exterior of the building and my driver becomes eager to find a place to drop me off as much of the curb area is cordoned off for construction.





Departure hall of the international terminal. I quite like the international terminal. While already 20 years old, the facility appears to have aged gracefully.



I am at check-in more than two hours before departure. Lines form at check-in.

[RedEyeflight]

Security lines are incredibly thin and I am airside in less than 10 minutes.

FIDS once airside.



G-gates is the western pier of the international terminal where United and some Star Alliance partners depart from.



As I am nursing a sprained toe, I decide not to walk too far to find something to eat. As I will learn later, there are a variety of Asian eating places further into the concourse. Unfortunately, I settle on a typical American airport terminal bar, which was the first restaurant I came across.





Limited menu. My choice of fish and chips is not available.



Chicken salad and leek soup.

[RedEyeflight]

With more than an hour left to departure, I headed to the gate. The terminal was semi-full with many passengers bound for UA flights in that part of the terminal.



Our gate for tonight's flight G8 at the end of the pier.



9V-SMY, a 5-year old A350, being readied for a long haul across the Pacific.



Gate area was mostly empty and we did not begin boarding until 30 minutes before departure.



Boarding begins quite close to departure time and passengers began forming queues before announcements were made.

[RedEyeflight]

So this is where things fell apart. When I got to my seat, I started chatting with my seat neighbor who was a Singaporean woman who was also half-ang moh. I became so engrossed in my conversation that I decided I would not continue the report. I succumbed to the pain in my toe and general exhaustion, and took a sleeping pill and slept for most of the flight. But I have to say the crew on this flight were impeccable. I had ordered a special meal and when it came to me, I felt it was too spicy to consume before sleep. The crew were very obliging and gave me a main course from business class. When it came to breakfast, the crew again asked me how I felt about the meal and replaced my mains with two entrees from the economy class meal. There were 2 meals on this flight, a dinner and a breakfast, as the flight arrives before dawn at Changi, as well as a selection of wraps and sandwiches available mid-flight.

Meal portions in premium economy have improved significantly with large starters and increased main portions. I was relieved when we were given metal cutlery. I had flown on SQ37 (LAX-SIN) a year ago, and we were handed plastic cutlery because the caterer had failed to prepare metal utensils. Menu cards were distributed in PEY but I am unsure if they were also available in Y. The crew gave me a beef lasagna to replace my main for dinner, and an omelette and noodles - two separate Y mains - to replace my PEY breakfast main. Dinner was served after take-off. However, breakfast was served 5 hours prior to landing, after which cabin lights were again turned off to allow passengers to sleep. Mid-flight and prior to landing the crew came around with the aforesaid wraps and sandwiches. This marked a significant improvement from my SQ37 experience as crew only offered scheduled meals and did not proactively distribute snacks mid-flight. I awoke 2.5 hours before landing and watched a few TV episodes before landing. Krisworld selection is vast.

Flight time was 16 hours and 45 minutes. The aircraft flew westward and in darkness the whole way, avoiding Russian airspace. It flew over the Pacific the entire way until it reached the Philippines. We landed at 5.30am on the usual 02L. It was a quick taxi to our arrival gate B5 at T3.

As I left the aircraft, I retrieved a jacket the crew had hung for me during the flight. I bid farewell to my seat neighbor. Immigration was effortless even though there were several long-haul flights arriving at that time of morning. Our baggage carousel was off the moment I arrived at the belt and I waited a few minutes before it powered on to deliver bags.

Cabin after take-off from SFO. This proved to be a bumpy take-off and it took a while before seat belt signs were turned off.

[RedEyeflight]

Having been in Singapore for several days, I decide to take a short day trip to KL. It had been more than 6 years since I had been to Malaysia, and more than a decade since visiting KL. I was curious if anything had changed and saw it as an opportunity to test out Seletar Airport and MH. I had not flown on the latter for more than a decade as well and I was again curious how the once mighty MAS was now holding up. I booked my flights days in advance and found a cheap business class ticket on MH for RM 950 (~280 SGD).

Flight: FY 3125
Aircraft: ATR 72-500 (9M-FYG)
Origin: Singapore-Seletar (XSP)
Destination: Kuala Lumpur-Subang (SZB)
Class: N/A
Date: December 2024

I arrive at Seletar Airport at 8am, with slightly more than an hour before my flight.



Terminal is small and has a homey feel to it. The landside departure area consists of this living room-like lounge and a coffee shop (behind), as well as an adjacent check-in area. Departure and arrival areas are separated by a corridor and a courtyard.


A handful of counters but no lines at check-in. I appreciate the carpeting which again contributes to a cozy feeling.





FIDS at XSP with many destinations one can fly to.

[SQ218]

Good read. Thanks for sharing RedEyeflight

[RedEyeflight]

Good read. Thanks for sharing RedEyeflight

Thank you SQ218. It's been a pleasure writing this TR so far

[RedEyeflight]

Once beyond immigration, there's only a seating area. No shops or anything.



Boarding began 20 minutes before departure. The mics sounded so unintelligible, fortunately there was only one flight to board.



Quick walk to the aircraft. There are two stands for aircraft at the passenger terminal. Both look like they're only capable of handling turbo-props and small jet aircraft.



9M-FYG



Classic 2-2 ATR-500 cabin. Leather seats with red and black upholstery.

[RedEyeflight]

Seat pitch is incredibly tight. I am 5'11 or 180 cm for reference. Acceptable for this short hop to SZB. Flight time is announced to be 1 hour and 30 minutes. I am initially surprised but I resign to my predicament. Luckily the seats behind me are empty and my seat neighbour moves after take-off. The cabin is only 60% full, with most of the forward cabin empty.



We pushback on time and the engines roar to life. The pilots then quickly taxi to the runway. There is a QF Link A320 in the ST hangar opposite the runway.




We experience a powerful take-off and within seconds of being airborne we are over Johor.



The crew come around offering cookies and water. I opt for just the water.

Firefly branded mineral water.



I searched the seat pocket and was surprised to find the 'Going Places' MH magazine.



There was also a pamphlet advertising FY's online store of FY-branded items and model airplanes.

[RedEyeflight]

Slightly over an hour later we reached the outskirts of KL.



On final approach to SZB



Turning into the ramp at the Skypark Terminal. I noticed the 738 parked among the turboprops, an indication of the resumption of jet service to the airport.



Disembarkation doesn't take long as I'm seated closer to the door located at the rear of the aircraft. Immigration is hassle-free as we are the only arriving flight. I complete immigration and customs formalities in under 10 minutes with no bags to collect. My immigration officer has a 'Tg' on their name tag and I wonder if that means 'Tengku'?



I call a Grab and first head to a bookstore in Petaling Jaya. Next I head to lunch at Knowhere Bangsar.



As a transport enthusiast, I spend a good 1.5 hours riding public transport. KL has an impressive rail system, lines are mostly integrated but ticketing can be problematic because machines only sell you single trip tickets and do not dispense day passes, and most do not have the ability to top up cards.

I then head to 'River of Life', an effort to clean up the rivers in the city and create a walkable riverfront.

I chanced upon a pocket park nearby which was a nice respite.





I walked over to REX KL to see the famous bookstore.

[RedEyeflight]

Flight: MH 609
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (9M-MXM)
Origin: Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Destination: Singapore (SIN)
Class: Business
Date: December 2024

After a quick dinner of extremely tender beef and shallots at a Chinese Muslim restaurant, I head to KLIA for my flight back to Singapore. Once at KL Sentral I use the kiosks to purchase a ticket on the KLIA Express. The train ride is quick and soon I am at KL's main airport.

I take an escalator up to the departure hall. There are no lines for business class check-in. I am checked in quickly and head airside. I am promptly let out of Malaysia via the autogates.

Headed downstairs to pick-up the shuttle bus to the satellite terminal and use MAS' flagship lounge for the next 3 hours.




The lounge affords some nice views of the tarmac.




Food selection is fairly diverse and had an intimate feeling.










There is also a vegetarian section.





FIDS in the lounge showing of course MH departures, but also OW and codeshares, including SQ!


I leave the lounge slightly under an hour to departure and head back to the main terminal. As I head back to the shuttle bus, there is a separate queue for first and business class passengers. I follow the signs and it leads me to a separate area with private minivans and luxury cars. An attendant sees my MH boarding pass and I am directed to a private BMW.



Once at the main terminal I am confused by the signs. An airport police officer in a hijab directs me upstairs. When I get to the gate it is not open. I am a bit flustered thinking it had already closed. A security officer brushes me aside and tells me to "sit down first!" There are many pesky Singaporeans on this flight.

[RedEyeflight]

Boarded 9M-MXM a B738 that has yet to be refurbished. Blankets and pillows were provided for this short 45 minute hop.



Old narrow-body business class. Cabin was in good condition, which wasn't always the case with MAS back in the B734 days.





Hot towels and welcome drinks were offered, a choice between juice and water, and I choose the water.





Pushback occurs early. The new safety video is played. Creative, but felt cringy to me.

There is congestion leaving KUL and we take-off 35 minutes behind schedule.

Meal service is promptly started consisting of a choice between Roti Jala (Roti Kirai) or a crabstick sandwich.

Meal tray consists of main - crabstick sandwich - two packs of peanuts and a piece of chocolate.



Meals are cleared 15 minutes later and we start our descent into SIN. We land on the usual 02L and it is a lengthy taxi to our arrival gate E6 in T2.

The crew have been quite friendly on this flight. They thank J passengers by name as they leave the aircraft.

Long walk to immigration. The terminal is deserted at 1am in the morning. I have no bags to collect and I'm in the backseat of a taxi by 1.10am.

[RedEyeflight]

Final thoughts on my day trip to Kuala Lumpur:

FY was very functional. XSP is again functional but pleasant to use. The small size of the terminal means one can save time arriving at the airport before their flight. I was pleasantly surprised with MAS. I had seen videos on YouTube about how they have improved. My encounters with staff were cordial and the overall lounge experience and onboard product aligned with what I had expected for the price I paid for the ticket. The lounge in KLIA does feel a bit dated but still a comfortable and visually-pleasing place to unwind. Going forward, I will not pay more than 200 SGD for a 45 minute flight from KUL even on SQ. This was a standalone experience in the name of aviation research, although it might be interesting to try out their J products on longer flights.

KL has changed, as do all places. Tourists and expats have returned and the overall economy feels on the upturn. Grab has made the transport experience much easier and eliminated the need to haggle with taxi drivers.

[RedEyeflight]

Mabuhay! In this last section of the TR, I will write about my quick trip to Manila. Having never been to the Philippines and living in Southern California these last two years, I take a trip to the Pilipinas to soak in the history of the country's capital.

Flight: SQ 916
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10 (9V-SCR)
Origin: Singapore
Destination: Manila
Class: Economy
Date: January 2025

I walk into Terminal 2 for my afternoon flight to MNL.



Check-in via the automated kiosks.



This is my first time departing from the renovated T2. A Certis police officer checks my boarding pass. The autogate scans my face and without retrieving my passport, I exit Singapore.

With about 45 minutes to kill I head to the foodcourt located at the viewing gallery. Construction equipment occupy the whole central apron, which appears to be undergoing renovation of some kind. The new terminal has been spruced up but there are still remnants of the old. If there's one thing iconic about Changi it has to be the copious use of greenery.




Gate for today is D41 in T1. This requires taking the Skytrain along the old T2-T1 route.

9V-SCR being readied after arriving late from PER as SQ224.

[RedEyeflight]

Boarding commences about 10 minutes to departure time. As a KFES member I am given priority boarding after Gold.



I head to the back of the plane to 64A. I have the whole row to myself for the flight.



Regional 787 seatback.



32 inches of pitch is a bit tight. But it feels somewhat roomy on this flight probably because no one is sitting next to me.



Dreary afternoon in SIN. Boarding is completed 15 minutes after departure time and we pushback shortly thereafter. Flight time is 3 hours and 5 minutes.


Hot towels are handed out.



Safety video is shown.