Steak, Bed and Breakfast on SQ16 ICN-SFO (Seat 11K)

[yflyer]

It was time to fold down the seat into bed mode. This was where being seated row 11 made a difference.

Once folded down, you had a flat, and very comfortable sleeping berth to spend the night.





There was a soft cushioned layer several centimeters thick, which made for a comfortable sleeping surface.



There was still a notch in the back of the seat, and it is not the longest J seat available, but I had ample space to find a comfortable sleeping position.



I slept soundly, and through the night...

[yflyer]

I was roused from slumber for breakfast...





Breakfast began with a plate of fruit...



I opted for corn flakes next...



For my main dish, the charming Singapore Girl serving my section of the cabin recommended the poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce...



This was a wonderful dish. The poached egg yolks were still runny, which is the way I love this dish...



I ended with a cup of freshly brewed espresso...

[yflyer]

We approached the West Coast of the USA...



I headed to the washroom to freshen up...



Toiletries from L'Occitane were available, as were shaving kits and toothbrushes...

[yflyer]

There was a layer of cloud cover over San Francisco as we approached SFO...



This was a very uniform layer of low cloud that day, hanging like a soft carpet over San Francisco.

Fast forwarding a few hours in time for the next picture, this is a view of the cloud cover seen from ground level a few hours later after I landed, when I headed to the Golden Gate Bridge area for a run. The upper part of the Golden Gate Bridge was still totally obscured by the layer of cloud...



...

Back on the TR timeline, continuing our descent into SFO, our Triple Seven banked towards San Jose, in order to join the long line of aircraft on final approach to SFO from the south.

There were great views of the Bay Area as we descended for landing...



In the picture above you can just make out SFO in the distance, under the wing of the aircraft.

Here is a view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir and the I-280 Freeway to the right of the reservoir, just south of San Francisco.



Further south, I also had great views of Moffett Field, a Federal Airfield notable for the 3 large dirigible/blimp hangars dating from the 1930's and 40's. Hangar One was built in the 1930's, of which only the metal skeleton remains. This is the large hangar on the right of the picture. Hangars 2 and 3, on the left, were built at the start of World War II to house anti-submarine blimps.



A close-up view of Hangars 2 and 3...



We also flew by San Jose International Airport (SJC) as we turned into the approach path for SFO...

[yflyer]

We joined the long line of aircraft landing in SFO, where I had nice views of the Oakland Bay Bridge and parts of the SF skyline as we landed...



A little more plane-spotting as we taxi'ed to the gate after landing...

A UA 757, looking sleek and fast even while stationary...



A United Express Embraer turbo-prop...



An SFO 767 apparently used for safety training. Wonder if this plane still flies...



[Update: I just learnt that this 767 is an ex-ANA aircraft, that is now used for static safety training at SFO. A youtube video on this aircraft can be found here.]

On that day, the immigration gods were smiling, and we were first off the plane into an empty immigration and customs area. I was out of customs in minutes.

Here is a final picture of 9V-SWB parked at the gate, taken from the airtrain to the Rental Car Center...

[stargold]

A very nice report, even despite the fact that we are all very familiar with the product.

And good to see that ICN seems to be upping their game for catering. My past experiences have generally been pretty... average at best, so I hope to be surprised when I next fly ex-ICN.

Thank you

[yflyer]

Overall impressions?

I felt this was another near flawless experience on SQ.

My SIN-ICN sector in Y had ticks in all the boxes for hard product, catering and cabin service.

I thought both cabin service and hard product in J on ICN-SFO were spectacular.

The hard product on the 77W is still great, although it has been around for several years.

SQ's cabin crew continue to shine...warm, gracious and engaging (I've found this to be the case whatever class of travel I am in, whether J or Y...).

I have not flown SQ F in a very long time, but after this experience in J, I could not help thinking that the gap between SQ J and F is a very small one. In fact, I suspect the J catering on this flight could pass for F on many other airlines.

What could be better in J? Perhaps a larger and more varied wine selection, more upmarket cheeses. An amenity kit maybe ()? Cheaper airfares? ()

But at least in terms of inflight experience, which is what this TR is about, I think SQ have not just got the fundamentals of a great J (and Y) experience right, they have also managed to differentiate their hard and soft product in ways that can only delight the customer.

Still my preferred way to fly!

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

A very nice report, even despite the fact that we are all very familiar with the product.

Thanks, stargold! Yes, I am waxing lyrical about something many of the regulars on this forum experience on a weekly basis ...

Now if only SQ would roll out more 77WNs...itching to try one of those...

[BerryFusion]

Very nice report, yflyer. I really enjoy reading your others too!

The poached eggs look amazing. Never had such a runny yoke on board! Did you request this?

[CarbonMan]

Another great report, yflyer! Never noticed the blimp hangars before.

You are right about the difference between J and F. The quality and size of the meal in J is more than adequate (except ex-DME!). In F, they add a soup in the 5-course meal, which means that a small eater like me cannot finish completely any of the courses - a bit of a waste. The beds are of course a tad wider but one still has to get up to get the seat into bed mode just like J.

[eminere™]

Another enjoyable flight report, thanks for posting!

[yflyer]

Very nice report, yflyer. I really enjoy reading your others too!

The poached eggs look amazing. Never had such a runny yoke on board! Did you request this?

Thanks, BerryFusion!

I didn't make a special request for the eggs, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the yolks were so runny.

[yflyer]

Another great report, yflyer! Never noticed the blimp hangars before.

You are right about the difference between J and F. The quality and size of the meal in J is more than adequate (except ex-DME!). In F, they add a soup in the 5-course meal, which means that a small eater like me cannot finish completely any of the courses - a bit of a waste. The beds are of course a tad wider but one still has to get up to get the seat into bed mode just like J.

Thanks, CarbonMan!

I first noticed the blimp hangars while driving along the freeway towards San Jose on a previous trip, as they are quite distinctive and unusual. Since then I've always looked out for them when I am flying over the area.

Perhaps catering at DME is more geared towards Russian tastebuds! Are portions smaller out of DME than elsewhere? I've never flown to/through DME. Never been to Russia, in fact. Politics aside, it is a place I am keen to visit, though...

[yflyer]

Another enjoyable flight report, thanks for posting!

Thanks, eminere!

[Pinkfloyd]

Cheers for the TR!