SQ SIN-LHR/CDG-SIN in Y: Concorde Spotting, Ibis Hotels, and Runs in Reading and CDG

[yflyer]

It was glorious summer weather in the UK while I was there. Sunny, but punctuated by occasional rain showers.

When the sun was out, it was simply beautiful.



Reading (Rhymes with "bedding"...) is a bustling town just west of London. The River Thames runs along the north of the town, while the River Kennet, which connects to the Thames, runs through it's centre.

This meant that there were ample wonderful running routes along both these rivers.

On this occasion, I chose to run along the River Thames, which is very different in character in this part of the country, compared to the section of the Thames that runs through London.

The Thames was just over 1km north of the Ibis. I began at the Hotel, and ran through the town to the bank of the Thames, and proceeded along it's picturesque bank before heading back the way I came, for a very pleasant 8+ km run.



The town itself is pleasant enough, though it isn't one of those picturesque towns that attract coach loads of tourists...



A lot of the real beauty in Reading is probably found along the rivers, and the parks and green spaces around Berkshire.



By the bank of the Thames, there was a path which was well used by people out on their evening stroll, walking their dogs, running or cycling. The waterway itself was quite busy with boats and canoes.



This was a great walking / running route, with a lot of natural beauty...







The skies turned grey towards the mid point of my run, and it began to rain on my return leg, however the rain in the UK is nothing like the monsoon thunderstorms that we get here. The rainfall remained light, and while it was began to get a little cold and wet, it was quite bearable, and still preferable to running in Singapore heat.

[yflyer]

My trip was planned at the last minute. As the trip took place during the summer peak period, most flights from London to Singapore on SQ were chock full, as were flights from many other European destinations to Singapore.

I was waitlisted for a seat on SQ on the AMS-SIN sector (Operated by the A350), but that did not clear in time, and the only option available, although admittedly an attractive one, was CDG-SIN on SQ335, an A380 service with a departure time of 12pm.

I caught a BA flight from LHR to CDG the night before, and booked the Ibis Styles Paris CDG Airport Roissy for a night's stay before flying out.

Ibis has three sub-brands: The regular Ibis (Red Logo), Ibis Styles (Green logo), and Ibis Budget (Blue logo). The Reading Ibis was an example of the "regular" Ibis.

According to the Ibis website, Ibis Styles has more of a "designer" feel, with a distinctive theme in some hotels, as well as an all-inclusive approach to breakfast and wifi.

The CDG Ibis Styles was the first Styles property that I stayed in. Note that there are two Ibis Styles in CDG. Just one word separates the two: "Ibis Styles Paris CDG Airport Roissy" vs "Hotel ibis Styles Paris Roissy CDG". But these are two completely different hotels. And this is in additional to all the OTHER Ibis hotels at CDG. A recipe for total confusion for the unprepared!

But of course I was prepared... and made my way to the right hotel via CDG's complimentary peoplemover and shuttle bus after landing in CDG after an uneventful flight from LHR.

[yflyer]

This was a very new hotel, with a sci-fi theme.





The room itself was smallish and basic, but brand new, and very stylishly decorated with a Space theme.











A very nice room, one which I liked even more than the room in the Ibis Reading. I think I would even prefer this room to some of the older rooms in 5 star hotel chains.

Wifi and breakfast were all included, for a very attractive rate. What more could one ask for in a transit hotel?

[yflyer]

The next morning, I got up early to head outside for a run before my 12pm flight.

What running possibilities were there in a CDG airport hotel?

Not a lot, apparently. Given that the hotel was right smack in the middle of CDG, there were very limited footpaths or pedestrian walkways out of the immediate vicinity. The roads around CDG were vehicular traffic only.

Short of catching a bus to Roissy and jogging around the town there (No time for that, unfortunately), the friendly receptionist suggested jogging round the block, which was what some other guests did, although even that was a little risky as parts of the route had to be run on the road itself.

Hmmm...that would have to do. I headed outside...





The receptionist was right. There was literally nowhere to run except to do laps around the block.



This would be one of the least interesting runs ever...except for one thing...



Someone had decided to place an Air France Concorde on display on the CDG tarmac. It was right along the running route...

Brilliant! I jogged up to it, along the pavement, which unfortunately ended abruptly leaving me to stand either on the road or the grass verge.



A passing shuttle bus driver looked surprised to see me standing by the road and gesticulated to me, as if asking "What are you doing there?".

I continued my run around the block, passing other planes, this time actual operational aircraft taxi'ing along CDG's complex web of taxiways.





No, I didn't stray into a secure area by accident, all these aircraft around me were on the other side of the perimeter fence which enclosed the transit hotel and office block area that I was in.



Each lap around the block was 3+ kilometers. Part of the route was on pavement, other sections were on grass or on the road itself. I had to keep looking back to check for traffic. Thankfully traffic was fairly light.

I did 3 laps and a bit more...



...and here is a zoomed out view, showing where the hotel was in the context of the massive plot of land that CDG airport sits on...



If I had time, I would have taken a bus or taxi to Roissy, and gone for a run there, but I didn't have time. I had a plane to catch at noon...

All that space, but nowhere to run. I might as well have been on a desert island in the middle of the ocean...

[yflyer]

Back in the hotel, I indulged in the complimentary hotel breakfast before checking out...



The breakfast area was very busy earlier in the morning, but at the time I finally got there, the crowds had cleared.

A pretty respectable complimentary hotel breakfast...as long as you weren't expecting a Full English or an all encompassing Asian Hotel Breakfast Buffet Spread....



Cheese and cold cuts...



Fresh-squeezed orange juice...



After breakfast, I checked out and took the Peoplemover from the nearby station to CDG T1.

[yflyer]

CDG T1 is an iconic airport terminal with a unique design.



SQ uses the Star Alliance lounge in T1, which I have previously covered here. A decent lounge offering, although the catering and wine selection are less impressive than you would expect in one of the world's great food & wine cities.

At the boarding gate for my flight, I spotted the AF Concorde on display again, only this time, I was looking at it from the opposite direction, across the tarmac.

It looked even more impressive from this angle, seemingly about to take-off.

[yflyer]

Boarding was called...

The bulkhead row...



Economy cabin, in a very spacious 3-4-3 layout...



A380 Y cabin ambience...along with the 9-abreast 77W, the 10-abreast A380 cabin (and 8-abreast upper deck) really sets the standard for Y cabin comfort.



On the A380, the economy class cabin is still equipped with the 2006 Y product. This version of the Y seat was very good to start with, and has stood the test of time very gracefully. It remains a very comfortable way to fly, especially in the context of the massive Y cabin.

SQ's A380 Y checks all the right boxes: Good seat comfort and recline, AVOD Krisworld IFE, USB and A/C power, no underseat obstructions, adjustable footrest.

Of course, SQ's 77WN still has a slight edge, with even more comfortable 2013 Y seats, newer IFE, and time-based wifi (As opposed to data usage-based wifi on the A380).

[yflyer]

Beautiful views of the Alps not long after departure...





More scenic views of the valley below...

[yflyer]

Menu for the flight...







I chose the fried egg noodles...



The potato salad was tasty...



The noodles were good too...



Ice cream for dessert...

[yflyer]

The first part of this flight was flown during daylight hours...



Took this picture of an Aeroflot Airbus which crossed ahead of us at a lower altitude...



Along our flight path that day, we overflew Baku in Azerbaijan before crossing the Caspian Sea...



Regulars on SQTalk would remember an incident in 2014, where SQ Airbus A380 rego 9V-SKE operating SQ317 on 5 January experienced loss of cabin pressure and had to divert and land in Baku.

When I saw that we were overflying Baku, I scanned the landscape below for a glimpse of the international airport...



In the picture above, the international airport, with its distinctive, and very modern, 3-point shaped terminal (Shaped a little like those Polycom conference room phones), is just visible on the far right hand side of the frame.

There is another runway visible on the left side of the picture, but that is actually a military airbase, not the commercial airport.

[yflyer]

The 2nd half of the flight was flown in darkness...



Snacks onboard...





Once gain, I asked for cup noodles, although this was not listed on the menu, and they had these available!

[yflyer]

And just before arrival, a full hot breakfast...







We landed on time in Singapore...yet another smooth and comfortable flight on SQ's A380.

[yflyer]

Final reflections?

I had good flights both ways. SQ's Y hard product, catering, IFE and cabin service were top notch.

SQ offers a range of flight timings to and from London. Would I rather fly to London on an overnight sector or a daytime sector?

I would actually prefer an overnight sector. As long as the flight is non-stop, a late night 12-13 hour westbound departure to Europe usually means that I get to eat on the plane, then sleep for a good length of time, then wake up to either browse the IFE or use my computer. A late night flight makes a long sector like SIN-LHR feel a lot shorter than it actually is, since I am asleep for a lot of the time.

On the other hand, a daytime LHR flight like SQ318 is also wonderful on SQ because of the comfortable inflight experience, even in Y. In J or F, a daytime flight to LHR could be the perfect way to experience SQ's premium cabins. I suspect a daytime flight in F or J may even be more productive than a day in a noisy office cubicle. And of course there is the wonderful daytime view out the window. Why look at 3D maps on the IFE when an everchanging landscape is visible in real life below you?

What about Europe/UK to Singapore? I don't have a preference for return leg departure timing from a jetlag perspective, since eastbound flights are always a little trickier to adjust to. But an evening departure out of Europe does give you a full day to work or sightsee beforehand.

If I had to fly longhaul economy on SQ, and had a choice of equipment types, either 77WN/77WR or A380, which would I choose?

Both the 77WN/77WR and A380 are excellent for long haul travel: my main criteria in that case would actually be schedule/timing. But purely in terms of long haul comfort, my preference would be for the 77WN/77WR by a tiny margin because of the excellent 2013 Y seat and IFE and spacious 9-abreast layout.

Let's see if that ranking changes with SQ's upcoming A380 cabin revamp. I think the sheer spaciousness of the A380 cabin plus a new cabin product would hand the A380 back the lead. I have my fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading!

[banoffi]

great trip report! really enjoyed reading (haha.. pun not intended) it, partly cos it gives me a preview as to what to expect for my upcoming trip!

I am also flying SIN-LHR, then CDG-SIN. After reading this report, I went to check if I had chosen a seat on the right side of the plane for SQ306, and i did! Looking forward to those views, as it's my first time going to London.

[loldude333]

My own SQ318 experience matches yours, though I was in the 2006 F, so clearly we're talking more timings and schedule than hard/soft product.

I slept a moderate amount the night before SQ318 so i could have time to experience the cabin & service but also get some sleep, so the flight would feel a little shorter. Catching around 5h worth of naps in total, there was still plenty of time enjoy the meal service (and several glasses of Krug, of course ), IFE and the seat (though the 2013 seat is better in many ways). I was also seated on the right side of the plane (1F), and we took virtually the same approach, so the views were the same. Spectacular! When i got to London, i had virtually no jetlag, which was probably the best part of the experience for me.

I can also weigh in a little on eastbound flights. I flew SQ319 back (also in F, this time the 2013 one, lucky lucky me). It departs 2050 London time and arrives at 1700 SG time, so you leave at night fly about 1/3 of the flight in darkness (didn't count as i was asleep) and the rest is daylight. I slept more on this flight, about 7.5 hours total (though i can't sleep well on aircraft in any class on SQ somehow, super first world problem). Flight was also shorter; 12.5 hours to the 14 hours i spent on SQ318 (the last hour was spent circling due to LHR runway direction being changed thrice). The jetlag on the eastbound hit me really hard despite the generally favourable flight timings (a not-quite-there night's sleep on the flight so when you hit SG you tire faster and can sleep at the usual timing), i spent the first few nights home feeling extremely sleepy at around 7pm SG time and waking at 3am. Not sure if this experience is exclusive to me, but it seems to fit the general consensus that eastbound jetlag is a lot tricker to adjust to than westbound.

Anyway, loved the TR. So detailed and helpful. I'll be doing SIN-KUL-LHR in MH Y in early July. Will strive to do a TR as helpful as yours.