A Taste of Mumbai Mary, A Run along Marine Drive: SQ SIN-DEL/BOM-SIN (Econ/772/A380)

[yflyer]

I used to travel to India very frequently for work. In recent years I have not travelled to India much, but since late 2017 my trips have resumed. Visiting Delhi/Gurgaon and Mumbai again after this long gap, I marvelled at how these cities had changed and developed over the years, and yet retained a lot of their old character.

On this occasion in late January, I flew to Delhi and returned via Mumbai on Singapore Airlines, with all sectors flown in Y. For my SQ SIN-DEL sector, rather than my usual preferred evening flight, I caught the morning flight, operated by a refitted 772.

In Gurgaon, near New Delhi, the air quality was better than on my previous visit. No N95 mask required this time! On this occasion, I stayed at the Westin Gurgaon, and was upgraded to a Suite for my stay.

I flew Jet Airways from DEL to BOM – while I have flown this sector countless times on Jet’s 738s, my flight this time round was operated by a long haul configured A330. Not a bad way to get from Delhi to Mumbai, even in Y!

At the St Regis in Mumbai, I tried their signature cocktail, the Mumbai Mary. And better than that, I got to meet the cocktail’s jovial and gregarious creator.

The last day of the week I was there, Friday, was India’s Republic Day holiday, and the celebrations across the country were in full swing. In New Delhi, a huge parade took place, with our Singapore Prime Minister LHL in attendance. I was in Mumbai that day, and since it was a holiday I finally had the opportunity to go for a run along Marine Drive and Nariman Point – my first ever outdoor run in India. It was a memorable run, with a lot to see, although some of the sights I saw along the way triggered memories of the tragic events that took place there in November 2008.

At Mumbai Airport, prior to my BOM-SIN red-eye, I checked out SQ’s designated third party contract lounge for KF Gold there, the so-called Loyalty Lounge, which I found to be a very ironic name, because visiting that lounge caused me to question my “Loyalty” to SQ and the Krisflyer program more than anything else in recent years. My 15 minute visit to this lounge -- that is all the time I could bring myself to spend in there -- was probably the low point of the trip.

Of course, everything was back to SQ's usual high standards once I was onboard the small upper deck Y cabin on 9V-SKI, the SQ A380 flying us back from Mumbai to Singapore that evening.

Interested? Read on!

TR Index

SQ402 SIN-DEL in Economy
Westin Gurgaon
Jet Airways DEL-BOM in A330 Economy
St Regis Mumbai and Mumbai Mary
Marine Drive Run
Mumbai Airport and Loyalty Lounge
SQ 423 BOM-SIN in Economy

[yflyer]

On the date I flew, SQ402 had a very civilised 9.05am departure timing, which gave a scheduled arrival time of 12.25pm Delhi local time.



One thing unusual about SQ402 is that the departure time seems to vary quite a bit depending on the date or month/season. In early Feb, this flight has a departure time of 7.35am, and later in the year, the schedule shows SQ402 departing at 2.35am in the morning. I wonder why that is.

The Chinese Lunar New Year decor has been put up at T3...



Not sure what Hello Kitty has to do with Chinese New Year, though.



Hello Kitty is even on the automated check-in screens.



I tried to do an automated check-in, however, when the system prompted me to scan my passport page with my Indian Visa, it could't do a successful scan, and so I had to cancel the transaction and head to a regular counter, where check-in went smoothly.

[yflyer]

Cladding on the Jewel is coming along nicely...



These days, SQ flights to India depart from T3...



Correction...you check in at T3. When I looked at my boarding pass, I noticed that the Gate number was a C gate....in Terminal 1



It's not as bad as it sounds...these days the transition from T3 to T1 is quite seamless, with the main difference being the carpeting.

T1 carpeting is warm toned, pleasant geometric shapes. T3 carpeting is...ahem...unique...

[yflyer]

9V-SQJ at the gate. This is a 15 year old 772ER with a refitted 2-class interior.





Newspapers and earbud headphones on the aerobridge...



The J cabin is SQ's current regional J seat, laid out 2-2-2.



This is a slanted lie-flat design. Not as comfortable to sleep in as SQ's many long haul J iterations, but fine for a daytime flight, I think.

[yflyer]

The Y cabin, laid out 3-3-3.



These seats are SQ's refurbished Y seats, which used to be the blue 2001 Y seats. They have new upholstery now, and larger screens, but the underlying seat and cushion, not to mention the armrests, are unchanged. If you ever wondered why the colour of the brown/beige seat covers don't quite match well with the dark blue and purple/grey armrests, that's why.



These seats are on the firm side, and are ok, but not outstandingly comfortable. Under the upholstery, you can still see the outline of the button previously used to inflate the seat base...



There are no footrests, and there is a hulking enormous IFE Box under the D seats.



Note that Y seats on this aircraft have no A/C power and no USB either.

All that said, the 9-abreast 3-3-3 layout means the seat is pretty wide, and the recline is decent too.



This seat is no match for the 2006 Y seats on 77Ws or the 2013 Y seats on the 77WR / 77WN -- those seats are superb. But for a 5 hour sector like SIN-DEL, I was quite happy with the seat.

And any 777 with 9-abreast seating is better than what EK, KLM, AF and many other airlines have with their cramped 10-abreast Y seating on 777s.

I was seated in the bulkhead, with very good legroom.



Fold out IFE screen for the bulkhead / emex row seats.



If flying Y on this aircraft, the desirable seats would be the bulkhead seats in row 31, or the emex row 44 pair of seats. Note that the row 45 window-side aisle seats are also good as there is no seat in front of you.

[yflyer]

Proper steaming hot towel prior to take off...thumbs up...



My first look at the new safety video...



A powerful take-off on Runway 02C...



Not long after seat belt signs went off, the cabin crew came round with fruit juices and water...



Today's menu...





Breakfast on this flight...



For completeness, here is the Y lunch menu for the return DEL-SIN sector...

[yflyer]

I have never been a fan of SQ's international breakfasts...I find the eggs and sausages typically served too bland. However the Asian, Oriental and Indian breakfasts on SQ have usually been very satisfying.

Today, I opted for the Indian non-veg breakfast...

The tray as served...



This was a wonderful spread...



Always nice to get a real glass in Y. Even if the cabin crew often give you your choice of drink in a plastic cup...



The spiced minced lamb and sauteed potatoes were delicious, and the paratha tasted very good as well, especially when dipped in the mild dhall curry.





A very satisfying breakfast!

[yflyer]

I glanced at the movie listings in the hardcopy entertainment guide...





...and settled on some mindless entertainment: The Hitman's Bodyguard...



This movie received average reviews from the critics, but I quite enjoyed it...



...I watched half the movie on this flight, and planned to watch the rest on my BOM-SIN return sector.

Audio selections onboard were impressive too.



As usual, I didn't bother with SQ's el cheapo earbuds, but with my own Shure earbuds, audio quality was superb.

[yflyer]

Restrooms on this flight were spotless, and periodically refreshed during the flight...another feature on SQ that many pax appreciate...



And there were still amenities available in the drawer...

[yflyer]

This daytime flight was surprisingly smooth, with little to no turbulence experienced, even over the Bay of Bengal...and it was similarly smooth once over India, although there was extensive cloud cover, which meant that there were few opportunities to take pictures of the landscape below...



Close to top of descent, the cabin crew came round with a full beverage service. It was a little early in the day for wine and liquor, and so I opted for tomato juice, but then I noticed a new bottle of red wine which I had not seen before on SQ, and asked for a little bit to taste...



...mmmm...very good...this was Vina Borgia, a delightful Spanish Grenache...



And as we approached Delhi, I spied, out the windows, a line of snow-capped mountain peaks...



These were the Himalayas...clearly visible in the distance. I headed to the emex door window to take more photos...



I had just my iPhone with me, so that was a close a zoom as I could get. But even with the naked eye, the mountain peaks were clearly visible...or so I thought...

"See the mountains? Those are the Himalayas!" I remarked to the young gentleman seated in the emex seat....

He looked out...

"No those are clouds", he said...

"No, they aren't clouds...look closely, they are mountains!", I insisted.

You can look at the photos and decide for yourself...

[yflyer]

No airspace congestion at Delhi that day, we landed on time, at Delhi's massive International Airport...

Quite a few Air India Dreamliners parked at the gates...



A final look at 9V-SQJ...



No queues to speak of at the foreigner/non-resident queue at immigration at that hour...



And outside, I picked up a prepaid 4G SIM at the Airtel counter. There is a quick registration process involved, and call-in activation a few hours later, but after that, you get a generous data allowance each day (Which you can use for WhatsApp voice calls) as well as free local calls.



The air that day was clear...not something to take for granted...



I headed to the Westin Gurgaon...

To be continued!

[SQfanatic]

Great TR yflyer. I can agree with the frustration of self check in kiosks. That and also luggages are the reason why I never use these for international flights.

Great pics of the 772 (SQJ, which my dad got back in Sep from SIN-DEL) and Mumbai and Delhi. Next trip I might visit Mumbai, as things have changed over 14 years. No doubt the airport looks a lot improved compared to 2004 when I last went.

[SQueeze]

Thank you yflyer, looking forward to the rest.

A few of my notes responding to your remarks:

The SIN-DEL morning flight is changed from 0235h departure to 0735h departure every mid winter to avoid fog risk. In delhi, fog is very common in evenings and mornings till about 11 or noon. Flight delay is very common. Even the evening SQ406/3 (A380) has schedule change with an hour earlier departure to avoid late nights.

And yup, the Himalayas is awe-inspiring. It rises almost as high as an airplane cruising altitude!

[SQfanatic]

Thank you yflyer, looking forward to the rest.

A few of my notes responding to your remarks:

The SIN-DEL morning flight is changed from 0235h departure to 0735h departure every mid winter to avoid fog risk. In delhi, fog is very common in evenings and mornings till about 11 or noon. Flight delay is very common. Even the evening SQ406/3 (A380) has schedule change with an hour earlier departure to avoid late nights.

And yup, the Himalayas is awe-inspiring. It rises almost as high as an airplane cruising altitude!

Wow is this temporary or permanent? For a person who would connect from SQ31, good for sleeping but not good if they have some connecting flight to another Indian city. Unfortunately no other flight arrives from SFO early enough to connect to this flight (i.e. Had SQ15 still existed would have been a perfect choice).

[yflyer]

Great TR yflyer. I can agree with the frustration of self check in kiosks.

Thanks, SQfanatic! Actually I thought the check-in kiosks were quite user-friendly. It is just the visa step which tripped up the system.

Thank you yflyer, looking forward to the rest.

A few of my notes responding to your remarks:

The SIN-DEL morning flight is changed from 0235h departure to 0735h departure every mid winter to avoid fog risk. In delhi, fog is very common in evenings and mornings till about 11 or noon. Flight delay is very common. Even the evening SQ406/3 (A380) has schedule change with an hour earlier departure to avoid late nights.

Thanks, SQueeze! Appreciate the explanation! Yes, it can get quite foggy in Delhi on winter mornings...

And yup, the Himalayas is awe-inspiring. It rises almost as high as an airplane cruising altitude!

I am usually on the night time SIN-DEL so never saw this view before. Wonder if it is possible to spot well known peaks like Everest etc as one flies past. I suspect it would be quite difficult, as there are so many peaks. I tried to match the peaks in my photo with maps of the Himalayas, but couldn't find any correlation.