It’s always a great way to fly with Singapore Airlines in the midst of festivities. Arriving at Christchurch Airport, I was greeted with very empty check-in rows which meant a speedy and seamless process.
The New Year’s greeting prominently displayed on the screens above also added to the festive spirit.
The Air New Zealand Koru Lounge which I visited prior to the flight allowed for some peace and quiet, but more on that in another post.
At around 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, I proceeded to the gate, which had the boarding sequence prominently displayed to facilitate the boarding process. There was also a seating area reserved for Business Class, PPS Club, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members, which was a nice touch.
Business Class and PPS Club passengers were called forward to board on time in an orderly fashion. This flight was operated by a B777-200ER aircraft, which features Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, allowing all passengers aisle access. The seats were first introduced to the fleet in 2006, and can also be found onboard the older A380 aircraft.
The middle 2 seats are always great for couples travelling together. I had selected seat 15F for this flight.
As the rest of the passengers settled in, I had a look through the menu and was pleased to see that both lunch and a light dinner would be served for the flight.
Before these seats eventually disappear from the fleet, let me reintroduce some of the features of the seat. There is tremendous leg room for passengers, and based on the hard product alone, I can say that it was very competitive and industry leading when it was first introduced more than a decade alone. Of course, the screen size can’t compare with what we have in the newer aircraft, but at over 15 inches I can’t complain much.
The B777-200ER has such a wide fuselage that even after installing the seats 1-2-1 abreast, it was still possible to fit a centre console to stow your noise cancelling headphones when not in use.
There is also a compartment for you to store some personal effects, or even some mineral water, which was distributed prior to pushback.
To the left of the TV screen, there is even more storage space for other items such as your laptop or tablet.
Facing the front, you can also find another small compartment for your phone perhaps. Flip open the panels to reveal a small cocktail tray, as well as a vanity mirror, all within reaching distance when seated.
The seat controls are located on the armrest, with the IFE control stowed within.
The tray table can be deployed from the centre console. As you can see, there is some wear and tear from the years of continued use.
Notice that unlike the newer aircraft, this aircraft still features overhead compartments running along the centre of the cabin. All that means is that there is a lot of room for bulkier items to be stowed above.
After my pre-departure mocktail was served, we were on our way.
Lunch service commenced upon reaching our cruising altitude, starting with the signature Singapore chicken and lamb satay.
This was followed by seared tuna on nicoise salad, which I found very refreshing.
For the main course, I chose the Thai red curry beef, served with seasonal vegetables and steamed rice. An overall well-balanced dish in my opinion.
To round everything off, I had the vintage strawberry and cream ice cream, a perfect finale to the lunch service.
Once my plates were cleared, I proceeded to flip the seatback over to reveal my fully flat bed for some beauty sleep. Some find the sleeping surface a little hard, but I’m always happy with it. The sleeping angle is also acceptable as the actual sleeping surface area is quite large to begin with, so you don’t have to contort your body in order to sleep comfortably.
The crew offered a nice cup of tea and some pralines to put me to sleep.
Midflight, I was feeling a little hungry, so I ordered the chicken noodles with Chinese greens, which I found very comforting.
After more sleep and just before arrival, the cabin crew commenced the second meal service, beginning with marinated prawns with mango salsa, served with mango and chilli dressing. I also had some garlic bread to go along with it.
For the main course, I had the baked chicken breast with mushroom cream sauce, with a vegetable medley and tagliatelle pasta.
For dessert, I had the passionfruit roulade with mascarpone cheese.
The cabin crew soon prepared the cabin for landing, marking the end of yet another great flight with Singapore Airlines.