The ride from Central London to Heathrow was more comfortable than usual on the Heathrow Express as I was upgraded by virtue of my airline frequent flyer status. The cabins up front are definitely more spacious, and the seats were hardly filled. That being said, it was only a short ride from Paddington to Heathrow so the only benefit was for me to avoid jostling with the crowds on the way to the airport.
Terminal 2 at Heathrow is also called The Queen’s Terminal, and this is where most Star Alliance carriers operate from.
Locating the Singapore Airlines check-in desks was easy. There was a short queue at the Suites check-in desk, and it would turn out that all 12 seats in Suites would be full for this flight back to Singapore. The London-Singapore route still proves to be a highly popular one for most travellers between Europe and Singapore.
After completing the check-in process and clearing security, I headed over to several lounges to have a look, but stayed at the SilverKris Lounge for most of my time prior to boarding.
Time definitely flies when you’re enjoying yourself, and before long I was already on my way to the gate for boarding. With a dedicated path for Suites passengers, I literally zipped right through and proceeded to board the aircraft through Door 1L, reserved only for Suites passengers. On the aerobridge there was a member of the cabin crew ensuring that only Suites passengers accessed Door 1L, and he kindly escorted me to my seat.
My travel companion and I managed to secure the middle seats for the double bed, which I will elaborate more on later. The original Suites seats were introduced to the Singapore Airlines fleet over a decade ago, but they have undergone some refurbishment over the years, keeping the design as contemporary and updated as possible. The seats are wide and comfortable, and have a generous recline too.
There isn’t a need for overhead compartments in Suites, as the legroom is spacious. Moreover, you can easily fit your cabin bags under the ottoman too.
As you can see, the ottoman comes fitted with a seatbelt so that you can dine with your companion during meal service.
Unlike the newer aircraft in the fleet, the inflight entertainment system and controls onboard this aircraft still belong to the previous generation. Nonetheless, the controls are easily accessible and intuitive to use.
The seat controls are also very well positioned for use.
There are compartments around the seat for personal articles and literature as well.
Power sockets are also available for you to charge your electronic devices should you need them during the flight.
There’s an additional compartment next to the television screen, as well as a vanity mirror for your convenience.
Even though I had chosen from the Book the Cook selection for both meals on this flight, I was tempted to check out what else was on offer on the flight. Supper and breakfast were served for this flight.
As the rest of the aircraft was still being prepared for departure, the cabin crew came around to introduce themselves, and to distribute our Lalique amenities kits and pyjamas.
Before we knew it, the doors were closed and we were on our way. After attaining our cruising altitude, I proceeded to lower the shades and closed the doors for more privacy.
The cabin crew then proceeded to serve some after take-off beverages and warm nuts.
As Suites was full and everyone probably wanted to catch some sleep, the cabin crew was prompt in executing the Supper service. We had the table set for us this way so that we could dine together.
The Supper service started with some chilled malossol caviar, served with melba toast and condiments. I absolutely loved the way the dish was presented.
Next was some pan seared scallops pomegranate sauce, served with cauliflower puree, dehydrated pollen, almond and baby spinach. Even at altitude, the scallop was prepared to near perfection.
After this, I was served the double boiled chicken soup with ginseng and wolfberries, which I found perfectly balanced in flavour.
My partner chose the chickpea puree soup, with prawn and balsamic glaze instead, which had a nice flavour and consistency too.
It was non-stop feasting for us, with a salad up next, comprising baby spinach, arugula, green frisee, semi dried cranberries, goat cheese and caramelised walnuts with honey-sherry vinaigrette.
For the main course, I had selected the lobster noodles that came in a generous portion, and it tasted fantastic too!
For dessert, I selected the warm chocolate walnut bread-butter pudding, served with milk ice cream and mixed berries, while my partner had the cantucci e gelato al vin santo, essentially Italian ice cream flavoured with Italian sweet wine, biscotti and strawberries. Both were a great way to round up the fantastic meal.
Following the meal, the cabin crew offered us the turndown service, converting our Suites into a comfortable double bed. The timing was just nice, for the bed was ready for us by the time we returned from the lavatories to change into our Lalique pyjamas.
The bed was very comfortable and spacious, which was perfect for such a long flight.
The television screen could have been larger to accommodate the further viewing distance in Suites, but that was just a minor issue.
The Suite was also stocked with drinking water and charging ports continue to remain accessible even with the bed deployed.
Attendant call buttons and reading light switches are also within easy reach.
Each Suite also comes with a small compartment to stow your clothing during the flight.
The flight was so comfortable that I slept through most of it. The cabin crew only commenced the Breakfast service within a couple of hours from landing, starting with a selection of sliced fresh fruits.
This was followed by some fruit yoghurt and a warm buttery croissant.
For the main course, I had selected from the Book the Cook menu, a simple dish with eggs and potatoes. The presentation could have been better, but it sure tasted great!
Shortly after the Captain chimed in with the latest arrival information, we commenced our descent into Singapore with an on-time arrival shortly after. Overall, this was a fantastic flight with the cabin crew attending to every little detail to make the flight a pleasant and memorable one.