Singapore Airlines First Class (747)
December 27, 2008
A frequent traveller with Virgin and the One World Alliance, with American Airlines, I had always been curious about what life was like on some of the other carriers. Having tried Thai F in January (on short a HKG-BKK trip) I looked into an interesting miles redemption option offered by BMI (formerly British Midland). BMI, which is part of the Star Alliance, offers a miles plus money option, which allows you to co-pay and redeem half the miles you normally would need, meaning a 100,000 mile flight in First Class, would cost you just 50,000 miles and £340, plus tax. There’s nothing else quite like it for frequent flyers that I know of, so I decided to join Diamond Club, BMI’s frequent flyer scheme and see if I could quickly ramp up enough points to redeem for a First Class flight on Singapore Airlines (SQ), reputedly the best in the world.
Early in 2008 I signed up for BMI’s American Express card, which, at the time, was offering 25,000 miles to new customers. Then, during the year, I signed up for every BMI survey and promotion I could find, as well as notching up a couple of cheap economy Star Alliance flights, earning an additional 25,000 miles in the process. Just by using the credit card you rack up 2 points per £ spent and with some amazing online shopping promotions, offering additional miles per £ spent, totting up the remainder of the points wasn’t too difficult. By the usual mileage earning standards this was pretty easy going.
Earning the miles is one thing, but actually booking the ticket is something else entirely. If you’re planning on trying this yourself I would highly recommend you also sign up for ANA’s Mileage Club. Also a member of Star Alliance, ANA actually lets you check the availability of reward seats with other airlines online within the network, so that when you call BMI to redeem your miles you’ll already know what’s available and when, nevertheless, First availability is scarce, especially when you’re not booking it from the airline with which you are a member, so you’ll really have to search to find what you want and be really flexible about when your trip may be.
The scarcity of the seats makes the ANA tool critical. As you’ll have no status with BMI, like me, when you call them you’ll get put through to their crappy oursourced membership hotline, who, unlike the folks on the premium account lines, aren’t too keen to help you find available flights. So, sign up to ANA (it’s free), check which flights are open, then call BMI and specify exactly what you want, right down to the flight number. When I needed to change my travel plans for Asia-Sydney (originally with Malaysian Airlines) this Christmas, because of the debacle at Bankok airport, I checked ANA at the very last minute to see if Singapore Airlines had availability to Sydney, they did. I called BMI, early on a Sunday morning (another good tip), ten minutes and £500 (ish) later it was done.
Last week I got my first taste of SQ/F on the first leg, a 5,500 mile trip from Hong Kong to Sydney, via Singapore.
Now, since last year SQ have been rolling out their new First Class cabin across the fleet, all the new 777ER aircraft and A380s feature brand-new First Class products, but they are near impossible to book with miles (believe me I tried) so I had to settle for the 747 Skybed product which is being phased out with the aircraft itself. Nevertheless it was quite an experience.
As far as the cabin is concerned SQ’s First Class has 12 seats, 2 less than BA and Quantas, with an unusual single seat (1B) situated, on its own, right at in the very nose of the plane. Unlike some of the new ’suite’ styled products, which tend to be enclosed, each seat is relatively open, making flying a more social and interactive experience, which some people seem to prefer.
Where other airlines opt for an ottoman or footrest opposite the main seat, SQ’s chair extends fully without the need for one. Sadly this is one of the more disappointing features in the design; with nothing to put your feet on you end up either putting your feet up on the television, or opting to recline, which raises the leg rest – neither of which are ideal if you’re eating or working.
HKG-SIN I started in 2A, but, when the IFE system failed I switched over to 1B, which must be the most private of the last generation of First Class products (ie not suites). With no-one left, right or forward of you, the feeling is of total privacy, like you’re the only one in the cabin, which funnily enough, on the SIN-SYD leg of the journey, I was.
Despite being on your own, you’re still easily accessible by the crew, who are able to recharge your glass and reclaim your plates without climbing over someone else or squeeze through a narrow opening, something the designers overlooked in some other cabin designs (I’m thinking BA’s new Club World in particular).
SQ’s newer cabins will undoubtedly be even better, but what the 747 cabin lacked in high-tech and mod-cons, it truly made up for in charm and service. From the moment I stepped aboard I was treated exceptionally well, plied with vintage Champagne and treated to a 5 course gourmet meal, incredible given the relatively short flight time of the first leg.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, nothing compares to the service you get with the Asian airlines, Thai and Cathay knock the socks off British Airways and American, even Virgin, but Singapore probably takes the biscuit. Probably slightly biased by the fact I was their only passenger from Singapore to Sydney, the service was extraordinary. The cabin crew were extremely attentive, keeping me stocked up on Champagne en route to Singapore and waking me just before landing with a cup of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice as we approached Sydney.
The one surprising thing, perhaps, about the entire SQ package, was the lounge at Changi. With a 2 1/2 hour stopover and plane change in Singapore I had the chance to check out the First Class lounge, in terminal 3.
Compared to my experience in the air this was sorely lacking. There was a good restaurant and reasonable bar, but the service was off and everything seemed just a little dated. It reminded me of and American Airlines lounge, which is no compliment. This was mirrored in Hong Kong, where the windowless room cried out for the Virgin treatment, anything to brighten it up a bit, make it fun.
The lounge aside, Singapore Airlines have got one of the most important things right: making it feel like First Class, not just look it. Where others more recently have focussed on seats or lighting, menu design or gimmicks, SQ delivers with genuinely amazing service: you really feel like a First Class passenger in the way you’re treated, how the whole experience is put together. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the hardest to get right, and SQ have nailed that First Class vibe.
Everywhere Magazine
October 7, 2008
Now, sadly, on a sabbatical, Everywhere magazine recently published my Virgin vs BA post from a while back. You can read it on their website here.
Everywhere is published by 80/20 Media, a crowdsourced publishing business. The idea is simple: you create the magazine. Sourced from hundreds of world travellers, but edited professionally by the 80/20 crew, Everywhere harnesses the truly independent viewpoint, an unbiased and unique perspective, through the eyes of the traveller themselves. It’s a little rough around the edges, as you’d expect, but that only adds to the magazine’s charm.
I’m sad that Everywhere may not return, but I think this model can work, it’s especially compelling when you think of the dire state of some of the in flight magazines. BA’s Highlife, is the one exception I can think of, but most are dull, doing little to inspire, convert or sell the reader on whatever their agenda. I’d love to see Virgin try the 80/20 model for an in flight mag. Currently their best publication, iFly, is limited to Gold Card members, and is sent in the post, rather than being available on board. It’s time someone did something remarkable with their in flight mag, as far as I’m concerned the only way is up.
Cathay Pacific First Class: Luxury at 35,000ft
July 27, 2008
Cathay Pacific has always been highly regarded for its incredible in-flight service, but up until 2007 their cabins had begun to lag behind.
A redesign, phased through ‘08 has seen a dramatic change to their First product – a change, perhaps most visible in the cabin geography. Cathay have removed 5 First Class seats, moving to just 9 (the lowest of any 747-grade first class, that I know of). What’s left is a truly private, incredibly comfortable and exceedingly luxurious personal suite.
Each ‘Suite’, furnished with its own Orchid, wardrobe (I kid you not), soft pillows, Washkit and custom Shanhai Tang PJ’s is designed without compromise. Another ingenious design feature of note is the omission of overhead bins, as these have been incorporated into the suite, leaving a vertically spacious and airy cabin. As you are ushered into your own personal space, the incredible sense of privacy is the thing that hits you first. Sitting back in your chair, which is some 81 inches long (perfect for us 6+footers), you can’t help but think that you’re the only one on the flight, all but one seat is a window, and all are 80% enclosed, keeping you focussed on what’s important to you: sleep, work, a movie or a delicious dinner and drinks service.
When it comes to bedtime, the typical turn-down service is provided, only once I was tucked in did I realise that this was the first time ever on a plane that I was unable to touch my toes to the end of the bed.
Cathay’s attention to detail is particularly apparent in the bathroom, which is the largest and best appointed I’ve ever seen on a commercial airline. Not only did it have plenty of room, two windows, a porcelain bowl-style sink, it also had a full-length mirror, incredible.
If you manage to defer your attention from the excellent design for long enough you may just get around to enjoying the food and service, for which Cathay has been perennially celebrated. On both times I’ve flown Cathay First I’ve enjoyed the best food I’ve ever had on an airline. The In Flight Entertainment isn’t bad either, with a wide-range of on-demand programming and a huge LCD screen to watch it on.
Let’s not forget that all this is after having spent several wonderful hours in one of Cathay’s award winning lounges. The John Pawson designed Wing and Pier lounges at HKG are some of the best I’ve ever seen: expect typical Pawson-esque minimalist luxury, combined with Chinese hospitality – an excellent kids’ games room, dining room, private washrooms and long bar.
The saddest thing (as so often is the case) about this luxury is that it’s so impossibly out of reach. Both of my trips were on miles, and, with long haul First Class tickets on CX costing $8k+ it seems they’ve scaled the price along with the upgrade to the experience. If you do, however, manage to rack up a substantial (140k LHR – HKG) tranche of miles with a Oneworld partner I can think of no better way of spending them than on a trip to Hong Kong with Cathay. You won’t regret it.
Virgin vs BA: The Smackdown.
March 21, 2008
Since Virgin Atlantic’s launch in 1984 there has been a (not so) silent war between Britain’s (and previously the World’s) Favourite airline, and Richard Brandson’s young upstart. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Business Class cabin, where both airlines fight for lucrative business travellers: who provide the much needed seat margins, lacking in the knock-down economy cabins.
What’s interesting is how both airlines have approached the needs of the customer, both opting for radically different design and service solutions – which can be seen clearly in the lounge, cabin layout, seat design, food and service. I’ve recently flown both (using my regular pay coach, fly business principle) and have some thoughts on how they differ that I thought I’d share.
Lounge
BA’s lacklustre Business Class lounges at Heathrow is set to be radically transformed by their move to T5 soon, for now though it’s a typical, busy euro-style lounge. If you’re smart you’ll track down the one Terraces Lounge that does a hot buffet, sure beats the cold-sandwich treatment.
Virgin’s Heathrow Clubhouse is a 25,000ft private member’s club, which you can access in less than 10 minutes with Virgin’s new Upper Class Wing, including private check-in and security. I’ve already blogged it previously. For my money, the best Business Class lounge there is.
Verdict: Virgin Wins (until we see what BA deliver withT5)
Cabin
BA’s new Club World cabin features both forward and rear-facing seats, each of which have aisle access. Lots of things have been upgraded here, since the last refresh of Club World, but what’s most apparent is the high level of privacy afforded to window seats. BA recently introduced a snack bar, called the Club Kitchen, located in the galley, where you can help yourself to drinks and snacks during the flight, a nice touch but something of an afterthought it seems.
Virgin’s cabin is laid out in their patented herringbone formation, with seats angled at 45°. The low-slung, curved partitions make for what feels like a roomy, open cabin – adding to the sense of space it seems Virgin were engineering with the Upper Class product. Virgin pioneered mood lighting, which many have now replicated, that makes relaxing or navigating the cabin in low-light, a much more pleasurable experience. The best feature, however, is he Bar – now standard on all VS flights. Essentially an open galley, designed for up to 8 passengers to congregate, drink and chat, the bar is an excellent innovation, well suited for folks who like to socialise on a long flight. If you’re feeling super-rockstar about the whole thing, ask if you can have dinner at the bar, it’s a gas.
Verdict: Virgin Wins, hands down.
Seat
BA have obviously spent some time re-engineering their flat-bed seat, since they introduced the first, some years ago. The result is an excellent, private (the window seat only), experience, that suffers only from it’s lack of length (only 6′3”). Unlike Virgin, the seat reclines back fully into the bed position, making it easy to go from reclining and watching a movie to being fully flat and snoozing away, my personal favourite combo.
Virgin’s seat is as ingenious as it is long – a fabulous 6′7″ on the Upper Deck. When it’s time for bed the flight attendant will come and turn down your bed, flipping over the seat, to reveal a soft mattress on the underside of the seat. Soft pillows and a down duvet follow, making for the best Business Class sleep I’ve ever had. Beware though, widths and lengths vary between upper and lower decks on the 747 and again on the A340, so check Seat Guru for details before you travel.
Verdict: If you’re tall Virgin Wins, if you’re looking for privacy go for a window seat on BA
Food
BA really comes into its own with the food. Excellent muli-course menus and delicious wines combine to make for an excellent all-round dining experience. Top marks.
Virgin’s food is simply terrible. The above meal was the single exception to the rule, but every other meal I’ve eaten in Upper Class has been below par. Poorly conceived menus and stingy portions are the norm, which is remarkable for an airline that gets so much else right.
Verdict: No contest, BA’s food wins by a country mile.
Service
This is a tricky one, as both airlines tend to focus on very different priorities.
Virgin carry the member’s club theme on from the Clubhouse, opting for younger (typically female) cabin crew. This is great if you’re off on holiday, as the style is more chatty and indulgent – ‘another glass of Scotch Mr Moross?’ But lacks in genuine, attentive service: requests are often forgotten and the overall attitude is more blasé.
BA have opted for super-professional, older crew. Always attentive and happy to entertain most requests, they’re extremely competent and considerably more experienced than their VS counterparts. But overall the BA crew miss the trick of making the experience special in any way.
Verdict: A draw.
Thai Airways, Best Airline On The Ground
March 21, 2008
Every airline wants to do something special in the air, but few seem to care about the customer experience on the ground.
Thai is certainly the exception to the rule.
I recently travelled HKG-BKK-HKG. Economy was coming in at around $400, Business was $600 and First just $100 more. Having heard about how good Thai is supposed to be at Suvarnabhumi, I opted for First – resolute that I would enjoy my $300 dollar’s worth of extras to the fullest extent possible.
It’s only a 3 hr flight, but Thai operates a full international grade 747-400 on at least one of the daily scheduled flights, which offers a three class service, identical what you’d experience on long-haul. You can view the plane types when you book to ensure you’ll get the full three-class service. If you want to experience (proper) First Class, this is one of the cheapest ways to do it – at only $300 more than economy.
The Thai First cabin is very roomy, with just 10 flat-bed seats. It’s not very private, but the upside is a very calm and relaxed space, with plenty of room to walk around and socialise – excellent for those travelling in a group.
I chose seat 1A, probably the most private (along with 1K), as it faces forward in a 1-1 configuration, with only the closet in front of you. It’s an excellent First seat, which reclines to a full 180° and a generous 78″ of pitch.
The service and catering for such a short-haul flight were outstanding. I must have had a whole bottle of Dom Perignon and a delicious 4 course lunch followed by cheese and port.
As excellent as the experience had been in the air, nothing prepared me for what I was about to encounter on the ground.
Suvarnabhumi is Bangkok’s new airport and Thai have obviously set out to make the on-ground experience something to be remembered. As I left the plane, I was greeted by a young man in a suit, holding a white board with my name on it. He ushered me, and two other First passengers, into an electric cart and sped off through the airport.
Beeping and swerving past unsuspecting travellers, we drove beyond the huge queues at immigration into a private zone, reserved for First Class passengers. Two desks were opened for us and we cleared immigration in less than a minute.
Once beyond immigration I was greeted by my own personal porter, who guided me to the baggage carousel. The First passenger’s bags were (for once) first off and my porter whipped it onto the trolly and escorted me through immigration and into a taxi. Amazing.
Needless to say, I was quite excited about my return leg. 6 days later I again returned to Suvarnabhumi for my flight back to Hong Kong.
The First Class check in is a private area, sectioned off from the rest of the departure hall. I was encouraged to take a seat in a leather armchair as they pulled up the flight details and checked my luggage. Once checked in I was again invited into the good old electric cart and driven at high speed to the Royal Orchid Lounge. It took less than 5 minutes between arriving at the airport and entering the lounge (which, however, is not airside).
Unlike any lounge I’ve been in before, the Thai’s First Class offering has private rooms, where you can relax, watch TV or socialise in relative privacy – a real novelty.
Again, as seems to be standard for Thai, the service was excellent – I enjoyed several glasses of champagne and some Pad Thai, which was made fresh for me and delivered to my little private cabana.
The rest of the lounge is rather understated but nevertheless very comfortable and relaxed. When my flight was called, I hopped, yet again, into our trusty little cart and was wizzed through security and onto the plane.
Having been extremely impressed with both Virgin Atlantic and Cathay’s lounge and check-in experiences Thai certainly had to deliver something exceptional to stand out. Virgin’s Heathrow ‘Clubhouse’ – essentially an amazing private member’s club is a great place to hang out, whilst Cathay’s ‘Wing’ and ‘Pier’ lounges are minimalist luxury personified (both designed by John Pawson), but neither can reach the celeb-status-inducing buzz of Thai’s amazing service. From chauffeur-driven carts, to personal immigration queues – every touch reinforces your imaginary rockstar status, which is what First Class should be all about. Well done Thai.
British Airways First Class Experience
January 26, 2008
Routing
On The Ground
Check In
BA has a dedicated First check in area at Heathrow Terminal 1, which shares a private security channel with Club World passengers. Check in was quick and smooth, taking less than 5 minutes. Clearing security only took another 5, so I was in the lounge in 15 minutes all in, which is pretty impressive.
Lounge
The First lounge at Terminal 1 is the better of the two that BA operate at Heathrow (the other is at T4) but it’s still far behind even some of the newer Business Class lounges available, such as the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. The spaces aren’t particularly inspiring, apart from the Champagen Bar (pictured), and there was a general lack of space: almost every seat was taken when I arrived. All this is set to change, however, with BA’s move to Termial 5 in March 2008 and the introduction of their new Galleries FIRST product.
In The Air
Cabin
BA cramms 14 seats into it’s First Class section, which is situated at the front of the plane (just wondering as I write if anyone has designed a First section on the upper deck?). The configuration is 1 and 1, with 2 rows of 1-2-1, the middle two of which are better suited to travelling companions.
Seat
I nabbed 2K, which is supposed to be the best in the house, offering relatively the most privacy for a solo traveller. The BA First product has been around for a few years now, and despite a few nice touches it’s beginning to lag behind some of its competitors, particularly on Asian routes. The seat is comfortable enough, but nowhere near as private as other First products, or even BA’s new Club World, which includes window seats that are extremely private, being almost completely enclosed.
The seat converts into a fully flat bed, and during ‘turn down’ a thin mattress is added to make things a little more comfortable. However, for someone who’s 6′5”, it’s simply not long enough: the faux-Walnut enclosure tapering into an uncomfortably narrow foot space. At least in Club World exit rows and other configurations afford additional legroom from the standard 6′3″ up to an additional foot in length.
Amenities
The super-comfortable sleep suit and Anya Hindmarch washbag, filled with Keihls products do add a touch of glamour, which is mirrored in the beautiful menu design and paraphernailia.
Food
The in-flight meal is an area in which BA genuinely excels beyond its domestic and Transatlantic competition, easily surpassing Virgin, United and American’s offerings, from the Business Class cabin forwards. As good as it was, this was my second First Class meal, which, to my surprise featured nearly the identical menu to my first, on the same route, 6 months before.
I was served a selection of canapes, and a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label, followed by a delicious Goat’s cheese tart and then Roasted Lamb – which was washed down with a glass of ‘99 Puillac. I followed up with Cheese and Port. All were excellent.
In Flight Entertainment
If I had felt a sense of deja-vu with the food this was compounded by the IFE. Despite having recently upgraded their systems BA’s IFE rarely works and when it does it simply screens a limited range of old movies (already out on DVD) which I’ve already seen or terrible new ones that no one would watch. No matter how luxurious the surroundings, no matter how comfortable the seat, or how delicious the food – on a 12 hour flight 6 or 7 will be sleep, the rest of the time we want entertaining! BA need to address this.
Service
BA tend to employ older, more experienced crew for their forward cabins (also a more balanced male/female mix), when compared to Virgin. The result is great, if a little snooty, service.
However, for the money, the First experience just doesn’t feel quite special enough. In comparison, in Cathay Pacific’s new First Class there are only 9 seats, vs BA’s 14, and the feeling of personal attention is simply remarkable: you’re treated like a celebrity, not just a regular traveller.
Summary
Miles ahead of the US carriers, but some way behind Asian frontronners like Cathay and Singapore Airlines. The First cabin need refreshing, fewer seats and more privacy. And the crew need to make passengers feel like it’s Christmas every time they fly.
A Day At The Virgin Clubhouse
November 19, 2007
In the beginning air travel was the luxurious preserve of the few.
You needed serious money and your fingers crossed (to prevent from a fiery death) to fly. Now things are different, you can fly pretty much anywhere in the world for a dollar plus tax; the airlines are basically giving it away, upselling the add-ons, food and other services. Because of this, air travel has become a horrid, commoditised experience – everything is the lowest common denominator, with all the original luxuries stripped away so that you can travel around the world for the price of a crappuccino.
To keep business passengers sweet, and away from the great unwashed that now clog our congested terminals, airlines invented the ‘lounge’. These exclusive branded hang-outs offer free drinks & food, and are pitched as quiet (zen-like) spaces, designed to help premium passengers escape airport madness and start enjoying their trip before they’ve even left.
Unfortunately most of them *suck*.
You’ve just shelled out $6,000 for a business class ticket and all you get is some pretzels, a free beer and a view of the runway. Hmm. Most airlines have lounges, but only one has remembered that the journey is part of the holiday, and that an airline lounge should be much more than just a glorified waiting room.
Say hello to Virgin Atlantic’s Heathrow Clubhouse. It’s so good you really won’t want to leave. I’ve just spent the whole day here, connecting in from San Francisco to Cape Town (on a 22,000 mile, 7 day bonanza) and it’s been an absolute joy.
Everything here has been designed to be radically different from the usual airline lounge: typically an unexceptional, joyless and cramped space. The Clubhouse is simply huge, offering several different distinct areas across 25,000 square feet, in which you can eat, drink, play or relax – all free and all delivered with the typical Virgin panache and attention to detail.
The design is super-glamourous: it’s filled with classic Eames, Aarnio, and Columbo furniture, Arco lights and sweeping spaces that set them off beautifully. What’s present here, and absent in many of Virgin’s competitors is a sense of fun and style. There’s a free hair salon, a spa, garden, even a pool. It’s much more like a private member’s club than a waiting room, more Soho House than Holiday Inn.
My day in the lounge.
I arrived at the lounge around midday, having just flown in from SFO – I used the Arrivals Lounge to shower and change before checking in and using Virgin’s new dedicated security channel at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, which, apart from check in itself, is exceptional.
I had lunch in the restaurant and then repaired to the ‘Office’, a dedicated work area, to get on with my day job. Several thousand emails later I Twittered my friends to see if anyone was at the airport that day and fancied a drink. Adrian Sevitz, an ‘internet friend’ answered the call and joined me for a brace of excellent Manhattans before his flight to JFK. One of the great things about the Clubhouse, and most other lounges, is that you can invite guests to join you (as long as they’re on the same airline) – it’s always more fun to enjoy them with friends.
After Adrian left I repaired to the bar, tag-teaming glasses of champagne and the final emails of the day. At 7.30 they called my flight, VS 603 to Cape Town. I reluctantly packed up and took the short(ish) walk to the departure gate, waving goodbye to the excellent waiters, bar staff and other folk who’d looked after me so well during my stay.
