SIN to JFK (Singapore to New York via Frankfurt) — The Shutterwhale

April 23, 2022 by Mark Chua in Aviation

The airline is Singapore Airlines and it has an aircraft called the sq26 (SIN-FRA-JFK).

After taking a long break from international travel, I was finally ready to leave Singapore for a trip to the US. I had to prepare a set of documents prior to departure, but it was easy to get through immigration at Changi Airport. Even though I wanted to do a lounge review at the SilverKris Lounge in Terminal 3 of Changi Airport, it was so busy that I will leave that for another time.

Since the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge is not yet ready, you may expect high volumes of travellers during your visit, especially if your flight is departing at night. The Private Room will open in two months, so if you have any flights in Suites booked, you should plan for that. The SilverKris Lounge in Terminal 3 is modern and has different pockets of space for travellers. I ended up in the dining area of the lounge for my entire stay because the lounge was so busy, but I will definitely visit the bar area on my next visit to check out the cocktails on offer. After taking a two year break from traveling, ordering the Laksa and enjoying a glass of Champagne in the lounge was normal.

I booked the flight using my American Express Singapore Airlines Business Credit Card, which gives me 8.5 HighFlyer points per dollar, equivalent to almost 8 mpd, and I will earn 2.5 HighFlyer points per dollar on the total spend, but 6 HighFlyer points per dollar. The route from Singapore to New York is via a plane. The Business Class cabin has been fitted with the new J class products and they offer 55 of seat pitch as well as a seat width of 28. There are 48 Business Class seats on this plane and it was completely full on my flight in March of 2022.

Direct aisle access is available for every Business Class seat on the 777-300ER. The hard product has not changed over the years but the flight experience is different in a post-COVID world. Pre-departure drinks are no longer offered but a cabin crew came around to confirm my meal choices and my preference for a drink that will be served after take-off. Even though masks are still required on the plane, passengers can remove them when drinking or eating, even while sleeping.

While personal amenities such as socks, slippers, sleep masks, and earplugs used to be placed on the seat, they are now only handed out upon request - a strange thing to do since they do not really cost that much and most passengers would want a pair of disposable. The Penhaligon- branded Business Class kits are only available upon request, and come with a hand lotion, lip balm, and facial mist, as well as a voucher for a 100ml sample. There is a bottle of water and an SIA Care Kit located in one of the bins near the stowed-away table.

After the seatbelt sign was turned off, I was served a beverage and some nuts. A half-filled Champagne glass is not something you should expect, but the pours from FRA-JFK were a lot more generous. One thing that I like about Singapore Airlines is that it runs like clockwork and to be honest, this is also one of the main criticisms that I hear from frequent travellers as the streamlining of the process makes it more challenging to provide tailored service.

If you are traveling to New York via SQ26, I highly recommend that you stay up as much as possible to minimize the effects of jet lag. I set my clock to the destination city's time zone so I can adapt as quickly as possible, and I am pretty disciplined when it comes to traveling. If you don't want to eat, try to stay up and sleep whenever you can, even if you don't want to eat. I haven't eaten a meal on a plane in over two years, but I was pretty excited about it. An appetiser of hot smoked salmon salad was accompanied by an assortment of bread and garlic bread. Due to the COVID-19 situation, a lot of these dishes are served with a plastic lid or cling wrap, but they are expected to go away in the near future.

The main course for Business Class passengers travelling from Singapore to Frankfurt is:

• The chicken breast was made with Parmesan and herb.

• The name of the person is Thai rad Nar Talay.

• The song is called Fa Bak Kut.

I decided to try out the Lobster Thermidor with Fondant Potato and Buttered Seasonal Vegetables on flights because they are only available on flights with a flight time. The presentation of the meal can be improved, but the taste was better than it used to be. If you look past the idea of the lobster tail looking a lot like an offspring of Lumpy Space Princess, this dish is actually delicious and it is a little lighter for those looking for a slightly lighter alternative.

While I was tempted to have a double espresso to help me stay awake, I decided to stick with Champagne. I have always wanted to go to a cinema but never found the right motivation, so I started to watch some of the movies that I have always wanted to see. If you can, try to find out when the meal services are so you can wake up early to use the lavatories. When I traveled from Singapore to Frankfurt, the Business Cabin was full and there were only four lavatories for 48 seats - imagine the madness when everyone wakes up at the same time.

I took a short nap after supper and woke up a couple of hours ahead of everyone so I had plenty of time to brush my teeth and get a double espresso at some point. Flying in one of the premium cabins on Singapore Airlines is always a treat as you are usually well taken care of by the team.

A platter of sliced fruits was served prior to the start of the breakfast service. I was offered some yogurt and muesli after the fruit platter, but I have decided to skip that starter course as I have a heavy main course coming up.

If you want to try out your first Business Class experience, you should consider booking an afternoon or evening because garlic bread is not offered during breakfast service, and an assortment of bread was also offered by one of the cabin crew.

There were three options for the main course on this flight.

• Eggs with Chicken Sausage.

• There is a pancake with bacon.

• There is a Dim Sum.

Having seen the in-flight menu ahead of time, I have decided to prebook the dish from the Book The Cook menu, which I have fond memories of when I used to fly frequently. There was barely any dried fish or pork in this dish. I would probably try it again on a long-haul flight, but there are better options to choose from.

Before you are allowed to enter the gate hold area of the airport, make sure you have all the necessary documents with you. Business Class passengers are usually invited to use the Business Lounge at the airport, but if you hold Star Alliance Gold status, you may consider going. The lounge is open to Star Alliance Gold members but it is usually reserved for First Class passengers, so it is likely to be less busy.

I decided to head to the Senator Lounge for a quick shower and coffee since I still hold the KrisFlyer Elite Gold status. The shower suites at the lounge come with an attached bathroom and a rainshower, which makes them great.

Depending on the time of your flight from Singapore, you can use the lounge for between 45 and 90 minutes. The in-flight meal service is better if you skip the food at the lounge.

I decided to head back to the boarding gate after spending 40 minutes in the Senator Lounge. The wait times for lavatories were a lot more reasonable and the load in Business Class was a little lighter, so it felt a little better.

I love daytime flights since they allow me to leave the window shades open and enjoy the natural daylight without attracting strange glares from other passengers.

Similar to my previous flight, slippers and other personal amenities are only provided upon request as the airline tries to reduce waste and save money. I was given a pair of slippers, a pair of socks, and a sleep mask even though I only asked for them.

As expected, pre-departure drinks were not offered but my meal selections were confirmed by a cabin crew as they went around to find out what our preferred beverage of choice was after take-off. The Champagne pour on this segment was more generous than expected. I love that the Champagne temperature was just right, it really makes a difference, and nothing worse than being served warm Champagne.

Business Class kits are usually offered on flights of more than 6 hours but you will have to request them as they will not be placed on your seat. The Penhaligon- branded kits are quite nice and even though they do not come with a lot of things inside, the bag itself is great as you can use it to hold foreign currency, loose cables, your passport as well as all the documentation that you have.

If you were willing to pay S$98 for 48 pieces of satay, you were able to have the SIA Signature Satay delivered to your home. I would much rather enjoy them in-flight. It has been almost a year and a half since I had Singapore Chicken Satay on my flight from FRA to JFK and they were as good as I remember them to be.

The Marinated Prawns with Apple-Celeriac Remoulade was just as good as it looks. The quality of food out of FRA so far has been impressive, as the prawns were all deveined, plump and fresh. When one of the cabin crews went around with the bread basket, I chose the garlic bread because they were slightly different from the flights out of Singapore, but I guess that is due to the large supply of bread.

Business Class passengers have a choice of the main course on the segment.

• Chicken Breast with Black Truffle Jus.

• There is a steamed Halibut filet in a soy ginger garlic sauce.

• Pnang Nuer is a dish made of Thai beef.

I have booked the Prawn Wanton Noodle Soup from The Cook for this flight, even though the Roasted Chicken Breast with Black Truffle Jus sounded great. The dish was disappointing and the idea of having two prawn dishes in a row might not have been a good one. The skin of the dumpling was powdery and doughy.

I went for the Black Forest Gateau, which is my favourite kind of cake, and the Sliced Fresh Fruits, but passengers can also choose from the Movenpick Lemon Lime Sorbet and Gourmet Cheese Served with Garnishes. I had a fifth cup of coffee, which I think was my fifth since Singapore, but soon fell asleep and was trying to adapt to New York.

Traveling internationally after taking two years off is difficult, and I have lost some of the enthusiasm I had when I was there. When you get to your seat, everything feels almost like second nature - you remember how to operate everything in your seat, you know what is acceptable and what isn't but most importantly, looking out of the window to the view makes it all worthwhile.

We were served a snack of ham and cheese toasties with lettuce, tomatoes, and olives before we arrived at JFK. It's always tiring to fly from Singapore to New York in a cabin class, but the food and service are as good as I remember them to be, and it makes international travel so much more enjoyable.