Singapore Airlines ( Singapore - Jakarta )

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight Number : SQ960
Route : Singapore(SIN)-Jakarta(CGK)
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes
Aircraft : B777-300
Class of Travel : Business Class
Date : 6 July 2018

On this flight, we were one of the last group to board the plane. We are chatting at SKL at Terminal 2 when I realized its past boarding time, we rushed to the gate and found out that the gate was empty. ( We are sooo late ) We didn’t worry much about the time because we thought someone must arrive later than us #Indonesians ;)

When I arrived at the cabin, It turned out my seat was occupied with a couple + their baby. The grandchild of an Indonesian conglomerate, I bet they are PPS/ Solitaire member  Each time I ride SQ, there’s always familiar faces, either politician, conglomerate, public figure, etc. They politely asked whether I want to move to their original seat, and ofcourse I don’t mind ( because obviously as a family they have to sit together esp they bring their baby with them ). I purposely chose that seat because it is a window seat, but now that I moved, I got the middle seat, and the seat next to me was also occupied ;)… this was what I meant, when riding SQ biz class in Jakarta route, it is always busy and full load. You don’t get that much exclusivity or personalized attention.

Anyways, the cabin crew was so thankful I didn’t mind changing seats, she thanked me many times, and when she offered me reading materials , When I politely reject, she insist on me having something to read  The crews looked so busy prepping for departure, taking passenger’s coat, serving hot towel and drinks, I skipped asking for teddy bears 

Though I always try my very best to be a nice passenger and would never want to give the cabin crews more tasks, I forgot to buy some things on KrisShop from my previous flight, So I wrote on the order form and hand it to the crew to purchase. Then it was followed up by the leading stewardess, and sadly out of the things I wanted to purchase, they only have one in stock, which is the tiger balm ( for my dad lol ). Maybe it’s a short flight, they don’t really think people would do duty free shopping? Well, I thought Indonesians are big spenders and love shopping so much anywhere and anytime hahaha.

The single-piece of paper menu onboard this short flight 

Middle seat, I forgot my seat number because I switched seats with another passenger.

Book The Cook – Nasi Biryani

The presentation looks meh, but it tastes wonderful, very flavorful. I’d BTC Nasi Biryani again next time.

Up close, Nasi Biryani for my main course. If you notice, for this short flight they use salt and pepper sachets like those in Economy Class. As Ive mentioned before, CGK-SIN and CGK-HKG flights fare difference is only around 20%, why should they use the cheap looking sachets for Biz class, teehee..

Dessert : Pannacotta with fruit salad, fresh and tastes good 

My Sister’s Nasi Biryani – the presentation is different. Also during our SIN-HKG flight, Mom had Nasi Biryani too and the presentation is different ( for that, it is acceptable because longer flights usually has bigger portions, and even different table wares are used for different aircrafts  )

My Mom BTC selection, Nasi Padang. She said the portion was huuugge and it tastes good but the chicken is just so-so. Spot the Sambal terasi my Mom brought from Jakarta so #Indonesian ahhahaha.

Tea after the meal service, along with the Dreamliner teddy bear I got from my previous flight, thanks to IFM Ms Kim 

Conclusion :
Flights to and from Singapore is one of the busiest routes in the world. SQ operates 9 daily flights to Singapore , which means 18x return .

Airlines operating this route ( Direct )  :

1. Full-service airlines : Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air
2. Budget airlines : Scoot, JetStar, AirAsia, LionAir, 

For full service airlines, BatikAir offers the best price. But ofcourse, what you pay is what you get. SQ and GA’s fare is mostly the same, both Economy or Business Class. So I’d personally choose Singapore Airlines because of its service, meal, on time performance, guarantees you’ll fly with wide body aircraft ( GA operates 737s in most of this route, only 1 flight with A330 a day ).

For budget airline, Lion Air offers the best price. Again, what you pay is what you get. I’d personally choose to fly with AirAsia. Because although jetStar and Scoot offers cheap price as well, their add ons are so expensive.

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Singapore Airlines ( Singapore - Hongkong )

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight Number : SQ868
Route : Singapore (SIN) – Hongkong (HKG)
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Aircraft : B777-200 ( 9V-SVJ )
Class of Travel : Business Class
Seat : 16K
Date : 6 July 2018

I was greeted by friendly crews , and we are one of the first groups to board the plane. This is a 2-class aircraft. Gladys, the leading cabin crew brought me to my seat 16K ( Window Seat ). This escort is not mandatory for biz class but a must in First Class. Much appreciated 

SQ868 was supposedly operated by an aircraft with a 2-2-2 regional biz class seat configuration. But there was a sudden equipment change so I got this 16 years old b772 with a 1-2-1 configuration ( 2008 SQ biz class seats ). I was elated about it. This means wider seats, less seats = more personalized service ), more comfortable seats, and no first class cabin lol so I am at least one of their important passengers onboard. 

As I settled to my seat, I felt comfortable with the leather seats, with many compartments, I managed to put my jacket, a box of chocolates , passport and bag. Although during take off and landing the IFM ( Ms Kim ) helped me with my bag ( stored on the overhead compartment ).

The IFE screen, with the old Krisworld format/software. Quite ancient but still acceptable, and anyways SQ has one of the most extensive choices of movies, Tv shows and entertainment when compared with other airlines. And I can say they update their movies onboard with the latest releases 

My book on this flight, The Rules Of Life by Richard Templar. I try my very best to be productive even onboard like either reading books or watching business-related tv shows. But seriously, sometimes when I feel tired and just want to chillax, I cant stop myself but watch episodes from Fresh Off The Boat comedy series or even Mr Bean…

I had orange juice for the welcome drink, served by Sulaiman, he’s such a pleasant person to talk to. Very cheerful and passionate. And also hot towel. On this specific flight, the cabin crews are very very passionate and pour their hearts in everything that they do, kudos to Ms Kim ( The inflight managers) lead.

Anyways, here’s a pic of the noise-cancelling headset for biz class passengers. The noise-cancelling feature functions very well.  which makes the flight so peaceful and relaxing.

Hmmm, I still can’t believe this aircraft is 16 years old. It is very lean and well-maintained.

After pullback, Gladys ( the leading stewardess ) came to take my beverage order after airbone. I told her I wanted mineral water with sliced lemon.

And after the seat belt sign was switched off, Gladys came with my beverage request, she was so lovely, smiled the whole time, very sincere, and when she was about to put the almonds next on the drink tray, I smiled and told her, can you please get me the mix nuts from Economy ? She laughed and said haha I love the mix nuts more than the almonds too.. lol she made me feel better  and yes cause I just liked the economy class’ nuts more, doesn’t mean I cant have them on my biz class rides, I’ll stick to what I like. Not long after that, Gladys came with 3 packets of Mixed nuts ( Im a happy girl ) ;)

This is the menu book on this flight, thick, well designed menu book. With extensive choices of meals and beverages. And for flights to and from Hongkong, SQ has  Shi Quan Wei Mei option for biz and F class passengers, it’s a must try. Though ‘book the cook’ options from Singapore has the most options, Sticking to the Shi Quan Wei Mei option is a good choice ( Well, if only you like Chinese cuisine )

Soon, I took the table tray out, and the crew set the table up with plated butter, salt and pepper and cutleries.

I chose the same bread again, garlic bread and the thin cracker thing.

This is my appetizer, marinated scallops with grilled vegetable salad and lemon thyme vinaigrette. Im not a huge fan of scallops, but this one was great. Gladys presented the scallops to me and poured the sauce in front of me, she said, Ms Bensawan, let me pour the lemon vinaigrette for you…

So the Shi Quan Wei Mei option on this flight is… Pan Fried Smoked Duck Breast with Plum Sauce, with stir fried asparagus and Chinese yam rice. And I go for it. And it was the best decision ever, probably the best duck breast I’ve ever had in my life. Along with the right amount of sauce, great taste. Love the texture and tenderness. I didn’t eat the rice at all, I was actually full already.

The crews kept on going back and forth to ensure our glass are always full.

But… who can resist dessert?? Time for Chocolate mousse cake.

30 minutes of the flight was spent chatting with Ms Kim ( IFM ) , we talked about aviation, SQ, my day to day activities, and how obsessed I am with SQ ;) .. I even showed her my SQ A380 birthday cake on my 18th Birthday, just a week before this flight.. And also I shared with her how loyal I am to SQ and how frequent I fly to Hongkong for work trips. And I think she was shocked with the fact that I just turned 18 this year, maybe I look old lol.

My Sister’s Lobster Thermidor from the BTC option

Mom’s Nasi Biryani, very big portion 

Anyways, after the dessert, the crew brought the cheese platter for me. This point of the flight, I am seriously full. Like Ive mentioned before, you will never go hungry when you ride SQ biz class. I hardly ever finished any of my meals onboard.

I didn’t take photos of the fruit selections and pralines. But the crew was really attentive and really made sure we’re well taken care of. Ms Kim the IFM, she was an amazing person. She’s the best cabin crew Ive ever met in SQ, im blessed to have met and known her. She offered me fresh fruits, theres lots of choices like on the cart, but Im full so I said I’ll pass, but she insist I tried some of the fruits ( which I still refuse to take in the end ). Before landing, the crew brought pralines, sweets and hot towels.

30 minutes before landing, The crews threw a surprise for me, do check the special flight report section on my blog to find out what happened..

The old version of KrisWorld.

Love this SilverKris magazine cover!

Rewatching the same episode of PowerList Asia 
BTW, this was the best SQ flight in my whole life. Because I got the best set of cabin crews, IFM Ms KIM, LSS Ms Gladys, Kenny and Sulaiman taking good care of us on this flight. One day, if any of you are reading this, I hope all of you know how glad I am to have met all of you  I hope our paths crossed again.

They really deserve to be promoted, they are awesome, they go the extra mile to make my journey so pleasant and unforgettable. Well, I think this is why Singapore Airlines is my favorite airline. But don’t worry, on my flight reports I will be judgemental and neutral 

Conclusion:
This was an unforgettable flight with Singapore Airlines. Comfortable seats, awesome crews, the food was far above my expectations. SQ is such a GREAT way to fly. I cant wait for my next flight with SQ. Something I love about SQ is their cabin crew, they are professional, polished, friendly and attentive but theyre not disturbing ( just enough to make us feel cared for ). They kinda like know what you need before having you ask for it. And always keep up with the refills. One thing that I think, that makes SQ unbeatable, is the fact that their crews are passionate and they really would do anything above and beyond to give their passengers the best flying experience. Regardless of your class of travel ( Trust me , I flew SQ Economy so many times and they never disappoint, like never!)
Direct flight to Hongkong from Jakarta : Cathay Pacific, China Airlines and Garuda Indonesia

Cathay Pacific ( CX ) always use wide-body aircraft on this route, but if youre travelling biz class, search for the seat configuration of the aircraft before booking your flight. Choose the 1-2-1 herringbone biz class seats instead of the 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 ‘best premium eco’ biz class seats ;)

China Airlines  ( CI )used to fly with wide-body aircrafts but now flies single aisle 737s to Hongkong which is obviously not the best option, especially when youre flying biz class.

Garuda Indonesia ( GA ) flies with their A330s on this route, seats are comfortable enough for this 4-5 hour flight, expect menu books and flat bed seats, and champagne,hehe. And also Jus terong Belanda.

In terms of price, among these 3 airlines, CX offers the cheapest biz class fares. Such a great deal if you want to fly direct, and if you got the 1-2-1 seat configuration. The plus point is that they have such beautiful and many options of airport lounge in HKG so you can do lounge hopping, hehe. I’d least recommend CI because they operate 737s can you imagine 5 hours sitting on a 737 biz class seat while paying biz class fare? I rather not hehe. GA is usually the most expensive but is great for the seat that they offer. They use skyteam lounge in HK.

For SQ, its different because it is not direct. You have to fly to Singapore, then connect a flight from Singapore to Hongkong. Most people dislikes transits as firstly, it wastes time, and second, its tiring. Well, it’s a different case for me as an aviation geek, I love airport visits, love flying. And if you pay for a biz class SQ ticket to Hongkong then you get 4 flights lol ( CGK-SIN, SIN-HKG, HKG-SIN, SIN-CGK). For price, it actually depends on when and where you book your ticket. My advice would be to book your tickets during travel fairs ( such a good deal you can get up to 50% off from regular price, which makes it onpar to CX )…Or try your luck, try dates and search on OTA ( online ticketing agencies, like Traveloka ) during certain dates and times you can get steal deals 

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Singapore Airlines ( Hongkong-Singapore )

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight Number : SQ857
Route : Singapore (SIN) – Hongkong (HKG)
Duration: 3 Hours 55 Minutes
Aircraft : B777-200
Class of Travel : Business Class
Seat : 15D
Date : 8 July 2018

As I sat on the 2008 interior SQ biz class seat, a male cabin crew greeted me, Welcome back onboard Ms Bensawan, what would you like to drink? , at first I didn’t notice but when I looked closely, it was Kenny, the male cabin crew from my previous flight OMG. It turns out I got the same set of cabin crews on this flight back to Singapore.. Its just that Gladys was serving the Economy Class on this flight, and I got to meet Raymond, he was so polite and attentive.

I was so happy, knowing that this flight will be served by a group of world’s best cabin crew, to me  As usual, my pre-departure drink was mineral water with sliced lemon. I guess I’ll skip Singapore Sling this time, I think it’s quite early in the morning. There’s a mirror above the drink tray.

I don’t feel like watching any movie that time and wanted some rest and enjoy my flight. So I listened to music the whole flight.

The view from the window, climbing up from Hongkong International Airport.

Hongkong Airlines A330 spotted from my window , It’s one of the airlines on my bucket list. Sadly, they don’t serve any routes to or from Jakarta, the closest from my hometown is, their Denpasar-Hongkong route.

Anyways, I am so happy to be back on this Biz class seats, wide and comfortable. Thank God its not the regional biz clas seat.

The cabin crew came offering me magz and newspapers as usual, and I took Bazaar, cause look who’s on the cover, Constance Wu! From Fresh from the boat.. and.. CRAZY RICH ASIANS.

This was the menu book, ofcourse, I always try my best to avoid morning flight. First, I am not a morning person, I hate waking up early in the morning except for flights. Second, the meal options is predictable, usually starts off with yoghurts fruits or cereals, just meh, nothing spectacular.Like you can read from the menu, its either congee, dimsum or eggs , hmm..typical morning flight meal options.

But I wouldn’t mind morning flight with world’s best airline ;)

The breakfast service starts with the fruit platter. After Im done, Raymond asked me whether I wanted Cereals or yoghurt before my main course, I politely reject the offer. I have to prepare my tummy for the main course. ;)

Up close, the fruit platter 

This time, I tried to book the cook the Tasmania Salmon. Surprisingly, the taste was just so-so. Presentation and portion was great though. I should’ve tried the Shi Quan Wei Mei option,duh.
Raymond was amazing. He asked whether the table height was perfect for me and whether he can adjust it to my liking. He pays attention to even the smallest details.

Btw, this was Mom’s chicken with abalone from the BTC option.

Dessert, Green Tea Mousse  

Such a beautiful view, Im blessed to be able to witness the beautiful clouds while eating breakfast. Life is good 

Decided to chill a bit after breakfast, the blankets are comfortable.

Soon after that, Sulaiman came to my seat and had a short chat with me. He shared talked about his country, Singapore and also my country, Indonesia. He knew my workplace, the purpose of my trip and some information about me and even knew my social media accounts. Wow, I was speechless. The fact that he knew about me, made our conversations more meaningful and personal.

After the meal service, The lovely cabin crews threw me a surprise, want to know what happened during this flight? Check my special report section. 

After the surprise, IFM Ms Kim came to my seat with a box of cookies, she said it’s a (personal) small gift from all the cabin crews for me. I’m so touched and amazed.
When you’re flying with the best sets of crews, I think 4 hours flight is way too short. 

To IFM Kim, Raymond, Kenny, Gladys, Shermin and Sulaiman, Thank you for the best flight ever.

Conclusion :
I have no words to express how much I truly appreciate and adore the above and beyond service the crews gave to me. They are not only attentive, polite and would go the extra mile, they are so sincere and loving to me and my family. They managed to have a chat with all of us, and I can see from their smiles, they are genuine. SQ has always been my favorite airline.

Of course, no airline is perfect, and I don’t fly with different airlines in my life, so I have no greater comparison. But It’s just that, all my memories and experiences with SQ were unforgettable. There might be many major airlines having newer aircrafts, more high-budget meals and comfort, but SQ service just never fail. Because it comes from the heart 

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Garuda Indonesia ( Jakarta-Denpasar )

Flight Number : GA402
Route : Jakarta (CGK) – Denpasar (DPS)
Duration: 2 hours
Aircraft : A330-200
Class of Travel : Business Class
Seat : 6G & 6D
Date : 30 June 2018

Boarding started 10 minutes late. There are 2 boarding lanes, 1 for SkyPriority and Business Class passengers and the other one is for the Economy Class. As usual, I saw 2-3  Economy Class passengers ‘trying their luck’ to board the plane on the skypriority lane, and guess what, they’re asked to move to their line ( how embarrassing is that  ).

This was our A330  , you can see the aircraft in the middle was B737, and that is an aircraft I always try to avoid for international flights. Im quite picky, with planes.

The first row on GA biz class on their A330, awesome legroom 🤩
And if you notice all GA aircraft always has those skytrax awards emblem / stickers  I can see that they are so #Proud

I was greeted by the Inflight Manager, a nice man with a passion for service. I sat with my dad on seat 6G&D ( middle seat) , the first row of Business Class seats on their A330. I purposely choose GA402 because when I checked at Traveloka, it was operated by A330. Although this trip to Bali is just a short 2 hours hop, I want to get the most out of my flight, just like any Avgeeks . Besides, I am NOT a huge fan of their B737 business class, though it is fine for a domestic flight, I wouldn’t pay business class fare for those seats, unless I have to due to urgency.

I can’t deny , I love their A330, though it is not their latest business class product ( Super Diamond Seat), this seats are more than satisfying for domestic flight, it can turn to a flat bed, quite comfortable though not enough padding.

The service on this flight was just AMAZING. I mean, Garuda is never on my list for International flight, but for domestic I think they are unbeatable. And this flight’s crew is just awesome.

Cheers for a great & safe flight 

1 minute upon arriving at my seat, the cabin crew approached me, greets me and took order for my pre-departure beverage. I asked for Jus Terong Belanda ( GA’s signature juice, must try) but sadly they are only available on International flights  , so as usual I chose orange juice. I love their glass, with their logo printed on it. Funny but I love the economy class orange juice more than the business class’

 So What I loved about the drink service is that they approached us one by one , took order and bring it to each of the passengers instead of bringing a cart and we choose right from the tray. I think its kinda personal and I appreciate it. 

And also, the hot towels, its scented and they put the towel on a tray. Which is a nice touch, because major carriers serve hot towels without trays on Business Class. It is usually the norm in First Class though. And hey it’s a domestic flight! So good job, Garuda.

After the hot towels, the inflight manager came with a tray filled with various magazines, he was very polite, and insist on me and my dad to take 2 magazines and newspaper each. He even read every magazine titles and newspapers available onboard, and that is much appreciated 

My Mom and Sister was seated at row 8, so we met upon disembarkation and they said the inflight manager gave them compensation for the malfunction of their IFEs. Mom appreciated how the IFM felt so guilty, and even when Mom told him that she didn’t mind at all and its not a big deal for a short flight, the IFM apologizes and gave her a compensation ( If im not mistaken Rp 300.000 each) My Mom and Sister both received the compensation which we reimbursed on our flight back from Bali.

Today’s read onboard 

The meal service was efficient. Once the seat belt is switched off, the cabin crews placed table mats on our tables, and soon after that came with trays, with fruits, yoghurts and breads. Sadly, We don’t have the chance to choose the bread  they just place it on the plate. And this is one of the reason why I dislike morning flight, the food is just meh, and see the dessert is just fruits/ yoghurt, nothing spectacular…

Moving on the main course, ok so this is another thing I appreciate from the service. The cabin crew came with a tray of 3 main courses, and asked me to choose from the options. So instead of asking me what to eat and I have to imagine what the foods would taste or look like, I got the chance to preview it  I chose the Chicken with noodle option, while my dad chose the omelette option.

I cant expect much from a morning flight, It doesn’t actually take much to impress me, but the taste was just bland, though Im quite hungry I only manage to eat a piece of chicken and tried the noodle then Im done. I tried my Dad’s meal and I didn’t like it too 

My main course – close up 

Its completely fine because the service was impeccable. After the meal service, I decided to chill and watch a movie, I asked for a blanket and the crew quickly came and put the blanket on me, well it is really much appreciated. I can see how sincere and passionate they are.

Dad’s breakfast tray 

The egg option – up close 

I can say that the IFE screens are small for an A330, as these aircrafts are also used for long haul flights.

The headset for Business Class passengers, quality is just okay but the noise cancelling feature did not meet my expectations. Or is it not noise cancelling? Im not sure ;)

We arrived on time at Ngurah Rai International Airport. SO sorry no window view photos on this trip because I took the middle seat. GA has premium arrival lounge for business class passengers. After disembarkation, you can relax at the lounge and wait for your luggage to be delivered.

Conclusion:
This is hands down the best GA flight in my life.  I think the cabin crews on this flight really did what it takes to win World’s best cabin crew. Big shoutout to Kak Adel for going the extra mile to make this flight so EXTRA. Food was disappointing but the service made the flight so enjoyable.

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