Welcome to my trip report on Singapore Airlines's Boeing 777-300ER!
This was my very first 777 ride with the airline even though the airline was operating more than 70 over 777s (all series) at that time!
I booked on SQ from SIN-HKG-SIN with my mum for her birthday present. I decided to do one-way A380 and the return on the Boeing 777-300ER as I wanted to finally fly on SQ's 777.
Click here for part 1
Flight route: HKG-SIN
My ride: 9V-SWN
Carrier: Singapore Airlines
Flight number: 863
Date: 26th Feb 2011
Routing: HKG-SIN
Seat number: 47B
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-312ER
My 4th ride on this aircraft type and 3rd airline to have flown on the 77W.
1st time on 9V-SWN
Engines: GE90-115B
Date delivered: 14/03/2008
Line number: 703
Registration: 9V-SWN
Flight duration: 3hrs 15 mins
Scheduled departure time: 1330
Actual departure time: 1345
Scheduled arrival time: 1700
Actual arrival time: 1650
FL: 380
Load factor for Y class: 100%
Departure runway used: 7R
Arrival runway used: 20C
Introduction
It was wrenched to be leaving Hong Kong, my mum and I had a lot of fun these few days. We would be leaving with smiles on the face though. I was actually looking forward to this return trip, as it would be my first time on an SQ 777.
About our trip
We stayed at the Ibis Hotel in Central, so we took the A11 bus from there to the airport. The Dennis Trident was smooth and fast and was equipped WiFi. I used the wifi and checked what aircraft was I flying on, and -SWN was my ride! From Central, it took about 30-40 mins to reach the airport. More convenient to take the bus if you have lots of bags. My mum did a fair bit of shopping, so we had a few stuff to carry.
Before boarding
As usual, I left my mum to do her shopping so that I could do some plane spotting. Had to do so as my heart was crying for it since the first day I stepped into Hong Kong. Hong Kong Airport is excellent for photographing aircraft and it is even better than Changi Airport, not just that, the amount of traffic that this airport gets is a lot more too. I could spend a whole day there, but a few hours was satisfying for me.
Photos
IFE is large enough for me.
Y class cabin of SQ's Boeing 777-300ER
In-flight meals: Can't remember which one I ate but they were both good.
More cabin photos from airliners.net
Economy class
Business Class
First Class
The start-up of the GE90 engine shocked my mum and she hates the noise level of the aircraft and told me not to book this aircraft type again if possible. We were sitting just behind the wing and yeah I quite agree with the noise level being quite loud, but I like it. Still, I enjoyed every minute of the short ride across the South China Sea. The service on board was disappointing, the crew seemed more interested to get home than to serve the passengers. SIN-HKG-SIN route is dreaded by many crew as it is not only tiring, it is challenging as well, handling a full load of passengers especially on the A380. However, being paid adequately by the airline, there's no excuse from them not to be professional at any point in time. I believe being passionate in their jobs would make life much easier for them and to everyone around them.
On another note, I was quite satisfied with the IFE system and the in-flight meal. Flying long haul with SQ will definitely give you comfort and enjoyment. Hopefully, the in-flight service in Y class improves and equality towards all passengers regardless of what class or status, that's how you win the hearts of the passengers.
Conclusion
Service on both flights was inconsistent. The outbound was definitely better than the inbound and this set of crew like I mentioned earlier, didn't look happy.
Later on, I discovered that the old website was retired and the new one had taken over. It seems much worse than the old one. Well, like they say, if it isn't broken, don't fix it! Instead of improving it, the airline made it worse and till today (July 2014), it isn't working smoothly.
9V-SWN would always remain my very first Boeing 777 ride with SQ and I do intend to fly on every aircraft type of SQ's fleet before they are retired. Currently, I still haven't flown on the airline's 773.
My rating:
On ground service (HKG): 7/10
Hong Kong Airport experience: 8/10
In-flight service 6/10
In-flight meal: 7/10
IFE system: 8/10
Aircraft Condition: 10/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Punctuality: 10/10
Seat comfort: 8/10
Overall rating: 74/90
Thank you for reading this trip report.
Click here for part 1.
Cheers,
Charles
SIN-HKG-SIN is one of the sectors most hated by SQ crew. No wonder the less than fantastic service lol.
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