Welcome to my final trip report of my February 2025 Flying Adventure!
Singapore Airlines A350-900 9V-SJI doing it's flight test before delivery to the airline (Photo: Dn280)
I am quite fortunate to have gotten this aircraft as my ride back to Singapore because this is not only the newest A350-900 in the fleet, it is also the last A350 on order for the airline. Whether the airline will order more A350-900 or add a new type to the fleet (A350-1000) remains to be seen.
Introduction
I always prefer to fly on new airlines but the choices of doing so flying from Europe to Singapore has become quite limited so I decided on this route based on the airfare and somehow SQ was offering very attractive fares from Europe to Singapore and that includes one way so as I mentioned on my previous trip report, I decided on this airline and with further research, Barcelona to Singapore via Milan offered the best airfare and I ended up paying less than S$300 for the one way flight. It was also a new experience for me to fly on a direct route with a layover in Milan without disembarking the aircraft so this trip report, I can share with you this experience and what to expect especially during the short layover at Milan MXP airport. So for this trip report, I will be breaking it up into 2 parts (BCN-MXP) and then (MXP-SIN). Hope you find the information useful. So without further ado, let's begin this trip report!
About Barcelona BCN Airport
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona El Prat Airport is an international airport which goes back in history in the year 1918. Major development which includes expansion and modernization of the terminals took place with additional terminals added making this airport the 2nd biggest airport in Spain. This airport consists of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2A, 2B and 2C.
This airport is a hub for Iberia, Level, Air Nostrum and Vueling and operates 3 runways, 06L/24R, 06R/24L and 02/20.
The map layout of BCN Airport (Airportmaps.com)
Singapore Airlines uses terminal 1 at Barcelona airport for departure and arrival.
About Milan MXP Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport is an international Italian airport located in the northern part of the country. This airport was opened in 1948 and is a hub for ITA Airways and Aeroltalia. Along with Linate Airport, this airport served millions of passengers in Milan and operates both domestic and international routes. In 1985, Linate airport was designed to operate on domestic and regional routes while Malpensa Airport will serve both domestic and international routes including long haul flights. This airport used to be a main hub for Alitalia when the airline was still in operation for 10 years (1998 to 2008). Currently the airport has 2 runways 17L/35R and 17R/35L and operates 2 terminals.
The map layout of Milan Malpensa Airport (Airportmaps.com)
Singapore Airlines uses Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa Airport for departure and arrival.
Information about my flight
I paid about 200 Euros with some Krisflyer points being redeemed for this one-way flight to Singapore. I could only select my seat for free during the check-in process. These were the seats available (below) for both flights. Initially I chose an aisle seat but because I did a bit of checking on Aerolopa.com, I decided to choose seat 45A, a window seat to enjoy some spectacular view departing out of Barcelona and I tell you, it was worth it.
Even on the short BCN-MXP sector, a snack meal was available.
The meal selection for the MXP-SIN sector (Breakfast and Lunch)
You can request from the cabin crew for one of the snacks available anytime during the flight. (Below)
During my stay at Barcelona
One of the streets near my accommodation at el-Poble-sec.
This is Fundacio Teatre Lilure.
The view of the city from Montjuiic.
I was fortunate to be able to enjoy such good weather on that day.
The district of el Poble-sec.
On the day of departure
One has to register an account in order to take advantage of the airport's free wifi.
Welcome to Barcelona Terminal 1!
This is the departure hall (landside).
Normally you see buggy carts at the airside to transport elderly or premium class passengers to the gates from selected stops.
This is the lower floor level and I headed to the baggage storage shop to store my luggage.
This way to the departure hall.
The terminal was buzzing with travellers.
This open space concept with lots of natural light coming in is quite a popular concept among international airports.
Here it is, the check-in counters for Singapore Airlines. I am flying in Economy Class for the flight to Singapore.
It's been a long time I did a stopover on the same flight and furthermore we have to remain on board during our short layover in Milan.
The queue was short and I managed to get my boarding pass and check in completed after a few minutes of waiting.
Checking my aircraft, I was delighted to see the airline's last delivered A350-900 was flying me home.
Once that was done, I checked out a couple of shops before making my way to the airside.
I like the interior of the terminal, its quite nicely designed.
The Information board for the airlines check-in rows.
It is certainly a good airport to hang out for a while before departure.
This is the airside of the departure hall.
Once you are done with immigration and security, you can either head towards the gate or the airport lounge.
I headed over to my assigned gate.
This is the assigned gate for my flight to Milan.
If you intend to use the airport lounge or enjoy some time shopping or having a meal, do make sure you have enough time to get to your gate. There is quite a bit of walking to do especially if the gate is located at the far end of the pier.
For aviation enthusiasts, you are able to take photos of the aircraft like the ones below.
This is United's Boeing 777-200.
Iberia Regional CRJ-1000
Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8-200
Qatar Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Delta Airbus A330-300
Air France A220-300
There are charging ports available at certain parts of the departure hall (airside).
There was another flight almost ready to begin its boarding process.
Soon it was time to board and I was in the last group.
Off we go!
Welcome on board 9V-SJI!
My ride: 9V-SJI
Flight routes
1st leg: BCN-MXP
Miles: 448
2nd leg: MXP-SIN
Miles: 6,408
My seat for both flights (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
1st Leg: Barcelona to Milan Malpensa Airport
Date of departure: 5th March 2025
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight: SQ377
Route: BCN-MXP
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Registration: 9V-SJI
Seat: 45A
Terminal: 1
Gate: E78
Schedule Departure: 1020
Boarding: 1009
Push Back: 1026
Take Off: 1040
Flight Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Actual Flight Time: 1hr 3 mins
Schedule Arrival: 1150
Actual Arrival: 1143
Departure Runway: 06R
Departure Weather: Clear
Arrival Runway: 35L
Arrival Weather: Clear
My Flight Experience
For this flight to Milan, the airline has the 5th freedom rights to transport passengers from Barcelona to Milan and vice versa. So for passengers travelling to Milan, they can board through the Schengen level and for those flying to Singapore, they have to board through the non Schengen level and that also includes passport check and clearance.
Once on board, I settled for seat 45A and the good news is after the door attached to the aerobridge was closed, there wasn't anyone coming in to the cabin and it was nice to have the middle seat vacant, that means more legroom space for both the aisle seat passenger and myself.
Our aircraft pushed back on time and the Captain made the usual welcome speech and also told us to expect some turbulence along the way. Since this was a short flight, no pillow and blankets were provided.
Once take off, we encountered some light turbulence during our climb but the cabin service started during our climb and this is where I find the service to be a bit disappointing. While I appreciate the snack meal but I find the crew rushing things a bit especially during the time I was enjoying the snack, the crew had already started collecting thrash from us. Mind you, we still have ample time before landing, so it would have been nice if we were told not to rush and they would come back another round to collect it.
Anyway, we touched down slightly ahead of schedule and was told that we were not allowed to disembark. We can use the lavatory or stretch our legs a bit but try not to obstruct the cleaners and the new set of crew coming on board to prepare the next leg. So it was interesting to watch them in action and converse with a few of the crew before we were told to be seated for departure.
Once our aircraft reached the gate, some of the passengers disembark and I suppose there will be a few staff waiting and checking to make sure this was their final destination with the airline. The cleaners came on board and distribute blanket and pillow for us while the cabin crew on my flight to Milan would rest one night at Milan before flying back to Singapore the following day.
Do take note
As I have covered this 3-class A350-900 in my previous SQ trip report, I won't go too much into details with this aircraft's cabin products. For more information of this aircraft's configuration, you can check out my trip report on my SQ's A350-900 flight experience from Singapore to Frankfurt over here.
Business Class
This is the layout of the cabin (Aerolopa.com)
1st cabin
2nd cabin
This is the long haul business class product
The airline has plans to introduce a new business class product probably next year (2026), more details to come.
Each seat comes with a blanket and pillow.
The biggest problem that many passengers face is the awkward position of the legrest area which is positioned at the far corner for this seat, the position depends on where you sit. To be able to fully stretch out your legs, your body has to be lying diagonally and it doesn't seem possible to lie sideways even though the seat is wide enough.
Personally I prefer the regional business class.
For the window side seats, they are located closer to the aisle.
Premium Economy
This is the layout of the Premium Economy Class cabin (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
To know more about the premium economy class product, you can check out TPG's trip report over here.
Economy Class
This is the layout of the 2 sections of the Economy Class (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
1st Cabin
2nd Cabin
Photos of the 1st leg: BCN-LCN (Economy Class)
My temporary "home" for the next 16 hours or so including the layover.
The slim seat with the lack of cushion can be uncomfortable for some.
The standard legroom space for economy class long haul.
I like the idea of having the crew call button and light switch located at the seat back.
The cabin atmosphere of the airline's A350-900.
A good variety of shows are available and the contents are changed every month.
Complimentary disposable earpiece
The snack meal (BCN-MXP route)
I had a choice of either Ciabatta with Porcuitto Cotto and Tomato Pesto or Ciabatta with Emmeenthal Cheese
I chose the first option.
The snack comes with a choice of beverage (orange juice).
The crew asked if I like to have the vegetarian or non vegetarian option.
What's provided for each passenger in the Economy Class cabin?
Inflight magazine
Disposal Bag
Instruction guide on the wifi connection
Safety Card
Reusable earpiece
Pillow (MXP-SIN sector only)
Blanket (MXP-SIN sector only)
Earplug (MXP-SIN sector only)
Window view photos (Take off at BCN and landing at MXP)
Pushed back and engine start up.
We waited for a while near the threshold to allow a few aircraft ahead of us to take off.
As you can see a few European airlines were behind us.
We entered the runway.
Off we go, taking off in this beautiful weather.
We rotated quite early as our aircraft was relatively light due to the short flight to MXP.
Goodbye Barcelona!
The take off was relatively smoothy with just a bit of small bumps during our climb.
Flying over the sea heading towards the direction of Milan via the southern part of France. We had some turbulence along the way but nothing bad.
At this point we started our descent as we passed by some snowy mountains.
At this point we were on approach into Milan, the pilots were probably doing the landing checklist at this point.
Whenever you hear the loud thud during the descent (around 3,000 feet or so) especially if you are sitting in the middle or front of the aircraft, that is the sound of the landing gear coming out and locked which means the aircraft is on final approach.
Our aircraft touched down smoothly with the spoilers and reverse thrust deployed to slow the aircraft to taxi speed.
This was my 2nd flight into Milan but this time at the main airport (MXP).
This is where our aircraft parked.
For those continuing the journey to Singapore, we were told to stay on board.
My flight Summary
2nd Leg: Milan Malpensa Airport to Singapore Changi Airport
Date of departure: 5th March 2025
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Flight: SQ377
Route: MXP-SIN
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Registration: 9V-SJI
Seat: 45A
Terminal: 1
Gate: - (Stay on the aircraft)
Load: 80%
Schedule Departure: 1300
Push Back: 1301
Take Off: 1322
Flight Time: 11 hours 35 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 11 hours 31 minutes
Schedule Arrival: 0750
Actual Arrival: 0800
Departure Runway: 35R
Departure Weather: Clear
Arrival Runway: 20R
Arrival Weather: Raining
My Flight Experience
It is not very often that I get to remain on board for stopover flights and during the layover, I watched a movie while the staff prepared the aircraft for the long flight to Singapore. I also saw the change of crew, with the crew on the 1st leg making way to a fresh set of crew preparing the cabin before allowing the passengers at Milan to board the aircraft.
It was a relief when there wasn't anyone departing at this airport sat the seat besides me and that means extra legroom space too for the longer sector. Once the aircraft pushed back, we took off about 22 minutes after departure time and the view was spectacular thanks to the wonderful weather.
I prefer this set of crew as there were more friendly and the service was not rushed at all perhaps because of the flight time which allowed them to work at their own pace. The inflight meals were quite good and I managed to grab a few hours of sleep on this comfortable flight. This flight experience was certainly better than my previous SQ flight experience in Economy class.
Time went past very fast and for most parts of the flight, it was smooth. Although it was raining in Singapore, it was hardly turbulent and we landed smoothly although we were 10 minutes behind schedule.
Photos of this flight
My seat: 45A
The mood lighting of the cabin
Enjoying my meal while watching a show.
This is the first meal service. I had a choice of Roasted Chicken Fillet with Chasseur Sauce or Marinated Prawns with Chili Garlic Sauce and I went with the prawn option.
The main dish also comes with a Pasta Salad with Pesto and Marinated Tuna, Bevarian Cream with Sour Cherry Ragout for dessert, cream crackers, bread roll and spread and a bottle of water. The cabin crew later came and gave us our choice of beverage.
Light snack and a choice of beverage before the 1st meal service.
As I was hungry during the flight, I went to the rear cabin to take a snack from the basket provided for the passengers.
This is the 2nd meal service (few hours before arrival)
For breakfast, we have an option of Asparagus Egg Soffle with Hollandaise Sauce or Stir-Fried Asian Noodles with Oriental Sauce and I picked the latter.
Overall I enjoyed both meals and I give them a rating of 4 out of 5.
For the free complimentary wifi, that can be used on only one device. So if you like to use the wifi on a 2nd or more devices, these are the charges for the following options as shown below.
During the flight, I kept a close eye on our flight's location with Flightradar24, probably the best app for plane tracking.
We may have around 20 minutes to go but this is subjected to traffic controller's instruction. Sometimes we may be placed on a holding pattern to clear the flights ahead of us before we can land.
Window view photos (Take off to Landing - MXP-SIN)
This time our load was heavier for the long flight to Singapore.
A Wizzair A321 was seconds to landing at MXP airport.
Our taxi to the runway took a while.
Off we go!
We took a longer distance to lift off.
Goodbye Milan and Europe! See you in a few months time.
The ride was smooth.
A last look at the skies before I closed the window shade and settled myself into the flight.
Many hours later, we were greeted with a lovely sunrise as we were closing into Malaysia.
I was fortunate to be able to enjoy this mostly smooth flight from Europe. Usually at one point or two, there would be some bad turbulence to shake things up a bit.
However the weather in Singapore was not good as you can see the gloomy clouds greeted us during our descent.
We flew through some clouds but there wasn't any turbulence.
On final approach into Singapore Changi Airport.
Reverse thrust and spoilers were deployed.
When we reached the gate, it was pouring heavily.
My flight summary
Thanks for the memories, 9V-SJI!
Back in Singapore
9V-SJI would rest for less than 2 hours before flying off to its next destination. Not much rest for this aircraft as it went on to do 2 return flights to Jakarta that day and then after that a night time departure to Sydney.
We parked at Terminal 2 as the next flight for 9V-SJI was departing at this terminal.
The design of the carpet seems to have mixed reviews. Personally, I find it ok, nothing spectacular about it.
What I like about my home airport most is the quick immigration in and out.
That's all for my Feb/March 2025 Flying Adventure! Stay tuned for my next trip report.
My ratings (Both flights)
Airline Website/Mobile App: 4/5
Airport Experience (Barcelona Airport): 4/5
Inflight Service: 4/5
Seat Comfort: 3.5/5
Inflight Entertainment: 5/5
Cabin Interior: 4/5
Condition of the aircraft : 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
InFlight Meal/Beverage: 4/5
Punctuality: 4/5
Overall Rating: 42.5/50
Percentage: 85%
Conclusion
This is just another routine flight with Singapore Airlines Economy Class from Europe to Singapore. While the first flight was a bit of a downer, the second flight was better in terms of cabin service.
What I like about the flight is the good inflight amenities provided for each economy class passenger, such as a good Inflight Entertainment system, complimentary wifi (Krisflyer members or business/first class travellers), drink holder, usb charging ports, pillow and blanket and that matters especially for long haul flights. For the inflight meals, they were good and for the 2nd flight, I managed to grab some sleep, luckily the vacant middle seat gave me extra legroom space to stretch out, making this flight more comfortable.
Overall, I am satisfied with my Singapore Airlines long haul experience and comparing this to my previous year's SIN-FRA flight, this flight (MXP-SIN) was certainly better.
Stay tuned for my upcoming flight to London in July 2025, this time I will be trying out Qatar's A350-900 to Doha and A380 to London and for the return flight, I will be flying on British Airways Boeing 787-9 direct flight to Singapore and I am looking forward to share these flight experience with you.
For my previous trip report (Air France A220-300 CDG-BCN), click here
Have a good one!
Charles
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