I have arrived safely in Singapore and am making use of the free wi-fi at Changi Airport. I have a 6 hour layover here so there’s plenty of time to catch up on the world.
The most interesting thing about the trip thus far is that for the first time I have got to fly on an A380. When I first heard about these things I was a bit worried about load times, but with separate jetways for the upper and lower decks it works well enough.
I was in cattle class as the back of the main deck – my United points might have got me a free flight but my status counts for nothing on Singapore. The space was pretty much what I’m used to from flying on 747s and 777s. For someone Kevin’s size it would be cramped.
Of course if you can afford business class the seats are very spacious. First class has lie-flat beds. And if that isn’t luxurious enough for you then you can rent a cabin. Seriously. Singapore claim to be the only airline offering that.
The food was much better than I’m used to from United. Actually that’s very faint praise; a trip to Taco Bell would be better than United’s food, but Singapore’s food was pretty good, with some Nice Asian options. I particularly enjoyed the seafood and egg noodles for breakfast, which included a small piece of red chili. Just what I needed to wake me up.
But where the A380 really scores is in the entertainment system. There were 120 movies on offer, in a variety of languages. There were similar numbers of TV programs, including plays, ballet and concerts. Personally I could have spent the entire time sampling the music collection, which was vast and included a lot of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian and other Asian bands I had never heard of. Lots of Tokyopop, of course. Kevin would have loved it.
There were a few audiobooks on offer too, including Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science.
Not only that, but the system comes complete with a collection of plugs for attaching your own equipment. If I hadn’t packed the USB cable in my checked bag I could have hooked up my MP3 player through the plane’s audio system and had all of my own music available too.
The iPhone doesn’t work that way because Apple’s directory system isn’t supported, but you can use the USB socket to power your iPhone or iPad during the flight.
All in all I was very pleased with the A380. I’m hoping I get one on the trip Sydney too.
Not to reduce anything from the A380 Singapore expirience (I’m quiet jelous actually: am dying to fly on one of these things but didnt happen so far), I had most of the entertainment option you described on my A330 journey from Hong Kong to Sydney with Cathay Pacific. I was real sorry that the flight was only 9+ hrs long, I could have flown a little bit more with them just to sample the entertainment system. Maybe on the way back. Still, as I said: very jelous.
Cheryl reports via Twitter that she is thru NZ customs after an interview.
You mention flat beds in First Class: actually there are flat beds in Business, from what I saw on the Singapore A380 all the First class are cabins. I have recently been on Qantas A380s with Premium Economy seating (at the back of the upper deck). I was able to check out First Class, which had angled, full-length beds, but not the complete compartments Singapore has (some single, some double).
As the flight deck is between the two levels, there is a large amount of wasted space at the front of the upper deck. There is a huge, impressive staircase, not used at all except where there are no two-level jetways, and the space on either side is almost unusable, with no windows. Qantas had a (very) small lounge on one side, basically a sideways-facing row of seats looking at a huge flat screen On the other was a small serve-yourself larder.
I believe this are is where they have showers aboard Emirates’ A380s which have placed First Class on the upper deck.
Back to flat beds- all airlines on long hauls are playing with different designs, and Singapore A380s in Business have very wide seating facing the front, with a large cabinet beside. The rows of four seats across the plane alternate, so you are seated behind someone else’s cabinet. When the time comes to lie flat,
you have to call an attendant to pull out a mattress and re-arrange everything: you cannot just press a button. Your feet now occupy a part of the cabinet in front. The arrangement is great for large people, as long as it not their feet which are large!