Hello just discover your channel i am a fan of flight reviewl i am a french from Réunion island an overseas département of France in south indian ocean!
Can sympathise with you , did Heathrow to Hong Kong (12 hours ) then just 30 mins on the ground for refuelling, back on for 8 hours to Sydney..... not a wink of sleep. Absolutely exhausted on landing in Oz . Virgin A340 in the good old days. Interesting vlogs and enjoyable. Subscribed 👍 Thank you !
Great Video as always, Matt. I flew on my longest flight Kansai to Amsterdam, almost 12 hours and never got a wink of sleep and arrived absolutely knackered. Great to see the flight and the food.
I'd think twice (perhaps 3 times!) about doing it up the back, even in Premium Economy, but it was OK up the front.... Quite reasonable too if you start in BKK/CGK.
Thanks for this and it largely echos my recollection of it. Service and Food excellent. I personally didn't mind the timing of the meals and slept well but that seat is a relic compared to BC seats today and has to go. I flew the opposite direction to SIN but in PE it was also an excellent flight and not at all uncomfortable. No qualms flying that route in either cabin and some excellent fares IF as you say you are connecting. Will look at them for trips back to MNL later this year.
Thanks Howard - the flight the other way takes a bit longer from headwinds I believe - looked at Flight Radar when I scripted this and it was quite common for the return flight to go over Europe rather than back across the pacific... And the catering out of the US is reportedly a notch down on ex-SIN grub...
Another fantastic video, Matt. This is on my wish list for some point in the future, but I was really surprised to see the food. As you note, it may be as a result of you wanting to eat to your schedule, rather than theirs, but In terms of how it looked, It didn't seem to be up to the standards that everyone makes out for Singapore (not as nice as Qatar, for example). Glad to see that your plan to reset your body clock worked for you - on short trips, I tend to try and keep it to UK time (where possible - which it isn't always), but that 13 hour change has got to be a challenge.
Thanks... It's certainly an experience but I'd say Qatar's LAX-DOH isn't that much different when all is said and done... Looking forward to those videos by the way but I know they're really time consuming videos to make!!!! Going round the world was odd on the jetlag - I covered 24 time zones in 8 days, so had 8 x 21 hour days... Or did I have 9 x 21 1/3 hour days??? I'm still not really sure!
@@MattsPlanet 😂 Yeah - i can imagine. I was bad enough with going from 8 hours behind (LA) to 3 hours ahead (DOH) and then getting an overnight flight to Dublin at 1am local time.....my body doesn't do jet lag as gently as it once did. Videos in the pipeline - but you'll just have to wait a few weeks!
Very late I know, but on the topinc of the LHR-SYD flight distance, that great circle route also goes over russia, so Qantas will also have to avoid it, which will mean that the actual flown distance for that route will be in excess of 11,000 miles, so still further than SQ are flying with this route.
Good point. Hopefully we'll all be back flying over Russia some time soon.... I have DEL-HEL coming up in Finnairs new seats and that's going to be about 90 minutes longer than usual cos of the diversion so its not all bad!!!
Hate those offset sleeping configurations, hugely uncomfortable and restricting when trying to sleep. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad appear much better for sleeping purposes in the seat layout.
A really helpful video as usual, Matt. Ill be doing that flight in the other direction (in Premium, unless I can snag an upgrade) in November. I'm never quite sure what to think of SQ (or Singapore in general). They are very good at what they do; but they always seem to me to be a bit too rigid...
Thanks - good luck with the upgrade - its a long way!!! I'm with you on Singapore Air - objectively excellent but rigid and they take strange decisions - not being able to recline deeply without leaving the seat is a real issue.... As is that weirdly aligned foot cubby
just seen another great video from @matt.s planet ive seen a few of the other youtube bloggers and they are not as honest as matts also i read down on the comments and matt is the only one that replies to most of them unlike a few of the others!!!!!! thanks matt
Thanks - lots of votes for the ANA seat - I looked at the error price on ANA from Jakarta but it was just a little too far to get to to take advantage... Its high on the list though!
Thanks Matt great one again. Fully with you on the Amenity kits👍. That seat does look challenging to say the least, especially if you are, like both of us are.😊. Rather fortunately, odds on me doing that route are pretty slim😂👍🇿🇦
I prefer set meal times. I wouldn’t like the cabin to smell of food the entire flight as meals are served on demand. And the clanking of plates and cutlery ringing throughout the flight
Thanks for a brutally honest video on SIA's long-haul C product. People will argue that SIA's relatively wide seat is its main draw even though you have to slant. I agree though that I find it annoying to create the bed manually rather than having it reclined. Not only does the current seat require a bit of effort but it is a bit disruptive.
Thanks Paolo - it was certainly a wide seat, as you can see even if I didn't mention it! But that doesn't really matter if there's nowhere to stick your feet
I took the SIN-EWR flight just a few days ago, and all the facts you stated are very accurate. However, I do have different opinion that I wanted to share. The flip-over seat may look inconvenient at first, but since I have flown on this type of seat quite a few times (on this aircraft as well as on SQ old A380 J and Suites), it took seconds for me just to flip the seats back and fort by myself many times during the flight as needed. The weird meal service time may feel a bit awkward, but it somehow worked for me. The EWR flight (SQ22) left SIN around midnight. They served supper right after takeoff. Then I managed to have 6 hours of sleep and it was time for the main meal (yes, you could tell it was the main meal because it was properly served not on a tray). I went to sleep again, woke up around 3 hours away from EWR, ordered from the snack menu, ate while watching a movie, then it was time to land. I do like the dining-on-demand that Qatar offered on Q-Suites which I took a few years back, as well as in F on most airlines. However, the downside of that is I had to eat in the dark (except for SQ new Suites and Etihad Apartment where I could open all windows without bothering others). At least with SQ scheduled meal, they lit up the whole cabin so I could eat in bright light. You are right about the pj, but I carried pj from my previous EVA flight (that and the Cathay F are the ones fit me the best so I kept reusing them) and was comfortable without having to ask for one.
Thanks - I thought about the EWR flight but JFK was longer so made for a better video title! This was a 1pm take-off - if they have the double meal strategy on a flight leaving at midnight that would be downright weird!!!
I've flown the longest flight (of its time in the mid 2010s) which was SYD-DFW on a Qantas A380, on an award ticket. Slept through most of it, really. Singapore is more interesting though, I've got it on my bucket list for any flight to/from Changi. - Red
Really great video Matt and thanks for being so objective with the product. These ULH flights are not for me nowadays .... too old ! One thing you could have mentioned was that both SIA and TG started non-stop service from SE Asia to NYC and LAX almost 20 years ago with A340-500s. High fuel prices prompted TG to suspend the routes a few years later (at the time it was claimed that the cost of fuel was higher than TG's revenue for the flight) but SIA persevered and changed the onboard layout to 100 J seats. SIA restarted these ULH flights a couple of years ago using more economical A350s.
Thanks as always Alex. Now you mention it I do have a recollection of Thai doing this - they do have a 2 hour head start from Bangkok though! And I tried to get on the old Singapore service but it never worked out... The economics of running it are interesting although it can't be run purely for the prestige as they also operate to Newark... If it wasn't profitable they'd only run one!
Fascinating to see it, although I'm not sure I can face quite that long on a plane, even with Singapore Airlines. Qantas would have to introduce something stunning as part of Project Sunrise to make me fly there nonstop..Thanks for suffering (sort of) for our information and entertainment purposes. Your idea of how the flight service might have been broken up makes more sense to me than theirs.
I've heard the same criticism about meal timings in another video. In that review, the narrator expected a third meal during the last, long, 6 hours of the flight and none appeared leaving him starving upon reaching New York. I think the only snacks on demand to fill that gap are a bowl of instant noodles - I could be wrong.
I recall there being noodles and perhaps sandwiches... The second meal did tide me over so it wasn't an issue but a third meal even as an option would have been good
Another great video with amazing attention to detail. I’ve been dying to do this flight just because of its history going back to the A340-500 days. However after watching this video I might take another approach if traveling from my hometown airport JFK to SIN. Maybe once just to say I did it but I really like Emirates A380 flights and think they offer an amazing business class product on that aircraft. Also I believe Air New Zealand offers that flip forward antiquated business class seat. I’m not a fan of that seat at all. Not sure what the hype is about them but it’s not a cutting edge BC offering. Interesting facts about the distance and yes I agree Qantas could learn from them. I have a strange feeling they’ve flown them on this route as from what I’ve seen of their new A350-1000’s 1st and BC product looks amazing. Just not sure how one would survive in a traditional coach seat even with a larger seat pitch. It’s still 9 abreast seating which I think is a big mistake. They should have done a 2-4-2 layout instead but who am I to say. Thanks again for a great trip and what to expect if we decide to make the truck on the worlds longest flight. Cheers 👍✈️
Thanks mate - still can't call you Lad! JFK-SIN is a longer flight due to the prevailing winds... JFK-DXB-SIN would be pretty epic in its own right on Emirates. And AirNZ has invested in the same unusual seat as used by Virgin - it does have some advantages as there's no foot cubby so it is quite open for sleeping, but it is quite exposed.... Any trip of that distance is going to have some compromises, unless you can afford a private jet!
@@MattsPlanet lol mate is great love it. LAD are my initials but when I was a FA everyone called me Lou however it’s Louis. I don’t care 🤷♂️ what people call me as long as they call 🤣 great review as always and look forward to your next adventure. Cheers Matt-e 👍✈️
Agree about the seat having to get the cabin staff to transform it into a bed and back again The no recline in the seated position would be very uncomfortable indeed when using the business class seats i’m normally changing it from bed to seat numerous times throughout the journey and having to get the cabin crew to do it every time would be a real pain
Another great video Matt-just got back from Singapore last month and loved it-in process of booking again for next year-decided to book a BA holiday following one of your previous videos but when I work out the price of one nights hotel by subtracting the flights cost, it comes out at £371! For a hotel I can book directly for £120-can I book a cheaper hotel with them then not turn up and book direct with my preferred hotel? Direct includes breakfast as well! Or will not turning up invalidate the whole BA holiday?
Thanks James. Not showing up for the hotel isn't a problem - as long as you've paid! So booking the cheapest hotel (or car) will be fine. I'd imagine cars are pricey in Singapore! Has to be for 5 nights/days too don't forget...
@@MattsPlanet hi Matt_doesn’t have to be 5 nights for a BA holiday_only double tier points_BA talked me how to book a hotel for one night and still only pay a deposit and pay in instalments for flights plus hotel for one night_result!
@@MattsPlanet you really made me think about a Global Entry application there after I had to queue for like 2 hours last time at JFK....they really take their time there.
I agree the seat is a bit of a bother to turn into a bed. I think Air New Zealand is similar and it's worse as the seat faces into the aisle. One thing I found with SQ is the seat at the front of the cabin has a slightly wider foot well. I'm taking this flight later this year and looking forward to it. Cheers
I think Air NZ has used the same seats as Virgin with the flop forward conversion. I'll shoot for the front seats next time although I don't think I had the ability to book them with my paltry gold status!
I just stumbled on your channel, I am enjoying it so far. Okay, a couple of things, I have been bouncing between the US west coast and Bali for a few months, i've noticed a few things. The crews out of SFO are the best, yes I know the crew comes in from SIN, but for some strange reason they seem to be far happier heading home. Though I will say they never go down to the level of a BA crew. Of the 16 flights I have done, I have had exactly 1 good serving of garlic bread, yes a very strange thing to notice, but it's part of my job so I do notice things. On 2 of the flights my side of business class were not offered bread, amusingly, for me at least, it was the same purser on both flights (about a month apart) and on the second flight he had even made it a point to swing by my seat and say hello, he regretted that piece of good service. The seat on the 787-10 is better than the seat on the 350's, far more recline and foot room. The seats on the 350's look okay in video or pictures, but the foot cubby is way to small. Now I am one of the few people in the world that prefers the old UCS over the new one. If I have to head to that part of the world, I am going to try QR
Binge watching Matt's back catalogue while sat here waiting for my flight out of Suvarnabhumi. Agree with much of his take here. SQ service is probably as good as it gets when everything goes to plan but can be a bit more erratic if they have to go off script. I have to say I am not a fan of this seat. I've flown in it many times, including SIN-EWR for 18.5 hours, and I find it way too firm for getting a decent sleep, not to mention the discomfort of the off centre foot cubby. For me the older style business seat on SQ's A380s are slightly better, and even their regional business class is a better option. Personally I much prefer Q-Suite and even the EK A380 much older business offering to this product, although if you are flying to/from Southeast Asia and US then it will be a better bet than US carriers.
Hi Matt. Thanks for all the great videos. I've been looking at BA reward flights from London to Tokyo and haven't been able to find anything. I'm guessing this is a really popular route?
Very, very popular. And capacity is still low as service is still ramping back up.... You'd need to do the 355 day trick with BA, or get lucky... Or look at Qatar - indirect service but that may not matter if it means you can actually get there!
I have a habit of using one or two bits out of each kit - I do like wearing airline socks... Which makes them quite tricky to resell afterwards... But you may be on to something!
I’ll agree with most of your points Matt! Your observation about the gate security with larger aircraft is accurate - my flight to Frankfurt last year was a mess for an A380. Did the SQ A350 also have a screen which didn’t have a touchscreen installed? Found this odd on some of their aircraft… I will also say that having only done Suites on SQ long haul, I can see how the upsell is made versus Business. The lack of pyjamas, more flexible service offering (dine anytime-esque), amenities proactively offered. That being said, I would still love to try this someday. And finally, if you get the chance to try oneworld ex-SIN the Qantas FIrst Lounge is absolutely wonderful! Look forward to seeing how you get back from JFK to London :)
Thanks Callum. I'm not sure I even tried the screen as a touchscreen now you mention it - I think it was just a little too far away... I can see how "scrimping" on things to show an upsell path might make sense in a committee room, but when your product is inferior to others at a similar pricepoint it makes less sense! Still a very good product though even without jimjams! I'll get in a suite one day... Qantas lounge in Sin awaits too... I have a hunch you might remember how I got back from JFK - that's the next video in the production queue!
Matt. Another great video. this is a flight I would love to take one day. Brilliant looking lounge. I love Asian, Thai food. Impressive to see they provide Courvoisier XO in the lounge as Brandy/Cognac is my go to drink whilst traveling. Such a pity BA can't even provide a cheap Brandy/Cognac in their business class lounges any more.😪 Can't believe that seat configuration though and I'm only 5' 6". very surprised that you couldn't choose your own meal times but I like the book the Chef option. Keep the great vids and info coming. Steve.C. YNWA.
Going the other way was a lot more expensive when I looked - the same with the return. That one way option from Southeast Asia seemed to be the sweetspot for a good price
Thanks for the video - great job. Personally, I would probably prefer to split in two separate flights with a layover in between. Longest flights for me were ORD-LAX-SYD and IAD-NRT. Even in F class on ANA, flight to NRT was 14 hours, just too long to be on a plane.
Your a brave man mat, Lon-syd was an endurance for me so much that the second time I flew that route I broke it up by a 6hr stopover in Dubai & got some shut eye in the hotel within the terminal that made the flight somewhat better but this flight fills me with dread. One thing I wanted to ask was what do you do currency wise & have you considered doing a video on the subject, I have a travelex prepaid card but the past year have been using currensea.
Thanks - any flight of that length is going to pass over lots of places well worth a stopover if you have the time! I have used Curve but they seem to have this insistence on actually being profitable so I'm not sure its a good deal any more... A video on the topic is on the list and I've heard good things about currensea.... In the far east the best way of getting local currency is actually money change kiosks - its about the only part of the world where they are still really competitive - certainly compared to a 3% FX fee!
Thanks Kunai - I don't know if the in-flight experience has changed much since they joined - I flew the 787 and A350 last year and covered them on the channel. Will be looking at the frequent flyer angle soon as they are now in SkyTeam
Interesting: the government's Doomsday message didn't get to me but a notification from Matt's Planet did! Rather surprised at how expensive Singapore hotels are these days. Ultra long-haul? No thanks. I'll take a layover. Good review.
Enjoyed the video.. I'm taking half that flight... kind of. Frankfurt to JFK in J... its a daytime flight so maybe just a short nap. Are all Singapore seats like that one?
Planning on a dubai trip from Manchester if I paid for standard class at the travel agent then could I up grade to business class at the airport any advice on that
Travel agent fares can be complicated, but they usually transfer to airline control within 24 hours of travel so ir shouldn't make a difference if you try for an upgrade at the airport.... You never really know though as the plane could end up full so no-one can buy an upgrade
Great video Matt. I managed over 13 hours in EVA Premium Economy with 38" pitch (hour delay of push off from gate and horrendous head winds) Not great when 6.5" but with the legs of someone 6'7" or 6'8". The people back in economy looked even more miserable and uncomfortable. SQ did a starter that wasn't prawns? I am gobsmacked. 😂
Presuming that the QF issue with SYD-LHR flights nonstop is that they’ll need to configure with economy options also and therefore a higher number of passengers/weight to achieve this. Imagine launching a service on one if the worlds most famous VFR routes and making it premium cabins only. I’ve done the LHR-PER flight on the Dreamliner in all 3 cabins now and on one of those it was weight restricted and some bags didn’t make it on the flight, also it’s clear , especially in economy , how tight they are for weight as you have to recycle even your water bottle rather then be given a new one, not that that’s a bad thing but it’s certainly one if a number of weight related things I noticed. I’d love to do that SQ flight you did and once QF figured out how to transport cash strapped families on a nonstop flight from Sydney to London I want to be in that too, what I’m sure they don’t want is to get free publicity saying that 5 flights a month are having to dip down in Athens ( other cities are available ) for a top up on their way to London. Love the vids Matt , keep them coming and was there one supposed to come out for Bonaire ? I can’t remember seeing that 😮
A bit too detailed to have included in this video but I believe the jet streams on this particular route are quite favourable which makes it easier... But scheduling a service that only operates successfully if conditions are in the top quartile is not a recipe for success!
No a fan these ULR routes, especially in SQ business class. I'll take a stop over since 12 -13 hours in the most I can to be on plane. The SQ seat has that huge flaw of the foot well at such a slant and the flip down bed. Deal killers for me
Even with the shortcomings I got off the plane feeling pretty good but that may have been down to the airframe rather than the seat - the A350 is a good plane....
I’m confused. You raised a complaint with the food on the flight and received a decent amount of compensation WHEN LANDING!? I thought the protocol was to shrug your shoulders and tell the customer to fill in a lengthy form to receive either no feedback or a simple ‘sorry but you’ll fly with us anyway’ email 6 months later. Maybe 100 Avios points.
Hi Matt, question for you. My friend and I are planning a SE Asia trip in December, via Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore, and then flying back to US from Singapore. My question is, is it possible to schedule a few days in between the flight from Thailand to Singapore and the flight from Singapore to the US to take advantage of the cheaper fare? We can rent a car to see Malaysia once we’re in Singapore but If I can get us back to the states for $1,000 that would be awesome
I don't think you'll be able to - its a transfer rather than a stopover which allows you to stop for less than 24 hours. Indeed I think the pricing was so low partly because you couldn't connect straight through and had to stop for a period many would consider invonvenient
Flew this route from JFK but in the back in October. I paid $160 extra ($U$1200 rtn CGK) for one of the six single seats at the rear of the PE cabin. Good space and privacy, includes huge side storage bin/shelf. Not sure upgrading to J would be worth it and 18-hours wasn’t that bad. Planning to take this again in the fall, and again in the back. The only drawback to PE is the onward flights from and back to SIN are in the Y cabin and not regional PE (only SQ’s own elites get that cabin on a through fare, not even STARGolds). BTW you can ask for the amenity kit pouch but it’s not promoted.
Thanks David. I'd planned to go and nose around "up the back" for the video, but the segregation of the cabins was the most significant and substantial of any flight I'd been on. The crew could get through but there was a limbo / squatting manoeuvre required that I didn't think my knees could cope with... It's a long way in any cabin!
terrible review of the lounge, you hardly showed us anything. opened 2 dishes and that's it. Watch Paul Lucas or Josh Cahill if you want to learn how to do a proper flight review
