On October 12, Singapore Airlines relaunched Flight SQ21, its non-stop flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Changi Airport in Singapore.
The 10,000-mile flight lasted around 18 hours. It was daunting, but the comforts of business class made it a lot easier.
So I made my way to the airport around 9:30 pm just to be safe. I'm always taken aback by just how clean, orderly, and aesthetically pleasing Changi Airport can be.
With a quick scan of my passport, I was able to access and print out my boarding pass and bag tag at the kiosk. I then dropped off my checked bag at the nearby premium economy. Since there was no line, things went by quickly.
After a quick passport inspection, I made my way to the airside retail area. I perused the duty-free shops for a while, but I didn't buy anything. The Moutai was still too rich for my blood.
An hour before departure, I arrived at our boarding gate. Unlike most airports, Changi has a security checkpoint each individual gates rather than a centralized location.
Waiting for us is our ride, one of Singapore's new Airbus A350-900 ULRs. In fact, our plane, 9V-SGA was the first ULR delivered by Airbus to a customer.
Here's a better look at 9V-SGA. Singapore A350-900 ULRs are fitted with just 161 seats. There are 67 seats in business class and 94 seats in premium economy. That's about 90 fewer seats than the airline's standard A350-900.
I made my way past business class to the premium economy section that takes up the rear 1/3 of the cabin.
Each premium economy seat boasts 38 inches of seat pitch. As a result, passengers have half a foot more space between each row than in economy.
Each is 19 inches wide and there's also a four-inch center console that gives passengers some extra elbow room.
Each seat is equipped with a 13.3-inch high definition touchscreen running Singapore's KrisWorld entertainment system.
Since I was in the first row of premium economy, my screen in a compartment just in front of the center armrest. The Singapore's KrisWorld, based on Panasonic Avionics' eX3 infotainment system, works really well. It's responsive and intuitive to use. The system can even be synced to the Singapore Airlines app on your phone. This allows passengers to personalize the experience.
In addition to the touchscreen, entertain screen can be operated using this wired remote control. On one side there are various control functions.
The KrisWorld system usually features about 1,000 hours worth of movies, TV shows, music, and podcasts. But for this flight, the airline added an additional 200 hours of entertainment options. I went with "The Incredibles 2."
The three options were baked fish filet in dill and caper sauce, oriental chicken rice, or roasted cauliflower steak with tahini garlic sauce.
I went for the fish which was moist and well seasoned. It certainly tasted a lot better than it looks in this picture. the fudged brownie cake was truly decadent. The airline offers a variety of beer, wine, and cocktails with meal service. But I went with a glass of water and a diet coke which in my experience dehydrates you less than alcohol.
As for the flight, the airline doesn't have a single path between Newark and Singapore, but variations on three paths. One flies over the northern Pacific, another flies over the Atlantic, and a third route flies north over Canada and past the North Pole, then heads south over Russia and China.
The airline chooses the optimal route for each trip in order to take advantage of favorable winds and weather. Our flight from Newark to Singapore took the polar route while our return flight used the Pacific route.
After dinner, flight attendants handed out bottles of water and then turned the cabin lights off. I guess its time to sleep. So, I turned on a documentary about the history of comedy and woke up more than five hours later. After waking up, I decided to stretch my legs and walk around the cabin. Most people were still asleep so I headed towards the back of the plane to check out the lavatories.
On my way back to the seat, I stopped by the galley for a glass a water. While there, flight attendants offered me a selection of snacks that included sandwiches, chips, crackers, trail mix, and fruit.
I picked the croissant with chickpea masala, tomatoes, and lettuce. It was a rather unconventional melange of ingredients, but the result was delicious.
The cheesy focaccia bread was warm and tasty. I also enjoyed the agave lemonade. The mango mousse cake wasn't my favorite. It was a bit too tart for my liking.
Ten hours into the flight, the seat, although quite plush for an airplane seat, was starting to get uncomfortable.
Because of the route and the timing of the flight, the outside world went from night to day and then back to night.
Soon, it was time to settle in for another nap and some quality TV time. Around hour 13, flight attendants came around with another round of snacks. This time, it was a diet coke and a bag of cheesy chips.
Here I am 15 hours into the flight. I was still very content with the experience but was also ready to be on terra firma.
Fortunately, it was soon time for breakfast. There a choice of farmers egg casserole, egg noodles with Chinese barbecue pork and vegetables or apple pancakes. I chose the noodles. It was magnificent. The noodles were well cooked and flavorful. As were the bbq and the sauteed veggies. The croissant was buttery and flakey while fruit and yogurt added a sweet finish to the meal.
The route selected for the flight came with a healthy tailwind. At one point, we were cruising at more than 700 mph.
Here's one final look at the Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900ULR.
In total, our 18 hour and 25-minute flight took only 17 hours and change to complete. Still, it was an incredibly long trip. I completed our flight to Singapore with no problems at all. But we were also in business class. Frankly, 18 hours lounging in bed while being served gourmet meals isn't exactly roughing it.
Premium economy is different. It's one word away from being economy and the thought of 18 hours in economy is terrifying even for experienced travelers.
Fortunately, Singapore opted to go for a premium economy cabin. The extra half a foot of legroom and generous seat recline certainly made a difference. As expected, the service was simply impeccable and the in-flight entertainment system offered more than enough to keep me preoccupied.
In short, I'd definitely do it again.