Review: Singapore Airlines SQ002 - SIN ✈ HKG First Class Report

Having flown Singapore (SIA) before in their Suites, I was really excited to see what the 777 First Class was like. Singapore recently phased out the A380 service from LAX and added two flights on the 777-300ER. So no more Suites from LAX, only the First Class seating. I will say here, that the Suites were my ultimate Man-Cave (or Lady-Cave) in the sky. And service and food has been near perfection whenever I have flown in the Suites, and I love all the binge watching I can do in the 20+ hours to get to Singapore, so I have pretty high expectations from SIA.

Coming in from start to finish, SIA offers a great First Class experience. Dedicated Check-in area prior to getting to Terminal 3, Private Passport Screening and Security. The only caveat, they do make you walk all by yourself to the Lounge and then the flight itself. First World problems, I know… but this is Singapore and this is Singapore Airlines, so you do expect a bit more effort. So after spending time in The Private Room and exploring the First & Business Kris Lounges, it was time to schlepp all the way to the gate. Once there, I boarded almost immediately and got my first peak at their newish First Class seating.

Upon entering, I must say the color schemes and overall look of the SIA First is one of the more pleasing I have seen. The brown tones are quite cozy and the quilted leather seats, a beautiful touch. But then something hits me, what is that stench. It appears Mr. Hong Kong in 1D brought on his own food, and it was some smelly chicken and something from the Hawker (like) Centre they have a Changi. It just made a real bad start to this trip. Little did I know, he may have flown this flight before.

Singapore Airlines SQ 002 – Mr. Hong Kong in 1D with his pre-flight dinner.

I was offered my champagne and got all settled in for the 3+ hour flight… almost a puddle jump for SQ2 which would head on to San Francisco after it’s stop at HKG. The male FA said he would be right back to get my jacket and hang it, his hands were full with my bottle of Dom Perignon. I snapped a few photos before I got my area all messy, and we were off. I do love the 777-300ER, it has a great feel at takeoff and landings, and this was no exception. About a half hour into the flight I realize I still have my jacket laying next to me, I began to miss the really great closet Cathay offers, but eventually the jacket was taken and stowed up front. Thankfully, Mr. Hong Kong’s preflight feeding was gone and the air began to clear up front.

I placed my dinner order to start with Smoked Duck and Goose Liver with Yuzu, and I had pre-booked the Chicken and Lamb Satay, though I was regretting it, cause I had eaten so much satay already on this trip, but to late to change. With dinner set… I settled in and watched parts of some movie on the In Flight Entertainment (IFE). The IFE on Singapore has to be one of the best I’ve flown, easy to navigate, in First a Jumbo Screen and great sound, so I quickly got sucked into whatever I was watching. But here is when I notice the seating, while overly spacious, it really is not as comfortable as I would like, it was rather hard to snuggle in. I will assume that the seats are designed to convert into a fantastic flat bed, but as a seat, more like an oversized throne.

Dinner starts to arrive and this is where things start to go really bad. The Duck and Goose Liver is served, and it is so cold (not quite frozen) it was hard to cut with a knife, and impossible to taste at the temperature. I can’t remember what I was drinking with this, cause nothing really pairs well with cold hard liver. I pecked at the salad and left all to the side, obviously uneaten nor enjoyed. Then comes my “Book the Chef” entrée of Chicken and Lamb Satay and I nibbled on the lamb satay first, tough as shoe leather, I was stunned. So I tried the chicken satay next, amazing, almost as tough as the lamb. That takes effort to mess a meal up like that, and Satay as well, almost the national food of Singapore. The peanut sauce was delicious, but sadly missing an edible protein. I have had satay on SIA before, they would always serve as an amuse-bouche, and was wonderful. At this point I just lost my appetite all together, and decided to enjoy the movie, and call this flight a total loss. And not once was I asked if I didn’t like the meal, since I obviously didn’t eat any of it. But they may not have wanted to disturb me in the middle of my movie, at least I will assume that.

Singapore Airlines SQ 002 – A jumbo monitor for the IFE, we like.

I don’t know if anyone at SIA really cares about the service on SQ2 or not, I would hope the long haul passengers fair better than I did on the shorter hop. Perhaps all the real players are now flying the non-stop on the A350, which may be why First only had passengers to HKG. But with the cost of flying First, I would choose Business in the future on SIA, at least on the 777. With the new Business on SIA, the lines between First and Business are blurring, so it may be part of their plan to phase First out on everything but the most profitable routes. For me, flying from LAX to Singapore or one of the layover cities (Tokyo, Seoul) I will choose their Business over First, and save my money for “Man-Cave” time on the new Suites.