Singapore Airlines Trip Report: Introduction and Itinerary

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: UA 534 Business Class LAX-JFK

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: Swiss & Oasis Lounges JFK

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: SQ 25 Business Class JFK-FRA

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: Lufthansa Senator Lounge FRA (B42)

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: SQ 26 Business Class FRA-JFK

Singapore Airlines Trip Report: UA 535 Business Class JFK-LAX & Conclusion

When check-in for my flight rolled around 24-hours ahead of time I tried to give it a go on both the website and mobile app, but each attempt resulted in an error. My fear was that something was askew with the ticket given it was booked seven months prior and it went through the systems changeover on March 3. I didn’t bother calling to find out why and instead headed to the airport early the next morning.

Instead of checking in with an agent directly, I decided to give the kiosk a try first. I plugged in my MileagePlus number, self-scanned my passport and voila… both my United and Singapore Airlines boarding passes printed successfully. I was shocked, actually, but happy nonetheless.

After passing through security, I headed to the Terminal 7 United Club as it was closest to my departure gate of 72 (I do prefer the T6 Club, actually). There, I logged into united.com to confirm I was checked-in, which I obviously was since I had boarding passes. I was just a bit paranoid about it. I grabbed a light snack and got some work done before heading to the gate about 45 minutes before departure.

Everything looked smooth at the gate and boarding commenced right on time. I like to compile video trip reports of my international excursions, so after stepping onboard, I started to film my approach to window seat 9A – my favorite domestic seat of any given the ridiculous amount of legroom it provides in the exit row.

Boarding continued while flight attendants hung jackets and passed out pre-departure beverages, menus, earplugs and eyeshades. The doors closed a couple of minutes early and we pushed from the gate right on time.

Sadly, Channel 9 air traffic communications wasn’t turned on – something I love to monitor during the busy times of taxi and takeoff. Once airborne, flight attendants distributed media players and took menu orders.

I still enjoy the media players as I don’t load up my Mac with much entertainment and the multiple TV and movie options certainly beat out what’s airing on the overhead monitors throughout the cabin.

The usual menu selections appeared on this premium service “p.s.†757 flight to JFK:

TO BEGIN:

Fresh Seasonal Fruit

Fruit-flavored yogurt

MAIN COURSE:

Herb Scrambled Eggs

Potato gratin, turkey sausage and tomato

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

Turkey sausage and maple syrup

Cereal and Fruit

Milk and a banana

Cinnamon rolls and croissants with butter and fruit preserves

Light snacks are available at any time following the main meal service. Please help yourself or ask a flight attendant for today’s selections.

I had the French toast on my previous p.s. flight and wasn’t that impressed, so decided on the scrambled eggs.

The eggs and sausage were just “okay,†but I really have been liking the potato gratin being served lately on this and other United breakfast flights. My seatmate had the French toast, which actually looked better than when I had it last, so I was a bit jealous.

But then the best part arrived.

The flight continued and the basket of light snacks came around, which consisted of pop chips, bananas, energy bars, chocolate, etc. Service ended up being very good and both flight attendants serving the business cabin were attentive and friendly. One asked if I was headed home while I waited near the lavatory and we had a nice chat with me telling her I was continuing on to Frankfurt.

Winds were in our favor, so we landed nearly 45-minutes early making the flight seem relatively short. When I passed the flight attendants on my way out and said, “Thank you,†the one I had a chat with wished me a pleasant journey on to Frankfurt – a nice and simple touch that I appreciated.

It was a great flight and I will truly miss the current cabin layout on the p.s. birds once they’re converted starting later this year. Upon deplaning, I began to make my way to the departures level escalator, but was stopped by two Federal Air Marshals. I previously posted about that encounter, so be sure to read about it there… it’s a good story.

Up next: A review of the Swiss and Oasis lounges at JFK Terminal 4.