Flight: SQ609

Carrier: Singapore Airlines

Class: Business

Route: ICN – SIN (Seoul to Singapore)

After traveling for one month, it was finally time to fly back home. Since it was Christmas Day and I wanted to surprise my gf, I decided to redeem business class tickets for our flight back from Seoul to Singapore.

By the time we reached the airport, almost everyone had checked in for the flight except for a handful of passengers. Making full use of the business class allowance (40kg each), our total luggage weighed 63kg in total, 4 pieces of luggage for two people.

We went past security clearance and immigration, but then there was only 20 minutes left before boarding. We wanted to check out the business lounge for Business Class passengers, but seeing that we did not have enough time, we did not want to risk it. Instead we spent the last few moments taking pictures with Korean people in traditional costume and doing some last minute shopping.

By the time we reached the boarding gate, it was already last call. Since we had priority boarding, we walked straight to the business class lane and were walking towards the plane in no time. Upon stepping into the cabin, we were greeted by the stewardess who showed us to our seats. Originally, I had booked 15A and 15C when I did the online check-in, but the agent at the airport told me that the armrest was spoilt, so they allocated us 16A and 16C which is one row behind and near the lavatory.

Since it was the festive season, SQ even decorated the plane with some Christmas decorations to boost the atmosphere. It felt nice to be on the plane and seeing such small touches that makes it heartwarming. However, one note is that the seats were dirty, there were some crumbs between the seat pockets. Probably there was not enough time to clean the plane thoroughly during the short turnover time.

The stewardess asked us what drink we wanted while waiting for the taxi to the runway. We ordered champagne to toast to our one month long trip and how we had survived each other’s company.

During my online check-in, I had ordered the chef on board meal, they had a few main courses to choose from. I chose the herb mustard crusted lamb loin for myself and the Grilled beef tenderloin steak for the missus.

We watched the safety video which shows the various tourist attractions around Singapore and also the famous Singapore girl trying to help the passengers whenever they faced difficulty during the flight.

About one hour after take off, we were served satay with peanut sauce. It was really delicious, I am surprised how they managed to emulate the barbecue smell and taste. The meat was juicy and tender, without much fats. Or maybe I enjoyed it so much because I had not eaten Singapore food for one month already.

After checking out the food items available on the menu, I suddenly regretted having the book the chef item. I would like to have the festive menu instead, but the stewardess told me that the Christmas turkey was so popular among passengers that they ran out of it.

Next course is the salad, we had prawn Caesar salad served with Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons and Caesar dressing. It also came with a fresh selection of bread, such as Focaccia and garlic bread.

The lamb meat was tender, but I did not like the accompanying sauce. The sauce added some flavour to the dish, but the herb and mustard pairing did not really go down well with me. Luckily I had the red wine to pair with the lamb meat. Now I really regretted not having the festive meal.

After the main course, we were served the cheese platter of Cammebert, Danish Bleu and Emmental cheese with garnishes. The Yuletide log cake with brandy sauce was delicious, and we were happy to be celebrating Christmas on the plane with first class service. The port wine paired really well with the cheeses, it is like a dessert wine and has a slightly higher alcohol percentage. I reminisced about my positive times in Portugal, sampling port wine in Porto.

To top off our meal, we had fine pralines served with either hot coffee or tea. I chose one dark and one milk chocolate because I am such a chocolate lover.

We really enjoyed being served course by course and eating the dishes on fine china instead of plastic trays. Of course Business class is not the norm for us, we cannot afford the price of the full ticket, so we have to work hard and save up in terms of airline miles in order to enjoy such benefits.

The missus was sleepy after the meal and went to sleep early. For me, I continued to sample the various wines on the menu, from French to Italian, whites to reds to Riesling. I also watched several movies and dramas on the in-flight entertainment. Singapore Airlines does have a wide selection of movies, especially the latest release “Crazy Rich Asians” but I had already watched it in the cinema back home.

Around 9.30pm, the captain was beginning his descent into Singapore Changi Airport. Due to smooth wind conditions, we were able to land earlier than the estimated timing, about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Noise-cancelling headphones provided by the airline. They accompanied me throughout the 6 hour flight as I binge watched movies and videos. There was also an amenties kit, provided by The Laundress New York. It contains a fabric freshener & deodoriser, fabric wrinkle remover, hand cleanser and lip balm. These items are definitely useful for my onward journey and for the passenger to look/ smell best after stepping off the flight.

Overall, it was an enjoyable flight with Singapore Airlines. They really deserve the title of the World’s best airline. From the cabin crew greeting you by name to the wide variety of in-flight entertainment options to the food selection, Singapore Airlines is really impressive. However, the A330 plane that was used was quite old, so the seat was only reclining at about 160 degrees and one point of improvement is about the cleanliness of the cabin. I will definitely fly with Singapore Airlines again if I have the chance, even in Economy Class I would also be satisfied.