Bali and Berchtesgaden: Singapore Airlines First Class Houston to Moscow

Flying this exact route in a couple of weeks. Are the headphones QC15's or similar? hoping to leave mine at home if at all possible.

Could you order more than one app? like on CX?
Lovely TR, but to me it looks like meh. Other than the intimacy, there's not that much of a difference between F and J then.
I see an extra soup/appy, an amenity kit, and pjs, dom/krug, and more intimacy. Anything else?

In fact, the Kway teow is the exact same on the J menu. LOL.
Like it's so clear the CX F is much better than CX J, but it doesn't seem so here with F vs. J on SQ.

And where the seats really dated? The pics you take make it look like old JL F or even 747 F (if you look at the shape and texture of the fabric)

@ LufthansaFlyer -- The headphones weren't branded as far as I could tell. Definitely not as high quality as Bose and they can be quite a bit of pressure on your ears if you keep them on for hours, though I find them just fine.

And was the mattress pad different from the J 77W flight you took LAX-NRT-SIN?

Funny that LH and SQ are sourcing the same wines in F: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the chardonnay were also on the LH F menus to and from FRA this month.

These TSA workers who are just idiots are getting more ridiculous every day. Always enjoy a good trip report from ya.

@ Jeff -- If they had enough I'm sure you could. In miles the price difference is mild between first class and business class, so I think it's the food and service that makes first class worth the premium. While the service wasn't amazing on this flight, it was spectacular on the other two segments.

@ Jeff -- Nope, I didn't find the seats to be dated at all. I think the mattress pad and duvet were a bit better than what I had in business class.

Great Post!

One thing that made me laugh is how the menu is so elegant and refined, and then your see Doritos and Lays.

I'm curious--why do you opt-out when it's so much trouble, and it's not like a pat-down is that pleasant

On this menu parfait refers to a type of frozen French custard. What we call parfait in the States is a completely different animal, hence your confusion.

@ Mark -- I do it on principle because I object to the TSA's screening methods. The full body scanner is (in my opinion) an invasion of privacy and ineffective, so the more people that refuse, the more it sends a message to the TSA.

I'm always polite to the agents and use "please" and "thank you," but opting out is something I firmly believe in.

I realize you accept this as such, but your "problems" on the flight, admittedly small, are definitely #firstworldproblems. It's been, very unfortunately, about 8 years since I have flown SQ F. All in all, if this is as bad as it gets, sounds like a great trip!

I always opt out too. More about concerns over radiation does.

Great report! Funny pic of the gate lice waiting to board! I did have to look up what "snow fungus" was in the soup.

I wonder if they crew weren't too excited about flying to Houston and that rubbed off on how they performed. Or I always wondered if FA's treat pax differently if they are redeeming miles for a flight.

Every time I see the Transaero tail at YYZ I do a double take to see if isn't AF.

The #firstworldproblems chirp is getting annoying. We get that everything in life is relative. You can stop now.

Taking this exact one next week! Looking forward to it.

Couple of things: First, the TSA agents, especially as evidenced here, are idiots. I doubt it would do any good, but I think that you should file a formal complaint about your treatment (should be able to do that on tsa.gov). Though, knowing the TSA, this probably gets you on some black list somewhere.

Also, I got different pajamas on a recent SQ flight SFO-ICN. They were black and velvet in material. IMHO, they are the most comfortable item of clothing that I now own.

I agree with your comments on the mattress, I didn't find it to be super comfortable, either, and I find it to be somewhat impractical as you may wish to take a nap, then get up, and perhaps nap again later. Seems cumbersome for the flight crew. I also think their pillows could use some work...as hard as it is for me to say, I actually find UA's pillows in C/F to be more comfortable.

Thanks as always, for the great trip reports.

Where's the caviar?!

Jason,

That was exactly my first reaction!! Where is the caviar! I do way too little travel in F, and I know I would have been disappointed - almost bitterly!

IAH-DME-SIN is an interesting route...is there that much traffic between IAH and DME, or are most of the people transiting on the way to SIN?

Didnt SQ used to have Krispy Kreme donuts on their snack menu? Also, on available flights, do you usually book the cook, and if so, what do you get?

I'm confused, you managed to book all these flights for 160K US dividend miles?

You passed up the Sauternes with dessert? That was one of the best wines on the list. 😉

The plane spotting at DME is indeed terrific. A couple years ago, waiting in the lounge for my return to IAD ( no, this was a real trip, not a DME run 😉 ), there were several people with serious telephoto lenses taking pictures. These guys were like children in a candy store, taking pictures of planes they'd never laid eyes on before. You gotta have binoculars at DME! 🙂

Great trip report! Thanks for posting the wine list - great champagne and red wines, but pretty cheap white wines. Also, Lay's potato chips? I would have assumed a gourmet chip, Swiss or French chocolates, etc.

Regarding First vs. Business, isn't the biggest difference the seat? Or are they similar.

@ UAPremierGuy -- That would be exciting if they have different PJs. Velvet sounds awesome. Am flying them again in January, so hope they still have it then.

@ Jason -- Yeah, I was surprised by the lack of caviar and satay (more disappointed by the lack of satay than anything else, though).

@ wwk5d -- I assume there's a fair bit of oil traffic. For what it's worth the other three passengers in fist class were terminating in Houston, though in coach it looked like most people had the transit cards and were connecting to Singapore. Going through Moscow isn't *that* far off the direct routing, only about 10% further, so I guess it makes sense since they have to stop somewhere.

@ Peetyrd -- I think they still do on some routes. Oddly enough I think it's an LA "specialty" for them, as I've only ever seen it on their LA route.

I usually do "Book the Cook," and usually go with a steak or pasta option if it looks good. Once they take the meal orders of other first class passengers they'll almost always let you switch your choice if something else looks better.

@ Mark_UK -- Yep.

@ archiTREKt -- Next time!

@ beachfan -- Surprisingly enough that's the smallest difference, as seats and entertainment are quite similar. See this trip report I wrote about business class:
https://onemileatatime.com/four-continents-and-37000-miles-in-two-weeks-star-alliance-lounge-los-angeles-singapore-airlines-business-class-los-angeles-to-tokyo-to-singapore-ana-business-class-lounge-tokyo/

The biggest difference (in theory) is food and service.

Well, then I have to hope the SQ1 and SQ2 from SFO to HKG go suites class beyond 1q2013! I went out of my way to book LAX-SFO-HKG-SIN to experience first instead of LAX-SIN non-stop.

While HKG is great, I've been there this year and didn't really need the stopover.

Lucky,i never understood nor most of my european friends why american immigration and security have to be always so intimidating,arrogant and disrespectful,good you stand to her and i hope others will do i wont dare do it,i know with my look and name i will be grilled and miss my flight,reason why i stopped travelling american companies years ago,security pre flight interrogation is hell,i ve been asked once how much money is still available to spend in each of my credit card.

Looks pretty awesome, actually! I just booked SQ1 from SFO-HKG in First, and I've found very few SQ F trip reports online. I was shocked at how much availability there was via KrisFlyer miles (transferred in from Amex, naturally heh). I got my first choice of flights and dates, so it's hard to argue there. Pricing was quite reasonable too, at 70K + $128USD for the one-way. Thanks for the suggestion! 😀

Any suggestions on seating? Also, it seems like -- from your reports -- you don't use Book the Cook. I'm going back and forth on it... any suggestions on what to eat (not the kingfish, I take it heh), and whether it's worth pre-ordering? Seems like if something sounds really good I should order it, as they may not stock enough :p

I just took SQ-1 on 773 from SFO-HKG yesterday. While the service was good and very attentive, I was not "blown away" by the product itself. I found the bed, once made, to be a bit too hard. The length of the bed was also surprisingly short--I am 5'9" and my head to toe took up the whole length of the bed. How do taller people deal with this? Sleep diagonally? I ordered the lobster thermidor and had a salad and soup for starter. For the other meal, I had a pretty disgusting burger ("highly recommended" by the FA) and a side order of scrambled eggs (this was probably the only good thing I ate). I was not impressed with the food--it was okay, but nothing outstanding. And the burger, again, was pretty bad. Even if the award space opens again, I don't think I'd choose to fly SQ F again.

I'm booked on the same flight in F later this year thanks the Great SQ Glitch of 2012... but quite honestly, I can't say I'm really impressed.

In the air, I don' think anyone comes close to ANA F.

@ arcticbull -- I didn't "book the cook" because it's not available out of Houston and Moscow, unfortunately. I'd go with whichever option sounds good to you. A lot of people like the lobster thermidor if it's an option.

As far as seating goes, if you're traveling alone I recommend one of the window seats in row two.

Enjoy your trip!

@ Ken Y. -- Yeah, the bed isn't that long so you either sleep diagonally (which the seat is kind of designed for) or bend your knees.

🙁 sonetimes being shorter does r an adavantage ;). By the way, the seat is so wide it'd fit both my bf and I. Wish that was allowed!

My experience in premium international cabin includes F on SQ and J on DL, CX and JL. I'd have to rate the JL food the best, followed by DL (maybe a surprise for some) and a tie in third for CX and SQ(F).

@ Ken -- That's what Singapore Suites is for!

Krug, Dom, Cloudy Bay SB, the only one missing was Noble One. Why would you fly F with anyone else? Though QF F does give them a run for the money on the food.

That would be "griddled pancakes".
Price of your ticket?

@ Richard -- Fixed, thanks! The introduction post explains the cost and booking process for the ticket.

Horse manure. It is just a damn flight people, stop wanting everything and complaing. All that grub on a flight...lol.

Hi Lucky,

Question, As an American Citizen, do I need a transit visa if taking this flight?

@ Jesse -- You don't.

Hi Lucky,
I am thinking about flying this route to Moscow and then fly to Tel Aviv via Zurich next July. I am wondering if I would be able to upgrade from Economy to Business Class. Bases on your experience with this flight would it be possible to upgrade or is the plane going to be too full? I don't think there should be an issue because how many Houstonians do you hear say I am going to Moscow this Summer or I am going to tour Singapore... Loved your stories! Looking forward to your response.

FYI, I wrote a bit about my mom's experience in F on DME-IAH flight over in what I call "the teddy bear" post - https://onemileatatime.com/review-singapore-airlines-first-class-seoul-incheon-to-san-francisco (should be comment #33 after it goes through review).