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News and Tips For Your Trips

Popular: 747 goodbye + New low-cost carrier + Hawaii flights + Hong Kong + more

Hong Kong Junk

Chris took a two-day trip to Hong Kong last week- check out his post about The Peninsula and stay tuned for his Cathay Pacific A350 Trip Report (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Emotional goodbye to United’s Boeing 747

2 A new US-based low-cost carrier in the wings?

3 Singapore Changi’s amazing new terminal (photos)

4 Trip Report: A sentimental journey onboard United’s final 747 flight

5 Routes: Etihad at DFW, El Al, Southwest, and lots of Mexico news

6 Pushing the Peninsula’s buttons

7 A Lyft bump and Uber slump – especially in San Francisco

8 A look inside Delta partner China Eastern Airlines

9 Travel restrictions are back for Cuba-bound Americans; 80 hotels off limits

10 Southwest Airlines eyeing Hawaii inter-island flights

Here’s something you may not know about Hong Kong:

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

How travel has changed in the age of Trump (Mic)

Hotels donating used furniture to Hurricane Harvey victims (AJC)

Is basic economy worth it? (LA Times)

Subtle but important distinctions between US carriers (Air Transport World)

Atlanta Airport Canopy

New roadside canopies taking shape at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Why it’s such a pain to use Uber and Lyft at Atlanta Hartsfield- and it’s getting worse (AJC)

Boeing might resume production of 767s (Reuters)

Qatar Airways buys 10 percent stake in Cathay Pacific (Bloomberg)

Thrillist picks the top airport restaurants nationwide

Hong Kong famous egg tart from Hoover’s #china #hk #china #lifewelltravelled #travel #foodporn #penmoments

A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on

Tests show TSA screeners are still missing most weapons (NBC)

Uber hopes to have flying taxis in Los Angeles by 2020 (The Verge)

BA/Iberia’s Avios program will adopt ‘dynamic pricing’ for award travel (Business Traveller)

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Singapore Changi’s amazing new terminal (photos)

T4’s Heritage Zone has traditional Singaporean storefronts. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

Singapore’s Changi Airport is consistently rated in passenger surveys as one of the world’s best – if not the best in the world. When an airport has a reputation like that to uphold, you expect a lot when it opens a brand new passenger terminal – and Changi does not disappoint.

The airport just opened its new Terminal 4, characterized  by sweeping, open design; innovative passenger diversions; and a whole bunch of creative dining and retail options. Example: T4’s “Heritage Zone” is a string of retail and dining concessions that all have the facades of traditional Singapore shops; restaurants there serve up regional specialties like kaya toast, mee siam and kopi, and there’s a live chef’s station where Indian prata pancakes are prepared on the spot.

Overall, T4 has 81 concessions, including 62 stores and service establishments and 19 food and beverage options. That includes a big duty-free shopping zone.

The terminal also boasts the latest in passenger processing technology, including a vast self-bag-drop area, speedy security and customs processing, and so on. And what would a new terminal be without visual diversions like innovative art displays and huge LED walls.

Airlines operating out of T4 include Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Cebu Pacific, Spring Airlines, the four AirAsia Group carriers, and Vietnam Airlines.

Here’s a sampling of images from the new T4.

T4’s spacious check-in area has plenty of self-service bag drops and kiosks. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

The high-ceilinged arrivals hall at T4. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

T4 has plenty of huge windows with airfield views. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

Passengers can relax in glass-walled pods with views of the terminal below. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

T4 has a large duty-free shopping zone. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

A local band entertains travelers in T4. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

 

Self-service bag drops help speed up passenger processing. (Image: Changi Airport Group)

Have you ever flown through Singapore Changi? Do you think it’s the best airport in the world? Comments below, please!

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Routes: United’s longest + Delta Comfort+ American to China + more

United 787-9 Dreamliner

United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner on its new Los Angeles-Singapore non-stops. (Image: United)

In international route developments, United has inaugurated the longest U.S. non-stop service and has revived Auckland flights; Delta starts selling its Comfort+ seats on transatlantic flights and launches its first A350 flights; American begins a new China route; Air France replaces Delta on a Paris route; Air Canada adds capacity to India from the West Coast; and Pakistan’s national carrier drops a U.S. route;

New non-stop service launched last week by United between Los Angeles and Singapore takes the number one spot as the longest flight from the U.S. at 8,700 miles. That surpasses the 8,446-mile route that United started up last year from San Francisco to Singapore, and tops Qantas’ 8,576-mile Dallas/Ft. Worth Sydney route. As with its San Francisco route, United is using a 250-passenger 787-9 for the LAX-Singapore flights. The new flight departs LAX at 9:25 and takes almost 18 hours. Don’t miss: Chris’ Trip Report on SFO-SIN from last year 17 moments in 17 hours on Singapore Airlines

In other news, United just revived its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland, New Zealand, which is also served by Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand. United will fly the route six days a week from now through December 17, boosting the schedule to daily service through March 22. The carrier’s Auckland flights are using a 777-300ER fitted out with United’s new Polaris business cabin, featuring lie-flat seats that all have aisle access. United and Air New Zealand have created a new website at www.united.com/airnz that provides information on both carriers and destination tips about New Zealand.

Delta’s Comfort+ seating is now on sale for transatlantic flights. (Image: Delta)

Delta has just started selling its Comfort+ product – extra-legroom main cabin seating – on transatlantic flights effective for travel January 22 and beyond. That includes all its flights from North America to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Delta started selling Comfort+ seating two years ago for travel within North America, and by earlier this year had expanded it to Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean flights. (Nice for those who buy it, but less nice for those hoping to get comp upgrades.)

Meanwhile, Delta this week put its first new Airbus A350 into commercial service on its Detroit-Tokyo Narita route. The new plane features a new Delta One front cabin with lie-flat seats in private suites, as well as the airline’s new international premium economy cabin called Premium Select, which is being installed in Delta’s A350s instead of Comfort+ seating. As of this week, Delta is now using the 747 on a single route, Seoul-Detroit and that is only through December 17 when it will be replaced by a shiny new Airbus A350.

American will use a 787-8 on its new LAX-Beijing route. (Image: American)

After months of negotiations with Chinese officials to secure commercially viable slot times, American Airlines is finally due to kick off its newest route to China in a few days. November 5 is the launch date for American’s daily flights from Los Angeles to Beijing, which it will initially operate with a 787-8, switching to a 787-9 next spring. Delta had also filed for the route, but lost out when the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the rights to American in December of last year.

Air France said it will step in and replace joint venture and Skyteam partner Delta this winter on the Chicago O’Hare-Paris CDG route.  Air France will use an Airbus A330 to fly the route up to five times a week.

Air Canada has foiled plans for a schedule increase this winter on its Vancouver-Delhi route. The carrier will increase frequencies on the route from five a week to daily service effective December 9 through at least December 23. Air Canada uses a 787-9 on the route.

Over the past weekend, Pakistan International Airlines ended its service between Karachi/Lahore and New York JFK, which it had been serving with a 777-200LR via a westbound stop in Manchester, U.K. PIA had been flying to New York since 1961.

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Shocking bomb simulation at Singapore Changi Airport [VIDEO]

A gorgeous garden wall at Singapore’s magnificent Changi International Airport belies the scary scene on Tuesday (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Today Singapore Changi Airport released a shocking video of a simulated terrorist bomb attack in the airport’s ticketing area.

In the video, mock gun toting terrorists advance from the airport trains, and then a mock terrorist blows himself up in the ticketing hall. Wow. It’s intense, noisy and frightening.

Here’s the video: 


This all happened in the wee hours of Tuesday morning as part of a drill. According to the Straits Times, Tuesday’s simulated attack “saw six gunmen and a suicide bomber strike the packed terminal on what was supposed to be a busy Saturday afternoon.”

This simulated attack is part of Exercise Northstar, which Channel News Asia says is “part of ongoing efforts to test a multi-agency response towards possible terrorist attacks in Singapore.”

Don’t miss TravelSkills walk-thru of Singapore’s stunning Changi International

The entire episode was covered by the media and even witnessed by Singapore’s Prime Minister, according to this story (with more details and videos) in The Straits Times.

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Routes: Air France, China Airlines, Aer Lingus, Scoot, Finnair, Seattle seaplanes

Air France will start 777 flights to Seattle next year. (Image: Air France)

In international route developments, Air France adds a new West Coast gateway; China Airlines will fly to an unlikely California airport; Aer Lingus adds a new transatlantic route in 2018; Singapore’s Scoot plans its first U.S. route; Finnair returns to Miami; and Seattle-Vancouver travelers could get downtown-to-downtown service.

Air France has scheduled a March 25 start for new U.S. service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Seattle – a route where its joint venture partner Delta already offers daily year-round service. Air France said it will initially fly the route three days a week, increasing to five days a week from June 19 through September 2, using a 777-200ER with business class, premium economy and regular economy seating. The new flight will depart SEA at 4:30 p.m.

Taiwan-based China Airlines already flies from Taipei to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and now it plans to add a third California gateway starting in the spring of next year. Could it be San Diego? San Jose? Nope. It’s Ontario International Airport, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles – an airport that currently has just 62 flights a day to 15 cities. China Airlines reportedly expects to carry more than 80,000 passengers a year in each direction on the new route, which it will initially serve four days a week with a two-class, 358-seat 777-300ER.

Aer Lingus is adding a Philadelphia route next year. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus, now a sister company of British Airways as part of International Airlines Group, has announced plans to add new U.S. service on March 25 when it will start flying between Dublin and Philadelphia. The Irish carrier will use a 757 to fly the new route four days a week – a route already operated by BA’s joint venture partner American. Aer Lingus’ summer U.S. schedule for 2018 also includes two flights a day from New York JFK, Boston and Chicago; daily service from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Hartford; four flights a week from Orlando; and three a week from Miami.

Scoot, the low-cost affiliate of Singapore Airlines, has opened the books for reservations on its first U.S. route. The carrier plans a December 19 launch of flights from Singapore to Honolulu via a stop in Osaka, Japan. Scoot will use a 787-8 on the route, which it will fly four days a week. The Scoot 787-8 has 335 seats in a two-class configuration, although some economy seats are offered with extra legroom for an additional fee.

Finnair this week resumed seasonal service to Miami International, operating three flights a week to Helsinki with an Airbus A330. The flights will continue through March.

Vancouver’s Harbour Flight Center is right downtown. (Image: Harbour Air)

Business commuters who travel between Seattle and Vancouver could soon have a new flight option that avoids the two cities’ big airports. The Seattle Times reports that a pair of small regional carriers – Kenmore Air and British Columbia’s Harbour Air – are planning to introduce new seaplane service, possibly by the end of this year.  The Seattle departures would be from Lake Union, convenient to Amazon headquarters. Harbour Air operates out of downtown Vancouver’s Harbour Flight Center.

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Routes: More Hong Kong from SFO, Delta to London, Virgin 747 flights, Lufthansa + more

Delta One a330

Delta One (business class) on an A330 is a new option to London (Image: Delta)

In international route developments, Hong Kong Airlines details its plans for San Francisco service; Delta will increase London Heathrow capacity next year with bigger aircraft; Virgin Atlantic will put 747s onto two U.S. routes; Lufthansa moves into Airberlin markets; Norwegian adds an ultra-long haul low-fare route; Hawaiian switches code-share allegiance to Japan Airlines; and American and United alter their Cuba services.

Delta is making some changes to its London Heathrow service next year, giving it a lot more capacity from key hubs. The company said that effective March 24, it will change equipment on its LHR routes out of New York JFK, Atlanta and Detroit from the current 208-passenger 767-300s to 293-seat Airbus A330s. Delta One flat-bed seats in the A330s have that herringbone layout with aisle access for all. Delta will also slightly alter its JFK joint venture schedule with Virgin Atlantic; the current schedule of five Virgin and three Delta flights a day will change to six Virgin and two Delta departures.

While Delta recently publicized some new Europe routes it is adding in 2018, it did not publicize some that it is dropping. That includes seasonal summer service from New York JFK to Moscow Sheremetyevo and to Stockholm Arlanda, and from Philadelphia to Paris CDG.

Hong Kong Airlines, partly owned by China’s Hainan Airlines, will begin service between Hong Kong and Los Angeles in mid-December. A few weeks ago, we reported that the airline also has its eye on other U.S. gateways, and it has just revealed it plans for Hong Kong-San Francisco service. The carrier plans to start flying HKG-SFO on March 25 with four flights a week, increasing to daily frequencies by August 18, according to Routesonline.com. Both LAX and San Francisco flights will use A350-900s with 33 fully-reclining business class seats, 108 in “Economy Comfort” class, and 193 in regular economy. Will a new entrant be able to compete in a crowded SFO market against Cathay Pacific’s three daily flights to Hong Kong, plus service from United and Singapore? We’ll see…

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic also has some good news for fans of the fast-disappearing Boeing 747. On March 26, Virgin will put a 747-400 onto its daily Manchester-Atlanta service twice a week, increasing to three a week May 26. And on May 22, it will start using a 747-400 on four of its seven weekly JFK-Manchester flights. The other flights on both routes use A330s.

Lufthansa will fly A330 on two U.S. routes–but not to its hubs. (Image: Lufthansa)

Germany’s bankrupt Airberlin keeps limping along as it negotiates the sale of its assets to competitors, but that hasn’t stopped Lufthansa from targeting a couple of Airberlin routes. Lufthansa just announced a pair of new U.S. routes starting this fall – neither one to its hubs at Frankfurt or Munich. On November 7 Lufthansa will kick off New York JFK-Berlin service five days a week with an A330-300 (its first Berlin wide-body service in 16 years), followed on November 8 by Miami-Dusseldorf A330-300 flights three days a week. Next summer, both routes will be transferred to Lufthansa’s Eurowings subsidiary. (Meanwhile, the Oneworld alliance has suspended mileage earning and spending privileges on Airberlin flights for members of other Oneworld airline frequent flyer programs.)

What is the world’s longest route operated by a low-cost airline? As of this week, it’s London Gatwick-Singapore, just launched by Norwegian – its first route to Asia. The carrier is using a 787-9 to fly the 6,764-mile route (12 hours 45 minutes) four times a week, with one-way base fares starting as low as 150 pounds ($201) (plus lots of fees, of course). Norwegian flies to London Gatwick from several U.S. cities – most recently adding Denver-Gatwick and Seattle-Gatwick flights.

Norwegian officials celebrate new London-Singapore flights. (Image: Norwegian)

Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines have announced a new code-share partnership that starts March 25, subject to government approval. “The two carriers also intend to establish a joint venture designed to provide even more choices, convenience and enhancements to the traveling public to/from Japan and beyond to multiple Asian markets,” Hawaiian said. Specific code-shared flights and routes haven’t yet been announced, but Hawaiian said its passengers will have “full access to Japan’s domestic network,” including Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai and Aomori. The pact also includes reciprocal mileage earning and spending on code-shared flights, as well as mutual airport lounge access. Hawaiian is moving into JAL’s Terminal 2 at Tokyo Narita to facilitate easy connections. The deal also means the end of Hawaiian’s code-sharing partnership with ANA.

U.S. carriers continue to adjust their Cuba services as they get a better handle on consumer demand for flights to the island nation. American Airlines plans to terminate its daily Miami-Cienfuegos E175 flights on January 7, and United has applied for government approval to increase its service from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Havana from weekly Saturday-only flights to daily frequencies. It didn’t specify a start date for the increase.

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Routes: United, Norwegian, Thomas Cook, Alitalia, BA, Level, Air France, Scoot

United will fly a 787 between Denver and London next summer. (Image: United)

In international route developments, Denver is getting new transatlantic service from United and Norwegian; Thomas Cook Airlines will add another a U.S. gateway; Alitalia plans to extend its Los Angeles service; British Airways changes aircraft on some U.S. routes; BA’s Level affiliate is adding more aircraft; Air France will fly to the Caribbean from the U.S. (and gets a new U.S. investor); and Singapore’s Scoot is coming to Hawaii.

United Airlines flew from its Denver hub to London Heathrow from 2008 to 2010 and then stopped. But now it plans to revive that route in 2018 on a seasonal basis. United will use a 787-8 for the daily flights, which will operate from March 24 through October 26, 2018. The eastbound service will depart Denver at 5:35 p.m. The 787-8 will offer 36 flat-bed seats in business class, 70 in Economy Plus and 113 in regular economy. British Airways currently has the only DEN-LHR non-stops.

A few weeks ago, United said that its summer seasonal Newark-Rome service is now going to operate year-round, a decision it made after Norwegian announced plans to start flying the same route beginning November 9. So maybe United’s Denver-London plans have something to do with Norwegian’s new Denver-London Gatwick service, which begins with two flights a week September 16, increasing to three a week in late October. (And we still wonder why United has not jumped at the chance to offer SFO-Italy nonstops…)

Norwegian will offer low-cost flights from Denver to Paris in 2018. (Image: Jim Glab)

And that’s not the only news for Denver: Norwegian also just announced it will start flying between Denver and Paris CDG next spring. The low-cost carrier said it will initiate service on the new route April 9, with fares starting at $229 one-way in economy and $815 in its premium cabin. The 787-9 service will initially operate two days a week (Mondays and Fridays) year-round. (Does this mean United will add DEN-CDG service too?)

The U.K.’s Thomas Cook Airlines, a leisure-oriented carrier that has been growing its U.S.-U.K. network, plans to add another U.S. route next year. On May 27, it will start flying twice a week between Seattle and Manchester, using an A330-200. The carrier will also extend its seasonal New York JFK-Manchester service to a year-round operation this winter, operating three A330 flights a week effective December 14.

Another service extension this winter will come from Alitalia. Instead of ending its Los Angeles-Rome seasonal service on October 29 when the winter schedule kicks in, it will continue to fly the route three times a week. (It won’t be fully year-round service, however; Alitalia will suspend the route from January 15 to March 6.)

British Airways is planning some equipment changes to the U.S. for its winter schedule starting October 29. On its Washington Dulles-London Heathrow route, BA will replace a 777-200ER with a 787-9. The 787-200ER and -300ER used on the Atlanta-LHR route will also be switched out for a 787-9. And 777-200ERs will go into service between LHR and Houston instead of the current 787-9 and 747-400 service. As we mentioned previously, BA will also add a third daily Los Angeles-London frequency with a 787-9.

Don’t miss: What in the world is Thomas Cook Airlines? 

Level will add more A330 routes next year — but where? (Image: IAG)

Look for more new routes in 2018 from Level, the new low-cost subsidiary of British Airways/Iberia parent International Airlines Group. Level started flying two-class A330-200s last month from Barcelona to Oakland and Los Angeles, and the carrier has just firmed up plans to add three more A330-200s to its fleet by next summer – although it hasn’t yet said where it will use them.

Ever been to Martinique or Guadeloupe? Those two Caribbean islands are technically and legally part of France, and that means Air France can fly to them from the U.S. The carrier has plans to begin twice-weekly service from Atlanta to Guadeloupe on November 21, using an A320.

Speaking of Air France – because Delta and Air France-KLM have had a close joint venture partnership for eight years now, you may have thought that Delta held an equity stake in the company. But it doesn’t. That’s now changing, however as Delta announced plans to acquire 10 percent of Air France-KLM, subject to a variety of shareholder and regulatory approvals. And it’s part of a three-way deal: Air France-KLM will acquire a 31 percent interest in Virgin Atlantic, which is 49 percent owned by Delta. Not a whole lot of good news for consumers with these deals, although the airlines will spin them that way…

Singapore Airlines’ Scoot subsidiary has Hawaii in its sights. (Image: Scoot)

Singapore Airlines used to have two low-cost subsidiaries – Tigerair, used on short-haul routes out of Singapore, and Scoot, for medium to long-haul routes. But it recently merged them into one operation, keeping the Scoot brand. Following the merger, Scoot plans to add more long-haul flights, including a new route from Honolulu to Singapore. Depending on how soon it can get regulatory approvals, the Honolulu flights could begin before the end of this year or early in 2018.

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United’s longest flight won’t have this

United’s new nonstop LAX-SIN will take about 18 hours (Image: United)

United will introduce daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) on October 27, 2017 using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.  

The flight between LAX and SIN will set the new distance record for any airline operating a flight to or from the United States, at 8,700 miles. Flying times will be approximately 17 hours, 55 minutes westbound and 15 hours, 15 minutes eastbound.

Fare info is currently not available since the flights still require government approval. But for an idea of what they may be, let’s look at SFO-SIN. Currently, the lowest roundtrip economy fares for July flights are about $850. Business class is about $4,200.

Even though this will be United’s looooongest flight, business class passengers will not fly in the new Polaris business class seat. Eventually United will get around to installing the new seats on its Dreamliner fleet, but for now, the new seat is only found on its newest Boeing 777s, currently deployed on SFO-Hong Kong, Newark-Tel Aviv, and soon, SFO-Tokyo.

United will use a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on LAX-SIN. (Image: United)

United’s existing service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and SIN started one year ago and holds the current record for the longest scheduled 787 Dreamliner flight operated by any airline and is currently the longest scheduled flight operated by any U.S. carrier, at 8,446 miles. 

With the launch of SIN-LAX nonstop, United will terminate its service between Hong Kong and Singapore.

UA 37 will depart Los Angeles at 8:55 p.m. daily, arriving in Singapore at 6:50 a.m. two days later (all times local). The return flight, UA 38, will depart Singapore’s Changi Airport at 11:00 a.m. daily, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport at 10:15 a.m. the same day.

United will have flat bed business class seats like this (configured 2-2-2) between LAX and SIN starting in October (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Sneaky: It’s important to note again that United will NOT offer its much ballyhooed new seat on this flight. We’ve written before about the confusing way United markets its Polaris business class. Last fall it rebranded all its business class as “Polaris business class.” This means that when you see “Polaris” when booking your flight, or on your boarding pass, you will not necessarily fly on a plane with the new Polaris seats– as a matter of fact, for the next several years, it’s more likely that you WON’T fly in the new seat.

Here’s the wording from United’s press release about the LAX-SIN flights… sneaky or not?

United’s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will feature a total of 252 seats – 48 United Polaris business class, 204 United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus. United Polaris business class, a reinvention of the airline’s international premium cabin travel experience, offers elevated comfort and service for a restful night’s sleep in the air.

Singapore Airlines now flies nonstop between San Francisco and Singapore using a new Airbus A350. TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis was on that inaugural flight, so check out how he survived the 17 hour flight in a business class playpen!

Eventually, Singapore Airlines will also offer nonstops between LAX and Singapore, as well as New York and Singapore when it get’s its newest, longest range Airbus A350.

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5 cushy crew rest areas: Cathay Pacific, United, Singapore, Qantas, Delta

Crew rest United 777

Climb this secret staircase to see the crew rest area in a brand new United Boeing 777-300ER (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As the crowded, busy summer season approaches and we are all wondering what kind of spaces we’ll soon be traveling in, it seems time for another look at some of the secret spaces we’ve recently discovered onboard planes.

We have five to show you here:

CATHAY PACIFIC

I had the chance to ride on one of Cathay Pacific’s brand new Boeing 777-300ERs from the factory in Seattle to Hong Kong. We created a video of the crew rest area during that flight, which caused an internet sensation.

To this day, it is by far the most popular video we have produced, snagging nearly a million views so far.

A brand new Boeing 777-300 ER at the factory in Seattle (Chris McGinnis)

A brand new Boeing 777-300 ER at the factory in Seattle (Chris McGinnis)

I took the video on a “delivery flight” from the Boeing factory to Cathay Pacific’s HQ in Hong Kong, so there were only about 80 passengers on a jumbo jet that can carry about 350. While the seats and service were fine, I was curious to see the large crew rest area on this plane.

Since long-range aircraft like the Boeing 777 can fly nonstop for 16-18 hours, airlines are required to offer rest areas for inflight crews who work on shifts.

On the Cathay Pacific 777, the rest area is located above the economy class section at the rear of the plane. It’s accessed via a non-descript door in the galley area. There’s another rest area (which I did not see) for pilots at the front of the plane.

Cathay Pacific 777 crew rest

One of eight sleeping pods for flight attendants on a Cathay 777 (Chris McGinnis)

So go have a look— it might be the only time you’ll ever see a crew rest area since visits by passengers on regularly scheduled flights are forbidden.

crew rest area 777

The secret staircase at the back of a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Luckily, that was not the only time I was allowed inside one of these secret spaces. Read on for more recent visits….

UNITED

Most recently, I took a spin through United’s new Boeing 777-300ER— the one with the new Polaris business class seats, which is now flying between SFO and Hong Kong.

United B777-300ER

United’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER arrives at SFO for the first time (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There are two crew rest areas on this plane. One is upfront for pilots, the other is accessed by a secret door by the rear galley and contains six soundproof sleeping berths for flight attendants. This get-away-from-it-all space is cherished by crew, especially on those 12-15 our transpac long hauls!

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

We were also invited up to Seattle to see Singapore Airline’s newest B777 in 2013 to prepare this report and slideshow, and to grab this image of the peach pink confines of its crew rest area:

Singapore Airlines 777

A brand new Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 at the factory in Seattle (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Singapore Airlines crew rest area 777

We also stepped inside the peachy pink confines of Singapore Airlines B777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

QANTAS

You may recall that I recently flew on a Qantas 747 from San Francisco to Sydney in 2016. Well, minutes before that flight departed, I was allowed onboard to photograph the interior of the plane.

View from the QANTAS jaw-dropping first class lounge in Sydney. Wow! Stay tuned for a trip report! (Chris McGinnis)

View from the QANTAS jaw-dropping first class lounge in Sydney. Crew rest area is located behind the windows on the bubble. (Chris McGinnis)

While doing so, I noticed flight attendants entering the secret staircase to the crew rest area and asked if I could slip in for a quick video, and they obliged! See below look at that!

crew rest area Qantas 747

A look inside the crew rest area on a Qantas 747-400 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Here’s how we described the experience in that TravelSkills.com post: Due to my status as a travel writer, I received a special favor– I asked if I could board five minutes early so I could get some good photos of the plane before it filled up with passengers. At the last minute my wish was granted, so I scrambled on board, up the “stairway to heaven,” threw my bags down and took off with flight attendant Jerry for a quick tour of the plane INCLUDING a look at the secret crew rest area in the aft section of the “bubble” with access via a special stairway from the main deck. See that video here (or below). This big bird has a crew of 14 flight attendants and four pilots and on a 14+ hour flight, they need a place to hide!

DELTA

On my recent trip to the Delta Museum in Atlanta to see the new 747 Experience exhibit, I snapped a photo of the pilot’s crew rest area upstairs in the 747 bubble of the aircraft on display. There’s another crew rest area for flight attendants at the back of this plane, but the light was not good enough to capture a good image.

747 crew rest area

Looking back from the cockpit, you can look into the pilot crew rest area (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

So as we all prepare to depart on packed flights this summer, it’s nice to know that there are some spacious seats somewhere onboard! Have you ever seen one of these spacious spaces? Please leave your comments below. 

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Reader Report: Singapore Airlines Premium Economy, Airbus A350 SFO-SIN

TravelSkills reader Jason Vaudrey reports from a Singapore Air A350 (

TravelSkills reader Jason Vaudrey reports from a Singapore Air A350 in Premium Economy (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Late last year we received the following email from TravelSkills reader Jason Vaudrey with a query about submitting a reader report about his upcoming Singapore Airlines Premium Economy flight. He wrote:

My name is Jason Vaudrey and I really enjoy reading TravelSkills each week.  I just finished reading about Singapore Airlines’ inaugural flight with their A350 and it made me more excited for my trip to Myanmar and return from Bangkok in December when I’ll fly on the A350. I am fascinated by air travel, commercial aircraft, the hustle and bustle of airports and have been this way since I was a child. I am somewhat envious of your ability to be able to make a career for yourself doing what you love. When I was younger, I flew quite often and used to save my ticket jackets and would often use the Official Airline Guide to plan out my father’s travels that would often take him up to the North Slope of Alaska. Today, I am fortunate to have a career that allows me to travel internationally once or twice a year…I’m more than happy to provide a review of Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy experience in December aboard their A350.  I am very excited for the 17-hour flight. 

That sounded great, and my reply to Vaudrey was:

Hey Jason! You sound like me! We’d love to consider a trip report from you. Here are some guidelines for you to consider:  https://travelskills.com/travelskills-reader-report-guidelines

–Chris

Earlier this year, Jason submitted the following report:

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Singapore Airlines flight 31 SFO-SIA on December 20 (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

I love taking a big international trip at least once a year, preferably to a country I have never visited. I usually like to include scuba diving, whitewater rafting or something adventurous as part of my destination. I always believe in my vacation beginning at SFO and look forward to the long haul flight that awaits. I will pay upwards of $400 more for an airline with a better reputation as opposed to defaulting to the least expensive ticket to a destination.

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Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 at SFO ready to depart for Singapore (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

To allow myself the freedom to travel, I work as a substitute teacher with San Francisco Unified School District and also do HIV and reproductive health research on short term projects or as an independent contractor. This holiday and during my winter break from school, I chose to go to Yangon (Burma) and to see Bagan and scuba dive the Burma Mergui Archipelago, which involved me starting that portion of my trip in Thailand.

I flew nearly two months after the inauguration of Singapore Airlines’ nonstop SFO to Singapore Changi flight.  Our flight flight time was approximately 16 hours and 30 minutes. I sat in seat 33H, the third and last row in Premium Economy on the two seat side. There were approximately 30 seats empty on board the plane, according to the chief steward.

Singapore Airlines A350 premium economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy has 24 seats in three rows between business class and economy class (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There are 24 seats in Premium Economy in a 2-4-2 layout and I definitely recommend the last row because your seat is not pulled on when the person behind you often uses the head rest as support to get up from their seat not realizing how jarring it is for the person seated.

See Singapore Airlines A350 seat map on SeatGuru.com 

Seat 33 H in premium economy on a Singapore Airlines A350

Seat 33 H in premium economy on a Singapore Airlines A350 (Jason Vaudrey)

The seven cabin crew who attended to both the Premium Economy and Economy sections did an amazing job to make sure everyone was seated and comfortable and we had an on time departure and upon boarding handed us a hot towel, a menu and confirmed with those passengers who requested a special meal. The menu for premium economy covers all four meal services for both Flight 31 and Flight 32.

The check-in procedure at SFO has a special lane for Premium Economy, although when I arrived about 2.5 hours ahead of my flight, there were no passengers at the check-in counter and the ticketing agent had indicated that most everyone had checked-in already. On my return trip which originated in Bangkok, I still was able to use the Premium Economy lane and also for boarding the flight which had no Premium Economy section. Although in Bangkok, the ground staff operating the flight from Bangkok to Singapore allowed for Premium Economy passengers to board with their frequent flier mileage tier groups after Business Class boarded.

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Premium economy dinner on Singapore Airlines (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Both flights are designed the same in terms of service and meals offered. You are served a hot breakfast with three options that are the same three options being offered in economy. I chose the braised egg noodles with pork and it was delicious. The other two options were Western breakfast style options. For the second meal service from SFO-SIN, I ordered Korean BBQ ribs from the “Book the Cook” option that is given to premium economy passengers. All special meal order services are delivered first before the cart is pushed down the aisle serving the other passengers. Only drawback for ordering any special meal service is the delay in getting a beverage to go with it. So just request a beverage when your meal is delivered, but sometimes they will ask you to wait until the cart comes down the aisle.

The seat in premium economy is great. The problem with the exterior aisles, is the box that controls the seat back monitors obstructs and prevents you from being able to store a backpack and anything greater than a slim bag or purse. With my short legs, this did not pose a problem, but if you are tall, it might be an obstruction that is not welcome. The recline is nice along with the greater elbow room, because an arm rest is not shared with your seatmate. And there is also seat pitch of 38” and wider seats than in economy.

The only drawback is the engineering design of the calf rest. My seat mate on the return from Singapore to San Francisco brought this to my attention when he said that the calf rest doesn’t raise enough for you to at the same time rest your feet on the foot bar. And, even the passenger across the aisle from me pointed it out to a flight attendant after we took off and she tried to yank on the calf rest to get it to raise more, and I leaned over and told them, I think it’s a design flaw. My seat mate, cleverly, took his pillow and placed it under his legs, raising them, to allow his feet to reach the bar. I ended up not using the calf rest and prefer just resting my feet on the bar.

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Map of flight from SIN to SFO as seen on seatback entertainment system (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

The return flight was fantastic and shorter. The second meal service was still approximately five hours after the first meal service. A change I noticed with this flight is the lead flight attendant approached all 24 passengers  (premium economy was full) and asked them what they wanted for the three main course choices offered.

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Premium economy meal onboard Singapore Airlines A350 SIN-SFO (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

The flight attendants delivered premium economy meals without serving directly from the cart. The cart still was brought up the aisle to offer beverages, but I thought her asking those who did not already have a special meal request, was just another perk to sitting up in premium economy that I did not see, but also did not mind, when flying to Singapore from SF.

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Here’s how they are celebrating the new nonstops between SFO and Singapore at Changi Airport (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

I bought my ticket in July 2016 and the price was approximately $1750, about $100 more than economy at the time. I found even the business class, priced at $3,200 roundtrip in July to be very reasonable, considering the distance. And, this would have also included my flight to Yangon from Singapore and my return from Bangkok to Singapore. By the end of August, the price for economy still hovered around $1650, but premium economy was priced at $2,400. I find it definitely to be worth it, because it is quite the long flight and the seat itself is worth the increase in price between economy and premium economy.

[Roundtrip, premium economy fares between SFO and Yangon on SIA are currently about $2,900 according to Google Flights]

My trip to Myanmar consisted of flying to Bagan to see the pagodas and take a hot air balloon at sunrise on Christmas Eve morning.  From there, I took AirKBZ to Yangon, spent the night at a nice budget hotel by the airport, called the High Five Hotel.  In the morning I flew to Ranong, Thailand, via Bangkok on AirAsia to Bangkok. From Bangkok to Ranong, Thailand, I flew on NokAir (nok in Thai means bird).  Ranong, Thailand lies on the border of Thailand and Myanmar.  From there, I boarded a 7-day liveaboard scuba dive boat with 17 other individuals and crossed back into Myanmar waters to scuba dive for 7 days in the Myanmar (Burma) Mergui Archipelago.  I was the only American on board, but had a great adventure and befriended many on board.

-Jason Vaudrey

Nice work, Jason! Thanks!

Jason scuba diving in off the coast of Myanmar

Jason scuba diving in off the coast of Myanmar

Are you interested in submitting a reader report to TravelSkills? Here are our guidelines. We’d love to hear from you!

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New aircraft coming on key global routes: LAX, Boston, SFO, Chicago, Houston

Qantas' first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Qantas’ first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Several airlines have scheduled the introduction of brand-new planes on key international routes to the U.S., including Qantas, Lufthansa, Swiss International and Singapore.

Qantas announced that its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will enter service on December 15, 2017, flying the Melbourne-Los Angeles route. The new 236-passenger, three-class Dreamliner will fly the route six days a week, replacing a 364-seat 747, and will supplement Qantas’ daily A380 flight on the route. That will give Qantas 13 flights a week on the route, up from nine today. Even though the 787 is smaller than the 747 it will replace, the larger plane is only flying twice a week, so that’s a net capacity increase on the route of 1,400 seats a week. The Dreamliner will have business class, economy class, and a new premium economy section that the airline will introduce early next year.

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first brand-new Airbus A350-900 which will begin regular commercial service February 10 between Munich and New Delhi. But the carrier announced last week that its second new A350 will start flying in March 2017 on the Boston-Munich route. Lufthansa said its first 10 A350s will all be based at its Munich hub. The aircraft will have 48 business class seats, 21 in premium economy and 224 in regular economy. The airline will introduce a new in-flight service for A350 business class flyers: a self-service area offering snacks and cold drinks. The new aircraft will also have larger video screens and “the latest FlyNet technology and improved web surfing,” Lufthansa said. The plane will offer a variety of lighting schemes and improved cabin pressure so travelers will arrive “feeling more rested,” the airline said.

Economy class on SWISS's new 777-300ER. (Image: SWISS)

Economy class on Swiss’s new 777-300ER. (Image: Swiss International)

Swiss International, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has been rolling out new 340-seat Boeing 777-300ERs as the flagships of its long-haul network. It has six already, with three more coming online in 2017. This year, it started flying them to Los Angeles in June and Miami in October. And they’ll soon be coming to San Francisco and Chicago. According to the Swiss website, The 777-300ER will begin flying between Zurich and San Francisco three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) starting February 16. And the airline will reportedly boost that 777 schedule to seven flights a week starting April 17. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com reports that Swiss will put the new 777-300ER into service between Chicago O’Hare-Zurich beginning June 1, flying that route six times a week. The new 777s carry 340 passengers, with eight seats in first class, 62 in business and 270 in economy (in a 3-4-3 configuration). Check out a photo tour of the Swiss 777-300ERs that we ran last year.

Singapore Airlines A350 premium economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy is a good option for those who can’t bear the thought of 17 hours in economy (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines continues add new Airbus A350s to its long-haul feet, and the next deployment of the aircraft will be on its Houston-Manchester (UK)-Singapore route starting January 17, according to Routesonline.com. The Singapore A350s have 42 business class seats, 24 in premium economy, and 187 in regular economy (in a 3-3-3 configuration).  Two months ago, Singapore put one of the new A350s into service on its Singapore-San Francisco route. Chris was on board for one of the first flights, and you can read his comprehensive report here about seating and in-flight service aboard the Singapore A350.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Popular: Surfing + Free Vegas + New United fare + Lie-flat to Hawaii + Become a travel writer

Winter road

First winter storms slow air travel as the holiday season commences (Image: Pixabay)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Dude! How to go surfing in California & Iceland in one dayWeekend Edition

2 5 fabulously free things to do in Las Vegas

3 New York City to Honolulu in lie-flat comfort

4 United adds ultra-cheap Basic Economy fares

5 Fare sale to Asia from Cathay Pacific, Singapore Air

A United 747-400. (Image: United)

A United 747-400- enjoy it while you can. (Image: United)

6 Countdown is on for United’s final Boeing 747 flights

7 Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 1 of 3)

Cuba music

Music and dancing are ubiquitous on this island of 11 million- that’s me arriving in Cuba in May (Chris McGinnis)

8 How I quit my job to become a travel writer and see the world

9 Another small-plane alternative for California: Blackbird

10 Routes: Delta, United, Alaska, Southwest, Spirit

Don’t miss: Why holiday travel is going to be different this year

Lyft is dumping the pink moustache for a new look, and its pick-ups will soon be color-coded. The new dash-mounted Lyft Amp will glow orange, pink, purple, silver, teal or yellow which will help riders more easily spot their ride. See the video for how it will work:

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Delta raises the price of Sky Club membership to $495

Clever, cuddly holiday travel video from Heathrow Airport

Japan’s ANA new “Experience” campaign makes splash in US 

British Airways to use newly acquired Aer Lingus in battle with low fare competitors?

Air Lingus will begin A330 service from Miami next year. (Photo: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus said to becoming part of Oneworld soon-  (Photo: Aer Lingus)

Sneak peek of new Oakland pay-per-day business class lounge

Way cool: Samsung’s long-rumored FOLDABLE smartphone 

AMEX: Airfares will continue to get cheaper in 2017

Washington Post: Trump International suddenly the hottest hotel in town

Gridlock: Secret Service wants to shut down 5th Ave in NYC when Trump is in town as prez

Delta SkyClub

Delta is passing along some profits to employees (Photo: Delta / Flickr)

Bigger smiles: Delta to give employees 6% raises next year

Uber offering free rides to/from 11 airports for AMEX cardholders

Lufthansa develops a ‘chatbot’ to help customers find the lowest fares

Artificial intelligence powers a new personal travel assistant app

Qantas will soon begin tests of high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi

Omni sets winter sale for 60 U.S. properties; November 29 booking deadline

United might have some problems sharing a brand name with a all terrain vehicle. Click on video below to see how that is already happening.

Which polaris you talkin’ about?

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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17 moments in 17 hours on Singapore Airlines Airbus A350

Singapore Airlines A350 SFO

Singapore Airlines’ newest jet, an Airbus A350 at San Francisco International (Photo: Peter Biaggi)

In late 2016 Singapore Airlines (SIA) inaugurated new nonstop flights between San Francisco and Singapore using a brand new Airbus A350. The 8,450 mile flight takes about 17 hours depending on winds.

SIA invited TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis to jump onboard to report on the experience. For more background on this historic flight be sure to see our previous post: Singapore Airlines opens up about its newest, longest nonstop flight.

Fares for November SFO-SIN roundtrips are currently about $800 round trip in economy, $1,800 in premium economy and $4,200 in business class. There are no first class seats on the A350. There are 42 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 187 standard economy seats on this bird. United also flies nonstop between SFO and Singapore using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Good luck send off with a dragon lion dance at SFO Gate 93 (Photo Chris McGinnis)

Good luck send-off with a dragon lion dance at SFO Gate 93 (Photo Chris McGinnis)

At the gate, SIA and SFO teamed up to celebrate  the first SQ 31 flight with a gate event that included a noisy, good luck, send-off dragon dance with drums, plus food, drink and swag (luggage tags, model planes) for all passengers. It’s always super special and exciting to take an inaugural flight– every passenger boarded with a big smile.

Singapore Air Airbus A350

To easily spot an A350, look for curly wingtips and black, rounded cockpit windows (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Looking out of SFO gate 93 at the brand new A350, I was looking for its most distinguishing features so I could always remember how to spot it on runways. From now on, I’ll always notice the A350 by its unique curly wingtips (see ’em?) and the blacked out, round-edged cockpit windows. Currently, it’s the only A350 flying into SFO. 

Singapore Girls

Always helpful Singapore girls pose for a photo during early boarding (Photo: Robert Silk)

Thankfully Singapore Air arranged for me to get on the plane a few minutes early to take photos of each cabin before take off. When I got onboard, the Singapore girls were busy scurrying around getting the plane ready, but took the time for a quick photo.

Singapore Airlines A350 economy class

Economy class on Singapore Air’s new A350- best seats are bulkhead row 47 and window row 48 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Economy class seats are configured 3-3-3. To me, the best economy seats are in the bulkhead at rows 47 and 48 on either side. The two seats on either side (not center) of row 47 don’t have seats in front of them (only a door), and the window seats in row 48 have open space in front of them, too. These seats are near lavatories, which might be bothersome if trying to sleep (but who really is able to sleep in economy class anyway? Not me!).

See SeatGuru for a full layout of the plane here.

Singapore Airlines A350 premium economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy is a good option for those who can’t bear the thought of 17 hours in economy (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Same goes for Premium economy seats– bulkhead is probably best. However, on our flight, an unlucky set of parents were seated in the bulkhead (typically where airlines place parents flying with babies) and their baby cried for nearly the entire flight. So you take your chances when choosing the bulkhead.

Bulkhead seat 19F: My business class playpen for the next 17 hours on SIA's Airbus A350 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Bulkhead seat 19F: My business class playpen for the next 17 hours on SIA’s Airbus A350 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There are two sections in the 42-seat business class, separated by a galley. I was in seat 19F, on the bulkhead behind the galley. These bulkhead seats have nice “wraparound” ottomans that other seats don’t, so when the seat back folds down into a flat bed for sleeping, you have plenty of space to move around. The non-bulkhead seats are a bit cozier and feet must fit into a narrow space for sleeping. Not uncomfortable, but not as spacious as those bulkhead playpens. Note that the bulkheads in the center are larger than the bulkheads by the window, so given a choice, take the center. Downside to the bulkhead is proximity to the galley, which can be noisy and bright if you are trying to sleep.

Business class passengers get voucher for 30 MB free internet

Business class passengers get voucher for 30 MB free internet

When checking in at SFO, gate agents provided business class passengers with a voucher good for 30 MB of inflight Internet. That 30 MB ran out in about half an hour of browsing and email, so I bought a 24 hour pass for $22. The connection was fine for light browsing and email, but I was unable to upload photos to share on my Facebook or Twitter feeds as I’ve been able to do on other transoceanic flights. 

Singapore Airlines menu

Singapore Airlines 14-page menu for SFO-SIN flights (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Amazing: Singapore Airlines’ inflight menu is 14 pages long! The airline is experimenting with a new flexible dining option on the SFO-SIN flights, so you have about 10 choices for appetizers and main courses (one of which, oddly, is a barbecue pulled pork sandwich). There are two meal services on this flight, but you can also choose to eat whenever you want. I chose to enjoy the full dinner service, which began an hour or so into the flight and took about two hours to finish– no problem on a 17-hour flight, right? An elaborate meal helps pass the time!

There are all kinds of cool new things about the A350, but the one that really knocked my socks off? The automated trash bin the the lavatory! Watch the video above to see how its motion sensors open and close the the flap so you don’t have to touch it.  What a great idea since I’m always a little grossed out when I have to push my used towels into the bin.

Singapore Airlines silverware

Stunning 6 pieces of silverware with dinner service on Singapore Airlines plus a delicious starter of prawns and pickled cauliflower drizzled with a lovely lemony dressing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Another amazing aspect of Singapore Airlines service… the six pieces of silverware you get to use for dinner!

Singapore Airlines wine

Six wines from which to choose on Singapore Airlines SFO-SIN (Chris McGinnis)

Some excellent wine choices, including Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve champagne pre-flight as well as a 2012 Chateau Belle-Vue Cru bordeaux.

Singapore Airlines meal

Lamb Biryani main course on on SFO-SIN in business class on Singapore Airlines (Chris McGinnis)

When I fly international carriers, I always try to go native and ask for whatever is the most local and exotic, so I was surprised to see so few Asian entrees on the new business class menu. When I asked my flight attendant about this, she recommended the lamb biryani– an Indian dish, but since Singaporean cuisine is such a melange of different Asian flavors, she said that this was my best bet if I wanted to go native. She was right! It was delicious and spicy. I want it again as I type this 24 hours later!

Singapore Airlines steak

Main course beef filet on Singapore Airlines business class SFO-SIN (Chris McGinnis)

The passenger across the aisle ordered “grilled US choice beef filet” and I was able to catch the flight attendant for a photo of this perfectly prepared and garnished dish before she served it.

Since this was a brand new plane for flight attendants, there were some timing issues and hiccups in the meal service– having flown Singapore Airlines several times before, I noticed the imperfections. However, on a new plane, just like at new hotels, I’m very forgiving, and once crews learn how to work on the new A350, service bumps will surely even out.

Singapore Airlines sleep

Snuggling in for sleep in business class with my Bucky eyemask and Mack’s earplugs (Photo: Robert Silk)

My RX for sleeping well on planes includes a Bucky eye mask, Mack’s silicone earplugs, and Nite-Time melatonin tabs. On this flight, I tucked in and slept well for about five and a half hours– until those poor parents with the screaming baby began pacing through the business class cabin and allowing the kid to wail in the nearby galley. Oy.

Singapore Air does not provide amenity kits on this flight. Slippers and eye masks are in seat side bins. Toothbrushes, razors, combs, mouthwash and lotion are available in lavatories. Unlike my recent trip to Sydney on Qantas (a 14 hour flight), Singapore does not provide pajamas for business class passengers, so I suggest you pack a t-shirt to sleep in and ask flight attendants to hang your shirt so it’s fresh when you get off the plane.

One key reason I was able to sleep well on this flight: Flight attendants kept the cabin blissfully cool. I’ve had other wonderful business class experiences that were marred by overheated cabins. Yuck!

Singapore Airlines tea

A soothing cup of green tea does the trick (Photo: Chris McGinnis

Once I woke up, flight attendants came by and asked to help convert my seat from bed back to upright seat. Singapore’s business class seats are unique in that the seatback folds forward to make a nice wide bed– on other airlines, the seat usually reclines fully into a flat bed. After I was situated and upright, I asked for a nice warm cup of green tea,  a perfect way to wake up as we flew over the Philippines.

Singapore Airlines soup

Egg noodles with chicken and mushrooms for breakfast (sort of ) (Chris McGinnis)

I slept through the second meal service, but I had pre-ordered a big bowl of noodles as my breakfast… or lunch? Not sure due to the time change. In any case, it was a nice way to wake up and greet the afternoon in Asia, even if the soup arrived lukewarm.

Singapore Air’s inflight entertainment system is arguably the best in the world— there are hundreds of movies, TV shows and games to choose from. But my favorite by far is the inflight map! This one offers all sort of viewing options that I could sit and watch for hours. The video above shows what we saw as we approached Singapore. Talk about exotic! Wow.

Our flight path took us out over the Pacific to the north of Hawaii, over the top of the Philippines and into the South China Sea, then straight into Singapore.

Singapore Changi flowers

One of many stunning gardens that greet arriving passengers at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Changi airport is considered one of the very best in the world for a variety of reasons, including the gorgeous garden displays throughout the terminal. A perfect example is this beautiful bird set up to welcome passengers as we entered the customs and immigration halls– through which we passed in about 30 seconds.

Overall, I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about getting on a plane for 17 hours— even when I knew I would be sitting in a big business class seat on Singapore Airlines. I thought I’d reach a point where I’d be screaming to myself “get me outta this plane!” But it never happened. This flight, which ended up being 16 hours and 11 minutes due to calm headwinds, was no different than a 12 hour flight to Europe, or a 14 hour flight to Australia.

Don’t miss! The epilogue to this trip: Chris’s return flight SIN-SFO

What’s the longest flight you’ve ever flown? Tell us about it in the comments! 

Disclosure: Singapore Airlines covered the cost of airfare and hotels for this trip. TravelSkills paid for meals, transfers and incidentals. 

 

 


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Singapore Air opens up about longest nonstop

Singapore Airlines business class

Guests at St Regis gala take a gander at Singapore Air’s newest business class seat (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week in San Francisco, Singapore Airlines put on a posh gala at the St Regis to celebrate the launch of its newest, longest nonstop flight between San Francisco to Singapore.

SIA will deploy its newest aircraft, an Airbus A350, on the 17-or-so-hour flight, the first of which departs from SFO this Sunday. It’s the first time an Airbus A350 has touched down for commercial service at SFO. Fares for November flights are currently about $800 round trip in economy, $1,800 in premium economy and $4,200 in business class. There are no first class seats on the A350. (TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis will be on the inaugural flight, so stay tuned for his trip report!)

The city’s travel and diplomatic community gathered for a fancy fete where we dined on appetizers, meals and wine served in business and first class on Singapore Airlines flights. On the floor of the event space were two of Singapore’s latest generation business class seats– just like the ones on its new A350– along with a dozen or so “Singapore girls” to assist in transforming the plush leather seat into a nice wide bed for sleeping.

Don’t miss! Chris’s Trip Report from this historic inaugural flight

Singapore Airlines menu

Dinner menu included dishes served onboard Singapore Airlines flights (Chris McGinnis)

Prior to the event, I was able to sit down with Mr. Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Air’s Executive VP – Commercial, to talk about the new plane and the new nonstop flight, which will be the longest in the SIA network. Here are some highlights from our chat:

TravelSkills: What’s so great about the new A350? What will passengers notice about the plane as soon as they walk onboard? How does it differ from the current B777s used on the route? 

Mr Mak: This is the very latest generation twin jet in the market and is much more efficient than other planes. It is perfectly sized [253 passengers] for us to deploy on less dense routes. Singapore-Amsterdam was the first route for our A350s and San Francisco is the latest. The first thing passengers may notice when boarding is how spacious the cabin feels. The shape of the A350 fuselage is such that the side walls are nearly vertical, providing additional shoulder and head space for passengers seated at the windows.   When onboard, passengers will notice the latest generation of our seats in all classes- for example, in business class, they’ll enjoy the third iteration of our new business class seat. The carbon fiber used to construct the plane not only makes it lighter and more efficient, it also helps in pressurization and humidity, which makes flights feel more comfortable and helps prevent jet lag. It also makes inflight food taste better.  Hepa-filters keep cabin air as clean as in hospitals. Plus, the windows on the A350 are larger than on other Airbus planes- so better views, too.

TravelSkills: SIA is using SQ 31 and SQ 32 as the flight numbers for the SFO-SIN nonstop service. Did you all consider giving the new flight the iconic SQ 1 and SQ 2 designation that you now use on the SFO-Hong Kong-Singapore flights?

Mr Mak: There’s a logic to our flight numbers. For example, all the flights to/from the Americas have single or double digits. Since SQ1 and SQ2 were our first flights ever to the US, we want to preserve that history. Our flights to Singapore via Hong Kong are well established and popular, so we don’t want to change a good thing. When I see the numbers 31 and 32, though, it makes me think in Cantonese where numbers can have significant meaning. The number 3 signifies life and the number 1 is something like long-lasting or longevity. So flight #31 could be about long-lasting life. With 32, you have 3 meaning life, and 2 meaning easy or comfortable.  This is not how the company came up with those flight numbers, but it’s a nice way for me to explain them to you and your readers! [Read more about Chinese number superstitions here]

Singapore Airlines execs, Singapore's ambassador to the US, local media and Singapore girls on stage at the St Regis (Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines execs, Singapore’s ambassador to the US, local media and Singapore girls on stage at the St Regis (Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills: What did Singapore Air learn about long distance flying when it ran A340s between Newark and Singapore- an 18-20 hour flight that was then the longest in the world? 

Mr Mak: We flew the Airbus A340 between Newark and Singapore from 2004-2013. It was an all business class flight with just 100 seats. On long flights like that, our service proposition really comes out and we take a three pronged approach offering good seats, good food and good entertainment. On the new A350, we’ll have the latest generation of our inflight entertainment system, which is arguably the best one in the world. We are currently working on expanding flexible dining options on ultra long haul flights so passengers can eat and sleep on their own cycle. [Later in the evening during a speech Mak said:] When we launch New York-Singapore nonstops in 2018 with the new A350ULR [“ultra long range”] we will reclaim the crown of the world’s longest commercial flight. And we’ll make business travelers in New York and Singapore very happy.

Singapore Air Silver Kris lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airines nondescript SilverKris lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills: Are there any plans to upgrade or enhance the Singapore Air Silver Kris lounge at SFO? 

Mr Mak: We are looking at our options there. We are aware of the complaints from passengers about the facilities and are working on solutions to improve the lounge.

TravelSkills: United is sure to put its Polaris business class on its SFO-SIN nonstop soon. How will SIA compare or compete with that? How will you convince the many hardcore United Mileage Plus members to fly SIA instead? That’s 17,000 miles round trip!

Our schedules, our hard and soft product, our route network and our well-known inflight service all contribute to a very compelling value proposition. We are also a member of Star Alliance, so MileagePlus members can still earn miles when flying on SIA. [Here’s how you’ll earn United miles when flying Singapore Air]

TravelSkills: Will the A350 be able to fly full year-round or will there be weight or passenger limitations? 

Mr Mak: The aircraft can definitely perform on the SFO-SIN flight. However during winter months when winds shift, we will have to carry more fuel and less weight–  fewer passengers, less cargo or a little of both.

See Singapore Airlines A350 microsite for details and a tour of this new bird!

Singapore's long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Paul Edwards, the head of Design and Brand Management at Airbus made a speech at the St Regis gala about the new flight and the new plane– here are some interesting nuggets about the A350 that he shared:

>The current version of the plane is the Airbus A350XWB, which stands for Extra Wide Body. At 19.6 feet wide, it’s more spacious than the competing Boeing 787 Dreamliner at 18 feet, 11 inches. The longer range version is the A350ULR which stands for Ultra Long Range, and will be deployed on the New York and Los Angeles runs. [Interesting to note that SFO is closer to Singapore than LAX!]

>The A350 is 25% more efficient than other similar aircraft, which means it burns less fuel per passenger making it “the most environmentally friendly aircraft in the sky”

>The A350 has the largest overhead bins flying– so large that they don’t install them in the center of the plane– which makes it feel much more spacious.

>Cabin air on the A350 is changed every 2-3 minutes and is recirculated through hepa-filters which helps maintain a “fresh smelling” cabin

>There are 12 separate temperature zones on the A350, so rarely will you find hot or cold spots.

>The rate of change in cabin pressure is controlled by onboard computers and gradually increases or decreases during take off and landing, preventing ear-popping.

>Cabin pressure is the same as you’d find at about 6,000 feet on the ground [so about like Denver]. Other aircraft have cabin pressure at about 8,000 feet.

>The A350 is about six decibels quieter than other aircraft, which results in better sleep– and less need for noise canceling headsets.

>In economy class, those obnoxious underseat metal boxes that contain inflight entertainment systems have been removed to provide more legroom.

>New LED cabin lighting has thousands of variations, and they use a blue hue which supposedly helps counteract the effects of jet lag.

Have you flown Singapore Air? Do plan to? Please leave your comments below! 

Don’t miss! Chris’s Trip Report from this historic inaugural flight

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:

Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills!

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Are double-decker jumbo jets doomed?

An Airbus A380 an an air show with an A350 approaching. (Image: Airbus)

An Airbus A380 an an air show with an A350 approaching. (Image: Airbus)

Effective this month, Boeing has cut back production of its iconic 747 to just six planes a year, as we noted several months ago when we speculated that the big plane might be on its way out of the aviation scene altogether in the months and years ahead. And now there is talk that the 747’s only double-decker rival, the Airbus A380, might be nearing a similar fate.

The latest blow to the A380 came from Singapore Airlines, which has decided not to renew a lease for one of its A380 after it expires about a year from now. The airline operates 19 of the planes.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the rejection of a single leased plane isn’t a huge blow to Airbus, but represents “a symbolic hit” for the A380, for which it said Airbus has been struggling to find customers.

The manufacturer said recently that its A380 production will be reduced from 27 planes a year in 2015 to just 12 a year by 2018. “The backlog of A380s to be delivered has eroded during years of no or few orders,” the Journal noted. It said that Airbus was expected to start losing money on the A380 once again under the lower production rate, and suggested that not even the manufacturer’s existing backlog of scheduled production is completely safe since some airlines are canceling their earlier orders.

Don’t miss: How Emirates glamorously welcomes a new plane (photos)

Emirates' new version of the A380 has 617 seats. (Image: Emirates)

Emirates’ new version of the A380 has 617 seats. (Image: Emirates)

A recent article in TheStreet.com cited one aerospace expert who noted that the international aviation market’s interest has shifted from ultra-large passenger jets like the 747 and A380 to somewhat smaller, newer twin-aisle jets like the 787 and A350 that are more fuel-efficient and can be deployed more profitably on longer non-stop routes. He said the sweet spot now is for planes that carry 300 to 370 passengers.

The Airbus A380s currently in use carry from 400 to 538 passengers in a three-class configuration, although the plane is certified to carry up to 853 in a one-class layout, and Emirates has come out with a 615-passenger version with two classes.

Manufacturers are turning to larger versions of the 787, 777 and A350 for the years ahead, a trend that could siphon even more business away from the double-deckers from airlines that want aircraft with more capacity, the article noted.

Readers: Could you live comfortably in a world without double-decker jumbo jets? What do you think of the A380?

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | More Delta SkyMiles for Asian trips | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | JetBlue-Delta slugfest means lower fares | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Popular: Fare sale + Secret spaces + First class + New biz class + PreCheck

Turkish Airlines

On Turkish Airlines, flight attendants offer lemon, orange or raspberry juice as a pre-flight beverage. If you want Champagne, you have to ask for it (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis took a quick trip to Greece via Turkish Airlines. Wow! You are not going to believe the inflight service on these flights. Stay tuned for his Trip Report!

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):Weekend Edition

1 Heads up: Crazy business class sale to Europe (fading, but still a few deals!)

2  Secret spaces on planes you’ve never seen before

3 First class phase-out picks up steam

A typical window seat in United's new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

A typical window seat in United’s new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

4 United unveils new business class, dumps first

5 Routes: San Francisco, Portland, Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C. + more

6 Transborder changes at SFO, Chicago, LAX, Houston, Minneapolis and SLC

Our famous photo of the updated men's room with a view at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Our famous photo of this unusual men’s room at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

7 Bay Area gains one new Asia route (SFO-SIN), loses another (SJC-PVG)

8 Is TSA PreCheck too expensive?

9 TSA explains confusion over PreCheck policies

10 Routes: American, Delta, United, Southwest

The New York Times did a nice job covering Delta’s new “innovation lanes” at Atlanta’s south security checkpoint. Based on what we’ve heard from TravelSkills readers, the new lanes are working and lines have been reduced significantly since the lanes opened last week. Have you tried ’em? (They are very similar to lanes we’ve seen at London Heathrow Terminal 5). No word yet on where these newer, fast lanes may turn up next.

Video of the week: Delta’s new innovation lanes open at ATL security checkpoints- see how they work!

The New York Times reports: In the United States, passengers going through airport security usually unload their belongings into bins one at a time, but with the innovation lanes, five fliers can unload their belongings in five different bins at the same time.

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Airports put brakes on Delta’s plans to add CLEAR fast lanes at hubs

Marriott Rewards offers airline bonus miles

American dumping Gogo for ViaSat inflight wi-fi

American politics make you want to move to Canada? Air Canada wants YOU! VIDEO

Delta forces Qatar Airways to use de-ice pad instead of gate for inaugural ATL flight

Take a virtual flight with Nicole Kidman on Etihad

Turboprops set to make a comeback in US

Former Virgin Atlantic 747 goes up for sale — on eBay

AA chief: Airlines should price more like hotels

Flying over the Bosporous, where Europe and Asia meet, on Turkish Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis) CLICK to follow me on Instagram!)

Flying over the Bosporous in Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meet, on Turkish Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis) CLICK to follow me on Instagram!)

State Department issues warning about travel to Europe this summer

Saudis invest $3.5 billion in Uber

New law requires rental firms to fix recalled vehicles before renting them

Southwest Airlines bulks up in the Bay Area

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Bay Area gains one new Asia route, loses another

United 787-9 Dreamliner

United is using a 787-9 Dreamliner on its new San Francisco-Singapore non-stops. (Image: United)

There’s good news and bad news for Bay Area business travelers this week. The good is that United will launched its much-anticipated non-stops from San Francisco International to Singapore tonight. The bad is that San Jose won’t be getting new Shanghai service this month as previously expected.

San Jose Airport spokesperson Rosemary Barnes told TravelSkills that Air China said it is “still in dialogue with Chinese aviation officials” about the planned new non-stops to Shanghai, and that while the route will not be launched on the previously announced June 16 date, “they hope to do so at a later date.”

“Air China did not post the route to their website, so no tickets were sold resulting in no inconvenience to air travelers,” the spokeswoman said. The carrier had planned to fly the route three days a week with a two-class, 237-seat Airbus A330-200. It would have been San Jose’s second China route following Hainan Airlines’ inauguration of San Jose-Beijing service last year. The airport recently welcomed new British Airways service to London, and will see new Frankfurt flights from Lufthansa starting in July.

Air China will use an A330-200 between San Jose and Shanghai. (Image: Mehdi Nazarinia/Wikimedia Commons)

Air China had planned to use an A330-200 between San Jose and Shanghai. (Image: Mehdi Nazarinia/Wikimedia Commons)

Meanwhile, United’s San Francisco hub will take big step forward as the premier base for its international Dreamliner fleet with the launch Wednesday night of the airline’s new 787-9 non-stops to Singapore – “the longest scheduled 787 flight operated by any airline, and the longest scheduled flight by any U.S. carrier,” United said.

United Flight 1 will depart San Francisco at 10:55 p.m. daily, arriving at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 6:15 a.m. two days later (all times local). On the return, Flight 2 will depart Singapore at 8:45 a.m. daily, arriving at San Francisco International Airport at 9:15 a.m. the same day.

Pool and hot tub available for all passengers at Singapore Changi (Chris McGinnis)

Pool and hot tub available for all passengers at Singapore Changi Airport (Chris McGinnis)

The 8,446-mile trip takes 16 hours 20 minutes westbound and 15 hours 30 minutes eastbound. Because new non-stops are now available, United has terminated its Tokyo Narita-Singapore service, although it notes that its alliance partner ANA still flies that route. United’s flights are the only non-stops form the U.S. to Singapore; Singapore Airlines used to offer non-stops from New York and Los Angeles but discontinued them in 2013 — although it plans to resume U.S. non-stops in 2018 with new Airbus A350s.

United’s growing international network from SFO includes recently-launched flights to Xi’an, China and to Tel Aviv; coming next month is new service to Auckland, New Zealand and to Hangzhou, China.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Routes: San Francisco, Portland, Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C. + more

United this week kicks off San Francisco-Singapore non-stops. (Image: Grand Hyatt Singapore)

United this week kicks off San Francisco-Singapore non-stops. (Image: Grand Hyatt Singapore)

There’s a lot of news about international air routes this week. United is due to start a record-breaking transpacific service on June 1, and will increase frequencies on another long-haul route out of San Francisco; United is also launching seasonal Europe routes from the East Coast and dropping its only service to Africa. Meanwhile, Delta will revise its partnership arrangement with Virgin Atlantic in 2017, and will add a new transatlantic route from Portland; Atlanta welcomes new service from a Middle Eastern carrier; Swiss delays the deployment of its fancy new wide-body to San Francisco; and low-cost carrier Norwegian adds a Las Vegas route.

On June 1, United is due to begin the longest scheduled route by any U.S. carrier – an 8,446-mile flight from San Francisco to Singapore. United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner for the new service, which will save travelers an estimated four hours in each direction compared with existing one-stop or connecting flights. The schedule calls for an 11:25 p.m. departure from SFO for the 15.5-hour westbound flight (16.3 hours eastbound). In another long-haul development from San Francisco, United said that starting October 8, it will increase frequencies on its SFO-Tel Aviv route from three a week to daily service; United also uses a 787-9 on that route.

In other international route news at United, the carrier is blaming a slump in global energy markets as well as government currency restrictions for its decision to terminate its daily flights from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Lagos, Nigeria after June 30. Meanwhile, United has started seasonal summer flights to Europe from the East Coast, offering daily service from its Newark hub to Athens (using a 767-300), and daily flights from Washington Dulles to Barcelona (with a 767-400) and to Lisbon (using a 757-200).

Portland International will get its first London non-stops from Delta next spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Portland International will get its first London non-stops from Delta next spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta just announced a new transatlantic route for 2017, with plans to start operating seasonal service between Portland and London Heathrow effective May 26-October 29. It will fly the route four days a week with a 767-300ER. Delta said it will also revise its joint scheduling arrangement with partner Virgin Atlantic next year. The existing Delta flight from Seattle to London will switch over to a Virgin Atlantic 787-9 starting March 26, increasing capacity by 50 seats a day; on the same date, Virgin’s single daily fight from Detroit to London will be replaced by a second daily Delta flight. And on May 25, Virgin will take over Delta’s New York JFK-Manchester route, with Delta picking it up again the following winter; and Delta will take over one of Virgin’s two daily Atlanta-London frequencies, giving Delta a total of three a day and Virgin just one.

In other news, Delta last week kicked off new year-round service from New York JFK to Edinburgh, Scotland. Delta started the route with a 757-200ER, but will switch to a larger 767-300ER for flights from June 8 to September 5.

Qatar Airways will use an A380 super-jumbo for its Atlanta inaugural flight.(Image: Qatar Airways)

Qatar Airways will use an A380 super-jumbo for its Atlanta inaugural flight.(Image: Qatar Airways)

 As we’ve mentioned before, June 1 is the launch date for new Qatar Airways service from Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson to Doha, Qatar – a move that has seriously irritated Delta. Although Qatar’s plans call for a 777 to fly the route on a regular basis, it reportedly intends to use an Airbus A380 for the maiden voyage. So far, Qatar is still a member of the Oneworld global alliance, which should make for easy connections at ATL with American Airlines flights.

According to Routesonline.com, which tracks airlines’ official schedule filings, Swiss has decided to push back the deployment of its fancy new 777-300ER on the San Francisco-Zurich route. Instead of bringing the new aircraft into SFO service on August 30 as previously planned, the aircraft won’t start flying the route until February 16, 2017. Meanwhile, on October 30, Swiss will put a 777-300ER into service between Zurich and Miami on four of its 14 weekly flights in that market, replacing an A330-300.

Low-cost European carrier Norwegian plans to expand its presence at Las Vegas on October 31 when it begins new twice-weekly flights to London Gatwick, using a 787 and offering introductory one-way fares as low as $199 (plus add-ons, of course). Norwegian already flies from Las Vegas to Copenhagen and Stockholm, and plans to add LAS-Oslo flights in November.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Slew of new flights at SFO

An Air Berlin A330-200 at SFO

An Air Berlin A330-200 at SFO nonstop to Dusseldorf- but we all wish it were Berlin! (Photo: SFO)

We do our best to keep up with all the new flights at key airports around the country, especially here in our home town of San Francisco.

Due to the frothy tech economy, SFO just keeps piling on more and more flights and many of them start this summer.

SFO says the summer travel season will begin in earnest on Friday, May 27, with more than 156,000 forecasted passengers arriving and departing SFO.  In total, more than 15.5 million travelers are expected at SFO between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Luckily, at least for now, SFO does not seem to be suffering from the freakishly long TSA lines we’ve seen splashed across social media this week.

Anyway, to keep up with all the SFO action, here’s a rundown:

First off, Airberlin will offer nonstops to Düsseldorf, Germany. Dusseldorf is a nice place, but you’d think Airberlin would offer a nonstop to Berlin, right?

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air (Photo: WOW Air)

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air (Photo: WOW Air)

WOW Air roared into the market with super low fares to Iceland and beyond, which is keeping transatlantic fares in check on all airlines, all summer long.

Fiji Airways is SFO's latest coup (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fiji Airways is SFO’s latest coup (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fiji Airways plans to kick off seasonal service between San Francisco and Nadi, Fiji, using an A330-200. The service will operate two days a week (Thursdays and Sundays) from June 16 through August 14, and again December 15-January 15.

United SFO Xian

United crew plus a couple Terracotta Warriors at inaugural festivities for new nonstop to Xian (Photo: SFO)

United Airlines has also launched new nonstop destinations from SFO, including Nashville, Tennessee, Tel Aviv, Israel, and the first flight from the United States to Xi’an, China. (Stay tuned for the TravelSkills contest winner’s trip report later this summer!) 

Plenty of TravelSkills readers will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

You will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore after flying nonstop on United from SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Later this summer, United will also launch nonstop service to Auckland, New Zealand and the first-ever nonstop service to Singapore and Hangzhou, China.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Deal alert: $499 roundtrip to Asia on Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines' new Boeing 777 can't fly to Singapore from the US (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Rock-bottom rates on flights to Seoul & Singapore on a B777 like this (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Say what? Round trip across the Pacific for less than $500? On Singapore Airlines?

Yep, and you found it here…and it’s only here on the TravelSkills.com blog: SFO to Seoul for $499, SFO to Singapore for $699.

TravelSkills has teamed up with Singapore Airlines on private sale that includes one the lowest transpacific fares I have ever seen: Just $499, including all taxes and fees, for roundtrips between San Francisco and Seoul on Singapore Airlines.

$499 for an 11,320-mile round trip. That works out to just four cents per mile!

And you are flying on one of the top-ranked airlines in the world to one of the world’s coolest, hippest, most up-and-coming destinations. (I’ll be writing more about the Seoul’s burgeoning food and hotel scene later this week!)

And the deal doesn’t end with SFO-Seoul. You can fly all the way to Singapore for just $100 more each way, so a total of just $699 roundtrip from SFO. Wait, what? 

Get this special deal here

Taking a look at the infinity pool atop the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore

Taking a look at the infinity pool atop the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore (Chris McGinnis)

I was in Singapore a couple years ago for BBC, and here’s what I saw– quite an amazing place! Hotels, like the Marina Bay Sands (pictured) are built to knock your socks off. The food scene, especially the outdoor “hawker stalls” are fun, healthy and super-diverse. If cold weather’s got you down, you’ll warm up in Singapore as its equatorial location means warm, tropical weather year-round. And Changi Airport itself is worthy of a trip! See this to find out exactly what I mean.

Seoul reminds me a lot of Tokyo— super modern and efficient. Wealthy. Clean. Gorgeous new hotels. A chic fashion-and-design-forward and super friendly population. Unusual food. And a nice climate in the Spring, which can range from 45-75 degrees F on average in March and April. Plus, Korea’s Cherry Blossom season in early April rivals what you see in Tokyo!

Get this special deal here

Unbelievable sights, sounds and flavors at Seouls indoor/outdoor food markets (Chris McGinnis)

Unbelievable sights, sounds and flavors at Seoul’s indoor/outdoor food markets (Chris McGinnis)

 A trip to either of these destinations would be an awesome way to spend a spring break vacation! 

UPDATE Feb 18: Response to this sale has been enormous, and many flights are now sold out. But if you are flexible with dates, you can still grab the deal.

Details of this exclusive offer are available to anyone using this link to our private sale:

  • Only available in economy class
  • The $499/$699 deal is only available via links found on this page
  • Book between now and February 21
  • Travel between March 1 and April 14
  • Not available on Fridays or Saturdays on outbound portion from SFO
  • Tickets are booked in K class, which earns 10% of miles flown in Singapore’s KrisFlyer program. K fares do not earn United MileagePlus or other airline miles

What’s so great about Singapore Airlines? It’s famous inflight service, of course! It also has more spacious 3-3-3 seating in economy class  while others have moved to a tighter 3-4-3 configuration. And there’s an unending supply of inflight entertainment via the Krisworld seatback system. (Don’t miss our Trip Report about Singapore’s renowned business class.)

Here’s a good video showing what it’s like to fly in economy class on Singapore Airlines between SFO and Seoul.

Seoul or Singapore for Spring Break? Why not? Conde Nast just wrote about Seoul’s coolest neighborhood.

Singapore Screen Shot 2016-02-09 at 5.13.42 PM

Are you ready to book your trip? Here’s how!

Get this special deal here

 

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel.  Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication. 


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United Airlines reveals its newest, longest flight

United 787-9 Dreamliner

United’s new 787-9 Dreamliner allows it to fly nonstop to faraway places like… (Photo: United)

On June 1, United Airlines will introduce what it says is the longest scheduled Boeing 787 flight in the world.

Measured by distance it will also be the longest scheduled flight by any U.S. carrier, beating out Delta’s Atlanta-Johannesburg nonstop.

It will be longer than United’s current longest flight between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.

At 8,446 miles each way, it will be the longest flight from San Francisco International Airport, swiping that superlative from Etihad’s nonstops to Abu Dhabi.

Where in the world is United flying next?

Between San Francisco and Singapore, nonstop!

About 16 hours each way between SFO and Singapore (TravelMath)

About 16 hours each way between SFO and Singapore (TravelMath)

Every day starting June 1, a new United 787-9 Dreamliner (UA1) will take off from SFO at 11:25 p.m. for the 15.5-hour flight to Singapore Changi International Airport, arriving at 6:45 a.m. two days later.

On the return, UA2 will depart Singapore at 8:45 a.m. for the 16-hour, 20-minute flight, arriving at SFO at 9:15 a.m. on the same day.

United’s vice-president, networks Brian Znotins told TravelSkills that United fares on the route would be competitive. When we searched today, we found round trips for mid-June in the $1,200 in economy and $4,600 in business class.

United fares

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United says that it’s new nonstop flights will save travelers up to four hours travel time in each direction compared to its current one-stop service via Tokyo or Hong Kong as well as competitive flights on Singapore Airlines, which offers one stop flights to Singapore via Hong Kong or Seoul. “It not only saves four hours in travel time, but it cuts the risk of hitting weather-related delays associated with one-stop flights,” said Znotins.

United’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has 252 seats– 204 in economy (including 88 in Economy Plus) and 48 in business class (no first class). See the 787-9 layout on SeatGuru.com. United currently has 14 787-9s, and will have 18 by this summer according to Znotins.

Are you signed up for the TravelSkills.com blog? Why not? Do it right now and don’t miss out. 

Economy class on United's 787-9 (Photo: United)

Economy class on United’s 787-9 (Photo: United)

At Singapore Changi, United BusinessFirst customers and Star Alliance Gold members have access to all Star Alliance lounges at Singapore Changi, including the Singapore Airlines business class lounge. (Details here.)

Until now, nonstops between San Francisco and Singapore have been nearly impossible due to the great distance. At one time, Singapore Airlines offered mind-boggling 18-hour nonstops between Newark and Singapore using a Airbus A340, but discontinued them due to the aircraft’s gas guzzling inefficiency. United says that it can make money on this ultra long-haul flight using the 787-9 due to its use of lightweight composites, modern engines and better aerodynamic design.

With the launch of nonstop San Francisco – Singapore, United will stop flying between Singapore and Tokyo/Narita, but it plans to maintain its daily nonstops between Singapore and Hong Kong.

This is the fourth major new long-haul flight that United has announced for SFO this year, which include Xian, China (June), Auckland, New Zealand (July) and Tel Aviv, Israel (March).

The longest nonstops from SFO include: Abu Dhabi on Etihad at 8,144 miles, Dubai on Emirates at 8,092 miles and Delhi on Air India at 7,687 miles. United’s nonstop to Singapore eclipses them all at 8,446 miles.

Are you signed up for the TravelSkills.com blog? Why not? Do it right now and don’t miss out. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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Bay Area to London for $299 + United non-stops to Singapore? + New Paris route + more

Norwegian's Oakland-London Gatwick service will start at $299 one-way. (Image: Jim Glab)

Norwegian’s Oakland-London Gatwick service will start at $299 one-way. (Image: Jim Glab)

In international route news this week, Norwegian confirms its plans for Oakland-London service; United says it is considering new non-stops to Singapore; Air France will add a new Paris route — but not to Charles de Gaulle; a Chinese carrier plans new LAX flights; KLM will boost its San Francisco schedule; and Southwest will drop a Mexico route.

Following up on our report from last week, European low-cost carrier Norwegian has confirmed that it plans to start new service from Oakland to London Gatwick effective May 12, operating three flights a week. The carrier said fares on the route will start at $299 one way, including taxes (plus ancillary fees, of course; it’s already taking bookings at www.Norwegian.com/us).  Norwegian also announced plans to increase its Los Angeles-London Gatwick schedule from three to four flights a week starting May 10, and to move up the start of Boston-London service from late May to March 27, with five weekly flights instead of four. The carrier’s long-haul routes use 787-8s with economy and premium seating.

Have you flown or heard from someone who has flow Norwegian? What’s it like? Please leave your comments below.

London Gatwick airport is about 30 minutes south of the city (VisitLondon.com)

London Gatwick airport is about 30 minutes south of city center by train (VisitLondon.com)

Now that Singapore Airlines is on track to resume non-stop flights to the U.S. in 2018, United Airlines is considering a competing service. A United executive told Aviation Daily that the company is considering its aircraft options. “When we have the right aircraft, we will tackle that market” (i.e., non-stops to Singapore), United’s VP-Network Brian Znotins told the publication. Singapore Airlines will use a long-range version of the Airbus A350 designated the A350-900ULR. Znotis did not say which U.S. gateway United has in mind, but Av Daily noted that San Francisco would be the carrier’s hub closest to Singapore.

Air France already operates several flights a day from New York JFK to Paris Charles de Gaulle, but in June it plans to add a daily flight from JFK to Paris Orly, using a 309-seat 777-200 with business, premium economy and regular economy classes. Connections at Orly are available to the airline’s domestic network. Air France also plans to begin three weekly flights from CDG to Teheran, Iran in April.

According to Airlineroute.net, China’s Hainan Airlines plans to begin service between Changsha and Los Angeles on January 21, operating two flights a week with a 787-8. Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province in south-central China.

For its summer schedule beginning May 4, KLM plans to increase its Amsterdam-San Francisco schedule from seven flights a week to nine, using 787-9 Dreamliners for the two extra flights. The others will continue to use a 747-400.

Southwest Airlines will change its Mexico City operations on March 16, according to Airlineroute.net. The carrier plans to discontinue its daily service between San Antonio-Mexico City and to add a second daily roundtrip between Houston Hobby and Mexico City.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  New Oakland-London route + Big hotel acquisition + Uber at Las Vegas McCarran + American’s international Premium Economy service + Healthy eating for travelers

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‘Don’t seat me next to Trump’ + United snacks + Gogo’s new $3 pass + Holiday travel forecast

Here are some newsy nuggets from other sources that we missed on TravelSkills this week:

What's a stroopwafel? Find out soon on United. (Image: United)

What’s a stroopwafel? Find out soon on United. (Image: United)

United will bring back free snacks for economy passengers in February.

Gogo introduces new “messaging only” Wi-Fi pass for just $3.

Legroom, disruptive travelers top “passenger peeves” poll.

Air New Zealand tries facial recognition technology for bag drops at Auckland.

Business traveler survey identifies Trump as “worst seatmate.”

Odd video of the week: Artist fashions miniature Singapore Airlines seats out of paper.

Congressman files legislation to protect airline passengers’ bathroom rights.

Japan Airlines introduces a new domestic air pass for foreign visitors.

Airline group issues traffic forecast for a busy holiday travel period.

Airbus creates a design for “stacked seats” in A350 economy cabin.

Boeing rolls out the newest version of its popular 737.

Kuala Lumpur Airport tries to locate owner of three abandoned 747s.

KLM will use a robot to guide passengers around Schiphol Airport.

Starwood adds some members of Design Hotels group as its newest brand.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  New Oakland-London route + Big hotel acquisition + Uber at Las Vegas McCarran + American’s international Premium Economy service + Healthy eating for travelers

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World’s largest passenger plane unveiled

Economy class on an Emirates A380 (Chris McGinnis)

Imagine a plane with 557 of these! It’s coming next month. (Chris McGinnis)

Airlines that fly Airbus’ giant double-decker A380 generally install between 400 and 500 seats on the plane in a three-class configuration. But now Emirates has unveiled a 617-passenger version, which will make it the world’s largest commercial aircraft in terms of passenger capacity.

Emirates made the big reveal at the Dubai Airshow this week. It will put the new version of the A380 into service December 1 on the Dubai-Copenhagen route.

How did Emirates manage to fit so many seats on the plane? Easy: It eliminated the spacious first class section, instead fitting the aircraft with just two classes: 58 flatbed seats in business class and 557 in economy. (The airline notes that even on this version, its A380s will still offer their trademark OnBoard Lounge.)

Related: How Emirates welcomes a new A380

First and business class lounge at the rear of the upper deck (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

First and business class lounge at the rear of the upper deck (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Actually, 617 seats on an A380 isn’t all that much when you consider the aircraft’s technical specifications. The A380-800 is certified to carry as many as 853 passengers in an all-economy configuration (ouch!).

Emirates is a big believer in the A380 — it’s already the industry’s biggest A380 operator, with 68 of them in its fleet and firm orders for another 72.

The carrier’s new two-class A380 will have 101 more seats than what was previously the largest — Air France’s 516-seat version (which used to be 538 seats before the carrier installed premium economy seating). Here’s Wikipedia’s listing of airlines with A380s and their configurations.

As for the A380 with the least passenger capacity, Seatguru.com notes that Singapore Airlines has a version of the A380 outfitted with its new premium economy section that has as few as 379 total seats. Otherwise, Korean Air’s A380s have the fewest seats– 407 total. (Here’s Chris’s Trip Report from last fall about flying Korean’s A380 from Seoul to Atlanta.)

Have you flown on at A380 yet? What did you think? 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft  + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

 

 


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Trip Report: Singapore Airlines’ NEW business class [PHOTOS]

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER departs SFO for HKG in the wee hours (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In early October, Singapore Airlines invited me to give its new business class seat a try on a round trip flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong. I jumped at the chance because the Boeing 777-300ER on SFO-HKG is the only U.S. flight that currently has the newest version of the carrier’s business class seat.

TravelSkills was one of the first to see this seat (and plane!) when it rolled off the assembly line at the Boeing plant near Seattle in 2013. At that time, we were only able to check out the “hard product”– the new plane, seats, cockpit, galleys, lavatories and crew rest area. There was no trip involved… just a sneak-peek and photo op.

But jumping on board for a 14-hour transpacific flight provided a great opportunity to see how that hard product meshed with Singapore’s lauded soft product– the food and wine, the service, in-flight entertainment, pillows, blankets and other inflight amenities.

So, let’s take a look at the hard product in this post, and we’ll follow up with a post about the inflight dining and service. (UPDATE: Here’s a link to Part 2 of this Trip Report: FOOD!) 

Here we go!

Singapore Airlines flight #001 to Hong Kong departs SFO in the wee hours at around 1:15 am and arrives in HKG at around 6:30 am. On the return, SIA #002 departs Hong Kong at 11:30 pm and arrives in SFO at about 8 pm.

Due to the late departures, both of these flights are perfect for getting in a good night’s sleep, and I did just that. As a matter of fact, on the flight from SFO, I slept more than I’ve ever slept on a plane… and more than I typically do in my own bed at home!

Keep reading to find out how…

Singapore Air Silver Kris lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines’ Silver Kris lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Before we get started on the flight, let’s peek in the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge at SFO. Overall, it’s a good club, but nothing to write home about.

On the upside, it has excellent tarmac views, free fast wi-fi, showers, a well-stocked, self-service bar and a hot buffet. Downside? It feels a bit beige and dated, and lacks the “wow” factor you’d expect from Singapore Airlines.

Here’s a slideshow from the buffet at Singapore Air’s Silver Kris lounge at SFO.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Due to the late hour, I considered eating a light meal at the lounge, jumping on board and going right to sleep. But since I get so excited about trips like this, sleep was not a top priority. So I had a glass of chard, snacked on meat and cheese, avoided the stale hot items, checked email.

I sat and watched other business and first class passengers roll in the lounge bleary eyed and ready for some shut eye. As always, I wanted to interview each one, asking, “so why are you here and where are you flying off to tonight?” 🙂

Related: Cathay Pacific expands SFO lounge

Now let’s head to the gate:

Very late night/early morning departure for SIA Flight 001 to Hong Kong & Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Very late night/early morning departure for SIA Flight 001 to Hong Kong & Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Boarding a flight at 12:45 am is orderly and civil… everyone just wants to get on the plane and fall asleep! After checking boarding passes, business travelers walk through a dedicated jetway to the front of the plane, economy class passengers turn right to enter the aft cabins.

As I approached the door to the plane, a suited purser walked up to greet me, welcomed me on board and escorted me all the way to my seat asking if I need any help. Nice first impression!

It was at this point that the purser asked my name, and seemingly within minutes, the entire staff were calling me by name. It’s always amazing to me how Asian airlines and hotels can pull this off. But they nearly always do.

On Singapore Air’s B777-300ER there are eight first class seats, 42 business class seats, 228 economy seats, and 8 cozy sleeping berths upstairs in the crew rest area. Cabin colors are bronzy gold, beige and chocolate brown, with snazzy checked throw pillows.

Singapore Airlines business class

My window seat on Singapore Airlines B777 with new business class (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Note all the storage space over the left shoulder. Plus there’s a deep storage bin behind that pillow and another small bin in the seatback. I did not have enough stuff to fill all the nooks! Also, note the high walls between each seat which provide peace and quiet and separation from other passengers.

New business class aisle seat on Singapore Airlines B777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

New business class aisle seat on Singapore Airlines B777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

(UPDATE: Here’s a link to Part 2 of this Trip Report: FOOD!) 

Plenty of leg room and a nice ottoman along the side (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Plenty of leg room and a nice leather ottoman along the side (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

To convert the seat into a fully flat bed, the seatback folds forward and fits into the space where you see my knee in the photo above. Feet go in the small corner space, and the bed spreads out into a big wide expanse for your upper body. Ingenious design I must say!

Note how the seatback folds forward to create the flat bed (Chris McGinnis)

Note how the seatback folds forward to create the flat bed (Chris McGinnis)

In this photo, you can see how the seat in the background is in upright position.  The seat in the foreground has no seatback because it is folded forward to make the bed.

(For more images of the business, first and economy class seats cabins, see our slideshow from the factory visit in 2013.)

When folded down into a flat bed, the new business class seat is 78 inches (6′ 6″) long and 35 inches wide. It fit my 6-foot frame comfortably. Flight attendants helped make my bed with a large sleeping pillow and light duvet.

The only problem with this set up is that once you are committed to the bed, you are committed. If you wake up, you can prop yourself up to watch TV or work, but if you want to revert back to a regular seat, your bed is gone.

In my case, I waited until we were about 3 hours into the flight. I enjoyed a delicious light meal (stay tuned for my next post!), then took my sleeping pill, plugged in my Mack’s silicone earplugs, donned my Bucky eye mask, turned on my seat’s “do not disturb” sign,  and slept and slept and slept!

When I woke up, I could not believe my eyes when I looked at my watch and realized I had been out for eight full hours! That’s more sleep than I get at home! We only had about two more hours to go until Hong Kong. Wow.

One of the main reasons I slept so well is because flight attendants kept the cabin cool. For some reason, foreign carriers tend to turn up the heat on overnight flights, which drives me crazy. Don’t they know humans sleep better in a cool dark place? So I snuggled under the nice duvet and big pillow and dreamed all the way across the Pacific!

Here are a few more features about this flight that I really liked:

Lighted vanity mirror in the seatback. Nice touch! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

An easy access nook and lighted vanity mirror in the seatback. Nice touch! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Seat controls in Singapore Airlines new business class seat (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Seat controls in Singapore Airlines new business class seat (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

On Singapore Airlines, you use controls to recline the seat only. If you want a flat bed, you get out of the seat, and fold the seatback forward, which creates a big sleeping space.

Noise canceling headphones on Singapore Airlines new business class (Chris McGinnis)

Noise canceling headphones on Singapore Airlines new business class (Chris McGinnis)

Seats are configured 1-2-1 so everyone has easy aisle access.

What I really like about this new seat is the privacy… very high walls between seats so you feel all alone in your cozy cocoon. You can’t see or hear your neighbors– even those across the aisle are hidden due to the way the rows are staggered. If you want company, just stand up.

On the 777-300ER, seats are configured 1-2-1 (Chris McGinnis)

On the 777-300ER, seats are configured 1-2-1 (Chris McGinnis)

Inflight entertainment LCD screens are huge at 18″ across. A new feature I like on Singapore’s KrisWorld system is the ability to rate the movies you are watching, and see how other SIA passengers have rated them– although not that many movies had been rated.

Touch screen controls on a big 18 inch screen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Touch screen controls on a big 18 inch screen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The KrisWorld inflight entertainment (IFE) system is mind boggling in selections– it seemed like thousands. When you scroll through, you can mark your favorites, which helps make selections later on in the flight. Just scrolling through is a great way to pass time on this 14-hour odyssey.

Flight attendants explained that there are a two different versions of the IFE system out there. On my westbound flight, the viewing screen was a touch screen. But on the return flight, I was only able to manipulate the system using the touch screen on the hand held remote– a mirror image of what’s on the big screen. An little tough on a jet lagged mind, but I got the hang of it.

The hand held remote is also a touch screen controller (Chris McGinnis)

The hand held remote is also a touch screen controller (Chris McGinnis)

Each seat has power, USB, eXport and HDMI ports.

Fresh orchids in spotless lavatories (Chris McGinnis)

Fresh orchids in spotless lavatories (Chris McGinnis)

The lavatory was spotless as usual, decorated with nice purple orchids. My favorite feature of the lav? A pedal on the floor opens the waste bin. I usually try to avoid touching the spring loaded bins on most other airlines, but on SIA, push the foot pedal, the door swings open, toss in your waste, and go. I appreciate this nod to good hygiene!

Nifty, hygienic pedal opens waste bin in lavatory on Singapore Air (Chris McGinnis)

Nifty, hygienic pedal opens waste bin in lavatory on Singapore Air (Chris McGinnis)

 

Clean white washcloths vs paper towels supplied in lavatories. Nice touch! (Chris McGinnis)

Clean white washcloths vs paper towels supplied in lavatories. Nice touch! (Chris McGinnis)

 

Pulling up to the gate at Hong Kong's excellent airport Chek Lap Kok (Chris McGinnis)

Pulling up to the gate at Hong Kong’s excellent airport at Chek Lap Kok at 6:30 am (Chris McGinnis)

Overall, I’m very impressed with Singapore Airlines new business class seat– it provided a nice, big, quiet and cool space for me to get the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had on a plane.

Of course, what makes Singapore Airlines so special is its famous inflight service. Here’s part two of this Trip Report where I dive into the inflight dining experience. Here’s something to whet your appetite for that post!

Singapore Airlines

Click to read our post about the food on these flights!

–Chris McGinnis

(UPDATE: Here’s a link to Part 2 of this Trip Report: FOOD!) 

(Disclosure: I was a guest of Singapore Airlines on this round trip flight. Currently, business class fares on nonstop, roundtrip SFO-HKG flights run in the $4,500-$6,500 range.)

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Global Entry gets more global + New York’s lowest ranked hotels +Best/worst hotel programs for awards + More flat seats

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Singapore Airlines to resume ultra-long flights

Singapore's long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to SIN from Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Several months ago, Singapore Airlines said it was talking with Airbus about developing a variant of the manufacturer’s new widebody, the A350XWB, so that the carrier could revive non-stop service from Singapore to the U.S., which it had discontinued two years ago. And now Airbus has come through.

Airbus and Singapore announced that the manufacturer has created an ultra-long-range version of the A350-900 that is “optimized for non-stop flights to the U.S.” Singapore plans to launch non-stops to Los Angeles and New York with the plane; the Singapore-New York flight, at 8,700 nautical miles, will be the world’s longest non-stop commercial passenger route, Airbus said, with an estimated flying time of 19 hours.

Singapore already had an order with Airbus for 63 A350-900s, and now seven of those are being converted to the ultra-long-range model, the A350-900ULR. The manufacturer said it was able to manage the longer range for the plane by modifying the fuel system to increase amount of fuel it can carry, increasing the plane’s maximum takeoff weight, and making certain aerodynamic enhancements.

Airbus is scheduled to deliver the first A350-900ULR to Singapore in 2018, with the non-stop U.S. flights starting that same year. “The aircraft will be fitted with all-new cabin products which are currently under development,” Singapore said. “Non-stop flights between Singapore and additional points in the U.S. are also under consideration.”

Before it discontinued the U.S. non-stops to New York and Los Angeles in 2013, Singapore had been using all-business-class (but gas guzzling) A340-500s on the routes.

The first of Singapore’s regular A350-900s is due for delivery next year, and it said it will put the first one into commercial service between Singapore and Amsterdam.

The only airlines currently operating the A350XWB (it stands for extra-wide body) are Qatar Airways and Vietnam Airlines. Finnair just became the third carrier to take delivery of an A350, with plans to put it into regular service on November 21 between Helsinki and Shanghai.

American, Delta and United should be flying the A350 by 2017 or 2018, which could mean more ultra-long nonstops from SFO to Singapore, Bangkok, Vietnam or elsewhere.

What ultra-long route would you most like to fly? 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New Two brand new United Clubs + Jennifer Aniston needs a shower + Best Megahub? + Big Hilton/SkyMiles bonus 

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Fab new interiors at Lufthansa + British Airways + Singapore Air

All long-haul Lufthansa business class cabins now have new, fully-reclining seats. (Image: Lufthansa)

All long-haul Lufthansa business class cabins now have new, fully-reclining seats. (Image: Lufthansa)

The latest developments in international carriers’ long-haul fleets include Lufthansa’s completion of a long-term cabin overhaul, British Airways’ re-commitment to a disappearing wide-body, and Singapore Airlines resetting of premium economy schedules.

Lufthansa said it has finally finished a four-year project that it calls “the most extensive cabin renewal program in the company’s history” — an overhaul of business class and economy class in all 106 of its long-haul aircraft. In addition, 76 of the planes also have new first class cabins now, Lufthansa said, and by this fall, all long-haul flights will also offer a premium economy section. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr first told TravelSkills about the seat upgrade plan in a interview back in 2011. In all, the airline spent $1.7 billion installing or modifying a total of 39,000 seats — including 7,000 new fully-flat seats in business class and 3,600 seats in premium economy class, “which has already become a best-seller,” the airline said. The work also included installation of new in-flight entertainment screens with more audio and video content, and the deployment of Lufthansa’s on-board broadband Wi-Fi network called FlyNet, now available on all long-haul flights.

Touch-screen screens in economy are part of British Airways' overhaul of its 747s. (Image: British Airways)A new touch-screen entertainment system in economy is part of British Airways’ overhaul of its 747s. (Image: British Airways)

While many airlines are phasing out their four-engine Boeing 747s in favor of new twin-engine long-haul aircraft, British Airways decided to keep the big birds around for a while. So BA is refitting the Boeing jumbos, and the first one to be finished just went into service between London Heathrow and New York. They’ll also be flying from LHR to Chicago and Boston, as well as Lagos, Riyadh and Kuwait. Among the improvements in BA’s 18 747s: A new in-flight entertainment system from Panasonic Avionics called the eX3, its most advanced version. It provides passengers with high-res touch-screens, along with 1,300 hours of programming, including 400 TV shows and 130 films. Seats in both economy and premium economy got new foam and new covers matching those in BA’s other long-haul models. Seats in premium economy (World Traveller Plus) got universal power sockets, while economy (World Traveller) seats got USB ports for charging devices.

Don’t miss: British Airways 100,000 Avios offer is back! 

Singapore Airlines' new Boeing 777 can't fly to Singapore from the US (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines’ new Boeing 777 on delivery day in Seattle (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Some U.S. passengers who were hoping to try out the new premium economy seating section on Singapore Airlines will have to wait a little longer. The company said the installations are not going as fast as hoped, so it will have to reaccommodate some passengers who have already booked the new cabin on some of its early flights. On the Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles route (SQ012/011), premium economy will not be available December 1 to January 16 on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday flights; and December 2-January 29 for other days of the week, the airline said. On the Singapore-Frankfurt-New York route, premium economy will not debut as planned on December 14, but the airline gave no new starting date for the seats. The airline released a chart of all the affected international routes. “Customers with ticketed bookings who are affected by the delays will be contacted progressively by Singapore Airlines or travel agents to offer alternative travel arrangements,” the airline said.

Related: How Singapore Airlines makes inflight fare beautiful

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Surviving San Francisco + Photos: New United first class seat + Save money on calls from other countries + 6 secrets for snagging low fares

bonusBEST for Big Sign-up Bonus. British Airways Visa Signature® Card 0ffers a nice 50,000 Avios sign up bonus after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. But get this: You’ll earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend $10,000 on purchases for a total of 75,000 bonus Avios. Even better: You earn another 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend a total of $20,000 on purchases within your first year for a total of 100,000 bonus Avios. In addition to the sign up bonus, you earn three Avios for every dollar spent on BA, and a free companion ticket (any class) when you spend at least $30,000 in a year. Plus there are no foreign transaction fees, and the card has a chip making it easier to use in Europe and beyond. Annual fee is $95.  More.

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In Case You Missed It: Singapore super sale + AmEx/Apple Pay + Swiss’ ‘throne seats’ + Lame upgrade excuses

Singapore Airlines' super sale fares can be booked into September. (Image: Singapore)

Singapore Airlines’ super sale fares can be booked into September. (Image: Singapore)

A few newsy nuggets from other sources that we missed on TravelSkills last week:

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgraded Hilton HHonors app + New perks for Starwood/AmEx cardholders + Alaska/AA airport lounge benefits + New international routes

Quick note: TravelSkills will be in vacation mode during August, with only periodic posts. We’ll be back at full steam in September so stay tuned! And enjoy your summer. –Chris


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TripAdvisor adds airport ratings

Singapore Changi is the first of 200 dedicated Airports pages coming to TripAdvisor.

Singapore Changi is the first of 200 dedicated Airports pages coming to TripAdvisor.

The travel-related content and mega-review site TripAdvisor is expanding to include pages on 200 major airports worldwide.

The first airport page to go up on TripAdvisor is Singapore Changi; the site said it expects to add pages for New York JFK and London Heathrow in July.

“When travelers search for an airport on the site, they will be directed to a dedicated airport page with reviews, ratings, and other information about hotels nearby as well as restaurants and attractions in both public and transit areas. Amenities, including duty-free stores, boutiques, and airport lounges will also be listed on the page,” TripAdvisor said.

The airport pages will include user reviews of the places mentioned. For instance, the Singapore Airport page covers 16 airport hotels, 125 airport restaurants and 122 “things to do” in the airport. It also has a map as well as a fare search function for flights to that airport.

Related: What’s the world’s favorite airport?

TripAdvisor makes money by allowing airport business to advertise on the pages and participate in a GPS-enabled tool called ‘Near Me Now’ to locate amenities and restaurants nearby with their smartphones.

Until now,  the only comprehensive airport ratings were the World Airports Awards produced by SkyTrax. Here’s a list of its top 10 airports this year– notably none in the U.S.

World's top 10 airports according to SkyTrax

World’s top 10 airports according to SkyTrax

What do YOU think is the best airport in the world? Why? Please leave your comments below. 

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Don’t miss today’s other posts: Illegal to wear headsets when driving? | Airlines to charge for frequent flyer programs?

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6 reasons why now is travel’s golden age

Don’t miss: You can’t get there from here

Passengers are expected to dress up for dinner for this flight! (Photo: Michael Kelley)

In Los Angeles, “passengers” pay hundreds of dollars to dine in a movie set that resembles an old Pan Am 747 (Photo: Michael Kelley)

I always cringe when I hear people talking about the so-called “golden age of travel.”

You know, back then when people used to “dress up” to travel. When flight attendants in go-go boots doted on passengers with cocktails, playing cards and wings for the kids. When family members would greet you at the airport gate as soon as you got off the plane.

Remember?

Well, if you remember the good, you also have to remember the bad. And there was plenty of bad flying around in the good old days. Every flight was not like the nostalgic photo you see above. Back in the day, flying was bumpy, smelly, noisy and dangerous compared to now.

TravelSkills created this post in collaboration with Expedia, which recently published “The Golden Age of Holidays: Then or now?” Check it out here: 

Expedia

So while it’s common to complain about how terrible flying is these days, the opposite is true. I think that we are currently living in the golden age of air travel.

You may or may not agree with me, but here are six reasons why I think so:

1. No smoking. It’s still hard to believe that any airline ever allowed smoking onboard. Not only was it dangerous and unhealthy, it stunk! But nonetheless, prior to the 1990’s, airlines allowed smoking onboard. When one person smoked on a plane, everyone smoked, even though there were so-called nonsmoking sections on board. There was nothing worse for a non-smoker than getting “stuck” in the smoking section when that was the only seat available.

2. Safer, smoother flying. Back in the good old days, flying was a lot more dangerous than it is these days. According to Expedia’s report, plane crashes and in-flight accidents, “were terrifyingly common in the 50’s and 60’s, with fatal accidents occurring about once every 200,000 flights. Where fatal accidents occurred around once every 200,000 flights during the 1950s, they now occur less than once every 2,000,000 flights. In fact, the worldwide safety record is now ten times better than it was back then.” Also, now that jets fly at higher altitudes and “over the weather,” than back then, there are fewer incidents of turbulence, which translates to less motion sickness and more pleasant flying.

Pay $10 for healthy "protein plate" like this on Virgin America (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Pay $10 for healthy “protein plate” like this on Virgin America (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

3. Better food. Despite what you hear about the tossing of Caesar salads and the carving of standing rib roasts in airplane aisles back in the good old days, airline food has almost always been the butt of jokes. When a hot meal was part of the airfare, inflight food in economy class was tepid and tasteless, giving birth to phrases like “mystery meat.” These days passengers can choose to buy fresher, more flavorful food at the airport or onboard and everyone is eating better tasting, more healthful food inflight.

4. Lower fares. Back in the day, air travel was reserved for a small, wealthy percentage of the population. But in the last 30 years, air travel has become democratized and within the reach a much larger swath of humanity. For example, in the US, the number of air passengers tripled between the 1970s and 2011. So, yes, while planes are more crowded and we are paying more fees for things that used to be free, air travel is a much better bargain than it was in the 60’s.

A garden wall at Singapore's magnificent Changi International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A garden wall at Singapore’s magnificent Changi International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

5. Fabulous airports. Prior to the 1980s most airports felt institutional with low ceilings, poor lighting, uncomfortable seating and office-like first class lounges. These days, airports hire celebrity architects design and build light filled spaces with expansive views, gourmet dining and posh, private lounges. Have you visited the outdoor butterfly garden at Singapore Changi Airport? Had an organic kale salad at San Francisco International? Kicked back with some champagne in United’s new business and first class lounges at London Heathrow? These are indeed the good old days when it comes to airport architecture and comfort.

6. Better technology. More comfort. Back when we were happy reading inflight magazines and watching movies on pull-down screens at the front of the cabin, who would have dreamt that we could access hundreds of movies or television shows from our seatbacks or that we’d be able to send and receive email from the sky? Business travelers used to relish the experience of sitting in a big lounge chair at the front of the plane, but few ever thought that big seats that recline into fully flat beds for sleeping would be the rule more than the exception.

So the next time you hear yourself or someone else complaining about how horrible it is to fly this summer… you should ask, “Is it really so bad after all?”

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel.  Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication. 

 

 

 


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Uber NYC + Feds watching you + New LAX lounge + Best airport + Airport parking

(Photo: Jason Tester Guerilla / Flickr)

(Photo: Jason Tester Guerilla / Flickr)

NYC taxis losing the Uber battle. The New York Post reports that ride-finding service Uber has reached a critical milestone in New York City, no doubt the biggest market in the nation for hired cars: There are now more Uber vehicles than licensed taxicabs in the Big Apple. The paper said that Uber now has 14,088 “black and luxury cars” available for hire in New York, vs. 13,587 medallion taxis — although total trips by taxi still vastly outnumber Uber rides. Uber drivers reportedly like the more flexible hours and the higher earnings compared with traditional yellow cabs. Meanwhile, Uber continues to face plenty of legal troubles around the world, most recently in France, Germany and South Korea — including a new ban of its lower-priced car service in Germany. Weekend EditionHave your Uber habits shifted over the course of the last six months? Please leave your comments below. And if you can’t comment because you’ve yet to give Uber a try, sign up here and get $20 off your first ride. 

Feds eye facial recognition. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has quietly started testing new facial recognition technology on U.S. citizens re-entering the country at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. According to the tech news website Motherboard, the program is intended to help Customs officers catch individuals who may be using a passport that isn’t their own — although some observers question what CBP plans to do with the passenger photos it accumulates. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union last week sued the Transportation Security Administration, demanding to see documents related to its “Screening Passengers by Observation” (SPOT) project. That’s the program that trains TSA officers to watch for passengers exhibiting suspicious behaviors or appearing stressed or frightened, and subjecting them to extra inspections. The ACLU alleged that separate studies have found there is no evidence that the program works at all; an ACLU attorney said the program “wastes taxpayer money, leads to racial profiling, and should be scrapped.”

FAA: Keep out of the seat back pocket

Our famous photo of the updated men's room with a view at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Our famous photo of the updated men’s room with a view at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Changi tops airport list — again. For the third year in a row, Singapore’s Changi Airport has ranked as the world’s best in the annual passenger survey conducted by Skytrax. And once again, no U.S. airports managed to make it into the Top 10 Best list. London-based Skytrax is unique in its survey sample size: It claims more than 13 million travelers from 112 countries voted in its annual online poll, which covered 550 airports worldwide. Rounding out the Top 10 after Changi are, in order: Korea’s Incheon, Munich, Hong Kong, Tokyo Haneda, Zurich, Central Japan, London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Beijing Capital International. Rated the best North American airport for the fifth consecutive year was Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. Readers, do you agree? In your experience, what is the world’s best airport?

Looking over the duty-free area at LAX from the terrace of the new Emirates lounge (Photo: Emirates)

Looking over the duty-free area at LAX from the terrace of the new Emirates lounge (Photo: Emirates)

Emirates lounge at LAX. Emirates officials have cut the ribbon on a new $6.2 million Emirates Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport. Located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, it’s open to first and business class passengers as well as Platinum and Gold members of the airline’s Skywards loyalty program. Seating 157, it offers a buffet food service, business center, free Wi-Fi, shower facilities, TV and reading areas and a prayer room.

Parking at Atlanta. Atlanta-area travelers worried about finding a parking space at the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Airport have a new option: online parking reservations. The airport said that for a $5 booking fee, customers can now reserve a space in the domestic Park Ride Reserve lot, which costs $12 a day; or in the international hourly parking deck for $16-$24 a day (the fee varies based on demand; the online rate is a significant discount from the regular $32 a day). Reservations must be made at least 24 hours n advance. The airport’s new parking reservations page is here.

Why you should change the credit cards you carry

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Peak summer + United TP mess + SFO’s best food + Virgin at SJC

PRICEY SUMMER. This is expected to be the busiest summer travel season since before the recession of 2008. The peak of the peak summer travel season, which runs from roughly June 21 through August 10 this year, is now upon us. Summer got off to a slow start at SFO this week, with the rainy weather resulting in ground stops and delays of up to 2-3 hours, while Oakland and San Jose Airports were operating normally.  Airlines say that the busiest days of this summer will be Thursdays and Fridays, so avoid those if you can. Since this is THE most expensive, most crowded time of year to travel, try to postpone trips until late August if you can, and you may get through this summer with your wallet and sanity intact. (Check out the above video, which is part of a summer travel project I’ve been working on with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.)

United flight attendants improvisation when toilet paper ran low. (Credit: Unknown)

United flight attendants improvised when toilet paper ran low on an London-SFO flight (Credit: Unknown)

UNUSUAL TP ON UNITED? By now you’ve likely heard about United flight 931 from London to San Francisco that somehow took off… without enough toilet paper. United uses a 747-400 on the 10-hour daylight flight from Heathrow, which has nine lavatories. Over the last week, the story has gone viral. A quick Google news search using “United Toilet Paper” shows at least 28 stories have run so far.While it appears that the Bay Area’s KGO Channel 7 scooped this story locally (which was originally posted on FlyerTalk), here’s our favorite take on it, from the Daily Beast: “Is it us, or does flying keep getting crappier? Every airline seems to be cutting back on something, but United took it to a whole new level by taking off for a ten-hour flight without [enough] toilet paper on board. Some quick thinking flight attendants stocked the bathrooms with cocktail napkins, but the effort didn’t sit well with passengers. In a statement, United said, ‘We apologize to our customers on this flight for the inconvenience and would like the opportunity to welcome them back.’” Another good headline from USA Today: “United is wiping up after a customer service mess.” CNN confirmed that the lavatories lacking TP were in the coach section, not in business or first class. Thoughts please! Leave them below in the comments section. 

Precheck logo TMPRE-CHECK AT SFO TERMINAL 1. The TSA’s super-popular PreCheck lanes are coming to Delta’s gate area at SFO’s Terminal 1, boarding area C, by mid-July according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel. This means that PreCheck will now have lanes in all three domestic terminals at SFO; however, PreCheck will NOT have a lane in Terminal 1, boarding area B used primarily by United Express, Southwest and US Airways. PreCheck is one part of the No Hassle Travel Trifecta that every frequent traveler in the Bay Area should be a part of!

BEST FOOD AT SFO?. One of our favorite foodie blogs, Eater SF, recently chose the top 5 dining standouts at SFO. Do you agree with the following assessment? What’s your favorite place to grab a meal at SFO?

  1. Piq.  Italian influenced café and bakery in Terminal 1
  2. Ebisu. Hard-core sushi in the International Terminal G-side (United side).
  3. Burger Joint. Above average burgers in Terminal 2
  4. Yankee Pier. Good ole standby seafood house located near security lanes in United’s Terminal 3
  5. Cat Cora’s Kitchen. Upscale comfort food (like lobster mac and cheese) in Terminal 2

SUMMER DEALS TO ASIA. Singapore Airlines launched an interesting “Early Bird” sale for late summer and early fall travel this month. Every week, it puts a new Asian destination on sale. It started out with Singapore at $999 round trip, and has followed with Thailand and Vietnam at $1100 round trip. You must book tickets by June 29th and travel between August 18 and November 15. Singapore Air also posts last minute deals for trips as soon as July 16 to its stopover cities (Hong Kong and Seoul) for $784 to $964 roundtrip. (Fares are “all in”– including all taxes and fees.) These deals are not bad considering a roundtrip nonstops from SFO to Europe are in the $1,500 range for late August trips.

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TAKE BART TO THE AIRPORT? You may want to start thinking about alternatives starting next week as a strike looms. SFgate reports: “With a BART strike appearing increasingly possible, Bay Area transportation officials are urging commuters to start planning for the gridlock and chaos that could be unleashed on Monday morning. Labor agreements with BART and its five unions expire at midnight Sunday.”

WILL YOU MAKE PREMIER? Based on our recent poll, TravelSkills reader are split regarding the impact of United’s recently announced spending thresholds for Premier status. Over half of you (57%) said that you’ll be able to maintain status (easily or just barely) while 43% said that you would not be able to meet the new spending requirements. See the poll (and vote!) here.

VIRGIN WINNING SJC-LAX. Remember when Virgin America announced that it would enter the San Jose-Los Angeles market with new nonstops on May 1? As soon as Virgin made that move, other airlines pounced, adding new service or beefing up existing flights, making the route one of the most competitive in the country with multiple daily flights from Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and Virgin. At a recent Bay Area/Silicon Valley Business Travel Association meeting, John MacLeod, Virgin’s SVP Planning & Sales, told TravelSkills that according to ARC data (which does not include Southwest), Virgin already has the highest share of passengers on the route. However, MacLeod is not resting easy, adding, “Despite our low costs we’ll need it to be even higher to make a profit on the route. It’s very competitive.” Where’s all the biz coming from? MacLeod says that more Silicon Valley travelers than expected are driving to San Jose International and then flying Virgin to LAX to connect to transcon flights instead of facing the traffic-clogged 101 north to SFO.

United employees in new duds (Photo: United Airlines)

United employees in new duds (Photo: United Airlines)

NEW DUDS FOR UNITED. United employees will don new uniforms today. Here’s how a United press release describes them: Flight Attendants: The uniform includes a core wardrobe of black trousers, skirts, sweaters, vests and blazers with two rows of silver braid on the sleeves. Female flight attendants will also wear sweaters, vests, short sleeve jackets and two styles of dresses, including a signature blue dress with a black stripe detail. Outerwear for male and female flight attendants includes a black all-season coat and an optional gray double-breasted wool coat. Customer Service Agents: The uniform includes a wardrobe of black blazers, trousers, sweaters, vests and skirts. Agents will also wear colored shirts and distinctive neckwear that vary depending on their job responsibilities. What do you think? Please leave your comments below. 

NEW PLANES FOR UNITED. At the Paris Air Show earlier this month, United announced that it would order 35 of a “stretch” version of the new Airbus A350, the 350-seat Airbus A350-1000. A350s are new super-efficient composite aircraft introduced to compete with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Deliveries of the new plane will not begin until 2018. United already has 65 Dreamliners in the pipeline—20 of which will be the newer, larger 787-10 stretch version. All of these new planes will be used for long-haul international flying.

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NO MORE RENO-OAKLAND. Southwest Airlines is eliminating its 2x daily nonstops between Reno and Oakland this month due to lack of interest. However, you can still fly to Reno from San Jose (on Alaska) and SFO (on United).

The apple-sized Beacon Phoenix wireless speaker in my NYC hotel room (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The apple-sized Beacon Phoenix wireless speaker in my NYC hotel room (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS. Last month Beacon Audio sent me one of their new, fist-sized, Phoenix Bluetooth speakers ($49-$99 depending on where you buy it) for a test drive. I’m no audiophile, but this tough, rubberized, rechargeable and travel-friendly speaker packs a wallop of sound that’s great for jamming on iTunes in the hotel shower—it also adds a deeper dimension to watching videos on my iPad. I plan on bringing it to the beach later this summer. Do you pack a portable speaker for your listening pleasure when on the road? What’s your speaker of choice? Why? Please leave your comments below.

MORE MEGA-MILE BONUSES. Remember when I wrote about Rocketmiles and Pointshound—two new hotel booking sites that offer mega-mileage bonuses at select hotels? Well both have some out with news this month. First, Rocketmiles has teamed up with Virgin America, and is offering Elevate elites a big 5,000-point bonus for the first hotel booking; regular members get a 3,000-point bonus. Details on the bonus here. Pointshound is offering a 500-point bonus on Virgin America, United and several other carriers, but only for bookings made by the end of June. (Note: We have posted affiliate links to these sites and earn bonus points, too, when readers book trips. So help us out!)

United's new half bottles of wine. Would you?

United’s new half bottles of wine. Would you?

BIG JUGS ON UNITED. Have you seen the new 375 ml half bottles of wine that United is serving on p.s. flights? Each bottle (2.5 glasses) costs $15.99. Currently on offer: Meiomi Pinot Noir 2011 or St Supery Sauvignon Blanc 2012. Both rate 91+ on Wine Spectator. In a related story, Spirit Air is now selling canned wine onboard—in white or strawberry moscato at $7 per can. The press release says, “This new category is defined by delectable wine products in a convenient, environmentally-friendly container with six percent alcohol content.

NEW STAR ALLIANCE PARTNER. Taipei-based EVA Air has officially joined Star Alliance, which means you can earn and burn United miles, albeit at reduced levels, when flying on EVA’s Boeing 777 SFO-TPE nonstops. United’s planned nonstops between SFO and TPE, which were to have cranked up this past April, have been shelved until (at least) next March.

EMIRATES A380 TO LAX. SFO? Emirates announced last month that it would begin flying a double-decker, 489-seat, Airbus A380 between Los Angeles and Dubai starting December 2. As soon as I heard that, I wanted to know when it might bring the big bird in to replace the current B777s on SFO-DXB, but received the following non-committal answer from Emirates PR reps, “Emirates has not announced plans to bring the A380 into any additional US destinations but continues to review destinations as more A380s are delivered. Emirates, the largest A380 operator in the world, has 34 A380s in service and an additional 56 A380s on order; receiving one A380 delivery per month, on average.” While having an Emirates A380 at SFO would be great, keep in mind that the behemoth with have to dock at the far end of the international terminal, which would mean elimination of allowing business and first class passengers to board the plane directly from SFO’s enormous 9,500 sq ft Emirates lounge (which is located in the middle, not the end of the terminal).

—Chris McGinnis

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14 Amazin' Asian hotel pool views

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Over the last year or so, I’ve been making the trip across the big green Pacific a lot… and have seen some stunning, sparkling hotel pools along the way. Here’s a slideshow of the nicest ones I’ve seen. (All photos: Chris McGinnis)

I’m hoping this might help you all dream of warm tropical places after a long cold winter….

Happy Spring!

Let me know what you think about occasional slideshows like this….I travel a lot… and take a lot of photos. I’d like to share them here, but don’t want to bore my readers. So please provide some feedback about our slideshows below. Thanks!

–Chris McGinnis

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World's favorite airport?

Urinals with an amazing view

Urinals with an amazing view at Singapore’s Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore’s Changi Airport is frequently recognized as the best in the world. On a recent trip to Singapore (on an assignment for my BBC.com Business Trip column, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about, so I asked its communications team for a tour.

We walked all over the facility– smaller than you might imagine, and not really remarkable architecturally like airports in Seoul or Hong Kong– but it feels very welcoming, comfortable and easy. Come on along for the ride and see why people love this place so much. (Slideshow starts below.)

Some interesting tidbits I picked up during the tour:

>There is an outdoor pool, jacuzzi, patio and tiki bar that anyone can enter for a $14 fee. Nice! (See photos below)

>Airport security screening is done at each gate instead of a central security checkpoint– that means all you have to do is show your passport and ticket to get into the terminals. This decentralized approach eliminates any peak time lines. Smart!

>There’s an outdoor butterfly garden open to all passengers. Talk about peaceful…and beautiful! (See slideshow below)

>The airport has a full time staff of 10 horticulturalists and 100 gardeners and there’s not one fake plant anywhere.

>Changi is pronounced “Chawng-eee” with a soft g sound.

>The airport provides free internet access via wi-fi and 550 free terminals placed in pods throughout.

>What we call “moving sidewalks” they call “travelators.” (I like travelator and plan to incorporate that into my lexicon!)

>There is a basic by-the-hour hotel in each of its three terminals. There’s also a 280-room Crowne Plaza hotel in the middle of the airport, which mainly houses travelers on layovers from the “kangaroo route” between the UK and Australia. (However, QANTAS is switching its stopover point on the kangaroo route to Dubai next year.)

>Changi is the name of a local tree– a pleasant, eco-friendly change from other big airports named after politicians.

What’s your favorite airport in the world? Please leave your comments below.

–Chris McGinnis

Use the arrow keys on each image to move forward or back. Be sure to read the captions for an explanation of each shot.

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The world’s favorite airport?

Urinals with an amazing view

Bathrooms with runway views are one of many passenger friendly innovations at Singapore’s Changi Airport. (photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore’s Changi Airport is frequently recognized as the best in the world. On a recent trip to Singapore, I wanted to find out why, so I asked their communications team for a tour. We walked all over the massive facility, and even took a breezy ride in one of those beeping carts! Come on along for the ride and see why people love this place so much. (Slideshow starts below.)

Some interesting tidbits I picked up along the way:

>There is an outdoor pool, jacuzzi, patio and tiki bar that anyone can enter for a $14 fee. Nice! (See photos below)

>Airport security screening is done at each gate instead of a central security checkpoint– that means all you have to do is show your passport and ticket to get into the terminals. This decentralized approach eliminates any peak time lines. Smart!

>There’s an outdoor butterfly garden open to all passengers. Talk about peaceful…and beautiful!

>The airport has a full time staff of 10 horticulturalists and 100 gardeners and there’s not one fake plant anywhere.

>Changi is pronounced “Chawng-eee” with a soft g sound.

>The airport provides free internet access via wi-fi and 550 free terminals placed in pods throughout.

>What we call “moving sidewalks” they call “travelators.” (I like travelator and plan to incorporate that into my lexicon!)

>There is a basic by-the-hour hotel in each of its three terminals. There’s also a 280-room Crowne Plaza hotel in the middle of the airport, which mainly houses travelers on layovers from the “kangaroo route” between the UK and Australia. (However, QANTAS is switching its stopover point on the kangaroo route to Dubai next year.)

>Changi is the name of a local tree– a pleasant, eco-friendly change from other big airports named after politicians.

What’s your favorite airport in the world? Please leave your comments below. 

–Chris McGinnis

Use the arrow keys on each image to move forward or back. Be sure to read the captions for an explanation of each shot.

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Catching up on Bay Area Travel News, Feb 24

FREE PARKING AT SFO? Last week a new service called FlightCar soft-launched an innovative new car sharing service at SFO. FlightCar lets people parking at the airport rent their vehicles out to other travelers. Every rental is insured up to $1 million, and every renter is pre-screened. Depending on the size, age and condition of your car, you can also make up to $10 per day in gas credits. (And you avoid having to pay for airport parking.) Airport valets are at SFO to pick up and drop off cars to renters. They even wash your car. If you are a renter, FlightCar valets meet you at the airport with your rental. Rates are about 30% less than what you’d pay the big guys like Hertz or Avis. Watch the video above to see how it works. Would you do this? Please leave your comments below!

NEW UNITED FLIGHT BONUSES. Remember last year when TravelSkills broke the news about United’s new flights from SFO to Paris and Taipei? Those inaugural flights are coming up soon, and United is offering mileage bonuses on both runs. To Paris (11,000 miles roundtrip), you’ll earn 50% to 100% bonus award miles for flights between April 11 and May 31. Register here. For Taipei (13,000 miles round trip), United is also offering 50% to 100% bonuses for flights between April 9 and June 30. Register here. (UPDATE 2-25-13: United has confirmed that dates for the launch of these flights has been affected by the grounding of the 787 Dreamliner. Tentative new start dates: SFO-Paris: April 26; SFO-Taipei: June 6.)

Chris McGinnis inspecting ANA's maintenance hangar at Haneda Airport on the day before the 787 was grounded. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

BAT-man Chris McGinnis inspecting ANA’s maintenance hangar at Haneda Airport on the day before the 787 was grounded. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

787 UPDATE: If you didn’t get a chance to jump on one of those shiny new Boeing 787 Dreamliners when United had them at SFO, or when ANA was flying them from San Jose to Tokyo, it sounds like it might be a while until you get the chance to do so. United announced this week that it was dropping the 787 from its schedule through at least June, and has put off new routes set to use the plane, such as Denver-Tokyo. ANA announced today that it has canceled all 787 flights, including San Jose-Tokyo, through at least May 31.

STARWOOD SPG TEAMS WITH DELTA. Delta and Starwood have launched a unique new program called Crossover Rewards, which offers reciprocal benefits in both programs. This means that starting March 1, Starwood Preferred Guest elites get access to Priority lines when checking in and can board Delta flights early. Delta Diamond and Platinum Medallions will get elite level benefits in the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program, including 4 pm checkout, free internet, and one SkyMile per dollar spent on room rate in addition to Starpoints. They will also get one free check bag. Details and registration here:delta.com/crossoverrewards or spg.com/crossoverrewards. Insiders tell TravelSkills that a Starwood brand will team up with Delta later this spring with some trendy inflight amenities or other promotions. Have you flown Delta from the Bay Area recently? What did you think?

HILTON HHONORS DEVALUED: Effective March 28, Hilton HHonors will play under a new set of rules. Instead of the current seven award tiers, there will be 10. The highest tier will now require a whopping 95,000 points per night, up from just 50,000. You’ll pay more during high season, and less during low season. This is indicative of a travel industry trend I’ve been following—when paying with cash or with points, peak season prices are rising through the roof due to rising demand from travelers. The only way to get the best deals at rates that feel reasonable is to fly or stay during low or so-called “shoulder” seasons. How do you feel about this? Angry enough to dump Hilton and move to a competitor? Well, not so fast…This week Starwood rolled out its adjusted list of hotel award categories, with more hotels moving up than down—not as severe as Hilton’s, but still. Thoughts?

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Atop the shiny new $7 billion Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

SWEATY IN SINGAPORE. Your BAT editor recently traveled to Singapore to research and write his latest BBC Business Trip Column: Business Trip: Singapore. If you haven’t been there recently, check out this column to learn about the city’s newest hotels, hottest tables, and how those new casinos are affecting the local economy.

STREAMING MOVIES ON SOUTHWEST. Last week Southwest announced that it would offer more on demand TV and movies on all wi-fi equipped aircraft (75% of its fleet). Movies cost $5 per device. Wi-fi access (via Row 44) costs $8 per day. Most Southwest flights I take are so short that movies aren’t really an option. What do you think? Have you tried using Southwest’s in-flight Row 44 wi-fi product, which seems to get about as many complaints as the Gogo system used by other carriers? Please leave your comments below.

Harvey Milk San Francisco International Airport?

Harvey Milk San Francisco International Airport?

HARVEY MILK AIRPORT. Despite the lukewarm reaction to the idea (among TravelSkills reader and others) the campaign to add Harvey Milk’s name to SFO continues. SFgate’s City Insider blog said, “Privately, politicos say they’ve heard from plenty of local constituents, including gay and lesbian residents, who like the brand name of SFO, don’t think it’s worth the cost, fear the embarrassment of losing at the ballot or just don’t think it’s worth getting worked up over either way.” The Harvey Milk Foundation has donated $4,500 to a campaign to get the measure on the November ballot, and there’s a slick new website promoting the cause. Have you voted in our poll yet? Please do!

How do you feel about renaming San Francisco International Airport?

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Please leave any additional comments you have about renaming SFO in the comments box below.

— Chris McGinnis

 

 


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10 things about Singapore Airlines A380 at SFO (Photos)

 

Here’s a slideshow of the TravelSkills’s private tour of a Singapore Airlines A380 parked at SFO. Enjoy!

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While the double-decker Airbus A380 has been plying the skies around the world for five years now, it’s still a sight to see it take off or land at SFO. While you may have seen one of these big birds from the outside…only a few have been able to see what they look like on the inside.

Last week, lucky BAT contest winner David Zippin got one of those prized close-up looks when he took a private tour of a Singapore Airlines’ A380 parked at SFO. TravelSkills chose Zippin randomly from the hundreds of readers who helped us attract nearly 300 new subscribers in a word-of-mouth contest late last year.

BAT contest winner David Zippin on a private tour of Singapore Airlines' A380

BAT contest winner David Zippin on a private tour of Singapore Airlines’ A380

Thanks to all of you who helped turn your friends and colleagues on to TravelSkills! As a result, we are growing like gangbusters! And thanks to Singapore Air and other BAT sponsors– their support keeps TravelSkills free (and in this case, very interesting) for readers.

Now, back to that tour… BAT editor Chris McGinnis accompanied Singapore Airlines VP Paul Ng along with Zippin and three of his friends to see the plane. Here are nine interesting things we learned about Singapore’s A380 service at SFO along the way:

1-SEXY: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has a super-sexy flight number on its SFO>HKG>SIN run: SQ1, which departs SFO at 10:50 pm for Hong Kong and Singapore. SQ2 arrives back in SFO at around 8:30 pm. Ng told us that the SFO flights bear those numbers because San Francisco was Singapore Air’s first US destination 33 years ago.

2-BEST BUSINESS CLASS: There are 60 business class seats on the A380—and they are so wide (34 inches) that SIA has added a pillow and a cushion to cozy the expanse up a bit. Upstairs window seats have special storage bins. (See slideshow above.) The business class cabin in split into two sections– the section closest to the front is smaller, more intimate and likely more quiet. Business class fares on Singapore for mid-March flights run from $4,000 to $6,000.

3-BEST COACH SEATS: There are 88 coach seats at the rear of the upper deck (which are considered the best coach seats—windows in this section have the same special seat-side bins as in business class.) Upstairs, coach is configured 2-4-2 vs 3-4-3 on main deck. Due to the curvature of the fuselage, coach seats downstairs on the main deck don’t have the bins. Round trip coach fares on Singapore Air currently run around $1,200.

4-FIRST CLASS SUITES: Downstairs, there are 12 “Suites” in the first class section at the front, and then 311 coach seats in the back.  Each plush, rich leather, first class seat is enclosed in a private shell, with a sliding door to the aisle. Sleeping mattresses are 4″ thick. A seat in a first class suite to Hong Kong or Singapore runs about $12,000-$14,000 round trip. Ng said that the two pairs of adjoining suites (non-window) with collapsible walls between them are usually the first seats to sell out. (Think about that, all you Valentines Day romantics!)

5-MURPHY BEDS. Unlike other airlines, Singapore seats in both business and first class fold over, and then down, so you sleep on a separate mattress thick mattress, a different surface that what you sit on. See the slide show above for a demonstration. (On most other airlines, first and business seats recline to a flat bed-like surface for sleeping.)

6-THREE LEVELS. There’s a basement on this bird! Behind a combination-locked door in the middle of the main deck, there’s a steep staircase down to a crew rest area. The space consists of 12 bunks—with entertainment systems, mirrors and noise deadening privacy curtains. It’s a bit claustrophobic down there, but those nice flat beds look cozier than the first class suites upstairs. (Several shots of this in the slideshow above)

7-BIG BIRD.  The top of the tail of the A380 stands eight stories off the ground. According to Ng, one wing could keep a group of 2,000 people dry in the rain. We were skeptical about that claim until we peered out the window at the massive wing.

8-TWO VERSIONS: Singapore Airlines flies two different configurations of the A380. Version 1 is configured with both business and coach seats on the upper deck. Version 2 is all-business-all-the-time (86 seats) upstairs; first and coach are on the main deck.  Both versions have a grand wide staircase in the front, and a smaller curves staircase in the back.

9-SINGAPORE GIRLS. A small army of 22 flight attendants (Singapore girls and boys) staffs the flight, which takes about 13 hours to reach Hong Kong… then 3-4 hours more to Singapore. The flight departs SFO at 10:50 pm, crosses the International Date Line and then arrives in Singapore at noon—two days later. (So if you leave on a Sunday night, you get there in time for lunch on Tuesday.)

10-SAD TO SEE IT GO. Singapore Airlines’ A380 is currently scheduled for what the carrier is calling “popup” service at SFO—it started on Dec 28 and will revert back to a Boeing 777 service on March 24. But there’s hope: Ng says that the airline is always evaluating where to deploy its fleet of A380s, and it could come back.

 


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Want a private tour of Singapore’s A380 at SFO?

How would you like to see inside this big bird? (Photo: Singapore Airlines)

Do you like private tours? Would you like to get a true insider’s look at Singapore Airlines’ massive new double-decker Airbus A380 when it arrives in SFO later this winter?

Would you like to feel what it’s like to snuggle into Singapore Airlines’ signature double bed in first class (and of course take photos you can post on Facebook or Twitter)?

Peer into all the planes’ nooks and crannies, like the galleys where Singapore girls prepare in-flight meals? Run up and down the big ship’s secret spiral staircase?

Singapore’s signature first class double be on the A380

Maybe you’ve always wanted to check out the first class lavatories to see if they are any different than the ones in coach?

Wondered what it’s like to enjoy a pre-flight drink or meal at Singapore Airlines’ first and business class lounge at SFO? Meet BAT editor Chris McGinnis?

Now’s your chance to win that private tour in a fun drawing!

One lucky TravelSkills reader (plus three guests of their choice) will get to check out Singapore Airlines’ big bird, from stem to stern, in a private pre-flight tour at SFO one evening in late January.

All you have to do is help TravelSkills grow by telling your frequent traveling friends about it.

Just follow these three easy steps:

1> Between now and January 5, 2013 compose an email (copy and paste the one we’ve prepared below—or modify it) and send it to at least THREE frequent traveling friends recommending that they sign up for TravelSkills.

2> Be sure to copy TravelSkills on the same email: contest@travelskills.com

3> You can only enter once, so be sure to include as many friends as possible on the first email. (NOTE: Emails will be used for this contest only—they will not be sold or traded or used by any other party for any other purpose.)

On January 5, TravelSkills will draw the winner from among the emails we’ve received. Once the winner is chosen, a date for the private tour (in late January) will be set on a mutually agreeable date. The winner can bring along three guests for the tour. (Allow about 90 minutes at the airport for the tour.) On the evening of the tour, we’ll meet in the International terminal at SFO, enter the terminal via security, visit the Singapore Airlines first/business class lounge for refreshments, and then tour the plane.

Does that sound like a fun evening or what? So come on and give it a go—and help TravelSkills grow!

Here’s the suggested email—copy and paste or modify to your liking:

Dear ____________:

Have you ever heard about TravelSkills blog? It’s a free travel blog that I subscribe to.

It’s full of helpful news and advice for frequent travelers who live in the Bay Area…just like us. For example, I first learned that PreCheck was coming to SFO, or that Virgin America was matching United Premier status from TravelSkills.

I think it’s definitely something you could use, and get this: If I can convince you to sign up, we’ll both be eligible to take a behind-the-scenes tour of a Singapore Airlines A380 at SFO one evening in January!

So please check out TravelSkills and sign up by January 5.  See “Subscribe” in the upper right margin of the blog, or just sign up right here.

Thanks!

*Your signature*

IMPORTANT! Do not forget to copy TravelSkills  (contest@travelskills.com) on the email you send! It’s the only way we’ll know that you are entering the contest!

Good luck! And Happy Holidays!

–Chris McGinnis

*****

Are YOU signed up for TravelSkills? If not, why not? Subscribe to TravelSkills via e-mail!

Follow @cjmcginnis

Welcome new readers! If this information was helpful to you, please subscribe to TravelSkills via e-mail— and tell your friends about it, too!

*****

Sponsor:  

For a limited period, San Francisco passengers will have the opportunity to experience spacious luxury onboard the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380 on flights to Asia.  Between December 28, 2012 and March 24, 2013, Singapore Airlines will pop into town with daily “Pop-Up” A380 flights between San Francisco and Singapore via Hong Kong.  Flip through this slideshow to see its famous Suites and the widest Business Class seats in the sky.

SQ1 departs SFO at 10:50 pm and arrives in Hong Kong at 5:50 am two days later. Flight time is about 13 hours to Hong Kong, and with another 3.5 hours to Singapore, you’ll have plenty of time to soak up the luxury and explore the 1000+ onboard entertainment options.  SQ2 arrives daily in SFO at 7:45 pm on the same day it departs from Singapore and Hong Kong.

***

 

 

 

 

 


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Another Airbus A380 arriving at SFO

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Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced that it will be flying its flagship A380 between SFO and Hong Kong with continuing service to Singapore this winter. SIA is the first Asian carrier to fly the double decker A380 into SFO. (Lufthansa and Air France arrived at SFO with the A380 first.)

Most frequent travelers have only dreamed of flying Singapore Airlines, renowned for its top notch service, Singapore girls and over-the-top business and first class cabins. It’s frequently cited as the best airline in the world. Airline spokesperson James Boyd told TravelSkills, “It’s important to note that the A380 will only be on the SFO route for three months. It’s a great ‘pop-up’ opportunity for Bay Area business travelers to get a taste of our premium flagship service.”

Singapore currently flies Boeing 777s between SFO and Singapore twice a day– one flight stops over in Seoul, the other stops over in Hong Kong. While the B777 service is nice, it’s now a little dated and not near as nice as what SIA offers on its big A380. Flip through the slideshow above to see its famous first class suite and the widest business class seat in the sky.

SIA’s got a super-sexy flight number on its SFO>HKG>SIN run: SQ1, which departs SFO at 10:50 pm and arrives Hong Kong at 5:50 am two days later. Flight time is 15 hours to Hong Kong, plus another four hours to Singapore, so you’ll have plenty of time to soak up the luxury. SQ2 arrives back in SFO at around 8:30 pm.

SIA is a Star Alliance partner, but unfortunately, you cannot redeem United Mileage Plus miles for SIA’s business or first class seats. However, coach seats are available starting at 65,000 miles round trip.

Ready to go? A quick scan of roundtrip fares for mid January between SFO and Singapore shows coach at about $1250; business at $5,900 and first at $12,500.

Have you ever flown Singapore Airlines before? What did you think? 

Singapore Airlines’ flagship A380. (Courtesy: Singapore Airlines)

*****

Subscribe to TravelSkills via e-mail!

Follow @cjmcginnis

Welcome new readers! If this information was helpful to you, please subscribe to TravelSkills via e-mail— and tell your friends about it, too!

*****


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