After leaving the TWA hotel, I make my way back to JFK Terminal 4 which is where Singapore Airlines flies out of. With some time to kill, and being in New York, I figure a visit to Shake Shack is in order. While not wanting to ruin my appetite for the flight I end up snacking on fries before doing a few laps of the terminal to stretch my legs.
Typically, I would spend some time in a lounge prior to the flight. However, with such a long flight, I figure this will be the most activity I get for the next while. So walking a few times around JFK terminal 4 it is!.
Singapore Airlines Flight 23 (SQ23)
Eventually, it’s time to board and I make my way to the gate. What makes this flight even more interesting, is that Singapore Airlines (SQ) operates a unique plane for this route. The plane is an A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range) and as of the time of this post, only a few exist, all with SQ. In addition, the seating configuration for this flight is also unique. These planes only have business and premium economy seats.
This means the plane seats a little over 150 passengers instead of the typical 300+ that a normal A350 plane would. The smaller number of passengers leads to a lighter plane and ultimately longer range.
Boarding
This smaller compliment also lends itself to a faster and smoother boarding process. While it doesn’t feel as “special” when they announce the business class boarding and half the people at the gate line up. It is pretty cool to see how quickly everyone is able to get onboard. And before I know it, I am seated in one of the widest business class seats I’ve encountered with a welcome drink in hand. It’s also a testament to the excellent service standard that the Singapore Airlines staff are known for.
Let’s Go!
Soon its time to push back and our 19 hour journey to Singapore starts! I made sure to try and keep an eye on our flight time throughout the flight. So if all goes well, a little under 19 hours from now I will be in Singapore!
First Meal
The way food works on this flight is there are two scheduled meal services and a fairly robust “anytime” menu throughout the flight. After reaching cruising altitude, the flight attendants begin our first meal service. It consists of a smoked trout salad to start, a braised beef cheek and mushroom ragout main and a mocha mousse cake for dessert. As has been in all my Singapore Airlines experiences, the food is exceptional and I quickly devour all of it!
Sleeping
After a little time digesting and finishing up a movie, I request for the flight attendants to convert my bed into a seat to try and get a little rest. On many other airlines, the seats can be electronically lowered into a lie flat configuration. However, these SQ seats require a bit more effort. The attendants need to fold the seat back forward which reveals all the bedding materials. They then proceed to make the bed for you. It’s a bit more of an involved process and generally its not something you can “easily” do yourself. While its nice to have it done for you, I did find it slightly bothersome having to transition back and fourth on such a long flight.
After getting my bed setup, I settle in for my first “nap” of the flight. I end up getting a few good hours of sleep. And after checking on our flight time when I wake up, its wild to me that I’m not even halfway through the flight!
I figure now is as good a time as any to try out some of the anytime menu and I end up ordering some pineapple juice and braised pork and Chinese greens La Mian. Even though I had eaten not too long ago, this REALLY hit the spot. Maybe soup noodles is always a comfort food for me, but I am pretty sure I devoured this in minutes. If you ever happen upon this on a Singapore Airlines flight, definitely give it a shot.
Walk about the Cabin
With a nap and two meals behind me, I figure I should probably stretch my legs a little. I decide to do a lap or two around the whole plane. The business class section is split into two sections and takes up a majority of the plane. I also wander into the premium economy (PE) section to check it out. Obviously flying in business is always going to be better than PE. However, the Singapore PE product does look pretty comfortable too for such a long journey.
After a bit of tinkering around my seat, another movie and a few more laps around the plane. I am making my way back to my seat when I pass through one of the galleys and spy a very appetizing dish being prepared for another passenger. I sheepishly ask the flight attendant if I could also get the same and end up having a second impromptu snack. This time its the “Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles with chicken and vegetables!
Morning!
I eventually settle down again for another “nap” and after a few hours wake up to a lovely sunrise and only a few hours left in my flight! The end was in sight! But for the time being I did avail myself of the lovely scenery outside!
Second Meal
As more and more people start to wake up, the flight attendants start the second meal service. This time it starts with a citrus grilled shrimp salad, smoked fennel duck confit as the main. There is also an option for desert, but at this point, I’m already overstuffed and so I forgo the course.
The last bits
As we get ready to land, I geek out a little on some of the stats that are available for our flight. Ultimately, it looks like my trip takes 19 hours and a little over 17 thousand kilometers.
I did end up putting together a pretty quick Instagram reel summarizing the flight, so feel free to check it out!
Singapore Changi Airport
Even though I’ve already flown over a day’s worth of flights to get here, my journey (sadly) isn’t over yet. I have a few hours to layover here before hopping on another plane for a quick flight to Jakarta. Thankfully, Singapore Changi is one of my most favorite airports in the world. And being able to explore it once again gives me a bit of an energy boost! On top of it being an amazing airport to spend time in, it’s also a great place to do some plane spotting!
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge
While at the airport, I also avail myself of Singapore Airline’s SilverKris Lounge. After being in transit for over 24 hours, one of the best feelings in the world is to take a nice hot shower. After showering I start to feel human again, and make sure to pick up some food as I wait for my last flight.
Flight to Jakarta
Soon it’s time to take my last flight over to Jakarta. It’s a very short flight (a little over an hour) but Singapore Airlines still manages to provide a full meal and service which is pretty impressive! I’d like to say that I took a lot of pictures and what not, but by now I am feeling pretty tired. I’m ready to get to my hotel and finally lay down in a bed that’s not in motion!
The flight itself is pretty uneventful and we land in Jakarta on time. Unfortunately getting through Indonesian immigration is a bit of an adventure and it ends up taking over an hour and a half to get through. I then hop onto the airport rail link into the city and eventually make my way to the Stanley Hotel which I will call home for a few nights.
At this point I’m pretty worn out and ready to crash. I do end up pulling myself away for a quick dinner nearby before finally freshening up and crashing. Tomorrow I will spend the day exploring Jakarta, and probably still recovering a little from the long travel day(s) I’ve had.
I’m glad you mentioned about the number of seats and the ‘narrow’ plane for this flight. It didn’t occur to me that it’s half the passengers which MAKE SENSE with all the aerodynamic fun stuff for a super duper long flight.
Also, was the supreme noodles on the menu? Or was this a ‘hidden item’?
Have you ever been on a economy Singapore airlines flight?
Yup it was on the menu,I wasn’t planning on ordering it but when I saw and smelt it I had to have it!
And yes haha when I left you and cactoose in Bangkok I was on an SQ economy flight!
A LONG LONG flight!