Aviation

Turkish Airlines is Adding Frequency to the SIN – IST Route

July 27, 2023 by Bino Leave a Comment

Turkish Airlines is expanding its presence in Singapore by making the SIN – IST route a 14x weekly affair by September from 10x weekly currently.

At the moment, Turkish Airlines has TK55 which departs SIN daily at 2330 and arrives in IST the next day at 535. The IST to SIN leg (TK54) departs Istanbul at 0210 and arrives in Singapore at 1750. I have personally taken this flight a number of times and this is usually quite a full flight as it leaves Singapore late at night, allowing passengers to arrive in Istanbul or to most European destinations by morning the next day.

Turkish Airlines also has TK2o9 which departs SIN every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 1040 and arrives in IST at 1645. From 12th August, TK will add Saturday and Sunday flights for TK209, departing at 1115. From 13th September, TK209 will become a daily flight with a Wednesday and Thursday departure.

Consequently, the IST-SIN flight – TK208 – which currently departs IST at 1715 every Monday, Thursday and Sunday will become a daily affair by September.

The new flights will increase total seat capacity by 2,632 seats for a total of 9,492 seats per week. TK55/54 will continue to be serviced with Boeing 777-300ER while the new flights will be serviced with the Airbus A350 which has the newer Turkish Airlines business class seats. The current TK209/208 3x weekly flights are already serviced by the Airbus A350s.

I have personally been on TK’s A330s, 777-300ERs and Dreamliner, the latter having the same seat configuration as their A350s. The newer business class seats provide an all-aisle access, something which the Boeing 777-300ERs don’t possess. I am probably one among a minority who actually likes the older seat configuration. Though lacking in privacy and possessing a middle seat, I find it wider and more comfortable for sleeping.

In terms of flight redemptions, Turkish Airlines has the Miles & Smiles frequent flyer programme. If you are based in Singapore, you can redeem for Miles and Smiles points through a Citi credit card.

I have been redeeming Turkish Airlines flights for years. It used to be quite straightforward to find availability out of Singapore even a month or two before departure but it has become challenging since the reopening in 2022. My most recent Turkish Airlines redemption flight to Baku led me to fly out of KUL! Hopefully, there will be more availability after the increased frequency kicks in.

Review: SilverKris Lounge at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (MNL)

June 4, 2022 by Bino Leave a Comment

When the SilverKris Lounge opened in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 back in 2015, it, along with the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge next door, marked a radical departure in the way airport lounges were presented in the Philippines. The Manila lounge of Singapore Airlines is awfully spacious, stylish and also served decent meals in contrast to the tired look of most airport lounges in the country.

…

Routes & Flight Schedule For Singapore Airlines NEW A380 Cabin Products (2019)

August 16, 2019 by Bino 9 Comments

As of current, these are the routes and days when Singapore Airlines’ new A380 products will be made available. I will update this list as and when new routes and schedule changes are announced.

In case you missed it, Singapore Airlines announced in November 2017 a refurbishment of its A380 fleet which feature new suites class, business class, premium economy class and economy class seats. If you would like to try one of these seats, these are the flights where SQ deploys the relevant planes.

Singapore – Sydney – Singapore

SQ221 (SIN to SYD) – Daily

SQ232 (SIN to SYD) – Daily

Singapore – London – Singapore

SQ 322 (SIN to LHR) – Daily

SQ 317 (LHR to SIN) – Daily

Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore

SQ 856 (SIN to HKG) – Daily

SQ 861 (HKG to SIN) – Daily

Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore (starting 2nd August 2018)

SQ 830 (SIN to PVG) – Daily

SQ 833 (PVG to SIN) – Daily

Singapore – Zurich – Singapore (starting 2nd August 2018)

SQ 346 (SIN to ZRH) – Daily

SQ 345 (ZRH to SIN) – Daily

Singapore – Tokyo (NRT) – Singapore (from 1st January 2020)

SQ 638 (SIN to NRT) – Daily

SQ 637 (NRT to SIN) – Daily

Singapore – Mumbai – Singapore (from 1st September 2019)

SQ 424 (SIN to BOM) – Daily

SQ 423 (BOM to SIN) – Daily

NEW Business Class Dining Menu in Finnair’s Singapore to Helsinki Flights (2019)

May 30, 2019 by Bino Leave a Comment

This year marks eight years since Finnair launched the Singapore – Helsinki route (AY132) and the airline is launching a new summer menu for this occasion, one that is crafted in consultation with award-winning chef Tommy Myllymäki.

The new menu will be made available from 6th June to 5th September and showcases Nordic cuisine. Think: seafood, wholesome light bites, mushrooms and onions.

Chef Tommy Myllymäki, has been a Finnair Signature Chef since 2017. Myllymäki has been nominated chef of the year in Sweden, is the creative director for five Stockholm restaurants and has represented Sweden with great success in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition. He lives in Sweden but both of his parents are Finnish.

I recently attended the preview of this new menu, with fond memories of my time exploring the Nordic countries a couple of years ago. I remember thoroughly enjoying the fresh fish back then and this new menu reflects the emphasis on seafood.

The dish created by Chef Tommy will be served on the Finnair flights as a starter course. Specifically, that’s the salmon tartar, served with marinated mushrooms, fresh trout roe and sprinkled with fried onion. During the preview, we got an added treat with some fried rice paper served alongside the tartar.

Alongside this dish, mains of pan-seared perch with chilli-lemongrass sauce, bok choy in Balinese sauce and rice with sweet potatoes; and braised beef cheek with red wine sauce and mashed potatoes with truffle, carrots and pearl onions will be served. Kikorangi blue cheese and Brie will accompany the courses, and a choice between ice cream, petit fours or fresh fruits are offered as dessert options. While I did not get to try the perch, I got to try Baked Cod instead – another common dish in the Nordics – which had an almost melt-in-your mouth quality to it. The asparagus that came on the side was especially crunchy.

I personally have not been on a Finnair flight before (you can read my other business class flight reviews here) but blueberry juice is apparently one of the specialties, I suppose that’s because no other airline serves this in their regular beverage line-up. As an ode to that, we had blueberry pie for dessert.

Finnair has one flight daily (AY132) departing from Singapore at 11:25PM and arriving at Helsinki at 6:15AM the next day. Finnair is known for its excellent connectivity in Europe, where it flies to several continental destinations. Finnair uses the Airbus A350 to service its Singapore – Helsinki route.

Flight Review: Philippine Airlines NEW Airbus A330 Business Class (Refurbished Tri-Class)

March 31, 2019 by Bino 11 Comments

In 2017, Philippine Airlines completed the refurbishment of 8 single-class Airbus A330s and fitted these with a 309-seater tri-class configuration. While the planes came from the airline’s existing fleet (the single-class equipment used to ply certain domestic routes), the new cabins came with the international destinations in mind. This marked the start of the most recent phase of PAL’s “seat modernization” which as of this writing also include A350s, A321neos and even refurbished 777-300ER. Prior to this, the older Philippine Airlines A330 business class seats were rather unremarkable. I had written in a previous review that the older seats looked like hospital beds due to the color scheme chosen. They were designed earlier in the decade when PAL was trying to compete head-on with budget carriers.

…

Qantas to Open First Class Lounge in Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 1

October 28, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Qantas has announced that it is investing in a new First Lounge and an expansion of the airline’s existing Business Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1.

Qantas First Lounge in Changi Airport – Reception Area (source: Qantas)

Construction of the new lounge is due to start in April 2019. The Singapore First Lounge will offer seating for 240 customers, a luxurious design and premium a la carte dining with Asian-inspired menus. The existing Business Lounge, which opened in 2013, will also be expanded. When combined, the First and Business Lounges will offer seating for more than 800 customers.

Once the new lounge is finished (expected by end-2019), Qantas will be the only foreign airline to open a First Lounge at Changi Airport. Singapore will join Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles as Qantas ports with a dedicated First Lounge.

Qantas First Lounge Changi Airport – Dining Area (source: Qantas)

Qantas will also work with Chef Neil Perry and Industrial Designer David Caon in collaboration with Akin Atelier, to create a relaxing, high quality environment for passengers to either start their international journey or transit through Singapore. The design will embody a clear focus on sustainability with choices in materials, lighting interior, layouts and amenities all reflecting the highest local and international design techniques.
When the new lounge opens, it will come with shower facilities, a cocktail bar, open kitchen and menu offerings reflecting the best of Singapore’s vibrant dining culture.

Review: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3

August 12, 2018 by Bino 1 Comment

The KrisFlyer Gold Lounge operated by Singapore Airlines in Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 is accessed by passengers who are KrisFlyer Gold members (plus one guest) flying on a Singapore Airlines/Star Alliance flight regardless of the class they’re traveling in. In this way, it differs from the SilverKris Lounge which is being used by Business Class passengers. During a recent trip to Osaka and despite flying in Business, I decided to check out the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge.

entrance to krisflyer gold lounge changi terminal 3

It is worth noting that there are two of such lounges in Changi Airport. One is in Terminal 2 while the other is in Terminal 3. I was in the airport for an evening flight and thus witnessed the lounge when it is at its most crowded.

…

Flight Review: Singapore Airlines Dreamliner 787 Business Class

July 4, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Singapore Airlines took delivery of its new Dreamliners in March 2018 with the aim of deploying up to 49 of these planes across regional destinations in Japan, Korea and Australia. These new planes offered fully-flat beds in business class, a good step-up from the 777-200s and A330s that Singapore Airlines tends to utilize for its Asian destinations.

I found myself having to fly to Kansai International Airport (KIX) one summer morning when I took part in the “My Secret Wakayama” project. I love Japan but summer isn’t really my favorite time to go there. It gets unbearably hot – even more than Southeast Asian destinations at that time of the year. Anyway, I digress. I wanted to fly to KIX in the fastest way possible and the only options were with Singapore Airlines or Scoot. The latter doesn’t fly there daily which left me with SQ. To go on the red-eye flight to KIX, I chose to redeem my miles – 43,000 to be exact for a one-way flight.

…

Page 1 of 8

1 2 3 … 8 Next »