Los Angeles to Singapore

Singapore Airlines SQ37 | LAX/SIN
Economy Class
9V-SMZ | Airbus A350-900
ATD/2246 | ATA/0909+2
Lounge: Admiral's Club T4

================================================================

Only a handful of flights - all operated by Singapore Airlines - were included in the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between the United States and Singapore. As such, I had to fly from HNL to LAX first, and then on the designated VTL flight from LAX to SIN. I primarily fly OneWorld, and so I did not have enough United miles to redeem for a premium class seat. I also I did not want to fork out extra cash for a premium class seat as I would have limited use for the Star Alliance miles earned, so I reluctantly stuck with Economy Class. As I had a seven hour layover, I redeemed Business ExtrAA points for a day pass to the Admiral's Club in T4.

The LAX/SIN flight was over 17 hours, and it is my longest flight to date. I spent all of November 18th in the air. At check in, I sweet talked the staff into assigning me an exit seat with no one next to me. It was surreal boarding an SQ flight after so many years, but I was quickly reminded how much I miss SQ. I made an instant connection with the two cabin crew who sat at the exit for takeoff, and they paid extra attention to me and addressed me by name for the remainder of the flight. The seat was surprisingly comfortable for an economy class seat, and I slept rather well. I only watched three movies on this long flight.

There were some obvious changes since I worked for SQ, particularly in catering. I noted that the mains were now served in plastic casseroles, and that the portion sizes were much larger. Gone, however, were appetizers, cupped water, cheese and crackers, and sliced fruit for breakfast. Overall, I liked the simplified meal concept. The black serviceware was also practical and elegant.Read more