Flight to Singapore

Here you see pictured a very very very happy aviation & airline enthusiast seated in business class on the upper deck aboard the Qantas Airbus A380!

The flight, QF 31 was called for boarding and I wasted no time at all to get to the gate so as to spend as much time on board the aircraft as possible. While standing in line on the jetway I happened to notice a young (39 y/o) woman who appeared to be as excited about the next few steps we were going to take as myself. In inquired. She definitely was excited. "Giddy?", I asked. "Absolutely!" Moments earlier at the gate I learned that my seat had been changed to 12K, a window seat on the right side. Previously I was in 21A so this was a good change albeit unrequested by me. There was a man in 12J who, frankly, looked too boring to be seated next to for an 8+ hour flight so after I stowed my stuff I walked to the young woman I'd just met who was seated on the aisle directly behind me. We arranged a seat swap and the man was kind enough to agree.

After brief introductions and some festive champagne, Carolyn and I began what would be nearly four hours of non-stop chatting. Suddenly we were BFF (best friends forever). I learned that she is a member of Qantas staff, (stationed in Brisbane) traveling on a pass and headed for London (LHR) then to Iceland on holiday. (Why Iceland? "Because it's there and I haven't been.") The aircraft pushed back on time and we taxied out to the runway for takeoff. Using my new little Samsung pocket camera I filmed the entire take-off roll (historic purposes) and then some (seven minutes total). We headed to the forward lounge -- yes the plane has a small lounge in front of business class which is available to business and first class passengers. More champagne and lots more chatting. Gerwin, our male flight attendant called us back to our seats for the meal service: dinner.

Carolyn switched from champagne to Heineken beers and was having quite a few; I lost count after 7 so she did more listening while I chatted away. I had a sweetcorn chowder followed by lamb fillet with roasted vegetables and sliced fresh fruit for dessert. My alcohol consumption ceased after the lounge. Smart choice. Carolyn's request for another beer seemed to be ignored by the flight attendants so when I headed to the bathroom after dinner she asked me to mention her desire for another. I did so and Gerwin suggested she'd had enough and another flight attendant would be speaking with her. Oops! Upon my return we headed back to the lounge where she was pulled aside discretely and then disappeared. After ten minutes I returned to my seat, found her and asked what happened. A reprimand. She had to be a good girl or else. Well, we were both tired and others were preparing to sleep so I pushed a button and the seat converted to a 180 degree lie-flat bed. Sweet! The next thing I knew was an initial preparation for descent announcement from the captain. There was some light turbulence during the flight and although my seat belt was fastened while at my seat I was amazed that the seat belt sign was never illuminated except for take-off and landing. The aircraft is certainly big and stable beyond belief. My only complaint? The individual lights, overhead and for reading are the bright-blue/white LED kind which I absolutely detest.

Sad that the journey was soon to end, I soaked up the last few moments as we descended and landed at the Changi airport ahead of schedule. Upon landing I noticed three Singapore Airlines A380s parked at the gates (they were the first airline to fly the aircraft). All passengers were required to deplane and take all of their carry-on belongings with them (government regulations). The aircraft would be cleaned during the 1.5 hour layover for those continuing to London. Carry-on bags would again be re-screened by security (government regulations). We deplaned, Carolyn and I hugged good-bye (emails were already exchanged, of course) and parted company.

A beautiful airport and a smooth transition through immigration, baggage claim and customs. By the way, on the immigration card that is filled out prior to arrival it states in bold red lettering: Warning Death for Drug Traffickers Under Singapore Law. This portion of the card remains with the passport until departure from the country, perhaps as a constant reminder. Off I headed to the taxi queue where despite a very long line it only took 10 minutes to get a taxi. The most notable change from Sydney? The temperature: 90-ish degrees and humid beyond belief. Of course I was over-dressed. Oh well ...