REVIEW – Air China First Class Lounge, Shanghai PVG
September 10, 2016
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October 11, 2016
Singapore Airlines (SQ)
- Flight: SQ831
- Class: First
- From: Shanghai (PVG)
- To: Singapore (SIN)
- Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
- Seat: 2A
- Date: April 2015
My trusty steed for the PVG-SIN flight
Stepping aboard this 77W it was hard to be anything other than underwhelmed, given that the last flight I’d been on was in Suites. However, the service on this sector was next level.
I was immediately greeted by name, helped with my bags and offered a glass of Krug. That could probably even take the edge off having to sit in Y!
Making small talk the delightful FA asked me whether I was heading home to Singapore. I explained that much though I’d love to call Singapore home, I still had to make it all the way to London. I then went on to explain the purpose of my trip, trying as many of SQ’s products as possible in the space of 5 days. Instantly her face lit up, she excused herself, brought over the CSM and gushed to him about what I was doing.
The three of us then spoke for a while about SQ and flying in general, as another FA greeted the remaining three F pax.
After the CSM excused himself to greet the others, the FA stayed behind and said to me that she couldn’t make the seat bigger but she would do everything in her power to make sure that this was the best of all my SQ flights!
The cabin is starting to show some signs of wear
I like the mounting of the IFE screen though. I feel like nowadays a large, fixed position screen is the norm for ‘true’ F. TVs on retractable arms always end up getting rickety
Plenty of legroom (is it even worth doing legroom shots in F?)
Only 4/8 today. A couple arrived after I took this pic and sat in 1 C,D. So I decided to move back to 2A, giving us all a bit more private space.
Adjustable height controls for the tray table
Tiny details, the top of the reading light has a rubber pad on it, so you can hang your headphones on it, without them slipping off. Also, the fact that the entire seat is covered in buttery soft, hand-stitched leather is pretty amazing
Top marks for anybody who knows what this orange button does
Universal power, USB and RCA video
Bose noise cancelling headphones
Side storage
Ready. Set. Krug.
After 2 glasses of Krug the crew began their preparations for take-off. PVG always has a very eclectic mix of planes from around the World. This day was no exception.
Not often you see one of these
A multi-coloured parade of planes from around the World
Once we were airborne the FA immediately rushed into action to offer me more Krug and some warm candied nuts
She saw me taking pics with my GoPro and asked if she could pose for a shot with me
Cheese.
I don’t usually rock the FDR look but the FA offered me a blanket and seemed so happy at the thought that I’d use it, that I couldn’t say no ?
I eyed through the menu and decided that, as per my original plan, I would go with the Chinese option. This would be my first experience of a non-BTC main on SQ. Whenever I’ve tried a region specific menu in the past, it tends to be very good and sometimes even better than the regular catering (CX F to TYO comes to mind here)
I was tempted by a lot of the Western options though
Spicy beancurd sheet and bamboo shoot salad
Chinese wine marinated chicken
Broccoli with Yunnan ham
These starters were all fairly insipid. There wasn’t enough textural or flavour difference between the various ingredients. Disappointing.
Yeah-heah!
Beautiful presentation: silver chopstick holder and silver detailing on the chopsticks themselves. I also love the small detail of the soup spoon holder
The soup itself was absolutely fantastic. I never realised how much I liked soup until I started getting it in F!
The main course:
Stir fried Angus beef fillet with dried chilli and cashew nut
Steamed black cod with spinach sauce
Bok choy with pickled potherb mustard
Shimeji mushroom fried rice
This was excellent. Every element was superb both in isolation and as part of the whole course. The cod fell into beautiful flakes as you touched it, the beef melted in the mouth and the perfectly cooked mushrooms brought a deep umami richness to the rice. Fantastic.
I tried to skip dessert but much like the blanket, I knew this wasn’t a battle worth fighting! The FA needed to see me maximise my experience of this flight and it may well have ruined her year if I didn’t at least give this dessert a try ?
Black rice pudding with vanilla sauce and mango. I was expecting something more soupy, like the Balinese bubur injin (one of my favourite desserts). This was great nonetheless.
Not too sweet or large. The perfect ending to the meal.
Switching it up for my coffee time listening.
Since the dawn of social media you just don’t get full blown rock stars anymore. A shame really.
The F cabin lights were dimmed after the lunch service
At this stage I asked the FA to make the bed up for me, whilst I went to get changed.
Deep sink and waterfall tap
Ferragamo colognes
The FA prepared the bed with a few extra pillows so that I would sleep comfortably
Time to get some rest. Definitely not in the same league as the bed in Suites though ?
A little Milo ice to help me sleep
Overall this flight was fantastic. I ate well, drank my fill of Krug, rocked out, slept soundly and got to talk about planes with people who knew what I was talking about ?
The service was next level. Silly good. I felt unbelievably well looked after. I think that once you fly SQ F, it becomes very difficult to review other carriers’ F in isolation. Make no mistake, this is the high water level, the benchmark, the apex of passenger service in the airline industry. People speak a lot on flyertalk about aspirational products, if I ran an airline this would be my aspiration: deliver service as good as SQ – because it is the best, bar none.
It was with heavy heart that I watched the sun set for the final time on this trip. The lights of hundreds of ships glow in the distance, a fragmented beacon pointing us towards Singapore
- Part 1:
- Plaza Premium Lounge – London Heathrow Airport
- Part 2:
- Singapore Airlines: Business Class – London to Singpapore
- Part 3:
- Fairmont Singapore : Suite and Executive Lounge
- Part 4:
- Singapore Airlines : The Private Room – Singapore Changi Airport (Breakfast Service)
- Part 5:
- Singapore Airlines : First Class Suites – Singapore to Shanghai
- Part 6:
- Air China First Class Lounge – Shanghai Pudong Airport
- Part 7:
- Singapore Airlines: First Class – Shanghai to Singapore
- Part 8:
- Singapore Airlines : The Private Room – Singapore Changi Airport (Dinner Service)
- Part 9:
- Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge – Singapore Changi Airport
- Part 10:
- Singapore Airlines : Business Class – Singapore to Frankfurt
- Part 11:
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge : Frankfurt Airport
- Part 12:
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge : London Heathrow
- Part 13:
- Conclusion
