Trip Report: Singapore Airlines Business Class SQ187 A330-300 - HAN to SIN (Hanoi to Singapore)
Airline: Singapore Airlines | Aircraft: A330-300 | Class: Business | Flight: SQ187 (HAN-SIN)
After spending a long weekend in Hanoi and one of the city's most luxurious hotels, the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72. I headed to the Noi Bai International Airport and spent some time in both the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge as well as the Song Hong Business Lounge. While the former lounge is the designated lounge for all Business Class passengers departing on Singapore Airlines, I have found it so uninspiring that I decided to head next door to the newer Song Hong Business Lounge instead. As a quick summary, skip the Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge and use your Priority Pass card (which you can get with the right credit cards in Singapore) for the Song Hong Business Lounge instead.
Now I have reviewed Singapore Airlines' A330-300 product on my occasions so I am not going to cover this in-depth. If you are looking for a deeper dive into the seat and actual product, please check out my previous SIN-DPS review. As you would expect, boarding started for Business Class passengers first and I quickly settled into my seat with a glass of Champagne.
If you are thinking about doing a redemption, a Business Class seat from Hanoi to Singapore on Singapore Airlines will set you back 21,500 KrisFlyer Miles. Since my previous flight to Hanoi was on Vietnam Airlines in Business Class (and I honestly did not enjoy it much), I was really looking forward to being back on Singapore Airlines where the service is warm and the Champagne is served cold (not the other way around!).
The Business Class cabin on my flight back was relatively quiet and empty (probably 30% full) so that was a nice change from the chaotic cabin on my way in to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines. While the plane does not have the latest entertainment system which allows me to pick up where I left off, I managed to find a movie that I liked so I started the flight with that (as well as more Champagne). Meal service begun shortly after I have warmed my seat and my choice of mains for the flight were one of the following:
Vadoucan Curry Spiced-Chicken Breast with Preserved Lemon
Wok Fried Sliced Beef in Black Peppercorn Sauce
Oriental Style Perch in Ginger Garlic Sauce
The appetiser was a simple Prawn Caesar Salad which was served with romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and croutons. Nothing to shout about but it was simple and delicious - I also paired this dish (and every other dish) with a glass of Champagne because you should always drink more towards the end of your vacation. When one of the cabin crews went around to offer Business Class passengers a choice of bread rolls, I opted for my favourite garlic bread (and also had seconds when she came around another time).
Consistent to all my other experiences with Singapore Airlines flights, cabin crew on this flight stayed on top of refills and my Champagne glass was almost always full. I think this is something that the airline does very well - other airlines like Air China, Emirates and Vietnam Airlines seem fairly insistent at wanting to clear my glass away after just one drink.
I picked the Wok Fried Sliced Beef in Black Peppercorn Sauce for my choice of main and it was served with Chinese greens, carrots, mushrooms and egg noodles. While the presentation of this dish could have been better, the beef was actually quite delicious! Unfortunately the egg noodles were pretty tasteless so I left most of it untouched. Book The Cook service is not offered from Hanoi so you will not be able to select from a more extensive menu but you will get to pre-select your main course online if you wish.
Dessert was a simple Creme Caramel and I appreciated the fact that the meal service was served in courses as opposed to a single tray. I did not particularly like the dessert and would have been happier with a scoop of ice-cream.
Finally to wash everything down, I ordered a cup of Vanilla Bourbon Tea which was brought to me shortly. Even though there is no proper menu on the Hanoi to Singapore flights, Business Class passengers can still order espresso-based coffee and proper TWG teas from the cabin crew.
As usual, service on-board my flight back from Hanoi to Singapore was excellent - meals were served in a timely manner and the cabin crew were professional yet friendly throughout. Despite the number of times that I have travelled with Singapore Airlines, flying with them is always such a treat.
Business Class passengers now enjoy complimentary inflight Wi-Fi when traveling on Cathay Pacific.