Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class FRA-JFK
Day 4, the final leg has arrived. So far this 4-leg 15,000+ mile first class journey was everything I’d hoped for. Could it get any better? Yes!
After a quick sleep at the Hilton Frankfurt Airport at “The Squaire”, it was off to the airport. The Hilton is right across from the airport via underground tunnel. There is a Sheraton and Hilton Garden Inn at The Squaire as well that I saw, maybe others.
I would be flying Singapore Airlines’ lone first class flight to the US from Europe, flight SQ26, which is necessary because a fuel stop is needed as New York to Singapore is too far for the A380 to fly direct. The only reason I could put this itinerary together was the unusual availability of a first class saver award on this leg. In fact to my surprise, this FRA to JFK award was open for a couple weeks before I actually figured out the itinerary I’d end up ticketing. It was no surprise to see SQ26 on time.
Whoa! In the land of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and even Volkswagen, a British car on display car? That’s like walking into Airbus headquarters and seeing a model of a Boeing 787.
Making digital look like the past. Much preferred.
You can’t use Lufthansa’s First Class lounge in Frankfurt unless you are flying Lufthansa. You’d think that Singapore and Lufthansa would make a deal where SQ First pax can enter Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt/Munich and LH First pax can enter Singapore Airlines The Private Room in Singapore. But you can’t and they haven’t asked me for my advice. As it is, in both cities you use the Star Alliance First Class Lounge which in this case is Lufthansa Senator Lounge. Notice they’ve updated their logo, so the talk about changing it back seems to have been fake news.
The lounge is quite large with various rooms and a nice view of the tarmac.
In the minority, I happen to like the new Lufthansa logo.
Various features of the lounge include workstations, phone chargers, keyed lockers as well as a Spa with paid services.
There was a large dining area off to the right as you entered. One thing the Senator lounge has in common with the FCT are the bar stools.
Food was the typical array of European breakfast items, including meats, cheeses and breads
I didn’t mention any first class ground services because there weren’t any. Soon it was off to gate B46, the Star Alliance gate for A380’s. One last view of this:
Today I mixed it up and selected 1F.
The Singapore Flight Crew swarmed me with introductions, amenities, oshiboris and requests for beverages. Today’s crew was Henry, Sam, Chong, Shirley and See Woon. I couldn’t tell you if the cabin behind me was full. Row 1 is as private as you can get on an airplane.
Interestingly the Lalique amenity kit was different from the one given out of Sydney. This kit has a magnet closure.
While most other airline amenity kit contents are the typical toothbrush, ear plugs, eye mask, etc., that stuff is available in the lavatories on Singapore Airlines. Their amenity kits has samples of some really nice products.
Since having my suite transformed to a bed was not on the agenda today, I would only need this blanket as the cabin was kept at a perfect cool temperature.
My sole complaint about the A380., tunnel vision.
Other than First Class (and as I’ve experienced not everytime), I’m not sure 5 stars applies.
Pushback on this glorious morning in Frankfurt.
With an 8:30 AM departure the first meal would be brunch. One would have thought it could all been placed on a single page.
This is the Book the Cook menu for today’s flight.
Last year when I flew the opposite way out of Frankfurt I’d ordered the Farro and Avocado Salad with Red Lentil Soufflé and it was fantastic. So I didn’t hesitate to order it again as the main course.
Flatware used by Singapore in first class.
Fruit was first.
The only mis-step of this flight crew was I had to ask for the bread basket.
The bircher-muesli was delicious. Everytime I attempt to make this at home I fail to make it this good.
Either I made a mistake when ordering or my order was messed up, but I received the chicken version. It was outstanding as well (maybe better).
This is such a great dish. Colorful, flavorful and satisfying. Don’t let the Jalapeno stray you away if you don’t like heat. This dish is not spicy.
Shortly after finishing my favorite breakfast in the sky, Shirley presented me with dessert. Ice cream for breakfast, Yes!
Yoghurt Cinnamon Mousse with Berry Coulis, How’s that for making decadence for breakfast sound healthy!
Wait, didn’t I start from here?
On SQ25 from New York to Frankfurt one meal is served as it’s a late night departure. The return flight gets two meals presumably because it flies during the day and into the headwind so slightly longer.
Book the Cook for this flight wasn’t too inspiring for me. Last year I’d pre-ordered the Bresse Chicken. It’d been overcooked and dry but otherwise had good flavor. The preparation was different on this menu so I ordered it.
And now it’s close to 5 somewhere.
This time it was perfection.
Words can’t give due credit to any of these dishes that were served on SQ26. Each one, from the bircher muesli to the pistachio cake and everything in between elicited the same thought, OMG is this fantastic.
Soon the New York area appeared out the window and the first class extravaganza was about to come to an end. But boy, was it fun.
As I made the trek from Terminal 4 over to Jetblue in Terminal 5, a short 5 minute walk, I got one last glimpse of the Singapore Airlines A380.
Redemption Pricing
On it’s own, this FRA-JFK ticket is a fabulous and comparatively inexpensive way to go first class. At 76,000 points and no surcharges it is actually far less expensive than say British Airways at 80K plus $500 using AA points. Or 110K UA points to fly Lufthansa first class. The 76K is on par with what Delta charges for business class from Europe and they tack on about $300 out of Europe. And if you don’t live in New York, buy an inexpensive ticket on Jetblue to get home.
Carrier: Singapore Airlines
Date: August 2018
Route: Frankfurt - New York JFK
Flight #: 26
Aircraft: Airbus A380 9V-SKM
Configuration: F12 / J60 / W 36 / Y333
Seat(s): 1F
On Time: Yes
Reward Flying Rating: 8.4 out of 10 ✈
Cabin:
✔︎Ten years since its introduction and it is still one of the best cabins to fly in.
Seat Comfort:
✔︎Yes the seats are firm, but for an 8 hour flight I find them very comfortable.
Cabin/Seats Rating: 8.5 out of 10 ✈
Amenities:
✔︎The Lalique amenity kits are stocked with useful products and came in a nice toiletry bag than could be used as part of your travel ensemble.
Meals: Presentation:
✔︎Perfect.
Meals: Quality:
✔︎Everything I ate on this flight was delicious. Thinking the thought it was the best I’ve had with each serving.
Amenity/Food rating: 10 out of 10 ✈
IFE:
✔︎ Maybe the only downside of Suites. The monitor is off center and not a high quality resolution.
WiFi:
✔︎ No wifi
IFE rating: 7 out of 10 ✈
Flight Attendants:
✔︎Another great Singapore crew. All 5 cabin personnel, the In Flight Manager, stopped by to chat. They were personal and friendly. Singapore has the best crews in the sky if you ask me. The only mis-step was not bringing the bread basket at lunch.
Flight Attendant rating: 8.5 out of 10 ✈
Aircraft:
✔︎A380. This aircraft was about to celebrate 7 years in the SQ fleet having been delivered in September 2011.
Aircraft rating: 8 out of 10 ✈
