Flight check: Auckland to Singapore on Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is testing the market over summer to see how successful an Auckland to Singapore A380 service can be. Photo / Chris Miller

Grant Bradley flies to Asia on a luxurious superjumbo.

The flight? SQ286 from Auckland to Singapore.

The plane? An Airbus A380-800 superjumbo. Singapore Airlines has 19 of them and is using them on the Auckland route for five months over summer to test the market. This implausibly large plane took off almost without anyone knowing it and it was a smooth, quiet ride for the 11 hour, 30 minute flight to Singapore.

Price? I was a guest of the airline, but return fares available on its website within the next month start at just under $4000.

On time? We pushed back right on time, which was no mean feat. Last Tuesday was the inaugural flight for the Singapore Airlines A380 to Auckland, there was a big welcome function and cleaning staff had to work around those who were being shown through the premium cabins. There was also the matter of one nameless passenger who had been at the function but had neglected to go through passport control. He had to race to get it done and made it just before the plane's doors were closing.

How full? About three-quarters full throughout although I didn't check the ritzy first-class suites which were out of bounds.

Baggage? I was going for a one-night quick turnaround in Singapore so it was hand luggage only for me, but in the hold business class passengers are allowed 40kg. For economy it's 30kg and first class 50kg. There's a tonne of space for your cabin baggage in business class, especially the window seats, which have additional stowage with two deep bins along the wall of the plane.

The seat? I was allocated 20D and it was like a throne - a jumbo seat for a superjumbo. Singapore claims the most spacious business-class seat in the industry and it is a simple, big bear of a thing, and at 34 inches wide is nearly double a standard economy seat. There's room to get a little lost in it. And it passed the ultimate test; I was able to slip out of the seat while my table was folded down so didn't become a prisoner of my meal.

If you're lucky enough to be travelling with someone you fancy there's plenty of space to cuddle up. In fact the seat is so wide they've had to shrink it by a few centimetres in the latest business class cabins on other planes and give up that space to more arm-rest area because it was just too big for some. The seat (easily) folds out into a fully-flat bed.

Customers told Singapore Airlines they wanted space, simplicity and privacy and it all started with a seat tagged "diamond" during the three-year cabin development phase.

Cabin layout? It's a standard forward-facing aspect but in 1-2-1 configuration - everyone gets an aisle seat. You sort of get to see more of your fellow travellers than in a herring bone layout although privacy screens slide between the two seats in the middle. Soon after takeoff, I was able to move to the promised land - two of the middle seats were vacant at the rear of the cabin so I was able to spread out even further.

Entertainment? A scrupulously straight safety video - which will contrast with that of Singapore route partner Air New Zealand. The KrisWorld entertainment system offers 286 movies and 456 TV shows. Entertainment is gate to gate on a 15.4-inch (non-touch) screen. There's also Wi-Fi: 5 MB of internet access costs US$5.99 ($7.65) plus US15c per 100 KB of data over the plan limit.

The service? There was plenty of it with 23 cabin crew aboard an A380, eight of whom served the business class cabin. The highly successful 42-year-old Singapore Girl brand is, according to the airline, all about Asian hospitality and this was the case on my flight.

Food? Singapore has an "international culinary panel" that has created a menu that aims to bring the world to passengers - it's fresh and portion sizes aren't silly. The drinks range is extensive, headlined by Taittinger Champagne and there's the inevitable Singapore Sling.

Amenity kits? Minimalist, socks and sleeping mask. A full range of tooth brushing and shaving gear and other toiletries in the toilets, which passed the "three quarters of the way test" - spick and span well into the flight.

The bottom line? This is a welcome addition to the Singapore route and at the premium end will inevitably be compared to Emirates' A380s, which fly across the Tasman and on to Dubai. Emirates offers more around the seat (limos, a bar for business class passengers) but for Singapore it's about the simplicity and size of the seat.

For those wanting to fly to Europe all the way on an A380, Singapore now offers an alternative.

Grant Bradley is the Business Herald's aviation reporter.