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Amy-Lee Wickliffe flies from Singapore to Auckland with Singapore Airlines.
The plane: Boeing 777-300ER.
Class: Economy.
Price: $1208, one way from Hanoi via Singapore. Keep in mind I booked this flight a mere two weeks before my holiday, so I didn't get the best deal.
Flight time: 9hrs 35min, no delays (yay!).
My seat: I booked a window seat, however I was given an aisle seat. Once I'd finally settled in I was asked to move to the seat which is shared with the fire exit. Yes, there was extra leg room but what about the people who stand at your ankles looking out the exit door window, even when you're sleeping (in fact, especially when you're sleeping)? Turns out some of the passengers had never seen clouds before.
Fellow passengers: Don't get me wrong, I love kids and I know they're not always going to behave. However, there was a couple seated nearby with two kids (around 4 and 6) who just did not care one bit about the noise the little ones were making. I'm talking yelling and laughing while people are trying to sleep (this was an overnight flight), and passengers just looking at each other angrily. At one point I'd managed to fall asleep despite the noise, only to be awoken by the mother pulling my feet off the exit door so her kid could see the clouds.
How full: Totally full! No room for everyone to see the clouds out of my window all at once. Some people had to wait patiently but it's ok because they passed the time by standing there, watching me try to get back to sleep.
Entertainment: Amazing range of movies and TV shows, plus you can start watching as soon as you sit down which is a bit of me. Lots of music options too if you're easily entertained. Did I mention the clouds outside the exit door?
The service: Apart from being given a seat I didn't ask for then being moved to a seat I hated, it was very good.
Food and drink: I must have looked like I needed a drink because the hostess gave me two at once. 10 out of 10 for her. The food was great too.
The toilets: Clean and tidy. There was never really a queue either which was great.
Probably because everyone was busy looking at the clouds outside the exit door window.
Luggage: I always get antsy when there are transfers involved because if anyone's luggage is going to get lost, it's going to be mine. However, my bag arrived in one piece and thank goodness because stupidly I'd left my car keys in there.
The airport experience: Hanoi airport is pretty standard. Side note: if you go to Vietnam, make sure you buy your souvenirs before going to the airport because there they mark up the prices four-fold.
Singapore Airport was amazing. There's a movie theatre, entertainment area, phone charging stations, plenty of shopping and even a sunflower garden! If you like different types of Asian cuisine then you'll love the food court. The best part is you order everything on a screen and don't have to talk to anyone! There's also a butterfly enclosure at the airport which is lucky because I caught a butterfly on the Skytrain and carried it to its new home.
The bottom line: Very nice aircraft, good service, delicious food and very decent wine pours. I think I just got a little unlucky with the seating arrangement but I would definitely fly with Singapore again.