Flying from Singapore to Mumbai aboard Singapore Airlines

Changi International Airport. Photo / Getty Images

Steve Mutton flies aboard SQ422, from Singapore to Mumbai.

Class: Economy, unfortunately, and waaaaay down the back in 58G (only one row behind me on this Boeing 777-200). The cabin felt a bit tired but it was clean and spacious (more leg room than on the Air NZ 787 Dreamliner I flew from Auckland to Singapore).

Price: It was bundled with my return flights home, but a search of Singapore Airlines New Zealand page gives a fare of around $970.

Flight time: The schedule said 5hr 20m, but the pilot said 4hr 30m before we left the terminal.

Unfortunately, a plane went through a flock of birds just as we left the terminal so had to wait on the taxiway while they checked the runway. In the end we arrived on time.

Fellow passengers: Pretty full plane, however because I was right at the back, I ended up with an empty seat next to me. Being a Sunday it looked to mainly be leisure passengers going home.

Some interesting characters though. Some heavy turbulence as we came in to land and one chap decided that was the time for him to return to his original seat — one very anxious cabin attendant as the passenger wandered around oblivious to the situation.

Entertainment: Was looking forward to Singapore Airline's Kris World entertainment system. Sadly not to be. Looked like something out of the 90s with the small seat back screens that are run with the console that clips into the side of your seat. The lag time was terrible. Selection not great. Screen display horrid.

Food and drink: The drink side of it was great. The cabin crew must have offered five or six rounds of drinks on this relatively short flight. Food? Meh. I've been on flights before where they run out of a selection, but to have three selections for breakfast and me only being able to choose from one was not great — especially when it was the Indian vegetarian option which I wasn't keen on trying until I acclimatised myself to India. Ate the fresh fruit and the yoghurt and that's all (guess that's probably better for the waistline anyway). The way they delivered the meals seemed a bit chaotic, but perhaps they were catering to all the different food requirements you get in this region.

Toilets: Clean and well-stocked. Size-wise, no different to most other reputable airlines.

Luggage: One 23kg bag. Checked in directly from Auckland and it was there waiting for me when I cleared Immigration in Mumbai.

Airport experience: Bit of a delay getting into Singapore due to fog in Auckland, meaning I had just 40 minutes between landing and making my Mumbai leg. Waiting at the end of the gangway was someone with a sign to take myself and other Mumbai-bound passengersin a golf cart to the gate for the next flight. We made it with about five minutes to spare before the doors closed. Very efficient, and we would not have made it without that ride. Was bracing myself for a shock when we reached Mumbai given I read an article the week before that said that Mumbai airport was in the bottom 10 airports in the world (with Auckland in the top 10). I was pleasantly surprised. No dramas. Would I fly this again? Sure. The plane was a bit tired, but it was clean and tidy.