I arrived in Bandara Soekarno Hatta T3 one and a half hour before the flight. I checked in online the day before, but I was disappointed to find out that e-boarding pass is not valid for departure from CGK. I had to go in line just to get the printed one.
The immigration process was very smooth thanks to the auto-gate that had a very short line. I scanned my passport and my fingerprint, posed for a headshot and voila it was done. I love the auto gate in terminal 3, it was quick and convenient.
While waiting to board, I went to the Sapphire Lounge near gate 6. The lounge wasn’t too crowded. They have a good amount of seat and table. Unfortunately, the food and beverages were pretty underwhelming, very little in variety. The taste was ok but still not as good as the other lounges I’ve been in.
The boarding was from gate 6 which is just across the lounge. The boarding process was divided into a few groups, the business class line, group 3, 4, and 5.
The two-cabin Airbus 350-900 has a total of 303 passenger seats with 40 flat-bed seats in Business Class seats and 263 seats in Economy.
The business class is a 1-2-1 seat configuration and the economy class section was 3-3-3 configuration. In my opinion, this new plane is definitely a luxury for a less than two-hour flight.
The interior looked modern with a color tone of dark grey and black. I had a middle seat, it was not spacious but I couldn’t complain because it was just a short flight. The leg room was generous and it was nice to see the full-size power socket. It is not that common to have a full-size power socket in economy class.
The in-flight entertainment (IFE) screen was huge for economy class, I loved it! Too bad my right earbud didn’t work. The IFE had a wide movie selection from new releases to Asian cinemas.
Not long after takeoff, they started the dinner service. I got myself a lasagna. It was pretty decent for an in-flight food. But the highlight here was the dessert, they served coffee jelly, it wasn’t too sweet and I can still taste the coffee. The flight attendants were nice and courteous too.
Overall, in such a short period of time, Singapore Airlines has successfully impressed me. The plane was new and clean, the service was above my expectation. Too bad, its ticket price wasn’t as competitive as its competitors. I would recommend flying with Singapore Airlines on a longer flight, to enjoy their service to the fullest.
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