Last week, I wrote in my trip report about my most recent business class flight with Singapore Airlines from Mumbai to Singapore on their Airbus A380-800. You can read the full review here. After landing in Singapore, we were supposed to fly flight SQ 178 to Ho Chi Minh City. Given how massive Singapore’s Changi airport is and the fact that we had to switch terminals, we barely got any time to spend in the lounge and before we knew it, we were ready to board our flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Review
Singapore Airlines operates three flights daily from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh city, with two being on Airbus A350s and one on a Boeing 787. Our flight was an Airbus A350, scheduled to depart from Singapore at 9.50 AM, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 11 AM local time. The flight duration was 2 hours and 10 minutes.
It was lovely clear day in Singapore for some plane watching before we boarded.
Boarding started on time and we had a dedicated space to premium cabin passengers to queue up and board.
Food & Entertainment Options
We settled down quickly and were offered some towels and a welcome drink, with a choice between Apple juice, Orange juice and water. I opted for just a glass of water. The seat wasn’t as spacious as the one on the A380, but still comfortable enough for a flight that was just 2 hours in duration. The cabin had a 1-2-1 configuration.
There was enough storage space for small items and enough charging points to make sure you could recharge your devices during this short flight. The IFE was nothing funky but offered a decent selection of movies, TV shows and music across various regions and genres.
The flight took off on time and breakfast was served right after we reached cruising altitude.
I opted for a simple omelette and some coffee to start the day.
While it was nothing extraordinary, it tasted good and did the job of filling me up in the morning to get the day started. The crew also walked around with a bread basket, containing assorted breads and some pastries. I picked up a muffin to wrap up my meal.
Inflight Service
Since we were flying with our daughter, the crew walked up toward us before the flight took off and made sure her needs were also taken care of. They had a nice offering of goodies for kids, which included a teddy bear and some stickers, enough to keep a toddler occupied.
I spent most of my time on the flight listening to music on my phone. So, I didn’t really end up using much of the onboard IFE. As we approached Ho Chi Minh city, we started seeing a few clouds in the sky. This was a clear contrast to the crystal clear light blue skies during take off from Singapore.
The flight landed on time in Ho Chi Minh City. However, we hit a massive delay as there was a ton of chaos at the immigration checkpoint.
The Pundit’s Mantra
Overall, the flight was smooth. Everything worked as planned. The flight took off on time, the meal offerings did the job well and the onboard service was attentive and cordial. For details on how I booked this flight, head over to this post.
However, the immigration area at Ho Chi Minh City airport was very poorly managed. It was Christmas day and there was a lot of incoming air traffic expected. We entered the immigration area to see a lot of confused passengers and no clear signage. It took us almost one hour and thirty minutes to clear immigration and then head over and pick up our bags.
Have you flown Singapore Airlines Business Class on the Airbus A350 recently? If yes, which route did you fly and how was your experience? Tell us in the comments section.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Gold Card by American Express
Chase Sapphire Cards
