Has anyone flown Singapore on the Airbus A380

[GYBlues]

Looking at flights to Auckland and wondered if anyone has travelled via SA and co0uld let us know what they thought. We wondered how they and the journey compared to air NZ via LA (2 hours in a holding pen at LA after going through the "Guantanamo Bay" treatment).

We travelled with ANZ and the service was great but the A380 is a better plane with a bit more room even in cattle class!!

Do SA offer any more baggage allowance if you are emigrating as I do not believe ANZ do?

Thanks for any info.

Andrew & Tracy

[nickydwuk]

We have always flown with SA. When we first emigrated we were able to contact them and negotiate double baggage allowance (40kg per person). The A380 does offer a little more room and the entertainment system offers more. But all flights have been ok. We have stopped over at Chiangi airport for various different lengths of time.We have always made use of their transit lounge (at a cost) and this has been really good as we can relax, access the internet, eat & drink in between flights. Even if ANZ were cheaper I think wew would still fly with SA. Hope this helps and happy flying

[dandctaylor]

We would always fly SA. On our reccie trip my eldest son was v sick and the crew (those girls and boys are gorgoeus!!) could not have been more helpful - the senior crew cabin lady even gave him one of her anti sickness tablets that she uses! They were brilliant. We landed into singapore 30 mins after our connecting flight to auckland was due to leave - but the plane waited for us - it was a sight to see 30 of us all running across the terminal though! We all got on the plane and it left.

When we emigrated we used them again - we received an email to say we were each entitled to 40kg of luggage but when we checked in he said it was all ok - didnt need to see the email (but I was glad I had it just in case!!) and checked in all our bags (all 11 of them) there was 4 of us and we had 158kg which was v lucky as our allowance was 160kg.

But anyway the whole package, the airbus, more room, the brill entertainment system, the gorgeous and very helpful crew and the Krisflyer (loyalty points) means we would always use SA. :-)

Claire

[victoria24]

we did for our reccie and thought it was excellent. singapore is a lo easier for transit too. the plane feels roomy and airy

[Mamee & Co]

We flew with SA last June on our emigration flight. We were able to arrange double baggage allowance in advance. We flew on the A380 airbus...lovely quiet flight, can't rate the stewardesses highly enough, inflight entertainment great and good cabin temp. Our children were always fed first and they were treated as honored guests!!! Chiangi was efficient and very clean, both when we arrived and when we left 3 days later after a short break. Would definitely fly that way again....especially having spoken to US friends who tell us to avoid LAX at all costs!

[Clappy]

I haven't been on the A380 but the in-laws have and said if you sit upstairs you get (a little bit) more room.

I have travelled London to Auckland on Singapore Airlines several times and cannot speak highly enough of them.

Their food is good even in Economy, you actually look forward to the meals coming around.

Their entertainment system was better than most other airlines the first time we travelled with them and on every subsequent trip they had improved it.

Changi airport is also top class for a short stop-over between flights.

We did fly Air NZ via Hong-Kong for our one-way immigration flight but only because we wanted to travel premium economy. Then only because the Air NZ do the route via Hong Kong now otherwise we would have stuck with Singapore.

We would not do the journey via LAX. We always took the view that the extra baggage allowance was not worth it. I have never travelled via LAX I should add but my wife has and does not want to repeat the experience. From what I read that experience has got far worse since the day she did it (about twelve years ago).


Singapore Airlines are regularly rated as one of the best and Changi is regularly rated as the best airport.
http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/5star.htm
http://www.airlinequality.com/AirportRanking/5-Star.htm

[icemaiden]

When we emigrated to NZ we arranged our flights so that we could deliberately fly on the A380 via Singapore. Never again. Singapore Airlines generally were great, but the second leg of the journey from Singapore was on a normal 747 or 737 (I can't remember which) and it was far more comfortable. I thought the A380 seats were the hardest I have ever sat in. Interestingly, I mentioned it to a friend who lives in Singapore and regularly flies back and forwards to the UK: she deliberately avoids the A380 for the same reason.

[girlwithanewf]

We flew from the UK via LA on Air NZ. The flight itself, excellent, would definitely recommend Air NZ. LA itself was just a place to refuel the plane really. Free wi-fi but that was all it had to recommend itself, although we did get to jump the queue by having a child with us.
I flew from Auckland to Jakarta last year via Singapore with SA and had a few hours to spare in Singapore. Great stopover, free internet, lots of shops, and a fantastic butterfly garden which would be fantastic to entertain children. One of the best transit airports probably in the world.

[JandM]

Don't forget there is the option of Air NZ via Hong Kong - MUCH nicer experience than LA for the refuelling stop. However, if this is for the trip when actually emigrating, Air NZ so far hasn't given any extra allowance for that, and while it used to be an advantage to go via LA because of a larger luggage allowance, I think that has now been done away with.

[Duncan74]

AirNZ additional baggage is extremely cheap, so that may still be a factor. Not been through LAX in cattle class myself, but all those I've spoken to recently didn't seem to have as much of an issue as some of the above posts would imply. Having stayed in the lounge despite being in Business on the way back from the recce then I didn't think it was that bad. Also I found the security staff very helpfull when I needed to be full screened and was on a very tight turnaround.

So it takes all sorts, but my personal experience, and that of my wife was that the myths are worse than the reality of LAX.