Letter from 30,000 feet: I am sitting at 30,000-something feet as I write this, cocooned in my flat bed on a Singapore Airlines A380 to Zurich, I feel like I am in a space capsule – I can now charge all my devices and yes, there's now also On Air wifi.
There goes that last bastion of peace. I check it out but think twice before clicking the "pay" button. It's an overnight flight – do I really need to check who's sent me cute messages at this time of the night?
I resist but I notice the passenger next to me going for it. I recognize him – he's someone on the speaker circuit, talks about customer service excellence, and I take a peek at what he's working on. I have radar vision, accustomed to seeing in inflight light.
It's a presentation and I see him cutting and pasting. Good job, if you can get it – professional speaker. Get to fly business class and get to cut and paste, and can afford inflight wifi.
I wonder what he thinks about SIA's customer service but from the way the girls are fawning over him, addressing him by name, I am sure he has no complaints.
I can't help but compare this A380 business class seat with the Emirates' version which I had the chance to try just last week. What I like about the latter is the seat, which also folds out into a flat bed, has a (very) mini-bar on the right – so you have your own supply of water and soft drinks, no need to keep asking the crew.
"No alcohol?" asked a fellow road warrior when I told her about the mini-bar. "What's the point?" I am not that fastidious, I guess.
Besides the small touches, there really isn't much difference between the two airlines – both have great selection of entertainment, not much difference in the food and drink experience although Emirates seems to have a bigger Bistro Bar at the back of the aircraft.
I also noticed the subtle mood lighting on the Emirates aircraft.
Service-wise, I know SIA and so it's consistent – very predictable. Emirates, I like it that when you first get on, they say they have crew that can speak 20-something languages – that's another little touch that's different and reflects the global mix that makes up Dubai.
The cabin staff are alright – there was nothing about the service element that stood out on this flight, neither was there one that was negative.
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