Delta 757 Los Angeles International (LAX)-Washington National Airport (DCA) Economy Class Review2/17/2024 By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review
Flight Overview
A fast tail wind shaved nearly an hour off of this cross-country flight while the strong Delta Comfort+ offering made the experience enjoyable. Pros- Strong Loyalty Recognition, Complimentary Economy Meal, Premium Comfort+ Snacks, Amazing Legroom, Strong In-Flight Entertainment, Early Arrival Cons- Exit Row Seat Restricted Width and Immovable Armrest, Poor Ground Experience 
Delta Boeing 757
Check-In
I checked in a 5:30 am and no one was in the line. I was thanked for my loyalty and annoyingly pitched a Delta credit card. It was so early that no one was in the pre-check line! 
Delta Self-Check In Kiosks
At the time of my flight in February 2020 LAX was a construction zone with an open ceiling and a big mess. This was all a part of the massive, and still undergoing, renovation of Terminal 3 which was very much needed since the terminal at the time of trip looked really old and in need of a major refresh. The circular design and age of the terminal reminded me of the old Terminal A at DCA airport.
Delta Terminal B
I went to the Sky Club which at the time was unimpressive but since has undergone a major renovation. The renovation included adding a Sky Desk and the renovated version opened in April 2022 right on schedule. Overall, the construction and weak Sky Club made for a poor ground experience though I suspect that has significantly improved since my flight.
Delta SkyClub Sign
Boarding
I got an alert that my flight was departing 10 minutes early. Something that also happened to Christina's flight the day before and can be very frustrating for any who left the gate to grab food or explore the terminal. The flight from LAX to DCA on the Boeing 757 is designated as a premium Delta One flight. The means that there is enhanced service including meals in economy and lie flat seats. As a Delta Silver Medallion I was eligible for a same day upgrade to Delta One, however, on this popular route I didn't stand a chance of being upgraded. On the day of departure there were five open Delta One seats and five passengers were upgraded including 3 at the gate. At the gate I was 21 of 28 for an upgrade. However, I did end up getting "upgraded" to Delta Comfort+ which is Delta's extra legroom economy seat and treated as a separate cabin on Delta. I was 3 of 5 on the Comfort+ upgrade list and all but one of us got upgraded to Comfort+. Since there were middle seats remaining, I assumed that the last person asked for only an aisle or window seat.
Plane and Seat
My Comfort+ seat was 18E which is one of only two seats in row 18 and located at the very front of the Comfort+cabin. This seat was technically a middle seat but was really an aisle seat since it is in the exit row and there were only two seats. 
Comfort + Seats 18 D and E
The seat was really spacious with enough legroom for me to get up and move around which out bumping into anyone. These seats had a great location away from the rest of the economy cabin and the closest to the boarding door. The seats were also the closest to the bathroom which gave the perk of quick access to the bathroom but also came with the downside of a smelly bathroom towards the end of the flight. I also really liked that the seat had a bi-fold and moveable tray. This made it really easy to get up during meal service without having finished all of my food and drinks.
The biggest downsides of the seat were the lack of under seat storage, an immovable armrest, and smaller width because the in-flight entertainment (IFE) is stored in the armrest. The IFE storage in the seat was annoying and meant that during takeoff and landing I was unable to watch the IFE. The two seats shared one power plug and because they were in the exit row only had a tiny exit row window. Despite these downsides I would recommend 18E and 18 D as perfect seats for traveling companions since they are isolated from the rest of economy cabin. 
Boeing 757 Bulkhead
There were two things I really appreciated about this 757. First, the ceiling height was higher than other narrow body planes which was nicer for a longer flight. Second, the plane had a sign that lights up when the Wi-Fi was activated which was a nice touch.
Boeing 757 In-Flight Signs
The door was closed 10 minutes early and we were told that because of strong tail wind the flight would be 3 hours and 45 minutes. The estimated flight time was lightning fast compared to the scheduled flight time of 4 hours and 55 minutes.
In-Flight Entertainment
As usual Delta's IFE was strong on this flight. While other airlines have removed IFE systems and require steaming on your own device Delta continues to commit to installing IFE systems. The IFE system offers the ability to track your flight, watch movies, television shows, live television through Dish Network, and the ability to listen to music. 
Delta IFE System
During the flight I really enjoyed watching the flight tracker to see how fast we were flying to DCA. I also watched the movie Gemini Man, and used Dish to watch live news on CNN. Delta's IFE system and offering continue to stand out above the competition.
Delta IFE System
Food and Drinks
About an hour into the flight meal service started. Because of my location at the front of the Comfort+ cabin I was the first person served an economy meal. The choices were either a ham and cheese bagel sandwich or fruit and cheese plate. I chose the ham and cheese bagel sandwich which came with a Cliff bar and grapes. This was solid for a cold meal. I really appreciated Delta offering complimentary meals on this long domestic flight. Because I was in Comfort+ I also could have ordered a complimentary alcoholic drink but decided not to order one this time. 
Ham and Cheese Bagel Sandwich with Snacks
After meal service was done the crew came through for coffee service, followed by water service, and finally snack service. Because I was seated in Comfort+ the flight attendants offered premium snacks, typically the same one offered in Delta One and first class. These options included cheez-its, cookies, Oreo Thins, almonds, granola bar, and bananas. I chose the Oreo Thins which were really good. I actually discovered I am a big fan of Oreo Thins from flying with Delta which shows just how effective partnerships which airlines can be for companies promoting products.
Oreo Thins
Service
The service at the airport was great and onboard service was solid though not as strong as the flight from DCA-LAX. I was surprised to be thanked for my loyalty at check-in even though I was just a Silver Medallion the lowest level of elite status. During the boarding process the flight attendant was also friendly and offered a warm greeting. However, the crew just wasn't as present throughout the flight as my flight over from DCA though they did complete the meal service quickly. Arrival We ended up hitting turbulence with about 29 minutes to go but that didn't stop us from arriving 3:13 pm which was 52 minutes ahead of schedule. Not as fast as original estimate but still quick. Upon arrival I went to claim my bag. There was some confusion in this process since the bag ended up coming out dirty, but not damaged, and at a different DCA baggage claim that listed on the screen. However, I continue to be impressed by the speed of the Delta baggage claim which came out after only a 10-minute wait! 
Delta DCA Baggage Claim
Take Away
The Delta difference stood out on this flight. We arrived well ahead of schedule, the ground team demonstrated strong elite recognition, and the onboard experience was head and shoulders above the competition on transcontinental economy flights. Despite my exit row seat limitation, and since significantly upgrade ground experience, I would strongly recommend taking Delta from LAX to DCA.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review
Flight Overview
Our first experience with Delta's 757 felt like the longest flight ever as I got squeezed into a Comfort+ middle seat on this more than 5 hour flight. Pros- Industry Leading Airline Lounge, Strong In-flight Service Cons- Uncomfortable Comfort+ Middle Seat, Unresponsive and Error Prone IFE, Gross Economy Meal, No Economy Amenities 
DCA Terminal
Check-In
Check-in was smooth with a quick drop of our bags at the Delta baggage drop. Where things really slowed down though was at security. There were a ton of people traveling on Valentine's Day 2020. It is crazy to look back and realize that we had no idea just how much we would be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic just one month later. Even though we had TSA PreCheck it took us about 10 minutes to get through Washington Reagan National (DCA) security line. This was really slow considering that this was prior to the consolidation of all of the security checkpoints at DCA. 
Delta DCA Check-In
Delta SkyClub DCA
Once we got through security, we headed to our then favorite airline lounge the Delta SkyClub at DCA. Since I previously reviewed the SkyClub I will focus here on what was a different this trip. 
Delta SkyClub DCA Check-in
First off, I will say the SkyClub impressed us as always and I believe it truly was an industry leading domestic airline lounge. The staff had the lounge decked out in Valentine's Day decorations and had special Valentines treats waiting for SkyClub guests. I am always impressed by just how well the SkyClub staff at DCA execute on themes. We ended up having one of each of the treats and I can attest that they were yummy.
Valentine's Day Treats
Once again on this visit the views and food were top notch. It was a clear day and we could not only see the Potomac and the tarmac but had a clear view of the U.S. Capitol building.
For food we had a variety of choices including macaroni, butternut squash soup, noodles flatbread, and sandwiches. We ended up having the macaroni which was really good, the flatbread which was not good because it was cold, and a turkey sandwich which was also very good.
Boarding
When we got to the gate shortly before boarding it was crowded. The flight wasn't looking for volunteers but went out completely full. I checked my seat and realized that we had both been "upgraded" to a Comfort+, Delta's extra legroom seat, middle seat despite the fact that I had requested an upgrade only if it was to an aisle or window seat. On Delta, Comfort+ is considered a separate class despite being just extra legroom economy. Delta Silver Medallions have the ability to receive a Comfort+ upgrade 24 hours out. You also can select to only be upgraded if a non-middle seat is available to ensure you aren't stuck in a middle seat on a long flight. However, this was the second time I selected this option and it didn't work. I was really frustrated and really don't like the way in which Delta's handles Comfort+ upgrades for Silver Medallion elites. For American Airlines and United Airlines their extra legroom seats are not considered a separate class so you have the option to simply select any open extra legroom seat 24 hours prior to departure. Because the flight was completely full, I had no choice and I was stuck in a middle seat on this over 5 hour Valentine's Day flight in a different row than my traveling companion Christina. 
DCA Gate 21
Plane and Seats
This flight is considered a premium route for Delta and this was the first time Christina and I had flown the route on Delta. Because it is a premium route Delta has Delta One lie-flat seats on a Boeing 757. Delta is the only airline currently serving this route with lie-flat seating. For this flight I ended up 23 out of 31 on the Delta One upgrade list so was suck with 23E my middle Comfort+ seat. Overall, I love the mood lighting on Delta flights and the color scene of their seats which gives the plane a premium feel. However, this couldn't hide that fact that this Boeing 757 was starting to show its age. My seat itself was comfortable and had good padding and legroom. It also had a Comfort+ pocket to hold my phone and two 110-V outlets shared between the three seats. My biggest complaint was that I was suck in the middle of what ended up feeling like the flight wouldn't end. This was because I was squeezed between two people including one gentleman who was very large and despite his best efforts flowed about halfway into my seat. I spent the entire flight feeling very uncomfortable and mad at Delta for putting me into the Comfort+ middle seat "upgrade" I didn't request. 
Delta Boeing 757
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
Despite this being a premium route there were no amenities such as a blanket or pillow in economy class. However, like the vast majority of Delta flights the seats did have seat-back in-flight entertainment (IFE) system which also included a USB charger. About 15 minutes into the flight a flight attendant came around offering complimentary earbuds but I declined since I had my own noise cancelling headphones. The IFE was one place where the plane showed its age. It was not very responsive and I had multiple issues using it. At one point I couldn't fast forward, pause, or change the movie, and was limited to only increasing or decreasing the volume. 
Delta IFE
The one place where the IFE system did shine was the wide selection of over 100 movies and a wide selection of television shows. The IFE system also offered audio and a selection of live television stations offered by Dish including ESPN, CNBC, and CNN.
Delta IFE
On the flight I watched Spider Man Far from Home. When I tried to play a second movie, Harriett, the IFE system froze. Then after a few minutes the IFE had sound but no video. Delta really needs to work on maintaining these IFE systems.
Delta IFE
Food and Drinks
One benefit of this being a premium flight for Delta was the complimentary meal for economy passengers. However, the options were not impressive. About 50 minutes into the flight the flight attendants starting serving the meal and the options were chicken noodle salad or fruit and cheese plate both of which were served cold. We both had the chicken noodle salad and it was in one word gross. The noodles were so bad that is made Christina sick. Honestly, it would be better to charge for food on this route if it were at least going to be edible. 
Chicken Noodles
After the food was dropped off the flight attendants came by with drinks and I had a California Cabernet Sauvignon. The flight attendants also came by two more times during the flight offering drinks. I missed the second round but for the third round I ordered Prosecco which was okay. The flight attendants also offered a snack basket with options for Comfort+ passengers including Kind bars, Biscoff cookies, peanuts, bananas, and Oreo thins. I chose the Oreo Thins which I always find to be a solid choice.
Service
The service on this flight was impeccable as I have come to expect from Delta. The flight attendants were continually working throughout the flight. They had multiple drink and snacks services to make sure we were taken care of over this five hour flight. This crew was clearly dedicated to showing the strong service Delta is known for.
Arrival
We ended up arriving 21 minutes early and I was so happy! This flight was about 5 hours but felt like 10 because I was so uncomfortable. As we exited, I got a quick peek at the Delta One cabin and I would really like to have a flight with lie-flat seats on one of these cross-country flights. 
757 Delta One Cabin
After we exited the plane, we ran into one interesting passenger who flew Delta One on our flight former Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder. Christina stopped him and he kindly agreed to take a picture with her!
Christina with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Take Away
This flight experience was a mixed bag for me with great ground experience and what felt like the longest flight ever despite impeccable service. On the ground Delta once again had an impressive ground experience with the best domestic airline lounge I had been to in the SkyClub DCA. In the air Delta continued to deliver the strong service I have come to know from the airline. On the other hand, the airline's technology failures and bad food led to what ended up being a miserable more than 5 hour flight. I think if I took this flight again in the future with Christina I would opt out of the Comfort+ upgrades and either stay in a regular economy seat or find a way for us to upgrade to the Delta One lie-flat seats. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
Our first experience with Delta domestic First Class meal service had average food but impressive service. The Delta 737-800 was a bucket of bolts and really needed a refresh. Pros- Impressive Service, Strong Amenities Cons- Old and Loud Plane, Ancient In-Flight Entertainment System 
Boeing 737-800
After matching to Delta status in November 2019 Christina and I had our first upgrade to Delta First Class that included meal service due to empty Friday after Thanksgiving flights. I am going to focus this review on the flight. While we visited the Delta Sky Club at Salt Lake City (SLC) before this flight Delta has since opened a new Sky Club. Therefore, I am going to skip a review of the lounge and look forward to checking out on my next time through SLC.
Boarding As we headed to the gate it was a very snowy day at SLC, however, I was impressed by how the airport was able to handle the snow and I barely noticed any impact to airport operations. Christina and I were upgraded 24 hours out from the flight based on our Delta SkyMiles Silver status. At that time there were still nine free First Class seats because of very light after Thanksgiving loads. 
Snowy SLC
We really appreciated receiving the upgrade in advance since it gave us access to these Sky Priority Benefits including priority check-in and priority baggage handling. Delta doesn’t give Silver elite access to Sky Priority benefits so as Delta Silver’s our best way to get access to these was to get upgraded in advance or purchase and upgrade. Because the upgrade we were among the first people on the flight.
Departure Gate C6
Plane and Seats
The plane was literally a bucket of bolts with a screw falling from above when I went to put my bag into an overhead bin. Delta is known for keeping planes longer than other airlines and fixing up the interiors but this plane was not yet refreshed. 
Boeing 737-800 Interior
On the flight we were originally seated in 3B and 3D across from each other. After all elites and one employee were upgraded there was one open seat left in First Class and the flight still had 23 free seats in economy. The First Class seat was like a throwback to 1990s and didn’t include Delta’s modern look. Because I was seated across from Christina a friendly flight attendant who ended up working economy said we’re okay to switch seats and if someone else showed up we should ask them to take my original seat.
First Class Seat
The seat I switched to, 3C, had a broken arm rest. The flight attendant was very apologetic about the broken seat. Another negative aspect of these old seats was that they had no headrest. The positive aspect of these old seats was that they contained far more padding than the modern slimline seats. This padding made the seat more comfortable but the material made the seat hold in more heat. This Boeing 737-800 was loud and I was very glad that I had noise canceling headphones or the sound would have driven me crazy. Right before take-off the captain let us know that the flight time was a little over three hours with a strong tail wind.
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
When we boarded at our seats were a thin pillow and a blanket. The blanket was thin but comfortable. I appreciated that Delta had bottled water, though it is not environmentally friendly, at the seat when we arrived because I am often dehydrated in flight. I hope Delta is able to find a more environmentally friendly container to provide passengers with water prior to departure. 
Seat Amenities
While I don’t typically comment on airplane bathrooms, I have to commend Delta on the high-quality bathroom amenities on this flight. The amenities included Malin+Goetz hand soap and lotion. While cost doesn’t always equate to quality just one 8.5 fluid ounce bottle of the Malin+Goetz lotion retails at $36 as of October 2022. I thought these were strong amenities since many airlines don’t even include any lotion on most domestic First Class flights yet alone a high-quality variety like Malin+Goetz.
Malin+Goetz Lotion
The in-flight entertainment screens on this flight were tiny (about the size of an iPhone Plus), old, and slow. The seats still had manual dials for overhead IFE showing you just how old the plane was. As I clicked through the IFE it was not responsive and needed significant updates.
IFE Monitor
Food and Drinks
After we got settled into our seats one of the flight attendants working First Class offered us a pre-departure beverage. Christina declined while I ordered a Sprite.Afterwards she confirmed our pre-orders then went to take the passengers orders. 
Pre-Departure Beverage
After some turbulence subsided, the dinner meal service started with a hot towel service which was warm and had refreshing scents. The dinner came on one tray with broccoli, side salad (parmesan, baby tomatoes, and iceberg lettuce), white bread butter, and steak with potatoes. My salad was boring but at least came out fresh. I found the bread was soft but below average. The steak and potatoes were well cooked and seasoned and the broccoli was good. Christina found her salad to be plain and the bread stale. Christina’s ravioli was lukewarm but overall good and she thought light years above American Airline’s First Class meals.
Steak Dinner
Overall, I found the dinner to be the perfect serving size and I really liked the silverware by Alessi. Christina was also impressed by the silverware and thought it was strong and classy. Moreover, she was impressed that the tray was well made, had a Delta pattern, and a strong grip. Both of us agreed that the highlight of the meal service was the Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream ice cream served for dessert.
Prior to landing the flight attendants came around with the snack basket which included the following choices: 1) Kind Bars, 2) El Augustin, 3) Oreo Thins, and 4) Cheez It. Christina got Augustin and Oreo Thins and I had Oreo Thins. We both liked our choices and the wide Delta snack selection.
Service
On this flight there ended up being two flight attendants working the 16 seats in First Class much better than American Airlines which typically only has one flight attendant for domestic First Class on narrow-body planes. Having two flight attendants made service really fast as these flight attendants divided and conquered service. For example, even with strong turbulence the flight attendants came by with more bottles of water, continual refills, and were quick to clear our dishes. The only minor hiccup was that towards the end of the flight the flight attendants brought our coats from the closet but forgot my suit bag. Later I reminded the flight attendant and she brought my suit bag before departing the plane. Overall, the flight attendant service was professional, kind, and accommodating.
Take Away
On our first Delta First Class flight with meal service Delta delivered impressive service, strong amenities, average food and drinks, but the bucket of bolts plane and IFE left a lot to be desired. Despite being only average Delta’s food and drinks were still miles ahead American Airlines First Class and its service was in a different category all together. I hope Delta upgrades all of its domestic narrow body planes with the new look and feel. In particular the IFE systems really held back our otherwise good experience on this flight and are sorely in need of an upgrade. Despite these drawbacks I would likely choose to take Delta on domestic First Class on this route again. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The Apartment experience featured the best lounge I have ever visited, the best seats I have ever flown along with thoughtful design touches and amazing in-flight entertainment. Pros- Great Lounge, Stunning Seat, Thoughtful Onboard Design, Amazing In-Flight Entertainment, and Unique Amenities Cons- Underwhelming Service and Tasteless Onboard Food First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
Etihad First Class Entrance
Check-In
We pulled up to the First Class entrance at Abu Dhabi International (AUH) and were greeted by Etihad staff ready to help us with our bags. Since we had no more local cash left we decided to handle the bags ourselves. We walked into the terminal and were ushered over to seats for the check-in process. This was the first time I had ever completed an airline check-in process seated and it was a strange feeling. The agent checked in our bags and recognized our American Airlines elite status which is something I really appreciate about Etihad. Once our check-in was complete she insisted that we head through Pre-Clearance about 50 minutes before departure to make sure we didn't miss boarding. After check-in we headed through the First Class line at security which was a quick process. Once we cleared security we headed to the First Class lounge. 
Etihad First Class Lounge
Etihad First Class Lounge
Etihad's First Class Lounge is the nicest lounge I had ever visited even beating out the Virgin America Clubhouse at New York JFK. Some of amenities included a gym, relaxing chairs, and complimentary spa treatments. Because we wanted to make sure not to miss our departure we didn't have a chance to use any of these. 
Etihad First Class Lounge
However, the one benefit we did get to try was the al a carte dining. When were in the lounge they were serving breakfast which ended up being really good. We were seated at a table with great runway views.
Etihad First Class Lounge
For breakfast I ordered Kimchi pancakes and Christina ordered the Eggs Benedict. The Kimchi pancakes were very different than any other pancakes I had ever tasted. They were very savory and doughy almost like a soft flat bread crust, but I did like them. Christina also enjoyed her Eggs Benedict and said it was at the level of the one she really liked at the Al Maha.
Eggs Benedict
US Pre-Clearance and Premium Lounge
Etihad's First Class lounge AUH is located after the first layer of security but not after the second layer of security or the pre-clearance for US flights. This means that passengers have to leave the lounge early and then head through pre-clearance.We ended up taking the check-in attendants advice and leaving 50 minutes before departure which was way too early. While pre-clearance is a big benefit for most passengers it can actually be frustrating for those with Global Entry, since the process can sometimes take longer than using Global Entry on arrival. That was definitely the case at AUH. When we left the First Class lounge the terminal was crowded with people and it took us about 10 minutes to walk to the pre-clearance. Once we got to pre-clearance the entire process took us about 15 minutes since we had access to premium security and Global Entry. 
US Pre-Clearance Premium Lounge Drinks
Once we got through pre-clearance we headed to the Premium Lounge which is shared by First Class and Business Class passengers on US bound flights. This lounge was packed with people and it was a struggle for us to even find a seat. The lounge offerings were also really unimpressive compared to the First Class lounge. It offered coffee, drinks, and cold snacks only. It was better than being in the crowded terminal but a huge step down from the First Class lounge. My advice if you are flying First Class and have Global Entry would be to spend as much time as possible in the First Class Lounge.
Etihad A380 Parked at AUH
Boarding
When we arrived at the gate it was packed with people and the beautiful A380 was parked at the gate. The First Class Cabin on this flight was also full despite only four seats being full a day before departure. I assumed this was due to people getting upgraded. On this flight there was no passenger in The Residence which is Etihad's exclusive A380 experience above First Class which comes with your own apartment in the sky. When boarding commenced Etihad called First Class and Business Class at the same time which was frustrating and led to a hectic boarding process. Since we were in First Class we boarded via the upper deck. Shortly after we sat in our seats we were greeted by the onboard Chef, whom we believed was Australian. He handed us the food and drink menu and asked us if we wanted to shower onboard. We said yes to to the shower and gave our dinner orders. He also informed us that we could eat anytime starting one hour after takeoff. We asked to be served 3 hours into flight and to dine together. Once the chef left our flight attendant came by and handed us our amenity kits. The plane ended up having a technical problem which required a power restart. Before we pushed away from the gate Etihad ran a video with a Muslim prayer for the flight. Once the power was restarted, we took off for what the captain said was a 13 hour and 10 minute flight to New York JFK. 
Etihad A380 Upper Deck Boarding
Plane and Seats
The seats in the First Class cabin on Etihad's A380 are called the Apartments because they are so spacious. 
Ethiad Apartments
The cabin had 10 Apartments two of which can be lowered to connect 3K and 4K, our seats, and 3A and 4A. The cabin was quite beautiful and clearly Etihad put a lot of thought into its design. Sitting in 4K meant that I had to experience taking off sitting backwards which was strange and on takeoff almost made me feel ill but the rest of the flight I felt no difference.
Connected Apartments
There are big holes in the doors but generally the Apartments are quite private and have no overheads bins which makes each Apartment feel spacious. However, this means you can see lights from other seats when trying to sleep. The Apartment was quite large and featured a couch with a seatbelt to allow another First Class passenger to sit in the Apartment. This was great for dining since the tray table is large enough for two and Christina and I dined together for every meal. This even allowed her to stay in my apartment during turbulence because there is a seatbelt.
Ramon and Christina's Apartments
The seat itself was a large and very comfortable leather recliner. It felt like a high-end chair in a home and I loved it. The chair had numerous features some of which I did not even get to try on the flight. This included a big recline and options to change the firmness and softness of the chair. Shades were on the inside of the seat and were automatically set in the down position for most of flight which I liked.
Christina's Apartment
One downside of the seat was that it had no individual air vents. A lot of airlines do this in premium cabins and I think it makes no sense to exclude these. When we asked for water because we were hot the flight attendant asked if she should lower the cabin temp and we said yes. The seat had a ton of storage with areas hidden all around to store small items and two areas below the bench/bed. One of the hidden spaces was a drawer which stored sodas at room temperature. In this drawer there were two small bottles of water two cans of Sprite and two cans of Coke. The seat also had a vanity with a bright light which we used to store our amenity kits. Another space we didn't find until almost the end of the flight was a place to store headphones that could also fit a water bottle.
Drink Storage
The seat also had a closet with a hanger which I used after changing into my lounge wear. This further demonstrated the thoughtfulness of the Apartment design.
Closet
The Apartment also featured a bed that came out of the bench and when we were ready to sleep the attendant folded it out and added a pillow and a mattress pad. Overall, the bed was hard but certainly more comfortable than most airlines seats. I got no sleep but that had more to do with my body’s clock, noise, and light in the cabin than the seat.
Bed
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
When we sat at our seats there were very comfortable blankets waiting for us. 
Blanket
The flight attendant also came by with amenity kits and slippers. These kits contained very small portions of lip balm, lotion, cologne, and a toothbrush/toothpaste. Several of the amenities were made by Acqua Di Parma and I thought that the sizes were really small but the scents were really good.
Upon boarding we were also handed loungewear, made by Friend of Mine, which I thought was comfortable and unlike Singapore Airlines actually had pockets which I really liked. I appreciated that it had pants pockets but it wasn't as stylish or as durable as Singapore Airline's pajamas. I also did not like the slippers. I found them be insufficiently soft.
Friend of Mine Pajamas
When flying in the Apartments passengers have access to two large onboard bathrooms. These bathrooms had many fewer amenities than Singapore Airlines Suites. For example, there were no shaving kits and no mouthwash.
Bathroom Amenities
The real standout feature of the bathrooms though was the onboard shower which was only in one of the bathrooms. The onboard chef came around near the beginning of the flight to take shower reservations and when it was our time, we were told that we each had 15 minutes of water and that we could start and stop the shower. Etihad provided a towel along with Acqua di Parma shampoo and conditioner. The shower started off really cold but warmed up after a few minutes. It was really a surreal experience to shower in the air.
Onboard Shower
Another perk of flying in the Apartment was complimentary Wi-Fi, however, we found it difficult to connect to the Panasonic Wi-Fi and when we were able to connect it was so slow that it was almost unusable. The Apartment also offered an intuitive screen with an impressive array of options including movies, music, TV on-demand, live TV, and games. During the flight we watched Tag, Spider-Man, and Mary Queen of Scots. The selection was amongst the best I had ever seen and by the end of the nearly 14 hours we still had a lot of entertainment options.
Ethiad IFE
One of the coolest things about the TV was the ability to order food and drinks over the television. We ordered drinks through the TV during the flight and it worked seamlessly.
Food and Drink Ordering
Another fun feature of the Etihad A380 was the tail camera. During our flight we had mostly clear skies which lead to some stunning photos from the tail camera.
Etihad A380 Tail Camera
Two weak points of the in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience were the distance from the screen to the chair and the headphones. While Etihad generally nailed the design of the apartments one weak thing was that really responsive touch screen was too far to touch from the seat. To overcome this Etihad provided a controller which could also be used to watch another show or play a game. However, at times the controller froze requiring me to stand up and select content from the touchscreen. The headphones provided by Etihad had good sound quality but were small and uncomfortable. The noise cancelling was good but not at the level of Bose.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Food and Drinks
Before takeoff we were offered our pre-departure beverages of choice along with mixed nuts. The nuts were okay and the drink we selected was champagne but the onboard chef served us Rose Champagne which was bad despite being a 2006 vintage. We switched to the Brut for the rest of the flight which was better but not good especially compared to the Krug we had on Singapore Airlines. 
Pre-Departure Beverage
For dinner I selected the lamb while Christina selected the salmon. The dinner service started with a bread course. We had a pretzel roll and a twist. The pretzel roll was good while the twist was okay. We then enjoyed an Arabic Mezze. The Tabbouleh was good while the hummus was okay.
Bread and Arabic Mezze
I found that the sides with the lamb were better than the lamb itself. The sides were flavorful and rich while lamb was dry.
Lamb
Christina did not like the salmon. She found it to be dry, bland and only ate half of it.
Salmon
After dinner we asked for the caviar course which we enjoyed. During our travels we found that Caviar really pairs well with champagne.
Caviar
In between the courses it was nice to have drink drawer since the service was slow and not attentive. The flight attendants never proactively re-filled our water. At one point the flight attendant changed the table setting removed my napkin but didn't bring me a new one. For dessert we had the camel milk chocolate mousse, which was okay, and chocolate chip cookies which were yummy.
Later in the flight, we ordered off of anytime grill menu and I had the steak frites and Christina had the steak sandwich. I thought the steak was a bit rubbery and the fries were okay. Christina thought the steak sandwich was also only okay since it was a bit dry. We tried multiple cocktails and they were all really bad. We tried all three red wines and they were all decent but our favorite was the Bordeaux.
Onboard Lounge
When the flight attendants were changing our seats into bed mode we went and hung out in the onboard lounge. This is a shared space accessible to passengers in the Apartments and Business Class. It had leather padded seats and a television. We tried to order food and drinks here but were told this wasn't allowed. This was frustrating because I had seen other bloggers served food and drinks in the lounge. Not allowing food and drinks really limited the utility of the space for anything other than socializing with other passengers. While we were in the lounge, we did meet another nice couple that were also heading back to the United States after time spent in The Maldives. Overall, the dining experience was poor especially for First Class. While there was a wide selection, I found many of the dishes were of poor quality.
Service
The service on Etihad can be best described as underwhelming. No one was rude but it didn't feel like they went above and beyond in delivering service to First Class passengers. For example, early in the flight the onboard chef came by to take our orders and ask us if we wanted to shower. However, he didn't offer us any specific options for the shower reservation or explain how the process worked. This led to us being randomly called to shower during the flight. We also noticed that the meals all started with a caviar course with only one type of caviar offered so we didn't bother ordering it until our main course arrived and we hadn't been served the caviar course. We asked the chef and he said that it was something they only served when asked. This wasn't something he mentioned when he walked us through the menu. Another example was that we were never asked if we wanted breakfast. Instead, the flight attendants came around asking us to get ready for landing. Furthermore, the Etihad service was slow and not at all customized. In one case our dirty dishes weren't collected until 40 minutes after our meal was done. Also, we mentioned to the flight attendant that it was our honeymoon but during the whole flight there was no recognition. The food service was supposed to be dine on demand but every time we ordered food the flight attendants seemed to get annoyed and towards the end of the flight Etihad starting running out of food. Part of the problem is that the First Class cabin was full with about nine passengers served by two flight attendants and an onboard chef helping to prepare the food. At times they seemed overwhelmed.
Arrival
About 45 minutes out from landing the flight attendants allowed the blinds to be put up again and came around with hot towels. I found flying Westward during the day nonstop much easier and less exhausting than our trip to Singapore. One weird thing we found out near arrival is that one person on Etihad flight was also on our flight Singapore Airlines Suites flight to Singapore. About 30 minutes out Etihad turned off IFE which I did it like. We made a hard landing at 3:50 pm and got to the gate at 4:05 pm about 5 minutes late. The staff opened the door and allowed the passengers in the Apartments to deplane first. Finally, when we arrived at baggage claim Etihad unloaded the business class bags before the Apartments something which I found frustrating. 
View on Arrival to New York City
Take Away
Our experience flying Etihad Apartments onboard the A380 was very inconsistent. On one hand Etihad had the best First Class lounge I have ever visited, the best seat I had ever flown in, stunning design choices, amazing inflight entertainment, and unique amenities including an onboard shower. However, on the other hand the execution by the staff was poor with underwhelming service and tasteless food which we often found to be too dry despite having an onboard chef. Etihad's ground service, and inflight hard product on the A380 have the potential to be among the best in the world but Etihad needs to improve its execution including its staff training and onboard food and drinks. 
Etihad A380 Parked at JFK
By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The comfortable seats, solid amenities, and variety of onboard food and drinks were not enough to make up for the ancient IFE and horrible arrival experience in Abu Dhabi. Pros- Comfortable Seats, Variety of Onboard Food and Drinks, Very Friendly Service , Restaurant Dining Experience Cons- Bad Airport Lounge Experience, Poor Boarding Experience, Non-Functional Wi-Fi, Ancient IFE, Poor Quality Headphones Horrible Arrival Experience First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Leeli Lounge
Once we got to the airport we headed straight for the airport's only lounge called the Leeli Lounge. This is the premium lounge of business and first class passenger departing Male airport (MLE). The lounge had a large seating area with view of the runway which I enjoyed. The lounge was fairly empty but uncomfortably warm. The lounge had its own bathrooms but no showers. 
Leeli Lounge
The lounge had a wide variety of food options including snacks, fruit, rice, vegetables, and pasta. It also had a variety of deserts including chocolate biscuit pudding, cookies, and cakes.
Leeli Lounge Seating
Generally, the food looked and tasted unimpressive. We tried the egg salad sandwich and rice and found them to be dry. All of the food and drinks in the fridges were room temperature. We tried the cookie which was tough and the brownie which was the soft. The brownie ended up being the only good food item we tried in the lounge. We decided to skip most of the food and decided to wait to have a full meal until we were on the plane. The lounge wasn't impressive and I wouldn't arrive early to take advantage of this lounge.
Leeli Lounge Food
Boarding
Boarding took place exactly one hour before the departure time. The process was annoying since it involved boarding, waiting in a bus, then taking the bus to a plane parked on the tarmac. 
Male Airport Gate 4
We ended up waiting on the bus for about 30 minutes. When the bus arrived, we were the first passengers off and the first to board the plane.
Boarding Bus
The one cool thing about boarding via a bus is that we were able to get a view of the plane from the tarmac.
Etihad A320
Plane and Seats
There were 16 business class seats on this plane arraigned in a 2-2 format. The legroom on the seats were incredible. I was able to cross my legs and not touch the seats in front. Each seat also had a reading light, headrest, footrest, and substantial padding. The seats also had universal charging at each seat and a screen in the armrest. This seat was a very comfortable way to fly for this approximately 3 hour flight and put U.S. domestic first class seats to shame. 
Etihad A320 Business Class Cabin
When boarding was done there were a total of four business class passengers and economy was completely full. We were also informed by a flight attendant that one of the business class passengers was the Etihad CEO Tony Douglas' wife. She was very friendly and excited to greet us when she found out that we were Americans and spoke English. She gave us recommendations on site to see in Abu Dhabi which we appreciated. This is the first time that I have ever flown with a spouse of an airline CEO. Though I felt the flight attendants delivered consistent servicer in the business class cabin. We ended up departing at 6:30 pm 15 minutes early.
Etihad A320 Business Class Seat
Dining
Shortly after sitting down we were offered a pre-departure beverage. Christina asked for champagne but was informed because the champagne was left onboard the aircraft overnight it was not yet chilled. Instead I had orange juice and Christina had red wine. I liked the orange juice while Christina found the red wine to have a sharp ending. The flight attendant also came around with a hot towel. Because of the warm weather it would have been nice if the towel were colder. 
Hot Towel
Once we leveled off the formal meal service started with mixed nuts. I did not like the that nuts weren't warm and thought they lacked flavor.
Mixed Nuts
The three course meal service included choices between two starters, three mains, and three deserts. For the starter Christina and I both chose the Arabic Mezze. For the main I chose the Spinach Fettuccine while Christina chose the Spiced Tuna. For desert I had the pineapple tart while the flight attendant created a special desert for Christina with Amaretto and vanilla ice cream.
Menu
We both liked all of the Arabic Mezze with the exception of the bread. We found it to be quite fresh and flavorful. Christina summed it up well, simple but well executed.
Arabic Mezze
I liked my main dish the Spinach Fettuccine and I found it to be very creamy, fresh, and healthy.
Spinach Fettuccine
Christina thought the Spicy Tuna was too spicy and dry.
Spicy Tuna
I found my tart to be too sweet while Christina loved her dessert. She thought that the Amaretto and vanilla ice cream tasted like an adult ice cream float. Also, with desert we both had the chilled champagne and really liked it.
Outside of the food itself I was impressed by the dining experience. For example, the service included white table cloths, printed menu, Etihad branded glasses, and Etihad branded condiments. This felt like restaurant dining and really drove the sense that Etihad was going for a luxurious experience.
Amenities and IFE
When we boarded the plane waiting at our seats were a pillow and blanket. The pillow was well designed and decked out in the Etihad colors while the blanket was soft and comfortable. The blanket and seat were comfortable enough for Christina to take a 30 minute nap. 
Etihad A320 Busines Class Seat and Amenities
In business class we also had access to a limited amount of complimentary Wi-Fi. However, even when we got into the areas where it should have been able to connect there was not Wi-Fi service.
Etihad 2019 Wi-Fi Coverage Map
The in-flight entertainment (IFE) system onboard this plan was call E-Box and was very old. The screen had bad resolution and the touchscreen was not very responsive so we used the remote. However, the remote was located next to my right hip which was frustrating since I constantly hit the remote while sitting. Despite having a decent selection of movies, the selection of TV shows was very limited with no full seasons. Additionally, the headphones provided by Etihad were really bad and at one-point Christina heard a hissing so we ended up using our own headphones.
E-Box IFE
Service
We received a very warm greeting from the primary flight attendant serving our cabin. She asked where we from, recognized that we were American Airlines elites, and thanked us for flying with Etihad. She was from Ireland and was very friendly. When she saw that Christina and I we were playing with the seats she explained how the seats worked. She informed us that the seat power only worked after takeoff and that the screen came out of the armrest. Service was very friendly but slow given that there were only four people in business class cabin. Outside of meal service she spent most of the flight talking. She offered to give us recommendations on what to do in Abu Dhabi but forgot. However, she did send us on our way with a big bottle of water. Overall, I found the service very friendly but not as polished as Singapore Airlines. Arrival We arrived at a remote stand 15 minutes early. I was surprised that even at Etihad's hub we did not arrive at a gate. We were reminded upon landing that it was Ramadan and that we could not eat, drink, or smoke in public during the daylight. We knew by this warning that our experience in Abu Dhabi was going to be different. Before we left the plane, we were handed Fast Track certificates for immigration. One improvement over the departure was that on arrival we had a business class-only bus. 
Etihad Abu Dhabi Fast Track
Once we got to the terminal we had the strangest immigration experience I have ever had. While the standard immigration line was short we still stood in the Fast Track line but the immigration officers refused to serve us. Instead they made us get into the regular line and wait. Almost all of the immigration booths were staffed and we were the only people in line but they still refused to serve us. Instead during our wait of about 10 minutes they high-fived and chatted with their co-workers. When we were finally served the officer was unfriendly and dismissive. Our terrible arrival experience did not end there but continued as we passed through customs. As we passed through customs an officer tried to separate Christina and I. He stopped me and started to pepper me with question. When Christina stopped to intervene he told her to keep walking assuming that we weren't together. The questions finally stopped when he saw my American passport and let me go. After this experience I couldn't help but wonder if my skin color led to this prejudice and treatment. One thing I know for sure is that this arrival experience didn't make us feel welcomed in Abu Dhabi.
Take Away
This flight felt very disjointed with a bad ground experience in Male and and Abu Dhabi contrasted with very friendly service onboard. While some of these are not directly in Etihad's control the airline does have direct control over the Wi-Fi, IFE, and boarding all areas where the airline needs to improve its A320 experience. Next time I find myself needing a short or medium haul flight in the Middle East I would probably try one of the other major Middle Eastern airlines like Qatar or Emirates. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The lounge experience for business class passengers at Changi Terminal 3 was disappointing, the plane was old and in need of a refresh but the selection of amenities and onboard food blew U.S. domestic First Class out of the water. Pros- Delicious Onboard Food, Wide Array of Amenities, Business Class Privacy, Attentive Service Cons- Strict Enforcement of Rules, Disappointing Business Class Airport Lounge, Old Plane, Weak In-Flight Entertainment , Mediocre Drink Selection
First Class Honeymoon Trip Report
First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Check-In
Changi Terminal 2
Our flight to Male, Maldives on Singapore Airline's regional affiliate Silk Air took off from Changi Terminal 2 which prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was the home for the vast majority of Singapore Airline's regional flights. During the pandemic all Singapore Airlines flights have been consolidated in Changi Terminal 3 which allowed for the closure of Terminal 2 for 18 months. This move was done in response to very-low passenger volume and allowed Changi to shave approximately one year off of the time for the renovation of Terminal 2. I found this work was sorely needed. Since our flight in May 2019, Silk Air has ceased operations and had its planes completely folded into Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines is still operating these 737-800 planes on regional flights I am going to share our experience since I think it could be helpful for those looking to fly on Singapore Airlines.
Changi Self-Check Baggage
Our check-in experience for Singapore Airlines (Silk Air) was awkward since it was completely automated including the baggage check. In the United States typically passengers with bags to check have to see the gate agent, however, at Changi the entire process was automated including weighing and scanning baggage. While I found this to be impressive it was also somewhat frustrating since it took us a while to figure out how to work the machine.
Changi Terminal 2
As we headed to the SilverKris lounge, which was used for business class and first class Singapore Airlines passengers leaving out of Terminal 2, we noticed that this terminal was much more dated than Terminal 3, where we arrived on our flight from Frankfurt. However, we really appreciated the lovely flower displays throughout the terminal and it showed us that Singapore takes seriously its nickname the Garden City.
Signs to Terminal 2 Lounges
It took us a while to find the SilverKris lounge since the signage in the terminal was not clear.
SilverKris Lounge Entrance
However, we finally realized that the lounge was on the second level and we headed left to the business class portion of the lounge. The lounge had an array of seating with a small business area, an array of black seats around the television, and seating in the dining room. The lounge was large but nearly completely empty. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, conversations happened only at a whisper, and it felt more like a library than an airport lounge.
The food was set up near the entrance to the lounge and included a special station for Laska which is a spicy Singaporean soup. During our time in the lounge I tried the majority of the hot food and it was a huge disappointment. The Dim Sum lacked in both presentation and taste, the Laska was average, while the apple juice was cheap and not good. The food in the lounge paled in comparison to the culinary adventure we had during the rest of our stay in Singapore.
To add to the disappointing experience at this lounge the business class bathrooms were out of order so I needed to go to the first class lounge to use the bathroom. I found the first class bathrooms to be in good shape, the service in first class lounge to be more attentive, and the first class lounge overall to be much nicer. For example, the bathroom had two bathroom attendants along with complimentary toothbrushes and shaving kits. It is clear that Singapore Airlines needs to renovate the business class lounge and that that they put significantly more resources into the first class ground experience.
Gate Area
Boarding
We headed to the gate about five minutes before boarding. As we approached the gate area I remembered that security checks are performed at the gate area and I got nervous that we would miss the initial boarding call. The gate area was packed and it was clear this was a full flight. We got through the gate quickly and boarding started five minutes late so we ended up being the first people on board. 
Singapore Airlines (Silk Air) 737-800
Plane and Seats
As we entered the plane I was impressed by the color palette of pale yellow and brown along with the light blues and reds on the flight attendants' uniforms. The business class had 12 seats arraigned in a 2-2 configuration with 38 inches of pitch and 22 inches of width. The seats had substantial recline which meant that when the passengers in front of us reclined it was difficult getting in and out of our seats. The seat also had a foot rest which is very rare in US domestic first class. 
737-800 Business Class Seats
Another positive feature of this plane is that it had a hard bulkhead and a thick curtain which really made the business class cabin feel private. One big downside of the plane was its age which showed in the seats. The seats were very difficult to recline because the levers to recline the seat were old and manual. At one point Christina's seat was completely stuck in recline and she had to yank at the lever to move it up or down.
Business Class Curtain
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
Waiting at each business class seat was a pillow and a blanket. I found the pillow to be comfortable and much more substantial than the pillows offered on U.S. domestic first class. Shortly after takeoff the flight attendant came by with slippers, various newspapers and magazines, and an iPad pre-loaded with in-flight entertainment (IFE) since there were no seat back screens. I selected the local newspaper and a Time magazine to read. I really appreciated having a pillow, slippers, and footrest on this four-and half-hour flight.
The IFE on the iPad was weak. While the iPads had a ton of content most of it was very old. Initially, the iPad was very annoying to watch because I had to hold it up to see any of the movies. However, I noticed that another passenger had an iPad stand so I asked and received one from the flight attendant. It was frustrating that these were not proactively offered the iPad stand since it would be very annoying to watch the iPad on this long of a flight without one. Another problem about receiving this array of amenities is that the seats did not have sufficient storage space to hold them all when they weren't in use. For example, when we were eating we had to find somewhere to put away the iPad and this is another downside to not having seat back IFE. There were also several additional amenities offered on the flight in the bathroom but these were not at all impressive. The amenities included lotion, mouthwash, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. However, these were not at all at the caliber of our Singapore Airlines Suites experience. I utilized the toothpaste and it looked like whiteout and tasted disgusting.
IPAD Inflight Entertainment
Dining
The in-flight dining experience began before takeoff when the flight attendant came by to confirm our food orders, take our in-flight drink order, and offer us pre-departure drinks. The pre-departure drink choices were apple juice or orange juice. I took the apple juice while Christina took the orange juice. The apple juice was bad so I sent it back and instead asked for orange juice which was good. 
Pre-Departure Drinks
Once we were in air the flight attendant brought our drink order of champagne which was really bad. I don't know if the champagne was really that bad or we were spoiled from drinking so much Krug on our Singapore Airlines Suites flight. We were also given hot towel service which included a steaming towel. I wish that airlines would adjust from a hot to a cold towel in climates that are already warm. It was strange that the towel was steaming hot because the cabin was already warm. After this I was served mixed nuts as a starter while Christina had the snack mix both of which were good. Next, we were served a salad with tomatoes, lettuce, and chicken which also good. After we were served the salad we were offered bread and I chose the garlic bread and Christina chose a cracker. My garlic bread was good and Christina liked her cracker and said it had Indian flavors.
For our main courses we pre-ordered from the expanded All Time Favorites Menu which offered meals beyond those listed in the onboard menu. The All Time Favorites Menu offered a massive selection for relatively short flight. I choose the beef brisket noodles and Christina chose the Nasi Goreng. My meal came out piping hot and was delicious. The beef was very tender and the noodles were cooked excellently. The broth was also flavored very well but was really messy so I ended up having to use napkins as a bib. Christina's meal had a chicken satay (kabob) with rice, pickles, and zucchini. While Christina thought the chicken was on the sweet side and the rice was somewhat spicy overall she thought the meal was great though still not at the Singapore Airlines Suites level.
Once the main course was done we were offered a choice between Merlot or Chardonnay wine. I chose the Merlo while Christina selected the Chardonnay. I liked the Merlot while Christina thought the Chardonnay was too sweet.
Maldives Airports Fast Track Passes
At the end of the meal service the flight attendant came by with Maldives Airports Fast Track passes for the business class passengers to clear immigration on an expedited basis. However, they ended up not being necessary as there was no line when we landed in Male.
Pre-Arrival Dessert
As we got closer to the end of the flight the flight attendants brought by a pre-arrival dessert of Double Chocolate ice cream which was really good. Christina had hers with coffee which she said was surprisingly very good for airline coffee. Overall, I found the onboard drink selection, with the exception fo the coffee, to be mediocre on par with American Airlines. This was surprising for a Singapore Airlines affiliate. Finally, as we entered our final decent we got our first glimpse of the beautiful Maldivan water which we had traveled half way around the world to experience.
View of The Maldives
Service
I would say that the service on this flight was a mixed bag. The flight attendants were clearly well trained by Singapore Airlines. They executed on the service very well and they were very attentive constantly looking to see if we needed refills and quickly clearing plates. For example, they were able to complete extensive multi-course meal service in about one hour. However, they were far too strict at enforcing rules. Our flight had a long taxi of about 30 minutes and while we were taxing several people tried to get up to get something from the overhead bins or to use the bathroom and the flight attendants on several occasions got up to reprimand tell these passengers off. While I thought their tone may have been too harsh I didn't think too much of this since this is something that is usually enforced in the U.S. as well. Once we took off and were climbing I tried to use the bathroom and the flight attendant gave me a nasty look and shook her head no. Once again I had an incident relating to flight attendants enforcing the rules about using the bathroom and I felt like this was now a trend after the incidents on our CLT-LHR and LGW-BCN flights. This wasn't the only rule which the flight attendants vigorously enforced. While we were landing the flight attendants came around and asked Christina and I to remove our headphones for landing which is the first time I had ever heard of this rule on any airline. 
Singapore Airlines (Silk Air) 737-800
Take Away
Our experience flying on Singapore Airlines' 737-800 with its regional affiliate Silk Air was a mixed bag. We really enjoyed the privacy of the business class cabin, the wide-array of amenities, and attentive service. Moreover, the onboard food was significantly better than U.S. domestic airlines. However, the plane and seats were old, the flight attendants vigorously enforced the rules, the IFE was weak, and the KrisFlyer business class lounge was very disappointing. I hope that the full integration into Singapore Airlines and renovations at Changi Terminal 2 improves on these weakness and leads to a more consistently positive experience. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The culinary journey and great service continued on this second leg. The Singapore Suites provided plenty of comfortable sleeping amenities and space but I was left wanting a softer bed for the overnight journey. Pros- Very Good Ground Experience in Frankfurt, Speedy Boarding, Great Service, High-End Sleeping Amenities, Wide Selection of Five Star Cuisine, First Class Meal Service, Krug and Caviar, Connected Suites , and a Bed in the Sky Cons- Dated Hard Product, Weak In-Flight Entertainment System, Hard Bed First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Entrance
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt
Our Singapore Airlines flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) landed around 10 am Frankfurt time. Upon deplaning we were greeted by a gate agent who escorted us on the very short walk from our gate to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge where we would spend our approximately two hour layover before continuing to Singapore in the Singapore Suites. Lufthansa has multiple lounges at their Frankfurt hub which can be very confusing. Passengers traveling in First Class on Lufthansa have access to the First Class Lounges while passengers traveling in Star Alliance First Class have access to the Senator Lounges. Initially, there were some issues entering the Senator Lounge since our boarding passes would not properly scan. It turned the out the issue was that our journey started the day before so the computer thought we were not eligible. However, the agent was able to clear up the issue and we were on our way. Once we walked through the door the actual lounge was located one level up and we went up to the lounge level using an escalator. My first impression of the lounge was very positive. I was very impressed by the amount of light flowing into the lounge and found the design to be very modern. 
Senator Lounge Bar
The lounge was very quiet at this time of the morning and had great views of the tarmac. I walked around the lounge to get a sense of the food and drinks available and was impressed by the wide selection. Also, while the lounge did not have champagne available, it had a large selection of sparkling wines on display even in the early morning. Despite the wide selection Christina and I did not eat or try out the sparkling wine in the lounge since we were still stuffed from the culinary adventure on our flight over to Frankfurt from JFK. Christina and I did not sleep at all on the transatlantic flight, since we were trying to adjust to Singapore time, and at this point we were exhausted and struggling to stay awake. Since we had just gotten off of an overnight flight and were falling asleep Christina decided to take a shower. The lounge had multiple shower rooms available and when the shower suite was available the buzzer went off. Christina loved the ability to shower after an overnight flight.
Senator Lounge Breakfast
Boarding
We left the lounge and headed to the gate for boarding in time to be the first people onboard the flight. When we got to the boarding area it was a zoo. Not only was Singapore Airlines boarding our A380 for the final leg of the journey to Singapore but, All Nippon Airways (ANA) was boarding a flight at the next gate over. On this second leg of the journey Singapore Airlines has pickup rights in Frankfurt and the flight was a mix of people who continued on from JFK and other passengers who started the journey in Frankfurt. In Suites Class only one other passenger, who seemed to be a businessman, continued the journey with us from JFK. Once again we ran into discrimination while boarding. We stood in the Suites line ready to board and the gate agent stared at us. We felt uncomfortable again and assumed he was thinking, why is this young minority couple standing in the Suites line? After a short while staring at us he asked us are you traveling in economy, premium economy, or business? We said no and let him know we were in Suites. He looked at our boarding passes, let us board and we ended up being the first people on board. Once again, Singapore Airlines impressed me with there boarding process they were able to board the entire A380 in 19 minutes. I think this process is driven by the fact that there were multiple sections to board each class, multiple boarding doors, and the staff did a good job directing passengers to their seats. 
Singapore Airlines Boarding Sign
Plane and Seats
Once we boarded we headed to 3C and 3D the same rear centre seats in Suites we occupied on the previous leg of the flight. The center Suites can be connected and turned into a double suite which is ideal for traveling companions and we were excited to use the beds and get some sleep on this second overnight flight. Even though we were in the same seats on the same plane I noticed some additional wear and tear at our seats and thought again how this version of the Suites is showing its age. On this flight there were only three other seats occupied. The gentleman who had joined us on our flight from JFK occupied one while the other two were occupied by another couple seated in the second set of center Suites (2C and 2D). 
Singapore Suites Seat 3C
Food and Drinks
Once we settled in our flight attendant came by and let us know that the honeymoon cake which our previous flight attendant had generously offered to keep in the fridge for our second leg of the flight had to be thrown away because of hygiene standards. While we were disappointed to not be able to have more cake, we were really appreciative of how serious Singapore Airlines takes hygiene. Knowing how seriously they take hygiene standard makes us even more likely to fly them in the COVID-19 era. We were offered a drink during boarding and we chose water to make sure we stayed hydrated during the flight. Once we were in the air we tried out the cocktails. Christina ordered the famous Singapore Sling while I ordered a modified version the Kris Flyer Sling. Christina really enjoyed her Singapore Sling and found it to be fruity while my modified version was not as good. We decided that when we got to Singapore we would order the real thing at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar and compare the difference in taste. One thing that really impressed me was the glassware which also was from Lalique and had the Singapore Airlines logo.
When the flight attendant came around to confirm our order we asked for Krug, of course, and for an abbreviated meal service since we were still full after our flight from JFK. We skipped the bread, cheese, soup, and salad courses. However, what we didn't skip was the caviar course. The caviar paired with Krug was still amazing. Then for the appetizer we devoured the fantastic satay. The satay came with two types of meat and a dipping sauce that was sweet and yummy.
Satay
For this leg of our flight we chose from the Book the Cook lunch menu. Book the Cook allowed us to choose from an expanded menu in advance of the flight. There were an impressive, and almost overwhelming, number of choices with 16 items to choose from. It was like choosing from an expansive menu at a five-star restaurant. I ordered the 7oz beef fillet. It was served with roasted vegetables and grilled tomatoes. I found the beef fillet was cooked perfectly and quite tender. While I really liked this meal, I preferred the roasted rack of lamb on the first leg of the flight from JFK.
7oz Beef Fliet
Christina ordered the crab cakes which came with a side of roasted vegetables. Christina really liked the crab cakes and preferred the crab cakes to the lobster Thermidor she had on the flight from JFK.
Crab Cakes
For dessert we decided to share the apple tart with ice cream and the flight attendant brought over two plates and two spoons. Christina really liked the dessert while I thought it wasn't very good.
Apple Tart with Ice Cream
The next morning, for breakfast Christina and I both started off with fresh fruit and fruit juice. I ordered the apple juice while Christina ordered the orange juice. The fresh fruit was good while apple juice was okay, and the orange juice was freshly squeezed and very good. For the main course I ordered the fresh toast along with a hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. The french toast and the hot chocolate were okay while the croissant like all the bread I had on Singapore Airlines, was great.
French Toast
Christina ordered the Prawn Wanton Noodle Soup through Book the Book, which was the only Asian choice on the breakfast menu, along with a vanilla latte. Christina really liked this dish and would highly recommend it. Overall, I thought Christina definitely beat me on the breakfast selection but I was left with the impression after two flights that breakfast is Singapore Airlines weakest meal.
Prawn Wanton Noodle Soup
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
On this flight I again found the circa 2000's Kris Flyer in-flight entertainment (IFE) system very underwhelming and the weakest part of the legacy Suites experience. Both the television, which was very low resolution, and remote needed an upgrade. The Kris Flyer system aboard the legacy Suites also had very limited options. We ended up watching reruns of the Big Bang Theory. To help keep me entertained on this flight I ended up using the WiFi. A great feature of Suites Class was that each passenger received 100 MB of free WiFi. On the first leg of the flight I was able to stay connected the whole time, however, on the second leg I ran out of data about 4 hours from arrival in Singapore. 
Kris Flyer IFE
On this second leg of the flight we were given a second set of pajamas, socks, and slippers but not a second amenity kit. Once our lunch was done we asked for the flight attendants to turn our seats into connected beds. The flight attendants pulled the beds out of the wall which revealed reading lights. I found it so amazing that are seats were able to so quickly be turned in to a bed in the sky!
Singapore Airlines Suite Double Beds
All of the amenities we received including the pajamas were from Lalique. We found the pajamas to be soft and super comfortable. The biggest issue I had with the pajamas were that they did not have pants pockets. This was annoying and meant that if I carried my phone around I had to hold it in my hand or in the shallow shirt pocket. The sheets, which were also from Lalique, were okay though I expected a higher thread count in Suites. However, the blanket was very comfortable and better than most blankets I have at home. While it is hard to complain about a bed in the sky I must say the bed was very hard and really could have used a mattress pad. I have always had issues falling asleep on a plane and I wondered going into this flight if the combination of having a bed in the sky and being exhausted from a long flight would allow me to sleep longer. During the flight I feel asleep for the first time for one hour and then went to sleep a second time for three hours. I was surprised that even in Suites I couldn't get a full nights sleep. I believe this was driven by the significant noise in the cabin along with a very hard bed and I would be curious to see if I would have been able to sleep with a softer bed and quieter cabin.
Lalique Pajamas
Service
After the spectacular service we received on the first leg of the flight from JFK we had high expectations for the service on this flight. While this flight didn't top the first leg from JFK the service was great and it is clear that Singapore Airlines understands the value of service. One example of the things that impressed me about the service was the attention to detail of the flight attendants. Whenever we walked away from our respective suites the flight attendants refreshed our areas with more water and folded our blankets. Furthermore, the flight attendants were very attentive and I was always amazed that as soon as Christina opened her suite door a flight attendant was there to serve her. On one occasion after we woke up and asked for water the flight attendants brought us over snacks including mini-snickers and German cookies I had never tried before. 
Singapore Airlines In-Flight Snack
The flight attendants were able to strike the balance of being helpful and attentive without being overbearing. Another feature of the service I really appreciated were the towel services and on multiple occasions during the flight we were offered refreshing hot towels.
Arrival As we arrived into Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) I sat in one of the window Suites to get a view of our arrival and I was treated to a spectacular early morning view. 
View from Singapore Airlines A380
We landed at SIN Terminal 3 and were off the plane quickly and ended having no wait at all immigration. We did end up having a short wait at baggage claim but our bags were among the first out because of our Suites tags. While we waited I was blown away by the SIN arrivals area which was bright, modern, airy, and made it feel like we were in the middle of a jungle.
Singapore Changi Terminal 3 Baggage Claim
Take Away
On the second leg of our Singapore Airlines Suites journey Singapore Airlines continued to impress. We continued our culinary journey with a wide selection of restaurant quality dishes and attentive service. The Singapore Suites sleeping amenities were high-end and despite finding the bed to be too hard we really appreciated having a double bed in the sky. Singapore Airlines impressed me and I wouldn't hesitate to take the airline again especially in Suites. Hopefully next time we fly them we can try out the new Suites product. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
I was blown away by the Singapore Airlines Suites experience and this was the best flight I have ever taken. This was the ultimate experience for any traveling companions and the culinary adventure along with the kindness of Singapore Airlines flight attendants got our honeymoon off to an amazing start. Pros- Speedy Boarding, Spectacular Service, High-End Amenities, High-Quality Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Wide Selection of Five Star Cuisine, First Class Meal Service, Krug and Caviar, Honeymoon Cake, Connected Suites Cons- Dated Hard Product, Damaged Bathroom Interiors, Weak In-Flight Entertainment System First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
Singapore Airlines JFK Check-In
Location and Check-In
As I wrote in my last post our Delta CRJ900 flight from Washington Regan National (DCA) arrived at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Terminal 4. While our flight on Singapore Airlines to Frankfurt (FRA) also departed from JFK Terminal 4. JFK Terminal 4 is known as JFK's international terminal and also houses Delta Airlines JFK long haul flights. Shortly after arriving we collected our bags and headed to the Singapore Airlines check-in desk. We arrived about four and a half hours before our fight to make sure we could soak up the entire Suites experience and enjoy the airport lounge. Singapore Airlines begins online check-in 48 hours in advance unlike the standard 24 hours in advance for U.S. airlines, however, because we were flying from the United States we could not access our boarding passes until 24 hours in advance. Because we were early the Suites specific check-in was closed and there was no one else in line for the general check-in. The woman who served us seemed to be German and was training another check-in agent. The trainer was very matter of fact and not very friendly. The check-in experience was fast but didn't really feel very welcoming. The best part of the check-in was when we received our white and gold colored boarding passes which had Suites written on them. It felt like we just received a golden ticket. 
JFK Terminal 4
Since we were flying in the Singapore Airlines Suites we were invited to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK which serves as the lounge for Singapore Airlines Suites passengers departing JFK. The lounge is located on the upper level of Terminal 4 between gates A4 and A5 next to the Air India Maharaja and Emirates lounges. The food and drink I had at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK were the best I ever had at an airport lounge. You can read about the full experience in my previous post by clicking here. On our way to the lounge we spotted the A380 which was going to be our ride to Frankfurt, Germany then on to Singapore. We were in awe by the size and design of the aircraft which had a hump like a whale and we were ready to ride the largest passenger aircraft ever built.
Singapore Airlines A380
Boarding
We left the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK and headed to gate A7 for our departure. When we arrived at the gate area it was packed and there was not a single seat in sight. We assumed that the A380 was mostly full and in fact there ended up only being two empty seats in Suites Class. We lined up in the boarding area to ensure we would be the first to board the plane. When we got into line the gate agent gave us a strange look as if something was wrong with us since the first to board were Suites Class passengers. She asked us why we standing in line and if someone had called us up to the desk. We told her no and showed her our Suites class boarding passes and she looked back at us shocked that a young American minority couple were traveling in Suites Class. This prejudice really annoyed me and sadly is a normal experience being a minority in the United States. Christina and I reflected upon this later and recognized our privilege to be flying in First Class but how it was even more of a privilege as young minorities. Once boarding started we were the first passengers on board. There were two separate boarding bridges one for the lower deck and one for the upper deck. We took the lower deck boarding bridge since the legacy version of the Suites are located at the front of the lower deck of the A380. Something that was very impressive about Singapore Airlines is the speed of the A380 boarding process. Singapore Airlines was able to complete the boarding of this A380, which can hold up to 293 passengers, in 20 minutes and our flight departed five minutes early. This boarding time is faster than the vast majority of domestic U.S. flights with a fraction of the passengers. 
JFK Gate A7
Plane and Seats
The Suites are exclusively available on Singapore Airline's A380. Our A380 sported the legacy version which has 12 suites located in the front of the lower deck unlike the new version which has 6 suites located in the front of the upper deck. The center Suites can be connected and turned into a double suite which is ideal for traveling companions. We chose seats 3C and 3D so we could turn our suites into a double suite. All of the other Suites, except for the second set of double suites (2C and 2D), were occupied and all of the other passengers seemed to be business travelers. 
Singapore Airlines Legacy Suites Seat Map
The Suites had an impressive amount of space allowing us to fully stand up straight, moreover, there were no overhead bins giving the cabin an airy and open feeling. Storage was available in bins in-between the two seats and below the ottomans in front of our seats. The ottamon was affixed to the Suite with a seat belt. It served multiple functions including as a comfortable foot rest and a place where a traveling companion could sit to talk or have a shared meal. The seats were very plush and comfortable and could be turned into double beds though we ended up not using that feature on this flight since we wanted to adjust to the time in Singapore. Another great feature of the Suites was that they featured individual air vents allowing us to control the temperature if we got too hot or cold. I was impressed by how good of a condition the Suites were in since the legacy product was launched in 2007. However, the hard product clearly needed a refresh.
Singapore Airlines Suite
Shortly after we were seated we were greeted by a very friendly flight attendant who would be the primary person serving us on this flight. He offered to take our picture after he noticed we were snapping photos. This was just one of the many impressive service qualities we experienced on our flight. Another flight attendant came by prior to departure with a hot towel which was much appreciated. As we sat in our seats I was in awe and it felt surreal to be traveling in the Singapore Airlines Suites.
Singapore Airlines Suites Seat 3C and 3D (Courtesy of Flight Attendant)
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
This flight was chock full of amenities. Christina and I received identical amenity kits full of high-end Lalique amenities. The Singapore Airlines and Lalique branded kit came in a black zip bag and included lip balm, hand lotion, soap, and a candle (with a clear warning not to light it on the plane) from Lalique's Neroli line of products. The Neroli candle included in the amenity kit had scents inspired from Morocco and retails for $69. 
Lalique Amenity Kit
However, the amenities did not end with the kit. We were also handed Lalique branded pajamas, which we ended up not using on this flight, and slippers.
Lalique Pajamas
Also, on the A380 there were two restrooms at the back of the Suites Class cabin. Each of the restrooms were large and had full sized bottles of Lalique Neroli body mist, body lotion, eau de toilet, and non-Lalique branded mouthwash. The bathrooms also had individually sealed Singapore Airlines branded toothbrushes and combs. I was impressed by the job Singapore Airlines did branding items in the cabin and providing a wide array of amenities. However, the one down fall with the bathrooms was that they were in need of refresh. The panelling showed some wear and tear and in one of the bathrooms the garbage bin was broken and instead the flight attendants were using a plastic bag. These conditions make sense given that this A380 was about two decades old and the cabin design hadn't undergone a full refresh since then. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Singapore Airlines took delivery of five new A380 aircraft with the new Suites, retrofitted two older A380's with the new Suites, and planned to retrofit the rest of the fleet by the end of 2020. However, it is unclear if the remaining retrofits will happen given the significant decline in demand for long-haul international travel.
A380 Bathroom
Another area where the age of the plane really showed up was the in-flight entertainment system which Singapore Airlines calls Kris World. First on the hardware front the television was very low resolution and the remote was really old.
Kris World In-Flight Entertainment System
The one bright spot was the Bang and Olusfen noise-cancelling headphones, which had a three prong jack made specifically for the airplane, and I found to be high quality. On the software front the movie and television selection was very weak. There were very few new release movies and the ones that were included I had mostly already seen. We did end up watching a funny movie called What do Men Want? which was funny but the selection dropped off dramatically after that. I was very surprised by the weak selection given the length of this flight.
Bang and Olufsen Noise Cancelling Headphones
Food and Drinks
Once we leveled off our flight attendant came by to get our drink orders. We decided to continue our champagne theme of our honeymoon and started off with a 2009 Dom Perignon (~$160 per bottle) which was served with mix nuts. The Dom was better than the Lanson I had earlier in the day in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK but left a poor after taste. 
2009 Vintage Dom Perignon
Next, we tried the 2004 Krug which I can only describe as amazing. This vintage retails for about $300 per bottle and I can say if you have the money to spend, it would be worth every penny. This was by far the best champagne I have ever had.
2004 Vintage Krug
Our First Class culinary adventure got off to a start about five months before the flight when we chose our dinner from the Book the Cook menu. Singapore Airlines allows many Suites, First, and Business Class passengers to choose from an expanded menu of options in advance called Book the Cook. The menu was extensive and was like choosing from a menu at a Michelin star restaurant. I went with the Roast Rack of Lamb while Christina chose Singapore Airlines popular Lobster Thermidor. Once we were onboard the flight attendant confirmed our Book the Cook orders and us asked to choose between two appetizers, two soups, two salads, and a selection of breads. I chose the caviar, tomato soup, and garlic bread while Christina chose the caviar and chicken soup. Before our food was served there was a second towel service and our tables were set with a table cloth just like at a restaurant.
Table Setting
The branding continued with the Singapore Airlines branded plate.
Singapore Airlines Branded Plate
First up was the caviar course which was so savory and when paired with the Krug tasted like a slice of pure luxury. I had caviar and champagne before but it couldn't approach the level of the Krug and caviar on this flight. Christina and I realized how much we really like good champagne and caviar. On the side of the caviar was a slice of garlic bread which was the best garlic bread I have ever had.
Caviar and Garlic Bread
The next course was the soup course. I am not a big fan of soup but I liked my tomato soup. It tasted fresh and had just a hint of spice which was a nice touch.
San Marzano Tomato Cream Soup
Christina did not like her Double Boiled Chicken Soup and found the style it was served in different than any chicken soup she had ever had.
Double Boiled Chicken Soup
Next was the main course which we paired with a 2016 O'rida Shiraz wine from Australia which was amazing an had a unique flavor. I was served the Roast Rack of Lamb which came with natural jus, roasted vegetables, and garlic mash. I am a huge fan of lamb and I can confidently say this is the best lamb I had ever had.
Roasted Lamb with Jus Sauce
Christina also really liked her Lobster Thermidor. It is so impressive what Singapore Airlines was able to do in the sky better than most restaurants can do on the ground. I still can't understand how Singapore Airlines keeps the food tasting so fresh and flavorful but it is extremely impressive.
Lobster Thermidor
Only a continental breakfast was offered as a part of this flight which is understandable if you had a full dinner the night before but disappointing if you slept and wanted a First Class breakfast. However, it ended not being an issue for Christina and I since we were too full and declined the offer of breakfast. Before we departed the flight we were offered mints and mini-boxes of chocolate and happily accepted the mini-boxes of chocolate.
Service The service on this flight was just as spectacular as the food. We were simply blown away by the kindness of the flight attendants. We were always addressed by name by all of the flight attendants. They were so extremely friendly and continued to joke with us throughout the flight. For example, when our primary flight attendant realized that I really loved the garlic bread he jokingly brought around some more and dropped it onto my plate without asking. Prior to the flight I let Singapore Airlines know it was our honeymoon since I heard they can recognize this with a cake. After our meal was complete the flight attendants came around with a honeymoon cake on a tray with dry ice, two glasses of Krug Champagne, and two Singapore Airlines bears. Christina was shocked since I didn't let her know about this surprise and she thought this was a really sweet moment. The kindness of this Singapore Airlines crew really cannot be overstated. One of the flight attendants spent 30 minutes talking to us about what to do in Singapore when he heard we were heading there for the first stop of our honeymoon. He wrote down a list of suggestions for activities in Singapore and even gave us his phone number! He said that we could Whats App him if we wanted more suggestions for things to do in Singapore. I was so blown away by this act of kindness. I know that the flight attendants are paid to deliver service but this felt genuine and he didn't need to go out of his way to make us feel welcomed or provide his phone number. On this flight Singapore Airlines delivered some of the best service I have ever seen on the ground or in the air. 
Singapore Airlines Honeymoon Cake
Take Away
Simply put I was blown away by our first experience on Singapore Airlines and can't wait to fly Singapore Airlines Suites again. While this legacy version of the Suites had a dated hard product and a weak in-flight entertainment it was still the best flight I have ever taken. The Singapore Airline's Suites provided an impressive amount of space and Singapore Airlines brought us on a Michelin star restaurant quality culinary adventure. I ended up having several of the best dishes I have had in the air or on the ground. Singapore Airlines topped it off with world class service and blew me away with this experience. I strongly recommend Singapore Airlines for anyone looking for a truly First Class honeymoon. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
I found my first Delta CRJ-900 First Class experience to be average. Pros-Friendly Gate Agents, Well Placed Power Plugs, Impressive Amenities, Fast Baggage Service Cons-Limited Storage, Poor Sparkling Wine, Weak Snack Selection, Subpar JFK Arrival Experience First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Boarding
We left the SkyClub DCA in high spirits and with a great impression of Delta which we hoped would continue once we were onboard. We got to the gate early and it was empty. When boarding started it was 3 minutes after the scheduled boarding time and since we were sitting in First Class we were among the first people to board. I loved being able to board first and settle into my seat. However, in the COVID-19 era I imagine I would also appreciate the option to board last and hang out in the lounge. As we boarded the plane the check-in agents were very friendly something that was not always the case on American Airlines. 
Boarding DCA Gate 18
Plane and Seats
This flight was on a CRJ-900 regional jet, operated by Delta affiliate Endeavor, with 12 First Class seats arraigned in a 1-2 configuration. We were seated together in the bulkhead seats 1 C and 1 D on the right side of the plane. These seats had approximately 37 inches of pitch and 20 inches of width. Since we were in the bulkhead there was more limited legroom than the other First Class seats but I thought the legroom on this plane was still sufficient. One of the downsides to First Class in the CRJ-900 is that the bathrooms are too small for me stand up straight. This is an annoying feature on many regional jets but wasn't as a big of a deal on this approximately 50 minute flight. Another annoying part of the First Class experience on this plane was the lack of storage space. There wasn't enough storage space to store both the bottle of water at my seat and my noise cancelling headphones. As we took off we waived goodbye to our home city Washington D.C. which we wouldn't see for three weeks. 
View of Washington D.C. Metro Area
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
Upon boarding we were greeted by several amenities at our seats. These included a blanket and a pillow. This was the first time I had ever seen a pillow on a domestic First Class flight. Also waiting at our seats were small plastic bottles of water. I was very impressed by the amenities provided by Delta especially considering that this was a sub-one hour flight. These amenities blew away the CRJ-900 First Class flight I had on American Airlines were there weren't even blankets in First Class on a three hour flight. 
CRJ-900 First Class Seats
Another downside to the CRJ-900 regional planes is that unlike Delta's mainline planes this plane had no seat back in-flight entertainment (IFE). Delta did offer in-seat power and streaming IFE on this flight. We were so excited about our trip that we didn't even bother watching the streaming IFE. A really good feature of the seat was two 110 volt power plugs. We ended up using these plugs to charge our devices and I loved the placement which I found to be much better than the awkward below seat placement on many planes.
In-Seat Power Plugs
Food and Drinks
The food and drink service started shortly after we sat down with a pre-departure beverage. I chose the sparkling wine so I could compare the difference in taste between the other sparkling wine and champagne offerings available later in the day. Christina passed and said she was waiting for the good stuff at our next stop. She was smart to wait as the sparkling wine was really bad. Shortly after takeoff the flight attendant came around with the snack basket. I found the snack selection to be weak with just a handful more snacks that economy. The snack selection was so weak that I ended up selecting Biscoff Cookies the same snack I would have received in economy. I can say this is one area where American Airlines did better pre-COVID-19 since they had much larger variety of snacks on short flights. One interesting thing I noticed about Delta's service is that every drink they served was handed over on a tray. I liked this tray service and think it made the experience feel more refined. 
Biscoff Cookie
Service
While I have been very impressed by Delta's in-flight service in the past there wasn't much to note about the service on this flight. I appreciated the pre-departure beverage but I had come to expect that on Delta. Generally the service on this flight wasn't bad just unremarkable. Arrival at JFK We arrived about 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival and upon landing we got the first glimpse of our ride to Singapore. Out of the window we could see the Singapore A380 parked next to a Virgin Atlantic plane. Our excitement grew immensely as we saw the giant plane which was going to be our ride for almost 24 hours. 
View of Singapore A380 from JFK Runway
After deplaning we had to take a shuttle bus to the terminal. Generally, I don't like having to a take a shuttle especially if I have a tight connection and I hope this is part of the experience Delta eliminates in future JFK renovations. However, the big upside of doing so today was we got a chance to see many of the big planes at JFK up close. This included a Qatar Airways plane which was taxing during our shuttle ride. I really enjoyed this as a travel lover. We headed to the baggage claim to retrieve our bags since we were booked on separate reservation for our next flight on Singapore Airlines and impressively our bags were out in five minutes. I really love how fast bags are available after a Delta flight.
View of Qatar Airways plane from JFK Runway
Take Away
I found my first flight in Delta's CRJ-900 First Class to be average. I thought the boarding experience was smooth, the gate agents were friendly, liked the placement and availability of power plugs, the baggage service was very fast, and I was very impressed by the amenities provided by Delta on such a short flight. However, Delta could improve the CRJ-900 flight experience by adding additional storage, improving the sparkling wine, improving the weak snack selection, and improving the arrival experience by not requiring a shuttle. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Flight Overview This non-stop Delta flight from the Washington D.C. area which has now moved from IAD to BWI provided a comfortable and convenient ride to Cancun, Mexico. Pros-Non-Stop Service to Cancun, Newly Upholstered and Comfortable Seat, Friendly Crew Cons-Slow Boarding Process, Old IFE System, Limited IFE Selection, No USB Power Relaxing in Cancun Report Relaxing in Cancun Overview Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles Review Delta 737-800 IAD-CUN Flight Review Hyatt Zilara Cancun Review Boarding After a visit to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse my traveling companions and I took a long walk from the lounge down to our departure gate B78 at the far end of the B terminal. As we walked I was happy to be traveling with two friends even though it was strange to be traveling without Christina. We were traveling during the federal government shutdown and there had been reports of long lines at security around the country but all of us made it quickly through security. On the way to our gate I ran into an alumnus of my college who was headed with her family to vacation in the Cancun area. It was nice to randomly run into someone I knew at the airport.  Dulles Gate B78 At check-in the flight was full in economy but ended up having two empty First Class seats even after all upgrades were processed. This was not surprising because neither Dulles or Cancun are Delta hubs and Cancun is primarily a leisure destination making this a rare non-hub to hub flight for Delta. Since I flew this flight in the winter of 2019 Delta moved the flight from IAD to Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) which makes sense since BWI is a more leisure focused airport. I was annoyed that I did not have Delta status since I could have easily ended up with a First Class upgrade. Because of the empty First Class cabin I was offered a $169 First Class upgrade at check-in which I would have gladly accepted if I was flying with Christina. However, I declined it since I was flying without her and my friends were flying in economy. Despite the 7:50 am boarding time boarding did not begin until 8:10 am because of large number of passport checks and gate-checked bags. Despite the late start boarding was completed in 25 minutes and economy ended up going out with empty seats which I assumed was due to passengers missing the flight.  Boeing 737-800 Plane and Seats On this flight I was flying a Boeing 737-800 arranged in a standard 3-3 economy configuration with approximately 17 inches of width and 31 inches of pitch. As I headed to my seat 20C, a standard economy aisle seat on the left hand side, I noticed the fresh and stylish blue upholstery on the economy seats. Delta clearly had recently replaced the upholstery and I appreciated the updated look. The seat was nicely padded and comfortable but did not have a headrest which would be annoying on a late night or early morning flight when a passenger is trying to rest.  737-800 Economy Seats Once passengers completed boarding the captain announced that we could not depart because of a maintenance issue. Once the issue was fixed we still didn't move because we needed a driver to move us back from the gate since there was a ton of ice and snow on the ground. We ended up departing at 9:05 am about 20 minutes late for our approximately 3-and-a-half-hour flight. As we took off we saw the ice and snow and I was very happy to be escaping the Washington D.C. winter for Cancun, Mexico.  Delta 737-800 Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment After boarding was completed the flight attendants came through the economy cabin with complimentary headphones. This is a staple on Delta's international flights. The headphones Delta offers are cheap headphones so I always bring my own noise cancelling headphones, but they are still better than nothing in the era of cost cutting and fees. The area where Delta was really weak on this flight was in-flight entertainment (IFE). This 737-800 featured an old Delta IFE system with a small screen and poor resolution. The IFE also did not have USB power and economy passengers had to rely on the two shared AC power outlets for every three seats. Finally, the IFE selection on this flight was not strong and it had relatively few new releases. I ended up watching Mission Impossible Fallout.  737-800 IFE Food and Drinks
The start of the flight was quite bumpy and the captain asked that the flight attendants and passengers remained seated. This delayed the start of the flight food and drink service. Despite the turbulence passengers continued to walk about the cabin and flight attendants continually asked passengers to remain seated for their safety. After about 30 minutes food and drink service commenced. There was no complimentary food served in economy on this flight. However, there was a buy on board menu which included a choice between a Protein Box and a Turkey Maple Sandwich. Since I had already eaten in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and I was headed to an all-inclusive resort I decided to pass on buying a meal. However, the flight did include Delta's standard complementary snacks including Biscoff cookies, Kind bars, snack mix, and peanuts. Service Service on this flight overall was friendly. There were a total of four flight attendants working economy. The flight attendants were firm but not mean making sure that passengers sat down during turbulence. When they came by for snack service the flight attendants offered two snacks and chatted in a friendly manner with passengers. The flight attendants made several announcements to keep passengers informed and were friendly each time. While the cabin was kept dark for most of the time during this morning flight the flight attendants did come by with a water service with about 20 minutes left in the flight. Take Away My flight on Delta's 737-800 non-stop from Washington Dulles to Cancun provided a newly upholstered and comfortable seat coupled with friendly service. However, the boarding process was slow, the IFE system needed to be refreshed, there was no USB power, and the IFE selection was limited. Despite several drawbacks including the age of the plane I would choose to take this flight because of the convience of taking a non-stop versus a connecting flight. |
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