Review of Singapore Airlines flight from Da Nang to Singapore in Business

Intro

Oh wow, what a fantastic time Vietnam was, filled with a sublime stay at the Four Seasons, shopping in Hoi An, and Coconut Boating. Finally, though, it was time to continue on the next portion of the adventure down to Singapore. 

This specific leg would see me fly on the Singapore Airlines Max 8 in Business Class from Da Nang to Singapore. I have previously reviewed the product in more depth, which you can find here, but this flight was in a non-throne seat, which I was excited to try.

Even with a minor delay (rare for Singapore Airlines), this flight proved to be very good. A fantastic meal, free-flowing Piper Heidsick, and great amenities made this 3-hour hop more than comfortable.

OOO, I finally figured out that I can make pictures square on my iphone😅.

How I Booked

Seeing as I had to get from Da Nang to Bali, there were no nonstop flights. About 3 months away from departure, I snagged a ticket in Business (fare class U), to fly from Da Nang to Singapore and then onto Bali for 665 USD.

Singapore Airlines seems to be one of the most expensive carriers in Asia, if not the most expensive. When I saw this fare pop up, I knew I had to book it. Typically, non-stop flights from Singapore to Denpasar in Business hover around 700$ for that ticket alone.

Arrival At Da Nang Airport

The Four Seasons offers complimentary chauffeur service in their beautiful BMWs for pool villa guests and above. My driver for the day, the same one who played football with me, was taking me to the airport!

On the way, we stopped for a coffee (more on this later) because of the flight delay, and eventually, I was in a hurry by the time I got there😂.

Check-in is a breeze, and there is a dedicated business class check-in line for those flying in J. Within minutes, I headed off to the Orchid Lounge.

Lounge

The Orchid Lounge in Terminal 2 has the potential to be a great lounge. At the moment, the hard product is sublime, with modern seating, showers, nice toilets, and Macbooks in semi-private booths. However, the lack of alcohol options and food being closed during my time there let the lounge review a little down. 

Boarding

The original departure time is slated at 16:30. However, due to some serious weather in Singapore, the outbound was delayed, thus causing SQ173 to be delayed.

Boarding ended up commencing at 4:40 pm.

The cabin crew greeted me at the door with a big hello and informed me of my seat for the journey, 11K.

Now, this is where Singapore Airlines service sprung into action. Unfortunately, I have TMJ on both sides and when I was utilizing the bathrooms before boarding, I left my nightguard in the stall. The Singapore Airlines crew let me off to go take a look.

By the time I was back, a hot towel and a glass of champagne were waiting for me.

The Seat/Cabin

I'll touch on the cabin briefly, but I have a more detailed review of the cabin, which I have already posted.

The Singapore Airlines Max 8 is laid out in a 2-2, 1-1, 2-2 configuration featuring a total of 10 seats across three rows. 

Each seat is equipped with a worldwide charger, a USB cable, and a reading/dining lamp. 

When meal time comes, a tray table pops out with the use of this button. It's similar to the likes of Jetblue Mint (just a heck of a lot better). 

My favorite aspect of the seat was the small shoe cubby located in the back of the seat in front. 

IFE/Amenities

Another aspect I love about Singapore Airlines is the fact that Wi-Fi is complementary for business-class customers. I didn't choose to connect only since I like being disconnected when flying.

Plenty of options were prominent on the seatback screen, ranging from new releases such as Gran Turismo to Barbie and to many other blockbusters.

Lastly, the same blanket and pillow that were offered on the Singapore to Jakarta route were offered, as well as the amazing pair of headphones that Singapore Airlines distributed.

Departure

By 5 pm local time, the captain came to announce our pushback shortly, as well as a bumpy flight over to Singapore. Uh oh.

Just like that, we pushed back 35 minutes late at 5:05 pm. The light on these evening departures is just beautiful.

Gorgeous views with the clouds closing in

We took off from runway 35R at 5:25 pm, after a taxi of almost the whole airport.

The views out over Da Nang made me realize just how big the city is. No wonder why it is the third most populated city in Vietnam.

Following a northern departure, the captain made the right bank to get us on our way to Singapore. That's when this beautiful sunset came into sight.

Meal Service

Once we got to a safe altitude, the crew snapped into action to get the meal service distributed promptly, thanks to the horrific weather near Singapore.

Here is what the menu looked like for the flight today:

Flight attendants came around to take out our tray tables for us about 15 minutes after departure.

25 minutes after departure, my main was distributed to me.

Naturally, I had to choose only the best business-class meal I have ever had on a plane: the beef cheek with gnocchi.

The meal was delicious, like the last flight. Tender beef, flavorful gnocchi, and…

A glass of Piper Heidisick to wash it all down. Wait, wait, there's more we even got…

The notorious Singapore Airlines garlic bread. This garlic bread might be some of the greatest to ever bless the aviation world. 

To finish the meal, I enjoyed a ginger chocolate cake that had already been placed on the tray. For a 2.5-hour flight, this was a fantastic meal, and I am craving this chocolate cake while I write this report. 

Rest Of The Flight

The rest of the flight consisted of a bit of relaxation after back-to-back flights and little sleep.

As fortune would have it, the person sitting next to me moved over to the other side of the cabin to sit with their small child (who was amazingly behaved the whole flight, wow). That meant I put out the tray table to create a privacy barrier and it felt like an enclosed suite. 

Arrival

Approximately 40 minutes before landing, the captain came on to tell everyone to fasten their seatbelts and the cabin crew to take their jumpseats. 

There was extreme weather in the area, meaning we had an awkward approach to Singapore Changi.

Thanks to the fantastic flight deck, we ended up touching down 35 minutes behind schedule at 9:05 pm. 

Moments later, we pulled into gate 41 and were allowed to disembark. Exhausted at this point, it was time to clear immigration (which is always quick at Changi), and head over to the Yotel for a sleep.

I have already reviewed the Yotel here but will add another look at it in the next few days.

Well, as fate would have it, the Vietnamese coffee I had at 3:30 pm meant I couldn't actually fall asleep until about 2 am.

And… I had to be awake at 6 am to catch my flight over to Denpasar the next day. Oh, how traveling catches up with you.

Tourism Bonus Hoi An

During our time in Vietnam, we got up to plenty of activities. The first one being Coconut boating

The second being shopping in Hoi An. It's an incredible place to have tailor made suits done at a low cost. The designs are elegant and I even bought a stunning blazer for less than 250$!!!

Lastly, the Four Seasons arranged for me to play football against the government. This was such a fantastic experience. 

Here's just a picture of me complaining about not getting a foul called😂

Anyways, I really loved Vietnam, and I would definitely recommend it!