Reached the airport about 2hrs before departure. The check-in counters were pretty empty and we were checked in immediately.
FIDS. Perth has much lesser international traffic than the hubs of Sydney and Melbourne.
No queues at immigration and security as well, and we were through in no time. Typical of Australian airports, there is a need to pass through the duty-free shopping alley to reach the lounges and gates.
SQ operates its own Silver Kris Lounge at Perth. The lounge is also available to Star Alliance's premium pax.
Lounge is rather small and basic, with sofas and a small separate dining area. Design is in need of a revamp. Lounge also got quite busy nearer to the flight departure.
Buffet offering was rather decent, with sandwiches, hot food, satay (not very authentic though), Singapore laksa and desserts.
Teas, cookies and nuts. There is a separate coffee corner with barista service.
Cold beverages and ice-cream.
My light snacks.
Since the lounge was getting very crowded and it was actually not very comfortable seated in the enclosed area, I left the lounge early for some plane-spotting. The most interesting aircraft spotted was the giant Antonov. Also just realised that I could have also checked out Air New Zealand's lounge in Perth.
The brand new SQ A350 Regional aircraft waiting at the gate.
22 October 2019
Singapore Airlines
SQ 214
Perth (PER) - Singapore (SIN)
A350-900
9V-SHJ
Business Class
Flight Time: 4H55M
The gate area was not too crowded. After a bit of waiting, boarding commenced.
Stepped into the brand new A350R via Door 2. Took a peek at the forward Business Class cabin.
I was seated in the smaller 12-seater aft Business cabin. The seats are the New Regional Business Class lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 layout, fitted on the B787-10s and A359Rs. I chose the seat nearer to the window.
A pillow and plush blanket were already placed on each seat. Crew welcomed me onboard and handed out some amenities, consisting of socks, slippers and headphones. The menu was already placed at the storage compartment beside the seat.
Inside the storage compartment was a bottle of water. Power and USB ports were available too.
The touch-sensitive seat controls and IFE handset.
Inflight literature rack and a shoe compartment below it.
Good legroom of course.
Inflight magazines and more.
The one and only hot towel service for the flight conducted.
Followed with a cold glass of Charles.
View out the window.
Flight info
Boarding in progress
Newspapers and magazines were offered. I requested for a coupe of travel mags.
Boarding completed, doors closed and safety video was played. We were not too full today, with only 4/12 in the aft Business cabin. The forward cabin was slightly busier. Economy seemed not to busy as well.
A whale just arrived in Perth.
SAA A343 spotted again!
Holding for a QantasLink B717 to land on the shorter cross-runway.
Continued the taxi to the longer runway.
Holding for a Scoot A320 to land from SIN. I would not want to fly on this cramped and uncomfortable narrowbody on the 5hrs sector! Bless those who 'survived' the flight.
Turning onto the runway.
Departure from Rwy21.
Video of the takeoff.
Flying up the Western Australian coast.
Quick visit to the lavatory after seatbelt signs were turned off. 3 lavatories were located between the forward and aft Business cabins, while the galley was all the way at the front. Amenities were well stocked in the lav.
Great evening to fly
A very relaxed cabin ambience.
Time to start on the IFE
And also peruse the menu. Dinner would be served on this sector.
Menu for SQ223 SIN-PER sector if you are interested.
Eye-boggling beverage selection, starting with the alcohols.
Mocktails
Non-alcohols. coffees and teas.
It had been a while since I last ordered a Singapore Sling onboard SQ, so a sling it shall be! It was perfectly mixed, not too strong as some crew would prepare. And the swizzle stick has now become an ice-cream stick!
Satay was served next as canape. It was surprising as I recalled satay were not served on Australia-originating flights due to some agricultural restrictions as the satays would be flown in from Singapore to be served on the way back. It was great as far as satay in the sky could be, though I have yet to try the MH version.
Leaving the Australian coast and into the sunset.
Dinner was served about 1.5hrs after departure. No trays were used. Starting with the appetiser and breads.
Tuna salad starter was fresh. The seared tuna was very thick and generous.
For main, I had pre-booked the Lobster Thermidor. This was the best lobster thermidor I had eaten onboard SQ. It was fresh and chunky, huge portions and tasted way better than the lobster thermidors from SIN. Guess the use of locally sourced western Australian lobsters played a part to ensure the freshness.
My friend had the Roasted duck from the onboard menu. Presented very well, it turned out to be way too salty.
Also tried the Baked chicken thigh in mushroom cream sauce. It was a safe but palatable choice.
Not being a fan of peppermint ice-cream, I had the lemon meringue tart. It was an enjoyable dessert.
Followed by selection of cheeses and fruits. The cheese plate had some uncommon condiments.
Watching our local singer's performance.
Rounding up with pralines and earl grey tea. The whole dinner service was conducted at a very comfortable pace, with excellent and personable service.
Reclined to full-flat for relaxation for the remainder of the flight.
Cabin lights were switched off. In the dark, the cabin was still pretty cosy.
An hour to go
Lights turned on before descent, and crew came round to offer pralines and candies. A nice touch.
Approach and landing on Rwy20R.
Windows fogged up after landing. We parked at Terminal 3.
Final look at the seat and cabin during disembarkation.
Thanks for reading and comments are welcomed.
Great food on that flight!
The seats more and more nowadays in Business class stop you looking out of the windows for a nice seat. Shame.
Yet again top-notch from SQ!!! :) Great review!!
It's amazing that this is SQ's "Regional" Business class. A beautiful aircraft, cabin, and seat. It wasn't too difficult to see outside with that privacy wing protruding over the window? Thanks for sharing!