Singapore Airlines Premium Economy

Lately, I have flown for training purposes to Singapore. As I was on duty travel and there was space available on both flights, I was lucky enough to fly both ways in premium economy. As I work for the airline, this is obviously a bit of a biased review. 

For check-in in Zurich, there is a specific premium economy line that you share with KrisFlyer silver members, the loyalty program of Singapore Airlines. It’s normally never crowded and when I flew back home from Singapore I used the automatic check-in machines, which worked perfectly fine too. So, check-in was definitely on both ways not an issue at all. Just make sure that you fill out the Singapore Arrival Card online before you board your flight – they won’t check it, but you need it for immigration in Singapore. 

 

As Zurich is my home base, I know this airport very well. For everyone who is not familiar with that place, many long-haul carriers depart from Terminal E (non-Schengen) where you have to take a short skytrain, as it is a satellite terminal. The security control and immigration are before the train. If you want to take an empty water bottle through security, this is perfectly fine, you can fill it up with tap water after security and save the money for overpriced bottled airport water. 

In Singapore,  the system is a bit different. After check-in, you continue straight to immigration – if you expect humans here, you’re wrong, with most passports you can pass the automated immigration now. There are many shops and restaurants in the duty-free area – you can spend time at this airport, landside, and airport. Changi is one of the best airports worldwide for a reason. What I found a bit weird, is that the security check is only before you enter the boarding gate, so be sure you come early enough to your assigned gate. In most gates, there are water fountains to fill up bottles after the security. 

 

Boarding is conducted in groups, 1 and 2 consisting of first and business class, while the premium economy is group 3 followed by groups 4 and 5 in economy class. It was on both flights very organized and most of the passengers seemed to listen and wait for their call to board. 

 

Once on board, you settle in and get mentally prepared for roughly 13 hours on the B777. Cabin doors won’t be closed before everyone is seated. In premium economy, you get a hot towel as pre-departure service and the crew informs you about the water bottle at your seat. There are no pre-departure drinks though as on other airlines in premium economy. 

 

The seats are in a 2-4-2 configuration, on the outbound flight (SQ345) I was on 31G (aisle bulkhead), and on the inbound flight (SQ346) on 33E (middle). The middle seat was actually not as bad as I expected it to be, but when on duty travel, you’re not in a position to complain. You get a big fluffy pillow, a blanket, and a more spacious & soft seat than in economy class. While I was upgraded last minute at the gate and got my special meal from economy class, as a full-fare passenger on premium economy, you have the option to use the “book-the-cook” service and choose from a crazy number of different meals. 

Once in the air and at cruising altitude, you can use the free wifi – you must be a KrisFlyer member for that. Even the free wifi package was good enough, to watch and post stories on Instagram, which surprised me, because I’m used to that it being good enough for text messages without pictures. 

In-flight, you get regular drink services, and they really make sure you stay well hydrated. You are served lunch & breakfast (on SQ345) and dinner & breakfast (on SQ346). Between meal services there is more than enough time to sleep or use the IFE (= inflight entertainment) – as I did not watch any movies, I can’t tell you anything about that, but you can preview what is available with the Singapore Airlines app. If you wish to watch your own movies, make sure to download it to your device – there are two USB power outlets to charge it. A small minus point is that the premium economy has no own lavatories, so you share them with the economy class which leads to a queue most of the time. I’ve seen people also using the ones in business class without the crew sending them back, but I’m pretty sure this is not how it is supposed to be. 

 

Overall, I had two good flights although they were both really long, but this is nothing the airline can change, and a direct flight is still the most efficient way to reach so far-away destinations. 

Oslo, Norway - Worth a Trip?

This summer, I went to Oslo for a few days. The occasion was, that a friend of mine was doing Interrail through Europe, and as I am always looking for excuses to book a trip, this was perfect. I went for three nights and like that, I had two full days to explore the city. I flew from Zurich, Switzerland, to Oslo, Norway; you can read all about the flight here. 

 

When I arrived at the airport in Oslo, I took the special airport train called “FlyToGet”, which takes you almost directly to the central main station in the middle of the city. It's super convenient and less expensive than a taxi.

 

On the first evening, we just explored the surroundings, the weather wasn’t perfect that day. It was not raining, but super moist and foggy air, a typical “European gray day”. The second day started with a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel, and later, we explored whatever we could while walking: the opera house, the Akershus fortress, the royal palace, some gardens, and everything between the main attractions. Like always, city trips are never relaxing, they are the clear opposite, but so definitely worth it. In the late afternoon, the mission of finding the rooftop pool started. I can say, I’ve seen quite a few hotels in my time on this earth but finding that pool was a challenge on another level. We had to change elevators, walk through dark staircases, open doors without signage… But hey, why not, it’s stories like these that you tell weeks and months later and that make a trip unique to another. 

 

On the third day, we decided to take the train out of the city to “Holmenkollen” a ski jump and museum. It’s not that I’m a fan of ski jumping or winter sport in general, but this was impressive anyway and the view from the top of the ski jump was great. In the afternoon, we went for a fjord cruise on a hybrid catamaran. While most happy being under the water, on the water is also “just fine”. The fact that the boat drove completely electric made it super peaceful without any motor sounds and smells. 

 

After two fully packed days of exploring a new city, on Saturday it was already time to leave. While those days were great, I can also say, that you don’t need more time to explore Oslo. Three nights is perfect, I think if you want to do it in two, it’s also possible. 

To sum it up here, is it worth it? Sure, traveling and exploring is rarely not worth it, but Oslo is the wrong country, if you expect it to be extremely different in nature and/or culture compared to Switzerland. Sure, there are a few small differences, but overall, there is nothing such as a culture shock. Would I go again? Probably not again Oslo, because “been there, done that”, but I would explore other northern cities or plan an extended Scandinavia trip, which includes not only cities. 

Helvetic Airways – Economy and Business Class

Never did I think that my latest flight would be my first flight review on this blog, especially because I promised some other posts first. But a few things happened, that have to be talked about. When I decided to visit my friend who’s currently doing “Interrail” through Europe in Oslo, I was looking for the best flight options from Zurich to Oslo, Norway. Direct flights from Zurich were offered by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) or SWISS.  

Actually, I wanted to fly SAS first, because I never flew with them before, but their offer was just not ideal for my situation. I wanted to travel light with only a carry-on trolley, but the “Go Light” fare only included a small carry-on that fits under the seat while the next more expensive fare already included a checked-in bag. Anyway, that said, I booked SWISS in the end, as they offer the “Eco Light” fare with an 8kg carry-on (trolley-sized) included. As the timings fitted best, I chose the flights that were operated by Helvetic Airways. 

 

ZRH – OSL, Economy Class

This flight happened on July 10^th which was a Wednesday and while in some regions of Switzerland, the school holidays already started, I passed security at the airport very quickly. I made it in less than 30 minutes from P6 (parking garage which is the furthest away from the terminal) to my gate in Terminal A. As it was a Schengen flight, there was no need to go through immigration, and at the security, I think I did not even wait for 5 minutes. The aircraft, an Embraer E190-E2 (HB-AZH) came in from Munich a bit delayed, therefore our boarding also started later than expected. 

With my Eco Light fare, I was in boarding zone 3, and when it was my turn to board, they told me that they had to label my trolley, as there was not enough space in the cabin. While I work in the ground operations and now this procedure (and also expected it somehow), I wished for a bit more customer service at that point. It wouldn’t need much more than a “Hello, how are you?”, followed by, “We’re sorry but we have to label your carry-on, as the flight is very full”. Instead, without a hello I was asked for my boarding pass, the lady scanned it, printed a label for my trolley, and told me to leave it in front of the aircraft door. I honestly didn’t mind that they checked in my carry-on even though that meant that I had to wait for it at the baggage claim in Oslo. But how the ground staff was talking to the passengers, or better not talking, was quite shocking. I know these procedures too well and that’s why I understood the need, but if people are not familiar with them and get treated like that, I somehow can understand when they get mad. 

The flight itself was uneventful, I enjoyed the views from 26F. The service on this 2-hour flight consisted of a small bottle of water in economy and the offer to buy extra snacks or drinks against a charge. Just on time – and with the best butter landing I had experienced in a long time – we landed in Oslo where they deboarded the front rows through the jetbridge and the rear rows by stairs and a small walk around the aircraft – of course, I chose to get a look at the aircraft from outside. 

There will be another post about Oslo itself soon, but first, how can I summarize the Helvetic Economy Class? It’s a solid product but the only “free of charge” service you get, is a small bottle of water which you could easily buy yourself before the boarding. Therefore, there is honestly nothing, that makes this airline better than its low-cost carrier competitors. As in that case it was a Swiss flight operated by Helvetic, I could at least collect Miles (not so many on these kinds of short-haul flights, but if you take many of them it will count one day). 

 

OSL – ZRH, Business Class

On my way back from Oslo, I planned to fly on the same booking class and ticket fare as I had a few days before. But life had other plans and after I made it through security in literally no time, I ended up waiting at the gate, when my name was called out. I thought they were going to check my hand luggage, but I was wrong. When I handed them my passport, they printed me a new boarding pass and I literally got it back without any comment. Well, communication doesn’t seem to be a talent of everyone. 

 

As I work in the ground operations myself, I knew that a new boarding pass normally also means a new seat – and I was right. When I read 8C I was first a bit disappointed, as I wanted to sit by the window, but just a few seconds later, I also read “business class” on top of the ticket. That was the moment I realized I got an upgrade. I have no idea why exactly I was the one who got an upgrade, as I booked the cheapest fare that existed, but hey, sometimes one has to be lucky. And I was excited how this flight would be. 

 

When the boarding started, I was in the first boarding group, which was great, as I still had much space in the overhead bins to store my bag. On such small aircraft on these short flights, you don’t have special business class seats, but normally either the middle seat (in a 3-3 configuration) or your neighbor seat (in a 2-2 configuration) gets blocked. So, while I was seated on 8C (aisle), 8A (window) was free and I could move to the window (engine view goals!). 

 

After departure, the senior crew / purser started the business class service. It was a maximum of about 12-16 guests in business class but oh dear, this service was soooo slow. I could only imagine how this would not work in a bigger aircraft, as ¾ of the cabin wouldn’t have had their food served before the landing. But hey, who am I to complain about something I got for free ;). 

The menu they served was good – even though I was never supposed to get a meal, as I was upgraded at the gate, and they normally cater a flight only for full-fare pax. As there were some extra meals, I got one in the end, and I was lucky enough it was even a vegetarian one. The drinks were served in real glasses, and you could choose between a few soft drinks, red or white wine, champagne, or beer. I got myself a coke as I had to drive home from the airport later. Speaking about that, when we landed in Zurich, we got a bus gate allocated and the deboarding process was rather chaotic, as the business class pax were supposed to go on the business class bus and everyone else on the normal bus. 

 

Overall, I have to say I was not really impressed by Helvetic’s business-class product, most probably it can differentiate depending on the crew you get. But I would never pay full fare for that product or service, as neither you “need” business class on a short haul flight nor is it worth the price. 

About Me

Hello and welcome to another attempt at writing a regular blog. Fly, Dive & Stay is all about aviation, flight reviews, travel diaries, diving stories, and bucket list moments. But who am I?  

Born and raised in Switzerland my parents planted the travel bug into my DNA quite early. I learned that money invested into lifelong memories is never wasted money and when I look at me now, I think I take this motto sometimes too seriously. 

 

After primary and high school, I did a gap year and fell in love with scuba diving. This said, I did my Divemaster Course in Thailand and stayed on the tropical island of Koh Phangan for almost two months. This was my first travel experience without my family, and I loved it. After this gap year, I started studying biology, just to find out, it was not my thing. When the pandemic hit in spring 2020, I quit university and looked for a different career path. I was looking for a future job where I could combine my love for travel and exploring new countries with earning money. 

 

Long story short, I studied tourism management for three years – those three years consisted of two years studying in a classroom and one year of internship. During the internship year, I was granted unpaid leave to do my scuba diving instructor course in Mauritius. The second big travel adventure of my life; seven weeks in Mauritius full of learning, questioning myself, wondering if I would be able to pass the instructor exam, just to find out in the end, that the course was on a much higher level than the exam would be so that we were able to pass easily. After those seven weeks I went back home, crying tears because I had to leave my Mauritius family behind. Back in the travel agency office in grey Swiss November, I couldn’t think about anything else than going back to the tropics. Surprisingly, my school said it would count as an internship when I wish to go back to Mauritius and so, less than three months after coming home, I sat again on a plane to the island to stay for almost five months this time.  

 

In June 2022, two-thirds of my tourism studies were completed, I decided that I
needed a student job because all my excessive traveling costs money had to be earned first, and with a few coincidences, I came to DNATA, a ground handler at Zurich Airport. This job deserves its own blog post because it was the reason I fell in love with aviation and decided to stay at the airport for much longer than I thought at this point. As soon as I find the time AND creativity to write a bit more about myself, there will be a part two. But don't expect too much, the whole writing is something I really love on one hand, but on the other hand, I sometimes just "don't feel it", and as it is a hobby, there is no real reason to force myself ;)