Guilty of a little extravagance: GOT-SIN in Business(SK/TG)

Decisions, decisions

It was the end of November. I had decided what to do with my remaining leave; I would visit friends in Goteborg around mid-December. What I hadn’t decided was how to get there. My first thought went to AF/KL. It is rather curious how a stack of miles in a frequent flyer program entices you to add to it. One day I shall use up my Skymiles, burn it all up on an intercontinental Business award. It was clear I wasn’t going to get to use the miles barely two weeks away from the intended date of travel. I’d be lucky if I managed to score an award seat two months out. And then I thought of trying out the LH A380 service. But, the fares were steeper than the AF/KL combo. Why would I pay more for miles that would end up in a smaller stash that would be more difficult to use? Besides, the A380 will be around for a while. AF/KL was clearly the boring choice. I had flown them on a summer trip this year and I did not quite fancy another Boeing 777-300ER long haul. Nothing wrong with the aircraft; it’s just that the type seems rather ubiquitous these days and is likely to be in the coming years.

A stroke of nostalgia brought me over to the SAS website. Years ago, I was an active Eurobonus member. It started sometime during my stay in Sweden, when I began to travel a little for work. It was my Star Alliance membership card. Even if I never attained status, over the years my loyalty had yielded me two much appreciated regional reward tickets. I had not been on an SAS flight since 2004. Was it perhaps time to revisit?

Soon, I was entering the desired dates of travel. As I was originating from SIN, the system offered me the SQ-operated codeshare (SIN-CPH) on the outbound to my (mild) disappointment. But the return started to look interesting. GOT-CPH, CPH-BKK on SK and BKK-SIN on TG. GOT-CPH was to be operated using a CRJ900 – a new type for me. And a Boeing 777-300 was scheduled for BKK-SIN; it was itself not a new type for me, but I hadn’t yet been on a TG-operated one. But the fare was significantly higher, even compared to LH. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that regular Economy was sold out and they were offering Economy Extra and upwards. Surprisingly, a single discounted Business seat was available, at merely a couple of hundred dollars over the available Economy Extra option.

Would I take it?

It would be a major milestone – my first ever intercontinental flight in anything above premium economy. I had only worked for employers with all-Economy travel policies regardless of distance. I am the sort to think, “hey, that fare difference could buy me a computer, maybe two”, even if I wasn’t really planning to buy one. And I hadn’t really worked hard at milking the frequent flyer schemes. So this was the closest I would get to traveling in Business on a long flight for a while yet, after years of reading reports about this flat bed and that lounge, and casting envious glances at passengers stretching out with their bubbly while I passed them on the way to the promise of upright naps and armrest skirmishes. It still took me a day to convince myself that I wouldn’t rather buy something else for the money. When I saw upon return that the seat had still not been taken, I told myself that it was meant to be.  

So there it was: outbound in Economy and breaking the Econojetter tradition on the return. In (very mild compared to some others; you know who you are  ) a.netter fashion, I chose to fly via ARN from CPH to GOT.

The outbound: SQ SIN-CPH, SK CPH-ARN ARN-GOT

As I mentioned, getting to fly on SQ wasn’t the most thrilling prospect for me. Nothing seriously wrong with the airline. I have just done it many times, as is common for people based in this region. But I did register a minor milestone with that flight – my first ever longhaul flight on the airline’s Boeing 777-200ER type. I had previously flown them extensively on regional flights.

The focus of this report is the return, so I will dedicate only one paragraph to the outbound. In the small hours on this mid-December morning, 9V-SVH was tasked with this service as SQ352 (codeshare SK8000). It turned out to be a very good flight. Although the Economy cabin was rather full, three or four of us were lucky enough to have three seats to ourselves – flatbed in Economy, an unexpected early start to the premium experience. Yay. Well, except the armrests did not travel all the way up as the gap between adjacent seatbacks was too small. Lying across the three seats was quite a challenge with the two intervening armrests; one clamping down on the upper arm and the other on the thigh. Later, a creative a.netter, upon learning my good fortune, would christen this setup appropriately calling it the SQ Clampbed. I hope we hear from this a.netter again soon as his itineraries are often way more creative than anything I could dream up.  . Anyway, after a couple of hours, I was done with the SQ Clampbed and once again assumed the traditional Economy posture, which wasn’t too bad on this flight. On CPH-ARN, I logged a new aircraft type on SK with LN-RKI. ARN-GOT was on a familiar type – the MD82 (OY-KGT on this occasion), certainly an experience to treasure these days. Seated at row 8, I marveled at the silence, which seemed even more pronounced than on the A380. A nearly impossibly quick transition (or I was so tired that I blanked out for a moment) from pushback to taxi, followed by a brisk and silent continuous taxi created the rather compelling illusion that the airport departure control had, for whatever reason, commanded that our flight be towed all the way to the runway. Then we went into a rolling take-off with a nearly imperceptible rise in the pitch of the electronic hum in the background. After a short roll on runway 19R, the nose rose and aimed high Mad Dog style into the completely darkened 4.20PM December sky over Arlanda. In the absence of engine roar, it was like we were being drawn upwards by invisible strings.

SQ Clampbed in Y!
A partial view of 9V-SVH parked at gate C20 at CPH
An MD-80 docked at the B pier as viewed from our A321-200 (LN-RKI) prior to departing CPH for ARN
Inflight (ARN-GOT) on an MD-82 (OY-KGT). You don’t need noise-canceling headsets in this section of the cabin

SK449 GOT-CPH

As winter days go, it wasn’t a particularly cold one in Goteborg. But Landvetter felt a lot colder with the windchill. At check-in, the self-service kiosk refused to read my passport. The alert ground staff monitoring from the center of the circle of kiosks sensed my difficulty and came by to assist. No problems, she printed out the boarding passes at her station, smiled, and said oh by the way I could have used the Business class counter and that I was welcome to use the airside lounge. Only then I realized there was a Business check-in counter.

The international departure hall of Landvetter airport had, over the years, been transformed into a rather appealing space with two-storey high ceilings. After a last chat with the good friends who drove me there, we said our goodbyes and I rode the escalator up to the mezzanine level to pass through to the airside. After going through what seemed to be a detour due to some localized refurbishment works, I arrived on the airside close to the domestic side of the terminal. It was now about one hour to scheduled departure time and there was still nothing parked at gate 16A. I still had some souvenir shopping to do and was starting to wonder if I would have time to visit the lounge. And I did finally allow myself a quick 15-minute visit to the small lounge that bore, despite it being a contract lounge, many of the hallmarks of the distinctive SAS lounge style - pastel upholstery, birch wood, casual kitchen layout near the food and beverage area. My first order of business was to try and see if the CRJ900 had arrived and, if so, could I read the registration. I was just in time to see OY-KFC on the last legs of a sprightly taxi.

Turn around was quick as was expected of a regional jet. Boarding started on time and soon I was walking down the jetway… then out into the open air, down some steps, a very small distance on the tarmac, then up again on the jet’s inbuilt airstairs. I was reminded of the low cabin ceiling and how little above ground one was seated inside CRJ types. The flight was not full; it was probably one of the services operated by the Q400 turboprop before SAS decided they didn’t trust its landing gear anymore.


Gatecheck at gate 16A, GOT
Festive headrest cover
Snack in Economy Extra on a 30 minute flight
Study of overhead panel on the CRJ900NG (OY-KFC) with the unlabeled reading light button



The adjective “quick” pretty much sums up the flight itself. It seemed like we climbed rapidly but probably not to great altitude, which would be typical for a little hop like GOT-CPH which is about 70km shorter than the SIN-KUL route. It was Economy Extra up front and they actually got around to serving the few of us a filled croissant (cold and not very good) in a box and coffee/tea. There was an announcement that they were doing a test service and offering Economy passengers coffee/tea for free. Hurrah if that means there is hope that SAS are starting to back away from the buy or stay thirsty approach in intra-Europe Economy. I found myself hoping that the passengers were effusive in their appreciation such that the SAS bean counters realize a few coffee beans here and there are not too much to pay for goodwill.


CPH and the Business Lounge


Arrived at CPH. The last passenger off gets to clean the CRJ!  The lounge entrance



Disembarkation at CPH was at a remote stand east of the main terminal complex. Off the bus and into the Terminal 3 departure area, I found myself face to face with the entrance to the SAS Business and Scandinavian lounges just before exit immigration control at the C pier. It was dinnertime and, unsure of what was on offer inside the lounge, I took stroll on the always pleasant airside of Kastrup airport. The seafood and caviar bar was busy. I leaned in to see what caviar and blinis looked like in real life. There was a set composed of a sampling of the gourmet treasures – caviar, oysters and foie gras that did not seem exceedingly pricey though it was clearly some ways above the cost of a typical dinner. I briefly toyed with the idea of satisfying my curiosity regarding caviar but ultimately decided to save the experience for another time.

With at least a couple more hours to kill, the lounge beckoned. I was welcomed into the Business lounge at entrance level; the Scandinavian lounge one level up was reserved for elite frequent flyers. The feel of the lounge matched the expectations based on the little parts that were visible from outside through the glass. I have heard remarks referring to the lounge as an IKEA lounge. The palette does indeed evoke IKEA but the charm of the lounge went beyond that. The functional arrangement and mix of furniture imparted a sense of cosiness despite the size of the space. You were not here to feel precious or zen; rather, you were invited to feel at ease, drape your jacket over an unassuming armchair, slouch over a latte and a few pieces of gingerbread on a napkin at the communal kitchen table. There was beer and it was the first time I had seen wine on tap (or maybe the second; there could have been wines on tap at the GOT lounge too), although I skipped the alcohol hoping to stay sufficiently awake for the inflight supper service. There wasn’t a lot of variety in the food offering, but the marinated chicken breast, leaf salad, cous cous , pasta salad and a couple of varieties of bread was satisfying enough; besides I had already had some cold meatballs, beet salad and blue cheese at the lounge at GOT. Then I made myself a little tea, grabbed a bowl of chips and read a paper at the dining table, as I might be found doing on a Sunday at home. The computer area – a slightly darkened corridor separating the dining area and a quiet area at the back of the lounge, was equipped with handsome back-to-back rows of iMacs in a layout that felt open yet sufficiently private. With internet access and enough reading material, the time flew by.


SAS Business lounge at CPH
iMacs at the Business lounge



There was almost no line at exit immigration. The walk along the C pier was rather quiet. However, I found gate C29 bursting at the seams with the crowding serious enough to make me wonder if I might not make it into the holding area until they started boarding the aircraft. But I did get in rather quickly and was glad to find a little corner to stand close to the glass. There, the nose of Toste Viking was visible although the view was marred by the clutter of reflections from the holding area.



SK973 CPH-BKK





Many of the Business class passengers has already lined up to board, so I knew the photo of an unoccupied cabin would be out of the question tonight. The boarding was conducted through exit 2 for all passengers and as I turned left I was welcomed by the sight of a bustling forward Business cabin with passengers stowing their things and cabin crew assisting and going around with a tray of pre-flight drinks.

Only a curvy SAS tumbler of orange juice remained when the tray reached me, but I wanted orange juice to perk up as it was getting dangerously close to bedtime for me at a quarter to eleven in the evening, especially with a bit of jetlag. I took it, and the crew returned to me after replenishing her tray to check if I would have wanted a glass of champagne instead. I suppose the average SAS Business passenger rarely declines champagne if it is available.


Seat 5A
Seated forward view from seat 5B
Looking back at seats 6A and 6B
Drop-down center bins
Pre-departure orange juice in the Orrefors tumbler



My seat neighbor in 5A – a lanky casually-attired Swede who looked still in his twenties and a little lost – was one of the last to board. As far as I could tell, Business class was full or almost full, including the smaller second cabin that I surveyed later during the flight.

During pushback, the friendly captain greeted us over the PA system and gave us our flight details including the takeoff runway, which, to my surprise, was to be 22L – the one more frequently used for takeoffs to the west seems to be 22R. He added that we would experience some delay in getting on with our journey as some clear ice and grime had been detected on the wings, which would necessitate a brief stop at the de-icing station. It was also around this time that I became aware that the gentleman in 4E was having a bad cough. This gentleman had had my attention a little earlier, partly owing to his tall and rather corpulent physique and partly because of I had eavesdropped on his conversation with a lady passenger requesting to exchange seats so that she could be seated next to her son – presumably the gentleman in 4D. He had then firmly but politely refused to switch to a window seat because… well, he pointed both hands at himself, seeming to indicate that he would have difficulties getting out due to his size. The conversation ended well. Except now he was coughing continuously and very loudly – not just a dry hacking cough, but a rather disgusting rattling cough – without so much as lifting a hand to cover his mouth. I was rather irritated and felt sorry for the guy in 4D who appeared to be squirming and leaning a little towards the left aisle. Then I saw that the passenger in front of me – 4B – was staring across the aisle at the offender. In a startling move, she (clearly not an acquaintance of his) motioned at him with her pillow miming how she thought he should cover his face with the pillow when he was coughing, and then threw the pillow across the aisle and 4D into his lap. Unsurprisingly, he reacted angrily, said a few words that I didn’t hear, and then threw the pillow back across the aisle at her. Fortunately, 4B stopped after this and the confrontation did not escalate into a brawl or I would have had a lot more to write about. She did, however, wave down one of the crew to complain but it seemed in vain. For reasons unknown to me but thankfully anyway, 4E’s coughing fit did not persist too long after departure, which did take a while as the de-icing station was on the way to the threshold of runway 22R and after that we had to make a u-turn to head back past the terminal towards the start of 22L at the eastern corner of the airfield.

Despite my earlier efforts, drowsiness had begun to set in as the A340 was climbing silently over northern Germany. By now I had browsed through the menu, looked through the contents of the amenity kit and put on a plushy pair of slippers. It also helped that they had offered us a towel to freshen up. Supper was served shortly after. The appetizer, which could certainly qualify as a very good dessert if you took away duck confit, was odd but quite good. The beef tenderloin wasn’t particularly tender, but it wasn’t too difficult to work it out with a generous glass of shiraz. The bread was as good as freshly out of the oven and should be held responsible for me polishing off the cheese with the onion relish even if I could very well have gone without more food. And the petit fours after they had cleared the tray… that was simply gluttony on my part, although I declined coffee and liqueurs. I had started the movie “Beginners” before supper and labored to finish it; it had a very interesting look and feel but, given the state I was in and the distraction of supper, I didn’t do it justice. I’ll have to watch it again.


Beverage menu
Air Mixology
White wines
Red wines
Supper menu
Supper
Digestif menu



The crew who worked our aisle and was responsible for most of the service was irreproachable. It seemed as though she never stopped working. As soon as supper service (efficient but never rushed) was completed, she brought out our duvets from the overhead bin for us. And if readiness to smile was among the criteria for good service, she certainly outshone her equally capable co-workers who were more stoic in their demeanor.

When I was ready to put my seat in bed mode, I initially ran into a little spot of trouble. The seat had stopped moving and I found myself positioned higher than my sleeping neighbor. But after a tiny struggle I managed to get it to go all the way. Advice to newbies like myself: a partially extended legrest may be at conflict with the travel of certain parts of the seat during transition to bed mode; if in doubt, stow the legrest and return to full upright position before using only the “bed” button to make the seat extend all the way.


Inflight snack buffet
Lavatory sink and little rolled handtowels



Despite the slope, I awoke with my head still on the pillow on the headrest and without a wedgie. But my back hurt. It felt like I had been sleeping with my back bent backwards. The cabin was dark and the blinds had been drawn. I pressed on the “upright” button to retreat slightly from the full bed mode and immediately felt a lot more comfortable. Unable to return to sleep, I lounged in that position until the lights came back on again, which did not seem a long wait at all. Another round of towels and I learned that we were about an hour and a half from arrival. Despite the early afternoon local time, the second meal service was a breakfast. Again, there was no lack of food: a very excellent citrus yoghurt parfait with muesli flakes, a nice tumbler of orange juice, a plate of cold cuts and cheese, a hot main composed of up to five items from serving dishes on a trolley and an abundance of warm bread.


Breakfast menu
The breakfast spread with the familiar Orrefors glass and Royal Copenhagen cup; I forgot to check but the silverware might be norwegian?



We had not made up much of the time lost to the de-icing and thus came in to land about 15 minutes behind schedule, which was no issue as our aircraft had many hours of ground time to look forward to at Suvarnabhumi and, based on the flight connection information flashed on the screen, there was no real threat of a missed connection for any of the passengers. The external camera view was a little blurry and the runway markings did not display clearly but it did not take much to figure out that we were touching down on 01R.

Transit in BKK. TG409 BKK-SIN





Out of the aircraft at gate D7, a rather long trek along the D concourse ensued. Curiously, although the flight connection information on the IFE system and the ground staff at gate D7 indicated that my TG connection to SIN would depart from gate C8, I saw “TG409 Singapore” flashing on the panel of gate C2A upon passing through security at the C concourse. We were to be bused to a remote gate. I had earlier noted HS-TKA at C8 while SK973 taxied past it and now wondered if I should expect a different aircraft type. On the way to the stand to the northeast of the terminal, I went through in my head which aircraft type I didn’t want it to be. But all was settled as we pulled up beside HS-TKB, another Boeing 777-300.


HS-TKB
Boarding through exit 2
THAI 773 Business cabin
Orient Thai beside us



A gentleman was already in 12J when I walked up to claim 12K. The first impression was that the legroom and the TV screens on this aircraft were noticeably larger than on the SAS A340. Soon after I took my seat, I was offered a drink (no champagne until after departure) and a cool towel. The last bus arrived and as the doors closed the Business cabin looked to be around 70% full. And I discovered that Mr. 5A on SK973 was now Mr. 11J on TG409, and there were also a couple of other familiar faces (but, alas, no sign of Mr. 4E or Mdm 4B from that flight.)  Menu cover



Beverage list
Champagne with appetizer
Main: Chicken curry
Dessert: Panna Cotta (cake?)



Take-off from 01L was quickly followed by a 180 degree turn to head south and it looked like there were still many waterlogged areas below as we continued climbing. For dinner, I took a champagne aperitif. The grilled marinated shrimp and scallop skewer was flavorful, as was the Panaeng curry that followed. The texture of the Panna Cotta (if it really was that) was a little marshmallowy though not unpleasant. I then reclined to a lounging position for the rest of the flight. It was already nightfall as we first continued south past Changi (the shape of the terminals were familiar to me by now) and followed the approach pattern turning above Batam to track runway 02L. We came in over hundreds of floating lights and made the silkiest touchdown. Upon arrival, the only annoyance was the arrival security screening which took place a couple of gates away from gate C24 where our flight had docked but it was rather quick. Despite not having a priority tag on it, my suitcase emerged early on the reclaim belt and within minutes I was on my way in a taxi.

******************

Traveling in Business certainly provided a great deal of comfort on this passage from Goteborg to Singapore. Perhaps someday I will once again have the opportunity and maybe experience a superior product on another airline. But, like they say, you never forget your first.

A bountiful 2012 and happy flightings to all!

Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): There was almost no line at exit immigration. The walk along the C pier was rather quiet.

Whenever I've been there, the line was respectable, but the C pier was seldom quiet. Probably because I was flying back to North America, and in the afternoon.

Great trip report! The one problem with tasting the good life is that it is hard to go back again to flying in Y!
:D

Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): Advice to newbies like myself: a partially extended legrest may be at conflict with the travel of certain parts of the seat during transition to bed mode; if in doubt, stow the legrest and return to full upright position before using only the “bed” button to make the seat extend all the way.

One great piece of advice I got once is that if you are fortunate enough to be in F or J with a seat the converts/folds/etc...

TEST THE SEAT ON THE GROUND!

Half way through a flight it worst time to discover it won't recline or go flat. If you test it on the ground and there is a problem there is still time for the gate agent to do something...even if that means kicking a non-rev to coach and giving you their seat!

Hi Econojetter!

Nice tripreport!
It was good to read about your journey to and from Sweden!
I like that you covered SAS Longhaul Business Class, as I have only flown their Economy and Economy Extra class.

Quoting Econojetter (Reply 1): I was just in time to see OY-KFC on the last legs of a sprightly taxi.

I flew that tasty registration on CPH-MAN last year.  

Quoting Econojetter (Thread starter): There was almost no line at exit immigration. The walk along the C pier was rather quiet. However, I found gate C29 bursting at the seams with the crowding serious enough to make me wonder if I might not make it into the holding area until they started boarding the aircraft

Ah yeah those small holding pens they have there. When I flew CPH-DXB on SK last year there were only standing room left too.

Martin

Hi

Nice trip report, thanks for sharing it with us. Glad that you see another SK longhaul. J looks to be pretty decent.

Greetings
Marc

Thank you all for reading and for the comments.

Quoting swedenflyer (Reply 3): Whenever I've been there, the line was respectable, but the C pier was seldom quiet. Probably because I was flying back to North America, and in the afternoon.

It probably depends on the hour of day. SK does not have many intercontinental flights departing late in the evening. If I'm not mistaken, the BKK flight was the only intercontinental flight departing late that evening. The last flights to the U.K. had probably already departed by that time.

Quoting burj (Reply 4): Great trip report! The one problem with tasting the good life is that it is hard to go back again to flying in Y!

Thanks burj. Haha... I was a little worried too. But there's no way to get past the economic realities, so I don't see my username changing soon. Nevertheless, this has opened my eyes to opportunities for scoring nicer flights.

Quoting burj (Reply 4): TEST THE SEAT ON THE GROUND! Half way through a flight it worst time to discover it won't recline or go flat. If you test it on the ground and there is a problem there is still time for the gate agent to do something...even if that means kicking a non-rev to coach and giving you their seat!

Great advice! Business class was packed on this flight, so it would have been very disappointing if my seat had malfunctioned.

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 5): Nice tripreport! It was good to read about your journey to and from Sweden! I like that you covered SAS Longhaul Business Class, as I have only flown their Economy and Economy Extra class.

Thanks Martin. Glad you enjoyed it. I hope you will get the chance to enjoy Business class soon, which would complete your SAS experience.

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 5): I flew that tasty registration on CPH-MAN last year.

Haha... good to know I'm not the only one to think of the Colonel's special recipe and the finger-licking goodness upon seeing that registration. A chicken sandwich would have been tastier than the cold croissant-wich but I suppose that would be asking too much for such a short flight.

Just adding a handful of images from the earlier CPH transit:

Not a fan of the plastic and aluminum wraps covering the food in business class - seems tacky.

Hi Econojetter
Thanks for an interesting trip report.
Nice to see a trip report about SK longhaul.
Wish SK could return to SIN , but feels very unlikely.

Funny to read about the coughing man, and the pillow throwing lady...Lol..

I will actually do exactly same trip as you in a few weeks, but J class both ways.
Have never been on an SK A340 yet, so looking forward to that.

How did you find the seat? The usual 170 degrees decline or?

The beef tenderloin for dinner on SK looks massive. Was it tender enough?

Hello Econojetter,

Very enjoyable read - Thanks for sharing! It is evident to me that SAS is by no means a sophisticated carrier. However they do seem to offer a small, yet warm and comforting atmosphere, which I absolutely love. It's a shame their long haul network is so limited, but they are safely nestled among the top of my 'to-fly' list.

Quoting Asiaflyer (Reply 10): Wish SK could return to SIN , but feels very unlikely.

Indeed, I miss them also. But who knows? The new SK-SQ partnership could give the former an opportunity to re-enter the market. Surprisingly, SIN to OSL remains unserved despite the significant presence of Norwegian firms and expats in Singapore - There's a potential gap for them to fill.

Quoting DL WIDGET HEAD (Reply 9): Not a fan of the plastic and aluminum wraps covering the food in business class - seems tacky.

I suppose it does detract a little from the presentation, doesn't it? I wasn't too bothered by it while I was eating though. As most of the items were served all at once, the plastic wrap did keep the cheese and the dessert from drying out; and it did take me a while to get to them. But I wouldn't have minded if they had removed the aluminum cover (for the main) right away.

Quoting Asiaflyer (Reply 10): How did you find the seat? The usual 170 degrees decline or?

It does slope down when fully extended. I had no way to estimate the incline but I know I didn't slip; the seat fabric isn't slippery, so that helped. Also, there is a fold-out foot pad at the tip of the legrest. The bed felt a little hard after a while though.

Quoting Asiaflyer (Reply 10): The beef tenderloin for dinner on SK looks massive. Was it tender enough?

No, it wasn't as tender as I would have preferred it to be. But it wasn't impossible either; I ate it all up.
I hope you have great flights with them. Do report back to us afterwards if you have the time.

Quoting ManekS (Reply 11): Very enjoyable read - Thanks for sharing! It is evident to me that SAS is by no means a sophisticated carrier. However they do seem to offer a small, yet warm and comforting atmosphere, which I absolutely love.

There is indeed not so much of a posh feel to this longhaul Business product compared to some others I have seen in reports. But sophistication, to me, means something a little different. From reservation to final arrival, I received the information and items that I needed when I needed them without having to ask, there was a rather pleasing sense of economy in the delivery, minimal fuss or intrusion, maximum lights-out time appropriate for the flight time. To me, that's pretty sophisticated too. Some improvements that would be welcome though: a more comfortable full-flat bed, a fluffier pillow, more advanced cabin lighting, a little more space to stand around the inflight snack buffet and a more spacious departure gate at CPH. Hope you'll get a chance to fly them soon.

Quoting Asiaflyer (Reply 10): Wish SK could return to SIN , but feels very unlikely.

Quoting ManekS (Reply 11): Surprisingly, SIN to OSL remains unserved despite the significant presence of Norwegian firms and expats in Singapore - There's a potential gap for them to fill.

I afraid I have to agree that it is not likely to see them back in SIN. OSL/CPH/ARN are served nonstop from BKK by TG. QR has been aggressive in the nordic markets and now EK is getting in on the act. With that amount of competition, it's unlikely that they will get the yields they need to serve more points in Southeast Asia using their own metal.