Singapore
to Penang in Business Class, on SilkAir’s Boeing 737-800
BACKGROUND
Hello!
This is the review of my flight to Penang in December 2017 with SilkAir, Singapore Airlines’ sister
carrier. I was traveling with my family on vacation following the completion of
my basic military training.
This was
my first time flying Business Class on SilkAir, and also a first time on
Business in a narrow-body. How does SilkAir compare to its bigger sister in terms
of service and product? What are the differences between business classes on
wide-bodies and narrow-bodies? Read on to find out more!
AIRLINE INFO
Brief
information about SilkAir (accurate as of February 2018);
Name:
SilkAir
IATA
Code: MI
ICAO
Code: SLK
Main
Base: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN/WSSS)
Number of
aircraft in fleet: 33
Main
aircraft types: Airbus A319, Airbus A320, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-8MAX
Average
age of fleet: 4.8 y/o
Destinations: 54 cities in 18 countries
Alliance:
nil (part of the Singapore Airlines Group)
CHECK-IN
I took an uber with my family from my place and arrived at Terminal 2 at
1015am. This gave us about three hours to spend at the airport before our
flight. The uber dropped us off at door 1, where we proceeded into the terminal
for check-in.
SIN T2
SIN T2
Changi Airport was decorated with Sanrio characters-themed decorations
for the festive season, including this giant four-metre tall Hello Kitty
topiary.
SIN T2 Christmas topiary
Even the self-check-in kiosks were decorated with Christmas themes
Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) premium check-in was located closest to door 1,
and was not busy, given that Terminal 2’s peak hour ends around 930am. We were
checked-in within a couple of minutes and handed SIA-branded boarding passes,
despite being booked on a flight operated by SilkAir.
SIN T2
SIN T2
Feat. the classic Solari board that can only be found in T2
More Christmas themed decorations
We proceeded straight to immigration and were airside, this time in less
than ten minutes. Changi Airport being as efficient as always! Papa and mama
decided to go shopping, and I chose to visit the lounge instead.
LOUNGE
In a trip
report published earlier last year, I covered SIA’s SilverKris Lounge at
Terminal 3. I decided to spend more time in the other SilverKris Lounge at
Terminal 2 this time, hoping to be able to make a comparison between both
lounges.
The
SilverKris Lounge, or SKL, in Terminal 2 is located on level 3. It was pretty
easy to navigate myself to the SKL thanks to the effective use of signage.
After passing through immigration, I turned left and went up an escalator, just
behind the gigantic duty-free shop selling cosmetics and perfumes.
SIN T2 airside
SIN T2 airside
SIN T2 airside
The SKL
will be visible thereafter, located next to the T2 KrisFlyer Gold Lounge.
SIN T2 SKL entrance
SIN T2 SKL entrance
Similar
to the lounge in T3, the SKL splits into two sections at the entrance – to the
left for Business Class passengers, and to the right for First Class
passengers. I was greeted by the lounge attendants and welcomed to the Business
Class section.
SIN T2 SKL entrance
The SKL
in T2 is considerably smaller than T3’s SKL. Although there weren’t too many
passengers then (I counted 10 or so), the smaller size gave an impression of
the lounge being more crowded that it actually was. Both SKLs in Singapore
shared similar design elements – stylish furniture fitting for the business
traveller, giant TV screens, dim lighting etc.
SIN T2 SKL
SIN T2 SKL
The SKL
in T2 only had two areas in the Business Class section, an area for dining and
another for working/relaxing. The dining area was similar in size to the lounge
in T3, and served the same food items in the buffet. Breakfast items were just
being swapped for lunch items when I visited.
SIN T2 SKL
SIN T2 SKL
SIN T2 SKL - could he be a fellow avgeek? Lol
There was
a mobile bartending machine placed in a corner of the dining section. You could
select a cocktail you’d like from the tablet installed on the machine and it
would automatically dispense it for you. I have mixed feelings about this
concept actually, though I could see how the airline would benefit from
automation and reduced manpower costs (by taking a dedicated bartender out of
the equation).
SIN T2 SKL #DigitalBartender
SIN T2 SKL #DigitalBartender
The
seating area in the lounge consisted of rows of leather seats facing each
other.
SIN T2 SKL
SIN T2 SKL
I got
some drinks and settled down to get some work done.
SIN T2 SKL
Work, or
so I thought…
Rashford scored, but United eventually succumbed 2-1 to the noisy neighbours :(
I managed
to get catch up on some Premier League highlights and got started on this trip
report for the next couple of hours. As boarding was scheduled for 12:55pm, I
decided to leave to walk around the terminal with around 45 minutes to spare.
SIN T2
FLIGHT DETAILS
Flight
route: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN/WSSS) to Penang International Airport
(PEN/WMKP)
Flight: MI
350
Aircraft
type: Boeing 737-8SA
Aircraft
registration: 9V-MGQ
Gate at
origin: E27
Gate at
destination: 4A
Cabin:
Business
Seat: 2A
Cabin
Load Factor: 91%
Scheduled
flight duration: 1:20
Actual
flight duration: 1:10
Credits to their respective owners (:
The last
time I flew on SilkAir was in March 2014, in the week following the inaugural
flight of their first 737-800.
BOARDING
I arrived
at the gate just as boarding commenced.
SIN T2
As is
normal at Changi, security was done at the gate prior to boarding. I waited for
my family before proceeding onto the aircraft, just as boarding for economy
class was called.
9V-MGQ
9V-MGQ
We
boarded through door 1L, and was welcomed by Leading Stewardess (LS) Natasha
and Flight Steward (FS) Raymi. It’s worth noting that SilkAir only began
recruiting male cabin crew in 2015. We were led to our seats and a
pre-departure beverage was offered. I settled for a glass of apple juice.
SilkAir Business Class pre-departure drink
SEAT FEATURES
SilkAir’s
12 Business Class seats on the 737-800 was configured in a 2-2 configuration
and spreads across three rows.
SilkAir 737-800 seat map
The seats
were upholstered in leather and looked inviting, comfortable and plush. A small
pillow and blanket was placed on every seat.
SilkAir 738 Business Class seat
SilkAir
claims a seat pitch of 39-40” for their business class seats. I found this to
be just about accurate.
SilkAir 738 Business Class seat
Seat
controls were found on the left armrest.
SilkAir 738 Business Class seat
On the
centre armrest, a drink holder could be extended to hold a glass of beverage or
a small bowl of canapes.
SilkAir 738 Business Class seat
The tray
table could be folded out of the left armrest. The seat pocket was also stocked
with SilkAir’s own in-flight magazine – SilkWinds.
SilkAir 738 seat pocket contents
SilkAir
does not offer personal television screens at individual seats for passengers.
Instead, in-flight entertainment (IFE) content could be stream through Wi-Fi
during the flight if passengers had downloaded the SilkAir Studios app on the
ground. The in-flight Wi-Fi was only restricted to streaming IFE content and
did not allow Internet surfing, or WhatsApp/Telegram/email.
However,
iPads were available on request for Business Class passengers if they wished to
indulge in movies or TV series during the flight. As this was a short flight, I
did not see the need for IFE and did not request for one.
DEPARTURE
Boarding
took slightly longer than expected, due in part to the heavy load on our
flight. As such, the door only closed at 1:30pm.
SIN T2 - 9V-SRQ
At
1:40pm, Captain Chris Chen came on the microphone to apologise for the delay –
due to “technical reasons”. He also announced that we would be pushing back in
the next two minutes, and provided brief information on our routing, weather
enroute and estimated arrival time.
LS
Natasha and FS Raymi took this opportunity to introduce themselves personally to
every passenger in Business Class, and went from seat to seat with a menu to
take our meal orders. Notice I used the singular form “menu”, as there was
literally only one menu shared in the cabin.
SilkAir Business Class menu
We pushed
back a minute later, as the shared video screens on the ceiling dropped down to
play the safety video.
SIN T2
After a
fairly quick taxi, we arrived at the threshold of runway 02C and began our
take-off roll and climbed northwards into the skies above Changi. It had just started to rain as we
were taxiing.
SIN T2
SIN T1
SIN T1
The green pier on the right of the picture is the infamous SAF Ferry Terminal, where thousands of recruits depart and arrive every weekend from the island of Pulau Tekong
Over Pulau Tekong
The seat
belt signs were switched off just as we broke through the thick clouds five
minutes later. The shared video screens dropped down from the ceiling again to
show episodes of Just For Laughs Gags on loop.
SilkAir Business Class IFE
MEAL SERVICE
LS
Natasha and her team of cabin crew sprang into action immediately, setting our
tables for a full lunch service on a ninety-minute long flight.
SilkAir Business Class lunch
Our meals
were presented on a single tray, with the dessert on the side.
SilkAir Business Class lunch
I opted
for the chicken rendang for my main course, which was served with rice and
malay-style curried vegetables.
SilkAir Business Class lunch - Chicken Rendang with curry vegetables and steamed rice
The
dessert was a simple but delightful apple bread pudding.
SilkAir Business Class lunch - Apple Bread Pudding
A
selection of breads was offered too, and I opted for garlic bread. FS Raymi was
happy to offer another roll when I commented on how much I loved garlic bread
served on their sister carrier. Haha!
SilkAir Business Class lunch - Garlic Bread
I really
enjoyed the main course. The rendang was tender, aromatic and had a
well-balanced mix of flavors. The curry vegetables too weren’t too spicy, and
paired well with the chicken and white rice. The dessert was delicious too,
sweet enough without being overly-decadent. Needless to say, the garlic bread
was just as amazing as on my previous flight with SQ. I could not reject FS
Raymi’s offer for seconds!
SilkAir Business Class post-lunch
(Really short) CRUISE
We were
just about twenty-five minutes away from Penang when our meal trays were
cleared. I decided to get started on this trip report as I wasn’t particularly
interested in watching comedians pull pranks on unsuspecting Canadians for the
next twenty minutes.
SilkAir Business Class workstation
In spite
of the short flight time, the crew found time to go around the cabin offering
drinks and refills. I settled for a cup of coffee and carried on working for
the remainder of the flight.
ARRIVAL
We had
already began our descent when the crew went around once again to prepare the
cabin for arrival. Tray tables had to be stowed and seats were put upright
about ten minutes before we touched down.
Approaching Penang
Thankfully,
the weather on arrival in Penang was forecasted to be pleasant and nothing
compared to the bad weather in Singapore that day.
Approach into Penang Airport
Approach into Penang Airport
Approach into Penang Airport
Approach into Penang Airport
Touchdown Penang Airport
We
touched down on runway 04 and made a short taxi to our assigned stand at Gate
4A. The airport was rather empty then, and I did not spot any interesting
traffic other than a couple of AirAsia A320s heading back to Kuala Lumpur and
an MASKargo A330F.
Penang Airport ramp
We reached our gate right on time at 2:45pm. I thanked
the crew for the flight and proceeded to disembark the aircraft.
9V-MGQ
Penang Airport
Penang Airport
LOL?
The immigration and baggage reclamation process was as quick as in Changi, being in a
smaller airport. Thankfully, we arrived just before an AirAsia flight from Singapore. We were landside within twenty minutes from touchdown, and so
began our holiday in Penang.
Long line of GrabCars awaiting passengers' bookings
CONCLUSION
The
flight was far too short to make any lasting impressions of the hard product,
other than that it was functional and comfortable enough for an hour-long
shuttle. Still, it wasn’t too shabby and I believe passengers would feel just
fine on a longer, two-three hour sector.
The
highlight for me were the crew taking care of us on this flight. They were
attentive and pleasant throughout, doing their best to serve an almost-full
Business Class cabin under intense time pressure.
All
things considered, SilkAir was a joy to fly, matching the standards of its
older, better-travelled sister carrier in terms of cabin crew and service
onboard.
Thank you
for reading this review, your comments and feedback are appreciated!
