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jawnbc I arrived this afternoon from Europe. The trip was great, though my plans to visit Kraków (and Auschwitz) were banjanxed by an Lufthansa strike. Three more days in Dublin isn't a terrible thing. But I would've been quite happy to have come home a couple of days earlier.
The flights back were a combination of Turkish and Singapore Airlines. Shall I review? I shall:
Dublin-Istanbul: Turkish operates an actual business class on many flights between European cities and their Istanbul hub. So I had a big recliner, was served a hot two course plated meal, and it was nice.
Istanbul Airport: Turkish operates out of the brand new Istanbul airport and sweet Jaysus honey on the rock it's fucking huge. After landing I timed it and we were taxing for 19 minutes! But Turkish Airlines are either cheap or shortsighted Turkish: a flight landing after midnight local time is parked at a remote stand and we're bused to a brand new fucking terminal with dozens of empty gates. Fuckers. Also...having a huge terminal is fine, but you need to have some people movers on the main terminal level. I had to get to my get around 2km walking distance, at almost 01h, and arrived at my gate a sweaty mess for the upcoming long haul segment. Speaking of which..
Istanbul-Singapore: cheap fucking bastards with a remote stand again! So much for priority boarding: instead it was like the Port Authority on St Patrick's Day. After a whore's bath in the airplane's loo, I settled for a quick dinner, a restful 6 hours of medicated sleep, and a brisk Turkish cafe for "breakfast" at 16h local time in Singapore. Great crew, good food, good seat--but beware, Turkish still uses 2-3-2 configuration in business class and the folks who got stuck in the middle seats were not happy!
Singapore Airport: Istanbul might have one massive terminal, but SIN remains the best in the world. Efficient deplaning. Shops galore. Anything you desire on hand: a pool, a hotel, several lounges, shopping for things. The Silver Krys Lounge is getting very tired (especially the 'loo), but the food was good, there's lots of space, and I managed to score the last unoccupied shower. Though I only snacked and rehydrated.
Singapore-Auckland: SQ has a Book the Cook service for business class, and I booked my dinner (ribeye) and breakfast (waffle) in advance. When I boarded I explained I wanted a quick main-online dinner, then to get some sleep. That's what they sorted for me. When I had breakfast, I asked only for an espresso "shall I bring you a double espresso, Mr Egan?" SHALL I MARRY YOU SINGAPORE WOMAN????? This was on the older A380, but it's still one of the best seats and best beds in the sky.
Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved has become a global hit, including #1 in the States. He's not a pop star, he's just a bloody great songwriter and singer. The preview video for the US market makes no sense to me at all. But this one, which we can call the Commonwealth version, kills me. Every time.
Here's the American version:
The flights back were a combination of Turkish and Singapore Airlines. Shall I review? I shall:
Dublin-Istanbul: Turkish operates an actual business class on many flights between European cities and their Istanbul hub. So I had a big recliner, was served a hot two course plated meal, and it was nice.
Istanbul Airport: Turkish operates out of the brand new Istanbul airport and sweet Jaysus honey on the rock it's fucking huge. After landing I timed it and we were taxing for 19 minutes! But Turkish Airlines are either cheap or shortsighted Turkish: a flight landing after midnight local time is parked at a remote stand and we're bused to a brand new fucking terminal with dozens of empty gates. Fuckers. Also...having a huge terminal is fine, but you need to have some people movers on the main terminal level. I had to get to my get around 2km walking distance, at almost 01h, and arrived at my gate a sweaty mess for the upcoming long haul segment. Speaking of which..
Istanbul-Singapore: cheap fucking bastards with a remote stand again! So much for priority boarding: instead it was like the Port Authority on St Patrick's Day. After a whore's bath in the airplane's loo, I settled for a quick dinner, a restful 6 hours of medicated sleep, and a brisk Turkish cafe for "breakfast" at 16h local time in Singapore. Great crew, good food, good seat--but beware, Turkish still uses 2-3-2 configuration in business class and the folks who got stuck in the middle seats were not happy!
Singapore Airport: Istanbul might have one massive terminal, but SIN remains the best in the world. Efficient deplaning. Shops galore. Anything you desire on hand: a pool, a hotel, several lounges, shopping for things. The Silver Krys Lounge is getting very tired (especially the 'loo), but the food was good, there's lots of space, and I managed to score the last unoccupied shower. Though I only snacked and rehydrated.
Singapore-Auckland: SQ has a Book the Cook service for business class, and I booked my dinner (ribeye) and breakfast (waffle) in advance. When I boarded I explained I wanted a quick main-online dinner, then to get some sleep. That's what they sorted for me. When I had breakfast, I asked only for an espresso "shall I bring you a double espresso, Mr Egan?" SHALL I MARRY YOU SINGAPORE WOMAN????? This was on the older A380, but it's still one of the best seats and best beds in the sky.
Lewis Capaldi's Someone You Loved has become a global hit, including #1 in the States. He's not a pop star, he's just a bloody great songwriter and singer. The preview video for the US market makes no sense to me at all. But this one, which we can call the Commonwealth version, kills me. Every time.
Here's the American version:
