Manila is a reciprocally-popular destination from Singapore, with around 14 pairs of non-stop flights daily in total. Among the 4 pairs of Singapore Airlines flights daily, SQ910 is the only morning flight from Singapore to Manila, departing at 9.20am.
Singapore Airlines operates from both Terminals 2 and 3 at Changi Airport, depending on the destination. As with all South East Asian destinations, my SQ flight to Manila departs from Terminal 2.
Similar to my previous Jakarta flight, despite being a full-service airline, I needed to perform the self-service FAST Check-In at Terminal 2.
Remember to print exactly the number of bag tags you need.
Retrieving the receipt-like boarding pass from the self-service FAST Check-In kiosk.
Once done with tagging the bag, proceed on to Step 2 which is to drop off your bag.
Unlike my previous Jakarta flight where there was a staff behind the counter to check my bag in, this time round, the process was 100% automated, just like my Cathay Pacific flight from Terminal 4, less the roving staff.
My receipt-like boarding pass for my SQ910 flight to Manila.
My actual receipt for my luggage which I dropped off at the drop-off kiosk.
Proceeding straight on to Gate E5 since I arrived at the airport just in time for the whole check-in process to be done without a rush, and wasn’t planning to walk around much in the transit area anyway.
My shy plane hiding, with the aerobridge blocking the view of it from the gate hold room.
The rather full gate hold room. Guess that it’ll be a full flight today.
Since I was seated at the Forward Zone of the Economy Class cabin this time, I was the last boarding group to be called on board the plane.
Newspapers and Economy Class in-ear headphones are free to take just before stepping on board the aircraft.
Passing through the Business Class section of the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200. This is the most common regional Business Class seat available on the Boeing 777-200s, Boeing 777-300s and Airbus A330-300s.
The very full Economy Class section.
The space available in my Economy Class seat. While this is considered a Forward Zone seat, there is no significant difference in the seat itself, other than the position being nearer to the front of the cabin.
Before pushing back from the gate, the cabin crew commence their Oshibori (hot towel) service.
No pictures of the hot towel, because by the time I’m done with it, it’ll probably become just a wet towel instead.
Hmm, Murder on the Orient Express. Shall watch it on this 3-hour flight.
Shortly after take-off, the cabin crew commences the meal service.
2 choices were available – the western Egg Frittata or the local Nasi Lemak (which the crew translated to “Spicy Chicken with Rice” in English).
I opted for the western option as usual, which I regretted. This looks like a Happy Meal of sorts, which Sesame Street could use to run a new episode on.
How many potatoes are there? 1 potato, 2 potatoes, 3 potatoes!
Or maybe,
Today’s episode is brought to you by the number 1, for:
- 1 sausage,
- 1 cherry tomato,
- and 1 main Egg Frittata which takes up the space of 1/3 of the entire dish.
After the meal, the cabin crew came around with rock-hard SATS Double Chocolate Ice Cream.
As the trays were cleared, I requested for a Fruit Spritzer to sip on as I continued watching Murder on the Orient Express. It’s actually just a mixture of Apple Juice and 7-Up, but it’s actually quite a nice combination.
Time for a toilet visit.
The toilet nearest to my seat was wheelchair-friendly, and thus more spacious than usual plane toilets.
Full Economy Class amenities were available, in case you’d like to brush your teeth after the meal, or you need to straighten up your hair a little after sitting down for too long. I just used the mouthwash as usual.
The view of the Economy Class cabin from the rear.
Before landing, the cabin crew opens the curtains and the gaps on the bulkhead for a better view of the closest emergency exits ahead of us.
Arrived at Terminal 3 of Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
After immigration, I headed downstairs to the baggage reclaim area to collect my bags. Took quite a while, even though I was one of the last to clear immigration because I chose the wrong line (read: slow) but my bag still made it.
A quick purchase of a SIM card from the Globe counter later, and I was on my way.
Overall, I was actually quite disappointed with this flight, probably since I’ve experienced the new Economy Class on the A350 very recently, along with an excellent breakfast to top it off while on board the other flight. Comparing the two egg breakfasts, it’s really like comparing the standards of a popular restaurant versus a nondescript hawker stall. The crew were also unfortunately not as friendly as the ones to Jakarta on the A350, possibly due to the presence of possibly not-so-pleasant senior crew on board on this flight. Plus, while both are turnaround flights for the cabin crew, Jakarta’s flight time is significantly shorter than Manila, and also SINMNL is also one of the longest turnaround flight from Singapore, so the agony here is real. So I guess all is forgiven.
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