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Like his previous trips with the Singapore Airlines(SIA), IT consultant Jason Chua went to the Singapore Changi Airport Saturday morning, checked in and went aboard an A380 at Terminal 3.
Unlike his previous trips, this time he was a diner instead of a traveler, as the airplane was turned into a restaurant catering for customers registering for the Restaurant A380@Changi.
Actually Jason Chua had enjoyed the meal last weekend when the restaurant on A380 was opened on Oct. 24, and he brought his girlfriend with him this weekend as he thought it was quite good.
"You can dine at a Michelin restaurant anytime, but as the restaurants on A380 were only running for two weekends, this is kind of once in a life-time experience," he said.
Singapore being a city-state, there is no room for domestic flights. As border control measures have been taken by many countries in the world due to the outbreak of COVID-19, some Singapore residents are missing air travels.
Jason Chua used to travel at least four flights a year with the SIA before the COVID-19. For the 33-year-old, SIA is an excellent airline which provides excellent service, so he also turned up to show his support for the airliner during the hard time.
For 86-year old Chua Pu Tiok sitting on her wheelchair, the Restaurant A380@Changi provides an opportunity to experience A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft, as visitors can join in a pre-lunch tour of the double-decker A380, and to interact with the crews of the SIA, which boasts to be the world's most awarded airline.
During the pre-lunch activities, diners took pictures with cabin crews who dressed up in different SIA uniforms over its 70-year history. When other SIA crew members entered the airliner before the lunch time, diners stood on two sides, taking pictures or videos or even applauding.
The Restaurant A380@Changi operate at two A380 airliners at the same time for lunches and dinners during the two weekends from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Not all the 471 seats on A380 are available for diners as people from different groups must keep at least one-meter apart due to social distancing requirement in Singapore. The tickets for the first weekend were sold out in half an hour, so the second weekend was planned, said Betty Wong, SIA's Divisional Vice President for Inflight Services & Design.
Spanning four cabin classes of the two-deck A380 which are the economy, premium economy, business and suites, the prices range from 53.5 SGD (39 US dollar)to 642 SGD (472 US dollar).
According to Betty Wong, they served around 1,600 diners last weekend.
To ensure a safe dining experience, before and after every dining experience, the aircraft will be thoroughly cleaned, with extra care taken to sanitize common surfaces. The aircraft is equipped with HEPA filters, which remove more than 99.9 percent of the microbes in the air, SIA said in a press release.
Diners will be seated in groups of up to five, with safe distancing between groups. Diners and crew will be required to undergo temperature screening and complete the digital check-in before boarding the aircraft. They are also required to wear a face mask at all times, except when consuming food or drinks.
Besides restaurants on A380, diners can also savor the airline food through SIA@Home for customers who are keen to enjoy SIA's in-flight dining experience in the comfort of their home. They can choose from 10 menus featuring the First Class and Business Class meals, which will come with wine or champagne. Over five hundred packages were sold to customers, said Betty Wong, adding that their chefs are also planning the Christmas menus to engage with the customers later.
The Restaurant A380@Changi and SIA@Home are part of SIA's Discover Your Singapore Airlines initiatives, which also includes Inside Singapore Airlines timed in November, when visitors can have a behind-the-scenes tour of SIA's training facilities with a wide range of activities for the entire family.
Discover Your Singapore Airlines initiatives were designed for customers and fans who miss the SIA experience and services, said Betty Wong, adding that "We are very glad and heartened for the support we have received."
"We know you miss travelling as much as we have missed welcoming you on board our flights," said SIA on its website while introducing the Discover Your Singapore Airlines initiatives.
With this Jason echoed. "All of us come here today because we miss travelling itself more or the less, and this is the way we can get close to the airplane and enjoy the service of SIA," Jason Chua said.
