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SINGAPORE – When procurement specialist Halim Rahman learned that Singapore Airlines was hosting a lunch aboard the Airbus A-380 plane, he thought it was the perfect way to celebrate his 37th birthday.
He waited until midnight for the online registration to open, eventually managing to reserve a business class seat for himself and his best friend, 38-year-old senior product executive Fairus Ahmad.
“It’s definitely about the experience,” Halim said.
“I know the price is high for a dining experience … but since we are not going anywhere, this will be something memorable.”
They were among the roughly 400 people who were the first to experience the Restaurant @ A380 experience aboard two of the gigantic jets on Saturday (October 24) afternoon.
Some 900 initial seats were available for lunch on October 24 and October 25, and they were sold out within 30 minutes of opening reservations. Then, SIA announced that it would also have lunch sessions on October 31 and November 1, as well as dinners all four days.
Three-hour lunches and dinners are $ 50 per person in economy cabin, $ 90 for those who want to be in premium economy class, $ 300 for business class and $ 600 for suites.
Nearly 200 SIA staff members, including cabin crew, volunteered to help out at the event, in which some rumors returned to a section of the transit area at Terminal 3 for the first time in months since it occurred. the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those attending the lunch had to hand over their passports for safekeeping and also to have their bags checked just like when boarding a plane. For example, some passengers who had bottled water in their bags were asked to see it to pass through security.
Some cabin crew modeled the SIA uniforms of the past while passengers waited to board. When those on the aircraft duty list arrived, they were applauded by the passengers waiting in the transit area.
Many passengers were also taken around the A-380 aircraft for a tour, which included a cabin session and the opportunity to see the seats in different cabins.
There were also staff members who enforced safe distancing.
Mr. Lee Lik Hsin, SIA Executive Vice President (Business), speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, said: “We are very, very grateful for the support that the people of Singapore have given us.
“This weekend is sold out, but there are still some spaces available for next weekend … if demand continues to be strong, certainly (opening more dinners) will be something we will think about.”
Lee said there has also been great interest in SIA’s other new non-flight initiative, home delivery of its premium meals, with more than 500 meals sold so far.
In response to how these initiatives have helped SIA financially, he said: “All of this generates revenue, but we are an airline and we have to fly again. So we hope we can do it as soon as possible.”
But for now, the opportunity to dine aboard a plane is just as good for most passengers, as international air travel is still hampered by border restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Retired civil servant Emily Loo, 68, who was economy class with her husband at Restaurant @ A380, said: “We got to see the suites section today, which was very impressive, and we also got to see the cabin and take a photo. with the pilots.
“We wanted to travel to Taiwan and Hong Kong, but this experience helps make up for not being able to.”
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