[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: More than 400 diners checked in at Changi Airport on Saturday (October 24) and went through the usual security checks before having lunch aboard Singapore Airlines planes.
Travel-hungry diners ate lunch and watched movies on the seatbacks aboard two parked Singapore Airlines planes that were turned into pop-up restaurants on Saturday.
With the aviation industry in deep crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, airlines have turned to alternative ways to raise cash, from offering “flights to nowhere” to airplane tours.
The most expensive option is an eight-course meal for $ 642 in a first-class suite, while the cheapest is $ 53 and consists of a three-course meal in economy class AFP / ROSLAN RAHMAN
Singapore’s flag carrier, which cut thousands of jobs and grounded nearly all of its planes this year, offered passengers the opportunity to dine aboard two superjumbos A380s, the world’s largest airliner.
“The food is quite surprising, it is better than what they serve during the flight,” Zhou Tai Di, a 17-year-old student in economy class, told AFP as he ate his soy sauce glazed chicken with spicy fried eggplant. and rice.
READ: SIA adds 2 more days, additional seats for the A380 restaurant experience
READ: Reservations for SIA’s A380 @ Changi restaurant sold out in just half an hour
Some settled in for a nap while they waited for their food to be served, while others watched movies on the backrest entertainment systems.
About half of the seats were left empty, according to social distancing guidelines.
Calvin Teo, a 29-year-old civil servant and aviation buff, paid S $ 321 (US $ 236) to be served a six-course meal in business class, and said he missed flying and hoped to recreate the experience.
Diners watch movies while dining in business class AFP / ROSLAN RAHMAN
READ: From travel to nowhere to ‘flight lessons’, how airlines stay afloat amid COVID-19 pandemic
“Of course the feeling of flying will really be better, because there is the excitement of going to a new destination, of exploring a new destination, and although we cannot do it now due to COVID-19, this is a good substitute for now, for recreate the feeling of taking a long-haul flight, “he told AFP.
The most expensive option is an eight-course meal for S $ 642 in a first class suite, while the cheapest is S $ 53 and consists of a three-course meal in economy class.
A limited number of diners were also able to tour the double-decker plane and take selfies with the pilots in the cabin.
Diners still had to register for their dining experience AFP / ROSLAN RAHMAN
The track meals proved surprisingly popular: The airline announced six additional sessions after more than 900 lunch tickets were sold out within 30 minutes of opening reservations earlier this month.
The airline is also offering home delivery of meals by plane, but has dropped plans for “flights to nowhere” – short trips that start and end at the same airport – following a protest over possible environmental impact.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
