SIN: Inside Singapore Airlines [till 29 November 2020]

720 Upper Changi Road East, SIA Training Centre, Singapore

I know it's high time for me to put a closure to the Japan trip series with a quick post on my Jetstar flight, but before I do that, allow me to publish this post about the very informative guided tour by Singapore Airlines that I took part in last Saturday. Inside Singapore Airlines is part of the Discover Your Singapore Airlines trilogy, running over the last two weekends of November 2020.

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SIN: Restaurant A380 @ Changi [till 1 November 2020]

SIN: Inside Singapore Airlines [till 29 November 2020] <YOU ARE HERE!>

SIN: Sentosa Island Lights 2020 [till 10 January 2021]

SIN: Grand Hyatt Singapore [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: Ramada by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: InterContinental Singapore [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: W Singapore - Sentosa Cove [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: Hilton Singapore [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: YOTELAir Singapore Changi Airport [Phase 2 of Reopening]

SIN: Champion Hotel [Phase 3 of Reopening]

SIN: Changi Jurassic Mile

SIN: Jewel Changi Airport

SIN: Green Corridor

SIN: Clementi Forest

SIN: Grand Hyatt Singapore [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Marina Bay Sands [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Ibis Styles Singapore on MacPherson [Before COVID-19]

SIN: J8 Hotel [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Raintr33 Hotel [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Changi Beach Club [Before COVID-19]

SIN: Village Hotel Changi [Before COVID-19]

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My BFF and I managed to secure a slot for the open house as we registered our interest online the moment the system was up on Sunday, 1 November 2020 at 10.00am. Unlike the Restaurant A380 @ Changi event, there was no instant confirmation, but we received a follow-up e-mail four days later on our guided tour timing, which would be confirmed once we completed the payment. After factoring in 7% GST, an adult ticket costs S$32.10 and a child ticket costs S$16.05.

SIA Training Centre is approximately 850 m away from Upper Changi MRT station.

Also, unlike the earlier event that was held at the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3, guests aren't required to bring their passports to enter SIA Training Centre. To my surprise, however, nobody actually checked our even though the confirmation e-mail clearly states that "each adult participating is required to bring along their NRIC / FIN or photo ID". Check-in at the dedicated counter was a breeze, where each of us was given an adult passport and a goodie bag.

The passport contains the map of the premise and two pages where guests can accumulate a maximum of 12 stamps from completing the various activities in order to redeem a reward at the end of the day.

You need to collect a minimum of 5 stamps to redeem those cute iron-on patches.

Take a look at the contents of the goodie bag.

At one corner of the lobby area is a booth where you can sign up for add-on experiences if you didn't indicate your interest online, subject to availability. Inclusive of 7% GST, those are:

Wine Appreciation Workshop: S$40.66

Grooming Workshop: S$94.16

Flight Simulator Experience: S$535.00

Junior Pilot Experience: S$72.76

Junior Cabin Crew Experience: S$94.16

Since there was no queue at all, I took the opportunity to take a photo with two amicable Singapore Girls. I pity them for having to stand there for hours.

While waiting for our guided tour to commence, we explored the lobby area that received much natural lighting from the almighty sun, which unfortunately resulted in lots of unwanted reflections on the glass display cases.

Has anyone been on any inaugural flights before? It's my dream to be on one someday.

Did you know that all six jackpot machines, which were installed on the Boeing 747-400 aircraft used for the inaugural flight from Singapore to San Francisco, the USA in 1981, broke down halfway through the flight?

Old-school menu booklets!

Singapore Airlines is one of the very few airlines in the world to have ever embarked on a Concorde service from 1977 to 1980, which was jointly operated with British Airways for the Singapore-London route.

Take a look at the various versions of the female cabin crew uniforms throughout the years.

When it all began in 1947 as Malayan Airways~

Quite a radical change from the previous ones, eh?

Before we knew it, it was time for 'boarding'! We were scheduled for the 11.45am guided tour that began on time, starting with a 10-minute free-and-easy segment at the heritage gallery. The whole tour lasted for two hours.

We were assigned to the tour group named Auckland. How I wish I could fly there now!

That's one of the trishaws rode by the Singapore Girls during the National Day Parade on 9 August 2015 when we celebrated the nation's 50th birthday.

What's your most memorable story with Singapore Airlines thus far?

I skimmed through the milestones placed along the walls of the gallery.

Douglas DC-3 had many exceptional qualities compared to older aircraft models, pioneering many air travel routes during its time with a notable example of being able to cross the continental USA from New York to Los Angeles in 18 hours.

In 1972, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines ceased operations as both governments decided to set up their own national airlines, which we now know as Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

I was drawn by the set of commemorative Boeing 747-400 postcards, which reminded me that I almost had the chance to fly with the airline's last jumbo jet service from Hong Kong to Singapore on 6 April 2012.

Apparently it doesn't seem like there are more spaces, so the timeline stops at the year 2011.

To make up for that, there's a TV screen to display how the airline has been in recent times.

The guided tour continued with a glimpse into the 14-week rigorous training that all recruited flight attendants have to go through by visiting a number of rooms where stories were unfolded.

Is it just me or that one seat along the corridor looks somewhat like a premium airline seat?

The Wine Room is a dedicated training room to conduct wine and spirit courses for flight attendants of all ranks as they need to be at least equipped with the basic knowledge.

At the point of writing, there are over 130 air sommeliers who've undergone a 9-month specialised training programme. Each of them is identifiable by a special badge worn on the uniform.

Equipped with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the Deportment Room is where flight attendants learn how to walk gracefully and carry themselves elegantly.

The Grooming Room has seen flight attendants being taught how to properly apply make-up, with some being told to change their hairstyles to suit their face profiles.

I learnt that the flight attendants aren't any allowance for make-up products.

One side of the wall just outside the Grooming Room is adorned with the company's pledge that they need to say every Monday.

During the toilet break, I went to the gents, where I was pleasantly surprised to see Penhaligon's Quercus toiletries that are usually placed in Business Class lavatories.

It was fun going through the various cabin mock-ups, starting with the 2006 Economy Class cabin.

Do you prefer window or aisle seats?

There's a mock-up of the galley too, of course.

I recorded a short video of the flight attendant in green describing the kinds of training that they go through.

Each guest was then given a packet of peas and crackers. In an instant, I imagined munching on those at cruising altitude.

We shall move from the ageing seats to the modern 2017 seats.

The size of each of the mock-up 2017 suites is a bit smaller than the actual.

Purple is worn by the highest rank: in-flight supervisor.
If I remember correctly, there are only about 200 of them according to our guide.

We were then invited to sit in a mock-up of the 2018 Regional Business Class cabin, which is available in the new Airbus 350-900 and Boeing 787-10 aircraft.

The seats are made from cheaper materials compared to the real deal, and the buttons are inoperable as they are actually stickers. Fully functioning seats for training purposes are available elsewhere within the training centre.

With the departure of all Boeing 777-300 aircraft from the fleet, we've said goodbye to the 2006 First Class seats.

It was fun browsing the items neatly arranged inside the glass display cabinets.

Dom Perignon, Krug or Comtes for you?

Don't forget to ask for the signature teddy bears when flying in the Business Class or First Class cabin!

Singapore Airlines is going to launch a new short-haul Economy Class dining concept on 1 December 2020 on flights up to 3.5 hours long, excluding those that cover short distances, such as to and from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There'll be no more appetiser, while the main course and the dessert will be contained in leak-proof, eco-friendly paper boxes. Also, bamboo cutlery will be issued instead of silverware.

I couldn't contain my excitement when we finally got to the Flight Operations Division, starting with the safety and emergency procedures training area.

Unfortunately, you can't ride the slides during the event.

Seeing that life vest reminded me of the Chinese woman who stole one from a Cathay Pacific aircraft in 2015 as she thought it was a souvenir that could be brought home.

There are quite a few door trainers scattered around.

Flight attendants are trained to evacuate a cabin within 90 seconds.

They should've shown us the fire and smoke simulation.

There's a wave pool with a depth of 3 m. It's certainly not an easy feat to climb in full uniform, but that's a test that flight attendants have to pass.

View the short video clip below to witness the wave effect.

I finally got to see actual full-motion flight simulators with my own eyes. I learnt that the operating cost per hour is no less than US$500.00 (~S$669.35).

Have you ever wanted to be a pilot?

Singapore Airlines won't need that flight simulator anymore soon.

Simpler flight simulators are also available in training rooms. Full-fledged pilots need to practice their skills for two days every six months, especially so in handling tricky situations.

The 2-hour guided tour ended at the sustainability showcase section.

Championing environmental and wildlife conservation, Singapore Airlines has been partnering with Harapan Rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia for the last 11 years at the point of writing.

It's certainly good to see the amount of paper saved in 2020, though I'll certainly miss physical copies of in-flight magazines that may not appear anymore in the near future.

After thanking our guide, we made our way to the canteen to have lunch.

Looking at that reminded me of the vending machines at my secondary school. So cheap!

Each passport is eligible for redemption of one complimentary Economy Class main course. We also purchased the signature chicken satay and pulut hitam (lit. black glutinous rice) cake. Take a look at the review in my food blog.

I brought my small bear to the event, but not Pikachu and Melon.

Afterwards, we had complimentary Gong Cha simply by downloading the new Kris+ mobile app.

Both the milk tea and the green tea came with white pearls.

Time for a shopping spree!

Would you like to buy one of the First Class sleeper suit for S$20.00?

I saw a few meal carts on sale, and I know of a friend who bought one.

We spent a bit of time to relax at the auditorium, watching a few short clips about the airline. One of them was about the flight SQ412. For the first time in more than two decades, on 23 July 2020, Singapore Airlines flew to Kathmandu, Nepal to transport medical supplies. In addition, it was the first time a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft operated into Nepal.

Since I didn't make my own batik (Indonesian traditional technique of dyeing) rose at the Restaurant A380 @ Changi event, I decided to give it a try. Brown batik cloth was used for the petals, which turned out to be old uniform colour for female in-flight supervisors before the current purple.