Flights of Fancy - Flying Business Class Singapore Airlines

Boozy lunches can lead to trouble, and this one was no exception. At our table, there's always good food, good company, and copious amounts of champagne and wine.   As the afternoon unfolded, we decided we’d flip a coin; September was a good month either to start Banting or to travel. It was heads, so the destination was Vietnam.  I couldn't be happier if you'd paid me. Once again, I bought loads of books, my favourite being Eyewitness’ Vietnam and Angkor Wat, and Luke Nguyen’s The Food of Vietnam. We Googled and downloaded as much as we could absorb about Vietnam.

All our flights were perfect; we encountered no delays or hitches, and I was thrilled by the generous 40kg, 2-baggage allowance, making me feel pampered and valued.

We were spoilt for choice when it came to wine and other beverages, but I opted for the Taittinger Champagne, which was perfect. No sooner were we either seated or in the air than the Champagne started flowing, followed by scrumptious three-course meals, accompanied by perfectly paired wines.

The crew made us feel truly special, treating us like honoured guests or family, especially the friendly, well-spoken flight attendant on the flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, who made us feel genuinely cared for.

There are two things I must confess to. One, I love airports, so for me the excitement certainly starts with the trip to the airport and the wait before a flight. I think it must be the anticipation of what’s to follow and the general frenetic buzz that appeals to me. The second is the onboard entertainment. I love the movies. As soon as I’m seated and strapped in, I greedily fish out the entertainment guide and make mental notes of the movies I’ll be watching. An excellent choice of films, documentaries, and series was on offer. One of my choices was “The Railway Man,” starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, based on the autobiography of Eric Lomax, which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. I can become quite rude once I’ve slapped on my headphones, as all polite conversation stops, and I only have eyes for the screen.

When I did succumb to sleep, it was very comfortable indeed, and I awoke completely refreshed.

If I’m allowed one negative comment, it would be that I could not always understand or follow the announcements, as some of the English was a tad unintelligible. But then who cares? Do you ever listen to the announcements? Precious and I had a few giggles along the way and agreed that no one is perfect, and that’s what made our flights so memorable.

We started our journey at the Cape Town International Airport, which is world-class and justifiably deserves the title of Airport of the Year, then on to Singapore for a three-day stopover, which was brilliant. Still, I’ll tell you all about it in another post, and then Vietnam. We started our incredible journey there in Ha Noi. My friend, who said, “There’s only one way to travel and its Business Class,” was right. What a treat, it’s not going to be easy going “cattle class” again.

Visit www.singaporeair.com   for more information.