A Night Flight South on the A380 Upper Deck | Singapore Airlines SQ221 Business Class

I stayed at the SilverKris Lounge until dusk (the previous article), and as the light faded I walked to Gate B2. The day had begun in the early morning at Taoyuan — a bowl of beef soup, an EVA Air flight, laksa and champagne in a lounge — and its final leg was Singapore Airlines SQ221, flying south through the night to Sydney.

Boarding was neatly divided: one lane for Suites and First Class, another for PPS Club and Business Class. EVA Air has no first class, but Singapore Airlines does — and at the front of this Airbus A380's upper deck sit the Suites.

The jet bridge entrance was marked UPPER DECK (A380 ONLY): boarding usually opens two doors — one for Business and First, one for Economy — and sometimes only one; the A380's upper deck, though, has an entrance entirely of its own. Walking up the bridge felt like climbing to another floor — one of the reasons I love the A380; its upstairs is quiet and self-contained, with an old-fashioned sense of ceremony.

Seated · 19D

My seat was 19D, mid-cabin on the upper deck. The KrisWorld welcome screen was lit with SQ221 and 19D, and Sydney local time, 11:06 PM — before we had even departed, the time difference had already arrived on the screen.

What strikes you first about this Singapore Airlines business seat is the shell: dark leather, a seat body wide to the point of luxury, and once you sit down you are gathered into a quiet corner of your own. The 1-2-1 layout gives every seat direct aisle access; a patterned cushion rests at your back, in the airline's characteristically restrained tones.

Once I had settled in, the crew brought a welcome drink; the slippers and eye shade sat on the side table, still sealed. The rhythm of the night flight set itself: a drink first, then slowly making myself at home.

The Seat · Design in the Details

This seat is designed the way you would furnish a small room. A generous side table holds a book, a drink, a phone; the handheld controller nests at the table's edge, the seat controls are laid out in a row, and even Do Not Disturb gets a button of its own — on a night flight, the right not to be disturbed is the greatest luxury.

A small reading light hides in the curve of the shell overhead; beside the seat, the armrest is wide and thickly padded — a place for an elbow to rest through the long night. At bedtime the seat back flips forward and lays out a fully flat bed. You sleep at a slight diagonal — the seat's famous quirk — but the cocoon of that shell is a sense of security nothing else replaces.

The Menu · Designed to Delight You

Before dinner, the menu. Its cover is a close-up of tomato, bell pepper and artichoke, marked Business Class; inside, the heading reads Designed to Delight You, and the opening pages present the team of chefs. Many airlines introduce their chefs this way now, and the gesture loses nothing for it — it says this meal has a professional, devoted culinary team behind it. The booklet is made like a small cookbook, with real weight in the hand — before a single dish arrived, the ceremony of being cared for had already begun.

Dinner · Beginning with Satay

Soon after takeoff came the satay: chicken skewers charred at the edges, a thick peanut sauce, cucumber and onion on the side. It has been Singapore Airlines' signature for decades, and meeting it in business class still makes me happy. The first bite of a night flight should taste this lively.

The appetiser was sliced chicken with a sesame dressing over an Asian-style slaw, the vegetables finely shredded, the sauce savoury with a hint of sweetness. A glass each of red and white stood on the table while the moving map crossed Indonesia — 10:30 PM Singapore time, and dinner was only just reaching its main act.

On the bread plate lay a dark crispbread scattered with crumbs, and the butter had been shaped into a flower in its little dish. It is in these small places that the care shows — butter carved into a blossom will not make dinner taste better, but it does make the person eating it feel a little happier.

Two main courses arrived in turn. The grilled steak wore handsome sear marks over a bed of mashed potato, with broccolini and carrots beside it and the jus drawn in neatly; the other was baked lobster, its meat gratinated golden in the shell, with asparagus and pumpkin. That a Book the Cook classic can come out of an aircraft galley at altitude with its timing intact is the hardest proof of Singapore Airlines' catering.

Dessert · The Night Flight Winds Down

After the main course, the crew wheeled the dessert trolley slowly down the aisle — cheese, fruit and desserts on top, asking table by table. On a night flight, service so easily turns hurried; this trolley's pace never did. Fruit first, then dessert, like being properly looked after in a small restaurant.

Last, a chocolate mousse cake with a glass of red wine. The map had crossed the Java Sea and the time was already Sydney's small hours; when the cake was finished, the lights went down. The seat back flipped over, the bed was made, and I slept inside that shell. A day that began with a bowl of beef soup in Taoyuan, and travelled a very long way, came quietly to rest on the upper deck of an A380 — breakfast, and Sydney's morning, belong to the next article.

—— ARY