Impeccably groomed ... the famed "Singapore Girl" cabin crew of Singapore Airlines.Credit:AFP
RouteSydney-Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam (via Singapore)
AircraftRefitted Boeing 777-300 to Singapore in economy,aisle seat 57G in the very back row;777-200 to Ho Chi Minh City in economy,aisle seat 41C.
Flight time Eight hours,five minutes to Singapore;we take off 10 minutes late,land five minutes late. Two hours,five minutes to Ho Chi Minh City;we take off 15 minutes late but land 15 minutes ahead of schedule. During a 3.5-hour stopover in Singapore,we recharge in Changi Airport's free massage chairs.
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Seat width and pitch The 777-300's seats are 17.9 inches wide;the 777-200's seats are 19 inches wide. Both have pitch (legroom) of 32 inches.
Seat configuration 3-3-3 in both aircraft's economy section.
Luggage allowance Checked luggage up to 20 kilograms,one piece of hand luggage up to seven kilograms.
AmenitiesThe daytime leg to Singapore includes an amenity kit with socks,toothbrush and paste.
Entertainment There is unexpected entertainment in the shape of seeing Uluru — those sitting on the plane's left-hand side as we head north have a bird's-eye view of the monolith. On the 777-300's 6.5-inch seatback screens,there are enough recent film releases to easily fill the four-movie-long flight time. Viewing choices on the 777-200's seatback screen are narrower but there's barely time for viewing one movie. At least entertainment is provided — not guaranteed if you fly to Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines.