As one of the busiest airports in Europe and the principal hub of Star Alliance charter member Lufthansa, it’s unsurprising that Frankfurt Airport would be a major European destination for Singapore Airlines. Indeed, demand is strong enough that the airline deploys its largest aircraft, the A380-800, on the route on one of its two daily flights to FRA. However, the A380 is no the only interesting facet of Singapore Airlines’s Frankfurt service. The second daily flight, departing around midnight and arriving in the early morning is one of the airline’s Fifth Freedom routes to the United States, continuing on to New York from Frankfurt using the the 777-300ER.
Server: Solo
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Origin: Singapore Changi Airport, Changi, Singapore (SIN)
Destination: Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Flight Number: SQ26
Route: WSSS-EDDF
Seat: 1F (First Class)
Time En Route: 13 Hours 15 Minutes
Getting ready to board our aircraft at Gate B10. Up until a few years ago, the Fifth Freedom route to New York was also operated by the A380-800, until SQ realized there weren’t sufficient passenger numbers going to New York who were willing to forgo the non-stop service on the A350-900ULR to justify sending an A380. Hopefully, those numbers will recover sufficiently to where the Singaporean Whale can return to JFK, even if only on a seasonal basis.
Starting our pushback next to a company 787-10 that arrived a little while ago as SQ276 from Adelaide, Australia. The first class suite aboard Singapore’s 777-300ER is intimate and luxurious, feeling more like a 5-star hotel room than an airline seat. Perfect for getting some rest on the long flight to Frankfurt!
Takeoff from Singapore just before midnight. Much like the flight in the Aria suite from Melbourne to Hong Kong, the dull roar of the GE90s is starting to lull us to sleep.
Waking up after several hours’ sleep just off the coast of the Indian state of Maharashtra. To our good luck, one of the three in-flight meal services is beginning. We’ve ordered a classic standby of the SQ first class menu, the roast fillet of beef with morel mushroom sauce.
After a few hours awake cruising over the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, we’re about to fall back asleep for most of the rest of the flight over the vast Emirati desert. Off to the far left is Dubai, another destination that Singapore Airlines serves with the 777.
Waking up as we descend into a cold, cloudy Germany. It’s definitely a stark contrast from warm, tropical Singapore.
Arriving on Runway 25C on a chilly morning in Frankfurt
Looking at the under-construction south side of the field as we taxi to the B Gates
Briefly deplaned at Gate B42 in order to get through customs before the final leg of our journey to JFK. After this flight, we can confidently say that even though it’s starting to show its age a bit, Singapore’s 777 first class is still an industry leader in all respects.