More good news for travellers taking the new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from Germany to Singapore, and for Germany-bound passengers in general, with confirmation that Singapore Airlines will restore course-by-course dining in First Class and Business Class on selected routes from 7th September 2021.
This will be the first time these cabins have shifted from single-tray service (or more recently ‘modified tray service’ in First Class) since the pandemic took hold in 2020.
“We will be serving course-by-course meals for First and Business Class from 7th September on SIA flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich.”
The new service will apply on all 15 of SIA’s Germany flights, currently comprising:
- Frankfurt: 10 roundtrip services per week
- Munich: 5 roundtrip services per week
All of these flights feature two meal services, and Mainly Miles understands that “the more substantial” meal service will be served course-by-course, according to a memo distributed to cabin crew.
How will it work?
SQ328 from Singapore to Munich on 7th September 2021 will be the first flight to benefit from the newly reinstated service, followed by SQ326 from Singapore to Frankfurt on the same day.
Subsequent Singapore – Germany and Germany – Singapore flights will then follow.
It will still be a single-tray (or ‘modified’) service for the smaller meal on each flight, but a course-by-course affair for the larger meal, in accordance with the following table.
Meal service on SIA Germany flights
(from 7th September 2021)
| Course-by-course | |
| Single tray (or ‘modified’) |
| Flight | Route | Days | First Meal | Second Meal |
| SQ25 | FRA ↓ SIN |
Daily | Lunch | Breakfast |
| SQ26 | SIN ↓ FRA |
Daily | Supper | Breakfast |
| SQ325 VTL |
FRA ↓ SIN |
Tue Fri Sun |
Supper | Dinner |
| SQ326 | SIN ↓ FRA |
Tue Fri Sun |
Lunch | Light Dinner |
| SQ327 | MUC ↓ SIN |
Tue Fri Sun |
Lunch | Breakfast |
| SQ328 | SIN ↓ MUC |
Tue Fri Sun |
Supper | Breakfast |
| SQ331 VTL |
MUC ↓ SIN |
Mon Wed |
Lunch | Breakfast |
| SQ332 | SIN ↓ MUC |
Mon Wed |
Supper | Breakfast |
All SQ325 and SQ331 flights are designated VTL services, for those using the Vaccinated Travel Lane and arriving in Singapore quarantine-free.
For First Class customers on the Frankfurt route (SQ325/326), it will mean a return to a six-stage service for the “substantial” meal highlighted above, comprising:
- Canapé
- Appetiser
- Soup
- Salad
- Main Course
- Dessert
Currently the soup and salad courses are not offered, and dessert is served with the main course, so this will be a welcome improvement for those returning to the skies in the airline’s most premium cabin.
Book the Cook is also back
The news comes as Singapore Airlines reinstated it’s ‘Book the Cook’ service out of Frankfurt and Munich from 7th September 2021, the second and third overseas departure points for the popular service since COVID-19, having also reinstated First Class service to and from Frankfurt from the same date.
Here’s how the main course selection looks, in addition to the regular inflight menu on these flights, in both First Class and Business Class.
Frankfurt / Munich
to Singapore
~
Book the Cook
| Asian | Chicken in Massaman Curry Chicken in Thai massaman curry with vegetables and steamed rice |
| Honey Glazed Duckling Honey-glazed duckling with vegetables and Chinese egg noodles |
|
| Prawn Wanton Noodles Prawn wanton noodle soup with chye sim, pickled green chili, roasted onions and spring onions |
|
| Deliciously Wholesome | Wholesome Ballontine of Chicken with Farro Salad Farro and avocado salad with ballontine of chicken in red capsicum, lime and jalapeno dressing. This cold salad is packed with the good unsaturated fats from avocado and farro’s complex carbs contains magnesium that relieves muscle cramps and tension |
| Wholesome Red Lentil Souffle with Farro Salad Farro and avocado Salad with red lentil souffle in red capsicum, lime and jalapeno dressing. Lentils are protein dense and avocado offers healthy unsaturated fatty acids. Inspired by Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel Chef Alfred Portale |
|
| Western | Bavarian Style Pork Belly Served with savoy cabbage, roesti potato and beer sauce |
These dishes can be selected to substitute your inflight menu main course on either the “substantial” course-by-course meal, the smaller meal, or both, on flights from Singapore to Germany or vice-versa from 7th September 2021.
Seat blocks have been relaxed
We also noticed that Singapore Airlines appears to have dropped its three-row crew rest area ‘block’ at the front of its Business Class cabins on flights to and from Germany.
This was designed to allow crew to rest in Row 11, with two vacant rows between them and the passengers for safe distancing.
That’s obviously less of a concern with only fully vaccinated customers on board VTL services. It’s good news for SIA, with the ability to sell more seats, but also for passengers who can now access Row 11 on the basis of PPS Club status, or at online check-in.
Summary
Slowly but surely, some normality is returning to SIA’s inflight service with the advent of the Vaccinated Travel Lane – a concept in its infancy, but set to grow with more options in the months ahead if the pilot schemes are a success.
We can therefore expect a similar rollout of SIA’s most premium cabin products and service standards for other parts of the network, recently including more ‘Book the Cook’ departure stations and First Class cabin options.
It’s great to see course-by-course dining in First and Business Class join the list of recent enhancements, and we look forward to experiencing this our on our upcoming Germany – Singapore VTL flight later this week.
Don’t miss our comprehensive article covering everything you need to know about the VTL, to help you decide if it’s worth the hassle for what might be your first overseas trip in some time.
(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)
Does the memo say only Germany? What about other longhaul routes?
Just Germany for now. I’m sure others will follow.