Our first day’s itinerary involves getting ready for our afternoon flight, which for us entails packing and getting ready for the flight (the easy part) and taking care of last minute business details, the unending forgotten chores that pop up (the hard part), all with the sole end purpose of boarding our flight smoothly. We are able to achieve that smooth embarkation, but not as expected.

As we are traveling on special tickets arranged for us by the Japan National Tourism Organization and Super Value Tours, we do not have seat assignments; something we would never normally tolerate for ourselves or our clients winds up being a boon in disguise as we learned a few days ago that the flight is really about 70%-80% full. At check-in, however, we are not able to find our preferred seating, but have to settle for aisles across from each other. While some travelers may prefer aisles, both Nathan and I actually abhor them as inescapable bumping zones where one misstep and you can wind up with your knees bruised and arms battered. Nonetheless, we graciously accept our offered seats and plan to check the gate for changes. Perseverance pays off: while my first attempt to obtain seating does not bear fruit, I am instructed to check back shortly after commencement of general boarding. Lo and behold, we are now assigned a window and an aisle with no one in between us. Moreover, the manner and professionalism in which the seating assignment was handled would be an indicator of the great service to come. Service on Singapore Airlines is Legendary, even in coach class. So having our expectations already quite high, it is hard to believe that they were exceeded. Read the rest of this entry »

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