I was honoured to fly with Silk Air recently for Kerala Blog Express trip. It was not just another flying experience for me because I was upgraded to a business class for the second sector from Singapore to Thiruvananthapuram.
Kuala Lumpur – Singapore (Silk Air MI 399)
Plane spotting at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before boarding Silk Air MI 399.
To my surprise, it was a full flight and I was assigned to 30A. Yes, that seat at the back. What surprised me more was the happiest cabin crew I have ever seen on board. Each cabin crew made it a point to greet every passenger on board. They were a bunch of happy people.
SilkAir’s Cabin Crew Uniform
How can you not love the fourth and latest uniform of Silk Air cabin crew? Junior crew wears a one-piece dress in aqua-blue meanwhile the senior crew wears the plum-red accompanied with a dark blue skirt. The classy uniform which was introduced in April 2015, is completed with a seagull patterned georgette bow pin.
Since it was only a 55 minutes flight to Singapore, everything happened fast as we were served with a wet towel and packed apple juice.
Note the Silkwinds magazine February 2016 featured Sabah’s Top 5 Dives.
What I loved most during the 55 minutes journey was the views of the famous Singapore harbour on approach to Changi International Airport.
Singapore – Thiruvananthapuram ( SilkAir MI 492)
As a regional airlines to Singapore Airlines, Silk Air which is also a full premium services airlines, flies to 8 cities in India such as Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam.
Too bad the transit time in Singapore was too short that I did not get the chance to go to the lounge.
Upon boarding, I was acknowledged by three flight attendants. Silk Air has angled flat seats in business class, which was okay for a medium haul flights for Singapore to Thiruvananthapuram route.
As soon as I settled down, the flight attendant offered some pre-departure beverages. Then a selection of newspapers and magazines were offered. As for snacks, I was offered a plate of pretzels or mixed nuts. I chose the former.
SilkAir’s Business Class Inflight Dining Experience
Two hours into the journey, I was given a menu with a selection of western food or Indian food. Since I was flying to India and just had everything tuned into Indian mood, I chose the Indian menu.
Appetizer : Aloo Chat
Main course : Chicken Tikka Masala with Cauliflower, Pea Shukhi and Cumin Rice
Dessert : Gulab Jamun – Indian Sweet Milk Dumplings in Rosewater-Scented Syrup
Apart from those, business class passenger may choose the bread selection from bread kulcha, wholemeal roll, soft roll or garlic bread.
The menu for western food is penne pasta and ham salad (appetiser), baked fish with lemon & herbs in white wine cream sauce served with carrot, zucchini and potato (main) and seasonal fruits (dessert).
SilkAir Studio
While finishing my meals, I tried out the new wireless in-flight entertainment system, SilkAir Studio using the Lenovo tablet in the seat pocket. For the journey, I was using the Lenovo tablet instead of my brand new Sony Z5 Premium. But I tested the SilkAir Studio on my phone during the journey back from Kochi.
They have quite a selection of movies, short features, music and travel info.
The fact that you could use your own phone and tablets accessing the wireless in-flight entertainment system is convenient because you can adjust the screen to suit your position. Thumbs-up for SilkAir Studio. For the record, I watched Disney’s Indian version of fairy tale, Khobsurat.
On approach to Thiruvananthapuram after passing Medan, Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka.
A picture for the memory.
Overall experience with SilkAir was great because of the hospitality I experienced on board and the comfort on board. I even liked the environment of the first sector Kuala Lumpur to Singapore because of the ever-smiling, attentive flight attendants. Although it might not be the cheapest ticket for India, I would still think it’s the services that made the price worth.
Thank you, SilkAir for sponsoring my return flight to and from India for Kerala Blog Express.