Flying the A380-800

I flew the Airbus A380-800 into Sydney this time (my previous trip was last October - 10 days before SQ put the first A380 into service). It was a great first experience, here's why:

Naturally, it's conceptually thrilling to be flying the most advanced (and largest) passenger aircraft in the world - all the more so, since as of yesterday there were only three A380s in service anywhere in the world (SQ just took delivery of its 4th a few days ago).

Intellectual thrills aside, compared to the 747-400, the ride is definitely more stable (larger wingspan, shorter fuselage), clearly feels way quieter (50% less cabin noise per literature), and actually less tiring since pressurized to a lower altitude (5,000 feet instead of 747's 8,000 feet). More importantly, the ride is greener - the A380 burns 17% less fuel per passenger than the 747 and also, can run on mixed synthetic jet fuel with a natural gas based component - as a frequent flier, this really feels good.

I boarded the upper deck straight from a jetway that attaches to the top level - eliminating the bag drag up the narrow stairs problem in the 747. 2/3 of the top deck is business class in SQ's 471 passenger version - I sat in towards the end of the section, which meant I was slightly behind the wing (see top photo). Seats are best in the industry - extremely nice and similar to the new SQ Business Class seats (also on some of their 777-300ERs including the Seoul - San Francisco route). There is a great demo at SQ's site. And the entertainment system is better, bigger, and has wider options - it kept me up most of the night.

The flight steward took me down the front stairs to the First Class (renamed Suites on SQ) area. Now these were nice - door shut, tandem dining, separate bed, and an even better entertainment section (I didn't sample the wines or food). There is talk now that Emirates upcoming first class version will have a shower as well.

You don't have to be an aeronautical engineer to enjoy the A380-800. I had a flight I will fondly remember for a while.

Dining in Singapore

I spent a couple of days in Singapore on this trip - and had some great meals. I tried the Fullerton Sunday Champagne Brunch with some colleagues. And then ate at a superb Chinese restaurant on Clarke's Quay with some very dear friends from the Bay Area, now settled in Singapore. And I tried the food-court type dining experience at the Grand Hyatt's Straits Kitchen.

The bottomline is this. The dining experience in Singapore is unique and unmatched around the world; for which there are a few reasons. First, the breadth of price options allows a Singapore diner to go from a safe and scrumptious $4.00 meal at a Hawkers Market all the way to upscale world class restaurants (even my India based friends no longer eat at the road-side stalls there). Second, the quality and breadth of food is deep and wide. I found the South Indian food better than in Chennai, the Chinese food just as good as in Shanghai or Beijing. And the Indonesian, Malaysian food unmatched anywhere else. By the way, two cuisines that don’t make this cut are Japanese and French. Still in the broader view, the breadth of available options - type, quality and price segment is absolutely unique in Singapore.

Hotel Service Levels in India

My experience with Indian hotels is pretty dismal when it comes to service. I stayed last week at the Meridien in Chennai and then in Pune, and at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. Room rates ($300 - $500) were at international levels, service unfortunately was far from it. I arrived at the check in desk in Chennai to find multiple available front desk clerks all diverting me instead three floors up to the executive level check in - totally unnecessary since I would have foregone the convenience of a sit-in chair for expediency.

Once there, the very servile receptionist sent me walking down a long corridor to the room. By the way for some of these palaces turned hotels this can be quite an ordeal since floors have uneven steps and are often finished in marble (marble has the lowest coefficient of drag in floor surfaces). I entered the room to find someone was already using it. Back again, and then apologizing profusely, he rekeyed me for the correct room - this time with a card swipe unit on the other side of the door that ran out of battery later that night and the door had to be broken open ! Similarly in Mumbai, the board room I reserved didn't have a separately controllable ac unit. The technical glitches could have been tolerable, but the clueless and totally helpless and dumbstruck attitudes of the service staff really made it bad.

In my meetings in the board room, the wait staff would come in and in a painfully slow ritual start pouring coffee into each cup - carefully moving fully around the table before going to fetch the milk/cream that once again was merry go rounded. Most of my attendees were severely distracted - which is a waste given the cost of the meeting in terms of total travel $/min of actual meeting. All this though was delivered with an unobtrusively quiet style, and everyone on staff was unbelievably pleasant and wishing to accommodate. One of my colleagues said it well - they are very helpful but it appears its everyone's first day at their job.

Which brings me to the point. To deliver good service you have to, to use an over used cliché, walk a mile in the other person's shoes (or at least try to visualize it). And this is where the whole system comes crashing down in India.

München im April

I was in Munich again last week. I find Munich International to be the best airport in Europe. Its brand new, designed with clean German lines, one of the lowest passenger per sq foot ratios for major airports, lowest average flight delays in Europe based on my experience (partly because of LH), 200% smoke-free, an easy access to the city – and what a beautiful and manageable one at that.

Here are my top five airports in the world: Changi / Singapore, Munich International, Kai Tak / Hong Kong, Incheon / Seoul and for personal reasons, San Francisco International.

Living in the SFO Bay Area

Every once in a while I come across a "You know you live in Silicon Valley if .." story. This week I came across two. First, we dined last night with some very close and dear friends at the Village Pub. Now here is a classic you know you live in Silicon Valley if restaurant. This is an excellent California (French) restaurant - and called a "pub". Its definitely high cuisine but located in a town of only 5,000 people. The ambience is very cushy and expensive and yet its totally welcoming and unpretentious. We had a great meal, and yet did it in a town that allows very few businesses inside it. You know you live in Silicon Valley if you go to a restaurant like this and don't even walk out saying what are the chances ....

The other story is from our dear friend at that dinner. Turns out his gardener came to him recently and pulled out few tattered napkins from his pocket. And unfolding them to share the writing, he explained he had come up with a startup idea. Would my friend care to invest in this new company ? While my friend was still coming to grips with the pitch, the gardener went on to explain, his other landscaping customer was Frank Quattrone, and Frank was already in. You know you live in the Silicon Valley, if even your gardener pitches you startup ventures, and namedrops without meaning to ...... only in the Bay Area !

Hotel Employee Rotation Programs

I believe the hotel employee rotation programs is one of the best innovations in personnel management in the hospitality industry. The Fairmont, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and many other chains have nailed it. Beyond the obvious motivational components for the employee, the other reason is simple. Every hotel location has regional attributes to the work culture. That's cute to observe for the vacationer, but not in the service levels of your hotel staff. Case in point, our recent visit to Hawaii. This was a work related trip for my wife, so we stayed at a conference-style hotel. I though was on vacation, and expected to be relaxed, served and waited. Alas, instead I found the service staff to be relaxed, forgetful and unhurried. Delays in food service, missing gaps in room service, and generally average menus were, as if, expected to be consumed along with a sleepy Aloha smile. Not so, for this writer, who has experienced otherwise on previous trips to Hawaii. My view is pay more per day, stay less number of days - and look for a hotel that makes the stay experience independent of local cultural nuances - and come back with an experience worth remembering for the rest of your life instead.

Hawaii in April

Sun, sand, plants, birds, fishes. And my kids. My wife had some work meetings. But the three boys made the most of it. Hawaii was great - as it has been every single time we have been there ! What is it about Hawaii that gives it this timeless elegance ? For us its a few key things. First, there is the natural beauty. The contrast between the lush green and volcanic black - the beauty in the subtle reminder of how nourishing and yet violent the earth can at once be. Then there is the climate, warm but not hot, a temperature dispersion of some ten degrees from summer to winter, morning to night, and no humidity whatsoever, thanks to the Pacific currents. And finally its in America. Don't get me wrong, as a family we travel all over the world, but with a five hour flight radius, and a US medical system, Hawaii is unbeatable as a destination when traveling with kids.