Satellite TV and a Restaurant in the Sky
Written: May 27 '05 (Updated Jun 04 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent Entertainment Choices and Food Selections
Cons: Expect Premium Prices for Food, Cramped Seating, Limited Destinations
The Bottom Line: Song caters to people who want to watch T.V., eat above average food, drink above average drinks, and are willing to pay for the privilege.
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| hkwrites's Full Review: Song Airlines |
Despite public perception, Song is not simply Delta’s discount offspring. Instead, think of it as a boutique airline for people who want choices and are willing to pay for them. The design, colors, tech entertainment system and items for sale look as though they are intended to appeal to a young, fun, tech-savvy, health-oriented consumer.
My discovery of Song airlines from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to New York’s La Guardia Airport was a bright spot in a travel odyssey of four states in a week and a half.
Appearance/Comfort
Strange but true, Song’s plane exteriors are lime green. They look right at home in Fort Lauderdale amidst the cruise ship logo planes and vacation carriers. Inside, the lime green is joined by purple and orange on the sides of the seats. My preschooler immediately demanded a purple one. Fortunately, the purple seats happen to be the middle seats. The seats are small and there is some kind of mechanical box which limits legroom and under-seat storage space on the aisle seats. Also, if the person in front of you leans the seat back, it becomes even more cramped.
It’s obvious that this wasn’t the aircraft's original paint job. In fact, the bulkhead walls reminded me of the popular shows where a design s.w.a.t. team descends on a property that’s been on the market too long, gives it a relatively inexpensive design makeover (as compared to the price of a full renovation), and then puts it back on the market. All in all, however, the makeover worked and the colors feel decidedly un-corporate, which is a good thing.
Friendliness of Gate and Flight Crew
The two female gate agents were friendly to passengers. They were making each other laugh and seemed genuinely happy to be there. The flight attendants were friendly and attentive as well. Without my having to ask, an older male flight attendant provided my preschooler with a packet with a “passport” and a sticker of airplane wings. The crew remained pleasant and helpful for the duration of the flight.
Entertainment
Let’s face it, airplanes are boring. The constant drone of the engine, long hours in a seat, and maybe a movie or television show that someone else picked do not spell fun for me. Add a preschooler to the mix and it’s a recipe for high blood pressure. Song helps out quite a bit in the entertainment department. Every seat has an innovative touch screen television with 24 Channels of television and audio programming from the Dish Network. This system is convenient for travelers who bring laptops on board solely to play DVDs.
The entertainment began at about the same time in the flight where the captain allows the use of handheld electronic devices, and ends at about the same time the crew instructs us to stow those handheld devices.
Television choices include: NBC, Fox News Networks, CNN, Discovery, Cartoon Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN News, CNBC, E!, TCM, The History Channel, Animal Planet, Food Network, MSNBC, HGTV, TLC, Travel, The Weather Channel, BET, Court TV, BBC America and A&E. It was great to be able to watch the news since airplane passengers are usually in limbo about the outside world until we land. It was, however, exceedingly unnerving to watch a Cessna fly over the White House and see Congress evacuated while airborne. (Yeah, I flew that day.)
Passengers can create their own audio jukebox from the available CD choices much like an mp3 player. Granted, it’s a limited song selection, but it's passable. Audio choices include: Fun Zone, Encore! Encore!, Swing Song, Sound Collage, Song del Mundo, The A-list, Urban Legends, Alternative Song, American Song, Retro Song 60's & 70's, Retro Song 80's & 90's. It would have been nice to have spoken word audio like an interview or inspirational speaker. It would also have been nice to have children’s programming with the actual Disney Princesses and characters singing their theme songs instead of pop singers. Be that as it may, we got through our flight with the Cartoon Network and skipped the audio.
If you’re really bored, there’s an interactive trivia game where you can compete with other passengers.
Food and Beverages
Reviewer after reviewer has complained that Song charges for food. I take a different view. In stark comparison to the Delta flagship, which served a barrage of partially-hydrogenated, empty-calorie snacks, Song claims that their airline is “rated the only service with healthy offerings for breakfast, lunch and dinner by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.”
I give credit to any corporation that makes an effort to help keep me healthy, and Song’s gourmet and organic menu choices are especially appealing. The premium prices are similar to what you would expect at the airport or hotel, or even a movie theater for that matter. Coca Cola products, juice, milk, coffee and tea are free. As a frequent Southwest Airlines flyer, I’ve been trained to bring my own food and didn’t order anything, but the next time I fly Song I expect to take advantage of the vittles.
Since the food prices seem to get everyone worked up, you might as well know what you’re getting (uh, buying) beforehand. I could have described it for you, but then you’d miss what the fine Song menu copywriters have to say. All menu descriptions are from the Song website https://www.songdeli.com/Default.aspx, which also can be accessed through the main page www.flysong.com.
-------------- Song Menu ------------------
Breakfast—served on flights departing before 9:30 am
Coffee Cake Muffin $3: Spiked with cinnamon and crunchy pecans
Stonyfield Farms Yogurt and Natursource Granola $3: Mountain Crunch Granola and yogurt
Breakfast Sandwich $6: Asiago bagel with apple butter, cream cheese, Granny Smith apple & smoked turkey
Lunch & later—served on flights departing after 9:30am
Veggie Sandwich $8: Piled high with oven roasted tomato, eggplant and mozzarella
California Chicken Salad $8: Chicken with goat cheese with asparagus, grape tomatoes & pine nuts on mesculun greens, served with Newman’s Own balsamic vinaigrette
Grilled Chicken Sourdough Wrap $8: A grilled chicken wrap with broccoli slaw, tomato, lettuce, swiss cheese and horseradish mustard
Finger food—served all day
Fruit and Cheese Snack $5: Granny Smith apple wedges, grapes, strawberry, dried apricots, cheddar and camembert cheeses, served with Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat Crackers
At the Cinema $5: While you’re watching a movie from our film library, enjoy some Boston’s popcorn and Raisinettes.
Song Picnic $5: Spread out your airplane blanket and enjoy Nabisco Wheat Thins, Rondele Peppercorn Parmesan cheese, Rondele Garden Vegetable, and Toblerone.
Olé Feast $5: Translated into English, it means Tostitos Tortilla Chips and Salsa, Funacho Cheese Dip and Hot Tamales.
Tyke Bites $5: Nabisco Teddy Grahams, Fruit Leathers, Goldfish Crackers and Earth’s Best Organic Applesauce
Odwalla Super Protein™ Bar $3
Natursource Unwind Trail Mix $2
Pringles $2
M&M's$2
Newman’s Own Chocolate Bar $2
Twizzlers $2
Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies $2
Cocktails, beer & wine for purchase
Signature Cocktails$5:
Song Cosmo: Finlandia Vodka and cranapple, shaken and served with a slice of lime
Finlandia Super Dry: Finlandia Vodka, shaken over ice
Song Appletini: Finlandia Vodka, Dekyper Sour, Apple Pucker, shaken or stirred
Upgrade your martini with Grey Goose premium vodka or Bombay Sapphire gin for just $2 more.
No-Carb Cocktail: Bacardi Rum and Diet Coke with Lime
Premium Spirits $7: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Grey Goose Vodka
Spirits $5: Bacardi Rum, Bailey's Irish Cream, Crown Royal Whiskey,
Dewar's Scotch Whiskey, Finlandia Vodka, Jack Daniel's Whiskey,
Tanqueray Gin, Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Beer $4 domestics, $5 imports: Miller Lite, Miller MGD, Amstel Light, Heineken
Wine $5: Bonterra Cabernet, Bonterra Chardonnay
Champagne $6: Korbel Champagne
-------------- End of Menu ------------------
Hey, wait a minute. Is this an airplane or a restaurant? Is it an upscale bar? No wonder they’re not giving it away.
Timeliness
Our flight was 2/3 full. We had an on-time departure, the captain made great time and we arrived early at our destination.
Price
We used Delta points to pay for this flight, so this ticket didn’t have an exact dollar figure. However, a quick check of round trip prices on Orbitz.com revealed Song Airlines (listed with the Delta logo with service on Song Airlines) prices to be within $20.00 USD of other U.S. carriers including U.S. Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines. Continental Airlines, however, was close to double the price. United and Northwest were not listed. Southwest (which does not charge an add-on fee to change your flight)flies this routing as ATA, so it was difficult to ascertain a comparative price on their website.
There’s one more fact to consider about the food prices. Song gives every passenger free earbud headsets for the in-flight entertainment, but the Delta flagship flights charge passengers $2 for a headset. A candy bar on Song costs $2. Coincidence? I think not.
”In-Flight Wellness”
The flight attendants didn’t announce it, but believe it or not, Song offers an in-flight exercise kit for $8. It consists of “a padded band and ball for stretching and resistance exercises plus an easy-to-follow guide.” Honestly, I don’t know how they expect anyone to do a stretching routine when you can barely move in the seat, but it’s available at www.flysong.com. I hope it won’t make any passengers sweaty, especially the ones sitting next to me.
Join the Song Craze
The song website offers a dazzling array of items to hype the airline. They range from a bright green inflatable neck rest to designer notepads by Kate Spade to logo martini shakers and glasses. There’s also t-shirts, a mousepad, a retractable ID holder, airplane replica and kids airplane toy, all with the Song logo. See them all at www.flysong.com.
Final Thoughts
Song provides extraordinary entertainment and dining choices to their passengers that aren’t available with other US-based carriers, even if the food is at premium prices. I would fly Song again, I would pay for the high quality food, and I look forward to seeing my home city added to their flight plans.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hkwrites
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Member: Holly K
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 8 members
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