DELAY PT 1 - Singapore Airlines flight SQ32 from Singapore to San Francisco

A short clip documenting the delayed experience on SQ32 from Singapore to San Francisco on Wednesday, 05/28/2025.

I flew 9V-SMV on SQ32 back in January 2023 and little did I know SMV was going to be my ride again. Around 9:15AM we were ready to depart for SFO, but the captain told us there was an issue with the cargo doors, which the actuator had a leak. They told us it could either be a quick fix or a swap to a new aircraft and gate. It's the same analogy, if your car has a leak, it often takes hours to repair the leak, so I knew the worst case would happen. We hung out till around 10AM as the captain came with updates on a new aircraft at gate A1 (which would be 9V-SJB) and it'd have to be towed to gate A12 and swapped, because it needed a 1 hour of cleanup hence SMV is unacceptable to get deployed to SFO. As a consequence our flight was delayed till 12PM, and the ground staff had to come onboard to disembark the aircraft and take us to the new gate. Basically, in other words, SMV decided "Maybe not this time for you, I got one of my ULH birds SJ* to take you to SFO".

More than anything else, the delay was handled smoothly with grace. I know for some it's stressful, but surprisingly I didn't feel stressed. I give a lot of credit to SIA for not just their apologies, but their token of a snack set from them and also the ground staff for handling and guiding us gracefully. Also, a delay was far better than any other incident, so I'm grateful Singapore Airlines as always prioritizes safety, so I'm thankful that they got me back safely.

Flight Details:

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A350-941 XWB
Registration: 9V-SMV (5.9 years as of May 2025)
Livery: Normal
Wifi: Yes (Panasonic Wifi)

Departure City: Singapore Changi International Airport T3 (SIN)
Gate: A15
Departure Time: 9:15AM (Original)
Departure Date: 05/28/2025

Arrival City: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Gate: TBD
Arrival Time: 9:40AM (Original)
Arrival Date: 05/28/2025

Seat: 53A