Painless if you know what you are in for.
Being forewarned of some of the quirks my help ease your entry into SQ.
Here are a few,
Days Off - you get 2 per week however they only appear on your roster after trips of 5 days or more, otherwise they are blank. If you have 3 blank days you could be assigned to fly on any one of them, if this is a long trip your roster will be out the window. At the moment if you have more than 3 days you’ll be assigned standby.
Crewing is one of the reasons you have to ask for permission to leave Singapore on your days off.
A roster day off is from midnight to midnight, i.e. you often start a duty just after midnight following a day off.
Roster - The “bidding” system allows 12 points per year, 1 point per month. A minimum of 3 points for a Trip. 1 point for a day off max 2 in a row.
3P flights - SQ operate some longer flights with 3 Pilots, 1 Captain and 2 FO’s. Problem for the Captain is that the FO’s are not certified to provide in-flight relief for the Commander.
Paxing - EY upgradable to J and 1st. J Class is mostly full (airline is doing well) and 1st is not available on all flights. At the moment we have whole crews paxing all over, saving Hotac and crew days. Paxing will not always be on the direct flight, paxing through another station improves their standby coverage. LAX TPE SIN is a great flight in EY. This area is a mystery to all.