Thanks for the info Britski99!

Especially the stuff about non-asian airlines having agencies doing their check-ins seems to be what I've observed as well!

Dress code shouldn't be a problem for me since I wear business suit and tie most of the time when I'm non-reving!

Fortunately my own airline has now increased the frequency to SIN from 3 to 6 weekly flights so next time I go there I hope I can fly with them both ways!