Hi Frugalistas! The last time I published a review of Singapore Airlines I asked my husband to provide a tall man’s view of Singapore Airlines Business Class. This time I’m back with my Singapore Airlines Business Class Review. On this trip we travelled Singapore Airlines Business Class A380 Sydney to Singapore, Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Singapore to Frankfurt, Singapore Airlines Business Class A380 Rome to Singapore and finally Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class Singapore to Sydney.
Table of Contents
Singapore Airlines Business Class on the ground
Check in was fast and efficient, and we were pleased to see the new premium security lanes open – a flash of our Singapore Airlines Business Class boarding pass and we were on our way.
Since we had last flown overseas from Kingsford Smith Airport new Xray screening facilities had been opened – no more emptying of liquids and laptops, meant queues moved very quickly. Fortunately it was also not very busy and we were through in less than 10 minutes and on our way to the Singapore Airlines Business Lounge, Sydney.
We happened to be booked on the same flight as we were last year, so again it was lunch time. A range of western and Asian lunch options and plenty of drink choices greeted us. A glass of NZ sparkling and a light lunch went down well. For those who needed their last cup of Australian coffee, the barista was kept busy. Despite the lounge being quite busy, it remained quiet. The only downside was the rush for the limited number of ladies’ loos when it was time to board.
We transited in Singapore twice. We had a very quick transit time on the way over, so only had time to change terminals and head to the departure lounge. In a way I was relieved to not have to battle the crowded, stuffy and noisy Business Class lounge at that time of night. On the way back we had a longer layover so did venture into the lounge – while it was busy we were able to easily find a comfortable place to sit. There were loads of different food options including some very appetising dim sum and noodle dishes, but having eaten our way around France and Italy for the previous month, I passed, and stuck to some nice cold water.
We flew back to Australia from Rome. There was no queue at the Singapore Airlines Rome Business Class check in, and we were immediately greeted by the hovering ground supervisor – unfortunately the tray table on one of our seats was faulty. They were trying to get it fixed, but had reserved us two different seats in the event they couldn’t. Rather than being side by side, they were window seats one behind the other so we could still sit together – would that be acceptable to us? Our boarding passes for the window seats were given, with a promise that should the faulty table be repaired, we would have new boarding passes for our original seats given at the gate.
I was impressed with the care and attention offered to us. In my experience on other airlines, faulty seats/tray tables necessitating a change of seat were done with no discussion or explanation until we boarded (as experienced by MissG on our Etihad flights in 2019).
In Rome the Singapore Airlines lounge was a shared lounge with other Star Alliance airline partners. With a morning flight and a number of flights leaving for the US the lounge was busy. We were able to find seats near the window overlooking runway. There were a range of hot and cold food options and a barista making coffee to order. I didn’t eat much but the coffee was good (as expected in Italy). There seemed to be a real lack of staff so tables were left uncleared for ages, and the lounge had a general sense of noise and untidiness. It made the Singapore Business Class Lounge seem luxurious in comparis.
Singapore Airlines Business Class in flight
Singapore Airlines Business Class Seat
We flew on three different planes on the four flights we had on this trip:
- Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Sydney to Singapore, and Rome to Singapore
- Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Singapore to Frankfurt
- Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class Singapore to Sydney
And yes, they all have different seats…….
The Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class seat is very wide, but fiddly and a bit limited in its settings. The seat only reclines around 25% electronically, which is OK, but not really enough to truly relax back. The only other setting is to fully recline the seat, which is achieved by flipping the back of the seat over. There’s a bit of an art to doing it, and despite having flown on the 777 before, I struggled with it. Fortunately the flight attendants were alert to the issue and were quick to assist, and help set up the mattress padding and pillows. Having a seat cushion and then a bigger pillow certainly was appreciated.
On the 777 middle seats have very solid partitions that block visibility and hearing of those travelling together – perfect for individual travellers who find themselves stuck in a middle seat, but not great for those travelling together. The middle seating on the A380 was far better with its movable partition – it was almost like sitting on a two seater.
Even though it was narrower, I found the A380 seat far more comfortable with its fully adjustable seat. On the leg from Rome to Singapore, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of having the window seat – it seemed more spacious than the centre seats due to the window side shelving. And I slept a solid 7hrs straight – almost unheard of for me.
The seat on the A350 is fairly narrow, but very comfortable. For a daytime flight like ours it was very good, with everything you need close at hand.
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All our seats had plenty of storage and the way the seats were laid out meant that we didn’t need to use the overhead lockers, which meant traffic flowed quickly when it was time to get off.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Menu
On this flight I tended to stick to Western food, despite the wide range of Asian dishes available. I’d tried a range of eastern dishes last time, and thought it was an opportunity to try something different. The exception was the snack/light meal service where I enjoyed Asian classics such as nasi lemak and Singaporean carrot cake (which was actually savoury and delicious).
I chose a mixture of dishes from both the “normal” and Book the Cook menus. Like Mr Frugalfirstclass I enjoyed Matt Moran’s duck with gastrique on the Sydney to Singapore leg – and just like him I don’t really know what makes a sauce a gastrique either.
Slightly less successful was the duck confit with lentils I ordered on the return Singapore to Sydney leg. The duck confit was beautifully cooked with a nice, crispy skin, but the lentils were remarkably bland and a bit watery. It was a shame, because the duck was excellent.
On two separate legs I enjoyed an entrée (appetizer) of a deconstructed tuna niçoise. It was fresh and light. Singapore Airlines signature satays were very mild in flavour, but comforting and delicious.
As you would expect on an airline which has won awards for its wine list, wines were well chosen and delicious. A good mixture of new and old world choices, including some wonderful Bordeaux options.
An extensive range of spirits and different cocktails were available. My pour on the cognac was generous, and my signature Silver Kris Sling cocktail was tasty.
Barista coffee and fancy teas were also available.
Snacks were limited to cup noodles, chips, nuts etc, but there was so much food at meal time I didn’t try them.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Inflight Entertainment
There was a wide range of films and television, although no live TV options. I usually look forward to catching up on first release movies I had missed (which is pretty much all of them….) but nothing I was hanging out for seemed to be available so I ended up watching a French film about two women going to the Greek Islands – it was an unexpected joy. Then I watched a whole heap of trashy TV that I normally pass on at home, before death scrolling on social media with the free wifi.
Screens on all entertainment systems were generous and the system was easy to use. Wifi was very easy to log into and had good connectivity and speed on all our flights.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Service
We were used to the somewhat chaotic boarding processes that Singapore Airlines seem to utilise so we were disappointed, but not surprised, to see them again, and to be pleasantly surprised when things seemed to go more smoothly – maybe it was also because we knew how to wrangle the process better.
Singapore Airlines service really is excellent. Our flight attendants were professional, attentive and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble, and everything was done with a smile. I loved how they hovered and anticipated assistance would be required with the seats on the 777. The cabin and its facilities were kept spotlessly clean.
Singapore Airlines provides amenities either upon request or in the bathrooms. Socks and slippers are provided with bedding, and the bathroom had toothpaste and tooth brushes, and shaving requirements in one of its drawers. Other things were available upon request. The socks and slippers were fine for my size 10 feet and the toothbrush and toothpaste was generous and good quality.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Review – final thoughts
I do like Singapore Airlines. While I don’t think it has the high end luxury of Qatar’s Business Class (especially the Q suites), it is generally comfortable and the food and service is exceptional. I liked how they managed the situation with the broken tray table attentively and reassuringly. Now, if only they could make the Singapore Business Class Lounge bigger, and get rid of those clunky 777 seats………
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Author’s note: we paid for our own flights on this trip