Airline review: Business class with 2023’s ‘world’s best airline’

The flight

Singapore Airlines SQ231, Singapore to Sydney, Airbus A380-800, upstairs in seat 97K, business class. Departure at 12.45am, with a flight time of seven hours, 40 minutes. Singapore Airlines flies this route four times daily.

A spectacular experience: Singapore Airlines’ business class on an Airbus A380 superjumbo.

The loyalty scheme

KrisFlyer rewards – travellers can earn and redeem points on flights and at restaurants, shops, attractions and more.

Carbon emissions

In business, it’s 1.36 tonnes for one passenger; in economy it’s 470kg. The airline runs a voluntary carbon offset program.

Check-in

It almost seems a shame to skip the luxury of a business class check-in counter when you’re enjoying the rarefied air at the pointy end. However, I’m only travelling with carry-on, which means I can check in online and go straight to passport control.

The seat

Central seats have fully adjustable dividers, and in some rows, they can be turned into double beds.

The 78 business class seats are arranged in 1-2-1 configuration. Central seats have fully adjustable dividers, and in rows 11, 91 and 96 they can even be turned into double beds. All seats have lie-flat beds, stowage compartments for all carry-on luggage, as well as two USB sockets and a universal power point. Seat pitch is 55 inches (140 centimetres), compared to 32 inches in economy, and a width of 30 inches (76 centimetres), compared to 19 inches in economy.

Baggage

This is business class, so I could pack up my entire apartment and bring it with me. Passengers are allowed 40 kilograms of checked luggage, plus two pieces of hand luggage up to seven kilograms each.

Entertainment

Singapore’s business seats all have 18-inch HD touchscreens, which display 1800-plus entertainment options on KrisWorld, with noise-cancelling headphones. On this flight I’m watching Everything Everywhere All at Once, which, at 2am and after a few visits from the drinks trolley, is absolutely baffling. There’s also free onboard Wi-Fi.

Service

Singapore Airlines has a reputation as a world leader in onboard service, and it really is spectacular. Staff are smooth and professional, anticipating your every desire before you’ve even formulated it. Top notch.

Food

Singapore offers business class passengers the chance to “Book the Cook” – that is, select a specialty meal online before you fly – and for someone who loves food, the FOMO is intense. There are iconic dishes here from some of Singapore’s best-loved restaurants, as well as menus designed by some of the world’s finest chefs (including Australia’s Matt Moran). Seriously, there are more than 40 dishes to choose from, and I’ve only got one meal to eat.

One more thing

Ah, no. I’m going back to the food. You’ve got Singaporean cuisine here, Malay, Indian, pan-Asian and Western. You can order the Hainanese chicken rice from legendary restaurant Boon Tong Kee. You can have the prawn mee from Beach Road Prawn Noodle House. I’ve ordered the soy sauce chicken noodles from Chew Kee, which I’m going to have for breakfast, because why not?

The verdict

There’s only one downside to this flight, and that’s the timing. With a 12.45am departure and 7.5 hours in the air, you don’t get much chance to really enjoy the luxuries of business class. Even sleep time is curtailed. And that’s a shame because this is a spectacular experience delivered by one of the world’s best (indeed, Singapore Airlines was named the world’s best in this year’s World Airline Awards).

Our rating out of five

★★★★1/2

The writer travelled as a guest of Singapore Airlines.