Business class review: Singapore Airlines business class
This airline has a reputation for being one of the world’s best. Does it live up to expectations?
This airline has a reputation for being one of the world’s best. Does it live up to expectations?
Take a seat
There are 40 lie-flat business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. They have a winged-back design to provide some privacy and further head support. There’s a soft, warm blanket and pillow waiting for me on arrival but curiously no amenity kit. I later learn that passengers on flights of six hours or more have to request a kit, which includes lip balm, facial spray and hand cream. Two shelves under the large in-flight entertainment screen double as a foot rest and handbag or shoe stowage.
A small cabinet at shoulder level contains bottled water, headphones and slippers plus a charging port with sufficient space for a iPhone or iPad. At 71cm wide, the seat is generous, and stretches out to a full 2m in lie-flat mode. On a relatively short day flight, I didn’t make use of the bed but found the partially reclined seat perfectly comfortable for doing some work and movie watching.
That’s entertainment.
At almost 46cm, the entertainment screen is the same width as an economy class seat. There’s a tilt function for more comfortable viewing in a lie-flat position, and no shortage of new-release, foreign and Hollywood classic films, along with a good range of television shows and entire seasons. I opt for Past Lives after a couple of hours of work.
On the menu
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve champagne is popped as a pre-flight beverage, with Bellinis and orange juice also on offer. After takeoff, passengers can sip on a sweet Singapore Sling, Pikes Riesling or Louis Latour Burgundy served with warm mixed nuts while lunch orders are taken.
Options include a smoked salmon caesar salad for starters, followed by a choice of roasted lamb backstrap with smoked cauliflower puree; steamed chicken with spring onion sauce; braised snapper in garlic chilli sauce; or braised beef short ribs in red wine sauce. I go for the fish, and am not disappointed with the spicy chunks of firm snapper served with noodles and Asian greens.
The dessert selection includes rocky road ice cream, chocolate mocha tart, cheese and crackers or fresh fruit, all of which look delectable but I’m saving room for the pre-landing selection of dim sum.
Tech talk
The free wi-fi comes with a disclaimer that speeds can vary depending on the flight route. There are no obvious issues, even when flying over the Singapore Strait, in connecting my phone and laptop; they operate so smoothly I could be in the office. Economy passengers are charged $6 for an hour for connection, or $24.50 for the whole flight.
At your service
Cabin crew are polite and attentive without being cloying. Three crew members welcome me on board and advise on flight time before takeoff, and the hot towel service is bliss. Every interaction is coupled with the question “Is there anything else you need?”, and this all helps to take the experience from pleasant to premium.
In the bag
Up to 40kg of checked baggage is permitted for business class travellers, and two pieces of carry-on, weighing no more than 7kg each. Overhead locker space is plentiful and there is no weighing of luggage at the gate.
Make your points
Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program is popular among Australian travellers, and points can be transferred to the scheme from Virgin Australia’s Velocity. A KrisFlyer+ app is a relatively new innovation that allows members to use their points as currency at partner retailers in Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.
On the ground
The Brisbane lounge was closed for maintenance the day I travelled, with eligible passengers directed to the larger and perfectly lovely Air New Zealand lounge instead.
In the know
Singapore Airlines flies three times from Brisbane and offers more than 100 connections from Changi Airport to destinations in Asia, Europe, Britain, the US and Africa.
The bottom line
A one-way business class fare is $3022, based on airline website search departing three months from date of publication.
The verdict
This really is flying at its best. Great service, tasty well-presented meals, a broad selection of entertainment and a comfortable seat in business class. The “amenity kit on demand” is probably a model other airlines should follow to reduce all those tiny toiletries, fairly useless ear plugs and socks going into landfill.
Robyn Ironside was a guest of Singapore Airlines.
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