Singapore Airlines Suites
The 3+ hour flight in suites was enough to get a taste, but I will keep an eye out for award space on a long haul route to experience this first class product to the fullest. I’m especially curious to see how the comfort of the bed compares of that of the newly refurbished 777-300ER First class which I flew next and was super comfortable!
- Route: Hong Kong – Singapore
- Airline: Singapore Airlines
- Cabin: First Class Suites
- Aircraft: Airbus A380
- Points Used: 63,750 (this includes Singapore to Melbourne in first class+ A$257.5 tax (one way)
- Points required can be earned easily by signing up to this Amex deal
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites is regarded as one of the best first class experiences in the sky. On my way back to Australia from Europe, I had the opportunity to try it out after my Cathay Pacific first class flight from Paris to Hong Kong. (You can check out my review here). After spending 24h in Hong Kong catching up with friends and a relaxing stay at Conrad Hotel, I took the Express Train to the airport to sample the Singapore Airlines first class lounge before my departure to Singapore.
I booked this ticket using my American Express Membership Reward points (MR) and transferred them to Singapore’s KrisFlyer program at a 1:1 ratio. The total cost for my flight from HKG-SIN/SIN-MEL was only 63,750 KrisFlyer points (the price has since increased to 80,000 KrisFlyer miles but the taxes have lowered to AU$79 – still a bargain in my book!). Taxes for this flight were (Singapore) $257.50
Now if this isn’t enough reason to convince you to get my all time favourite credit card, Amex Explorer with 50,000 bonus points… I don’t know what is!
Singapore Airlines Hong Kong Check-in
As expected, there was no line at the Suites check-in counter in Hong Kong. Two minutes later I was on my way to immigration and security, golden ticket in hand.
Hong Kong Airport is really well run, and security/immigration is organised, but it would be great if there were some express paths for First and Business class passengers. At the moment you can enrol for frequent visitor status with your Frequent Flyer gold card (learn more about this in my Cathay Pacific review), but it’s no help because you need to enrol before your departure.
Keeping that in mind, allow yourself at least 20-30 mins from check-in to the lounge. Luckily the KrisFlyer lounge is located very near to the entry so once you’re through immigration, head down the escalator towards the gates and you will see the Singapore Airlines lounge.
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
The KrisFlyer lounge in Hong Kong Airport is a big business lounge which also has a first class section that can be accessed through a sliding door to the left after entering.
I found the first class lounge rather underwhelming and other than it being private and quiet; it was nothing special.
There was a small buffet section and sit down restaurant area with some a-la-carte food options available. Champagne on offer was Veuve, but you’d be better off saving your daily champagne allowance for the onboard Dom or Krug (or both) offering. There was also no separate shower facilities in the first class lounge so to use the bathroom; you needed to head back out into the business section.
Boarding Singapore Airlines A380 Suites
Boarding was called, and I headed to the gate to board the A380 from Hong Kong to Singapore. When boarding the Singapore A380, suites class have their own entry point at the nose of the plane. At the start of the bridge, I was greeted by one of the crew who escorted me to my seat.
Singapore Airlines First Class level is next level as always, and while walking to my seat, all the staff greeted me by name which was impressive as this was a full flight and all the suites were occupied.
After being offered magazines, newspaper, champagne and a lunch menu, I finally settled into my suite to take some pictures for this review!
Since this was a lunchtime flight and only takes just over 3h, I wasn’t offered any pyjamas or amenity kit. I’m sure that if I asked for it, they would have provided one but it felt like a waste considering I still had a nighttime flight lined up from Singapore to Melbourne.
The Singapore Airlines First Class Seat (Suite)
The Singapore Airlines A380 is the only aircraft operated with the Suites first class cabin. It’s fully enclosed mini suite with separate seat and bed (which needs to be folded down by the crew). Unlike the Emirates Suite, the doors need to be manually closed, and on my flight, they were showing their age – closing wasn’t exactly smooth.
The SQ suite provides you with a great level of privacy, and the doors are very high making it impossible for the crew to peek over the top. The windows on the suite doors are covered by a retractable curtain which is perforated at the bottom so you can peek through.
The seat itself has been refurbished a few years ago and has a classy dark brown leather diamond pattern which goes great with the faux wood panelling. The ottoman doubles as a second seat (even has its own seatbelt) so you can dine with your travelling companion.
Although this is still one of the greatest seats in the sky, it is feeling a little tired, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Singapore Airlines will be releasing in November!
Since the seat is not the bed in the suites class, it doesn’t go fully flat and is only suitable for lounging. When you’re ready for a nap, the crew will configure the bed which folds down and has a mattress topper for extra comfort.
The storage options on this seat are plentiful as you can imagine! There’s also a full-size power plug for charging devices on the go, 2 USB ports and even a network port (you never know right?) The TV screen which fixed into the wall has good viewing angles when seated upright but less so when you recline fully.
The Food
Singapore airlines have by far the best food options in their premium cabins and allow you to “Book the Cook” on certain flights.
This extends the available menu and gives you the option to pre-order one of your favourites before flying (lobster comes to mind!). Of course if on the day, you see something in the onboard menu that strikes your fancy, you can always swap.
On this lunchtime flight service, I had opted for the onboard menu which did not disappoint. To start, I had a cold plate of Iberico ham, figs, melon, apple and manchego cheese followed by the lamb loin which was surprisingly cooked to perfection and still pink in the middle (imagine that on Qantas!)
Conclusion
The 3+ hour flight in suites was enough to get a taste, but I will keep an eye out for award space on a long haul route to experience this first class product to the fullest. I’m especially curious to see how the comfort of the bed compares of that of the newly refurbished 777-300ER First class which I flew next and was super comfortable! (check out my review here).
Singapore Airlines once again didn’t disappoint, and I’m looking forward to my next first class experience this December when I will get a chance to review the new SIN-CPH route on the refurbished 777-300er on my way to Iceland!
Collecting KrisFlyer miles is very easy with the American Express Explorer credit card. You will earn 1.5KF (KrisFlyer) mile for every dollar spent + right now there’s a 100,000 bonus point offer on this credit card! You can learn more or apply here
