Today’s article is from TLFL writer Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds
This is part 2 of the Jason’s Article Singapore Airlines. You can find part one here.
SQ Lounge Singapore
SQ’s main hub at Changi is Terminal 3 although it still operates several flights from Terminal 2 also.
The lounges in T3 are all new-ish, the ones in T2 are yet to be refurbished. It is worth mentioning you CAN access the (IMHO) superior T3 lounges even if your flight is departing from T2, although you will need to allow plenty of time as they are an airside monorail ride apart.
We arrived at Terminal 3 from Melbourne and went to a hotel for a quick nine hours, and the next morning, our flight departed from T2.
Knowing that the lounges were far better in T3, we had our taxi drop us off there and went airside to use the T3 lounges.
The lounges are easy to find; just look out for the enormous walled artwork, which is a glass
installation of SQ’s batik motif behind the escalators up to the lounges. SQ offers four lounges in T3
all of which are next to each other; The Private Room, which is strictly for SQ First Class passengers,
a First Class Lounge for First Class passengers travelling other Star airlines as well as SQ top tier PPS
Solitaire members a Business Class lounge for SQ/Star Business class passengers only.
Finally, there is a separate ‘Silverkris Gold’ lounge, which is for frequent flyers with Star Gold status and
these lounges are recognised as being a notch down from the business class lounges. It is interesting
how different airlines treat their Star Gold frequent flyers, with Lufthansa, for example, granting Star
Gold members to Senator Lounges, which are a step UP from their regular business class lounges.
The business class lounge is enormous, as you would expect for an airline’s home hub especially one
whose biggest market is in transit passengers. It does get fairly busy but it is so large that it never felt
overcrowded. There are a variety of seating areas with varying seating arrangements, from solo pods
to sofas accommodating larger groups and stools at work bars.
The food selection is enormous, and almost all self-service is from a buffet, along with some freshly
made items such as noodles. It caters for every cuisine out there, with Western, pan-Asian and Indian options available. Of course, there is a staffed bar where barista coffee is also available. There is
also quite a large, quiet room where there are recliner-style day beds in a darkened room, along with
pillows, blankets, sleep masks and ear plugs.
Just over an hour before our flight to Bangkok was due to depart, we took the monorail over to T2.
There is also a scaled-down SilverKris Business Lounge in this terminal, although it is still very much in
the old aesthetic of rows of brown leather sofa’s facing one another, although the food options are
still good, and you can definitely still have a decent meal if you are pressed for time.
Boarding
As anyone who has been to Changi would know, the airport has security at each gate instead of a centralised facility which has its pros and cons. Boarding started on time at 8:55 am, and mirroring the flight from Melbourne, we were given a very warm welcome by the crew and shown to our seats, which were the middle pair on the last row. The crew member used my name, introduced herself, gave our flight time (1hr55min) and pointed out the nearest washroom. Already at our seat was a blanket, pillow, menu, bottle of water and noise-cancelling headphones.
SQ only operates the -10 variant of the 787 and applies the ‘regional’ moniker to the product. Although they typically ply these aircraft on routes around Asia it also pops up on some further afield destinations in Australia and similar flight durations. All I can say is that if you do see your flight is on a longer flight you are taking, do not be put off. Nothing feels ‘regional’ about this seat. It is the same seat that Turkish Airlines has on their 787-9’s and feels very much like a ‘long haul’ product.
The crew passed through the cabin with pre-departure drinks, which were limited to orange or apple juice. Hot towels were also passed out. SQ offers its ‘book the cook’ service even on these short sectors, and it is incredible to pre-order from a selection of around twenty options on such a short flight.
We pushed back at 9:35 am and were airborne 25 minutes later.
The 787-10 seat
SQ chose the ‘Stelia Symphony’ seat for their 787-10s; there are nine rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, making a total seat count of 36. Unlike the airlines A380’s and 777’s, where the seats are all more or
less the same, the 787-10 has a staggered layout. The solo window seats alternate between being
closer to the window or closer to the aisle, and the middle pairs alternate between having the
console in between the seats or having the console on the aisle side of each seat (making so-called
‘honeymoon’ seats). The honeymoon seats are ideal for two people travelling together, not so much
when you don’t know your seatmate. Fer and I had selected the honeymoon seats on the last row of
the cabin.
Thanks to the extensive shell around each seat, they all offer a large degree of privacy. There is a
a little cupboard that can fit a few bits and pieces like a phone, specs, etc, at shoulder level and this
little cubby also contains two USB ports as well as a universal plug.
Inflight
As expected on a flight of this length, breakfast was served on a tray with all courses at the same time. The tray consisted of some fresh fruit and a pot of yoghurt, along with a selection of pastries and/or bread from the basket. The main was presented at the same time. I liked that jam was offered separately instead of placed on every tray, as there is just so much waste in airline catering. Water was once again automatically poured, and I was offered tea, coffee, or juice. I asked for coffee, although it was cold. When the crew came to collect the trays, I asked if they had an espresso machine on board (they did), so I had an espresso.
The crew were again very friendly, chatty, and hard-working. One took the opportunity to ask me
how my breakfast was while I was waiting for the loo. The captain made the prepare for arrival PA thirty minutes before landing, and we were on stand at exactly 11 am, bang on time.
Inflight entertainment/wifi
The inflight entertainment system was very similar to the A380 on the flight up from Melbourne and could be controlled from the handheld remote or the touch screen. The aircraft was Wi-Fi equipped, and again, this was complimentary to anyone with a Krisflyer account and worked seamlessly the entire two-ish hour journey.
Final thoughts on SQ
SQ undoubtedly offers an excellent product. I wouldn’t say it is AMAZING in any one aspect but consistently VERY GOOD in nearly all. From the website to the various customisation options in the app, check-in, on-time performance, food and beverage, inflight service, IFE, and lounges. There was no real weak link in the product compared to some airlines, which have certain aspects that are amazing and then others, which are a let-down. The service felt very friendly, relaxed, and natural and not robotic or forced at all, which are two words sometimes used in SQ reviews.
On long-haul routes, they are definitely at the top of the league, but it is the shorter regional routes where they really shine. Saying that, the regional competition is fierce with many of SQ’s Asian competitors also operating flatbed-equipped widebodies between cities in the region. It is interesting how the Asian sector differs from the intra-European aviation scene, with there being a very distinct product difference between ‘legacy’ and ‘low cost’ airlines, with many of the legacy airlines still able to command a significant premium demand (and price!).
SQ probably relies more than anything on the reputation of its inflight service to sell its product. It features the ‘Singapore Girl’ predominantly in all its advertising and marketing, which is a clever strategy as any airline can copy (or better) your seats or food but not your service DNA. In particular, SQ is known for its consistency in service, and its crew undergo one of the longest initial training courses in the industry at four months. There is a heavy focus on customer service and how to interact with customers with the training program even instructing the crew to use specific phrases in certain situations. Depending on your view and the kind of service you like, this can be great, or it can have a downside. The downside being that this style of service may appear a little robotic or not so genuine.
So, how did I find the service? Very good but not as consistent as I thought it would be. But that also had a positive aspect for me personally, too, as I found the crew to be a lot more relaxed and less robotic than I had expected. Every crew member we interacted with was really pleasant, intuitive, and natural and I got the vibe they were all on the same page, which created a nice environment in the cabin. It can be so obvious on a flight when there is tension between the crew members themselves, which then often filters down to the customer experience.
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