Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class on the A350-900
Singapore Airlines A350-900 Business Class
A+C Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Flight Details
In June 2023, we flew Singapore Airlines from Singapore (SIN) to Seattle (SEA) on SQ 28. The flight was scheduled to depart Singapore at 9am and arrive the same day in Seattle at 8:45am. We flew on an A350-900 on this 14 hour and 45 minute flight across the Pacific.
Ground Experience
Check In
Singapore Airlines operates most flights out of Terminal 3 at SIN and has a plethora of check in counters available. We were able to quickly check in and obtain our boarding passes. Unlike most airports around the world, security in SIN is done at the gate, meaning you will be airside minutes after checking in and clearing immigration!
Lounge
Singapore Airlines has several two lounges in Terminal 3, the SilverKris Lounge and SilverKris Gold Lounge. Entry to the SilverKris Gold Lounge is permitted for KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold customers flying on a Star Alliance flight, regardless of class, while entry to the SilverKris Lounge is permitted for those flying in business or first class. The SilverKris lounge also has a dedicated first class section of the lounge as well as the Private Room, an area exclusively for those flying Singapore Airlines First Class or Suites.
These lounges are all newly renovated since the pandemic and they look fantastic. The SilverKris Lounge has a ton of seating, several food and drink stations, and a dedicated coffee and tea area. There is also a self service alcohol area and the lounge offers Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Champagne.
Overall this is an excellent lounge that I greatly enjoy visiting. Make sure to account for travel time to your gate along with security screening which is done at the gate.
Onboard Experience
Cabin
The Singapore Airlines business class cabin onboard this Airbus A350-900 featured 42 seats in a 1-2-1 seat configuration split across two cabins.
Singapore Airlines A350-900 Cabin Configuration: Credit: aerolopa.com
All seats face forward, are lie flat, and have direct aisle access.
Those traveling solo will want to opt for a window seat (A or K) for maximum privacy. The configuration is not staggered, so all window seats are equivalent aside from the bulkhead which have a larger foot area. The middle seats are best for couples traveling together, although there is a divider in case you do not know your seat mate. On this flight, we sat in the two middle seats, 12D and 12F, directly behind the bulkhead seats in the front cabin.
Singapore Airlines A350-900 Business Class Cabin
Seat
The business class seat is extremely wide and very spacious compared to most business class seats. I found there to be a good amount of storage and had no issues using the cubbies to store items throughout the flight.
Rather than use a reverse herringbone or staggered seating style, each seat is directly behind the other. In order for this design to work, the footwell must be angled, which naturally forces you to angle towards it. This causes the seat to feel more like a reverse herringbone design, but with a larger seat, making it a semi controversial seat design. Personally I enjoy the seat, but I can understand why some may find it less comfortable than others. The best seats are those in the bulkhead as they do not have the angled footwell. Unfortunately, they are difficult to snag unless you hold a high level KrisFlyer elite status.
The only other oddity of the seat is the tray table location. It is located in the perfect spot for you to accidentally press it when shifting around in your seat which can be a disaster if you have a drink in the same area. I did accidentally press it a few times, but luckily there were no glasses nearby.
Amenities
There was a pillow, slippers, and socks on our seat when we boarded. The bedding, including a blanket and more pillows, were located behind the seat. Unfortunately, pajamas are not provided for business class passengers, so bring your own comfortable clothing if you plan to sleep.
Amenity kits were not found at our seat or distributed to everyone by the crew, instead they were offered on request. We requested them shortly after boarding and the crew quickly brought them to us afterwards.
The Penhaligon’s branded amenity kit is a small pouch that includes a few Penhaligon’s products. While Singapore Airlines does provide other amenities in the lavatory, the provided amenity kit is quite small and unfortunately this is one area where I find Singapore Airlines falls short compared to other top tier airlines.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Penhaligon’s Amenity Kit Contents
However, I do appreciate they they provide one, given that previously this was not something that Singapore Airlines provided for business class.
The crew also came around before takeoff to offer welcome drinks. Given how early the flight was, I opted for orange juice.
Food
Singapore Airlines is probably most known for their Book the Cook service where you can pre-order a meal in advance that will be catered on the flight just for you. These items differ from the standard in-flight menu, so it is well worth browsing through the menu in advance. One popular dish that you will hear a lot about is the Lobster Thermidor. Their Book the Cook menu has a huge selection of meals when flying from Singapore, so make sure to check out menu and make your selection at least 24 hours prior to your flight.
Physical menus are also provided to business class passengers.
Singapore Airlines serves Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve on this route, a step up from what they serve in the business class lounge. In addition to the normal meal services, Singapore Airlines also offers food throughout the flight from the refreshment menu.
For the first meal service, I preordered the Beef Steak and Adrienne preordered the Chicken Rice. The meal service began with an appetizer, Smoked Duck Breast with Pineapple and Apricot Compete. It was quite pleasant and a nice way to kick off the meal service.
Smoked Duck Breast with Pineapple and Apricot Compete
Our main course arrived shortly after with our Book the Cook items. Singapore Airlines offers a selection of bread as well, including an amazing garlic bread that I strongly recommend.
Book the Cook Beef Steak
To finish, I had some fresh fruit which rounded out the meal service nicely.
For the second meal service, we preordered the same thing as the first meal, but our choices were flipped, I had the Chicken Rice and Adrienne had the Beef Steak. The meal began with a canape, Singapore Chicken Satay, the signature dish from Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Chicken Satay
The appetizer followed, which was Seared Tuna Loin.
Seared Tuna Loin
This was followed by our main courses, along with the wonderful bread selection.
Book the Cook Chicken Rice
Book the Cook Beef Steak
As with the first meal, I had some fresh fruit to finish off the meal service.
Both meal services were enjoyable and filling which is essential for such a long flight.
Bed
Unlike most business class seats, the seat used by Singapore Airlines folds down to become a fully flat bed. This means that you will need to ask the crew to assist you in making up the bed and putting the bed away.
This is a big downside of the seat design, especially for such a long flight, where you may find yourself wanting to cycle between the two modes a few times throughout the flight.
As for the positives, the bed is very wide and the provided mattress pad and comforter make it very comfortable for lounging and sleeping. You do have to position yourself at a slight angle to fully lay flat with the footwell, but I did not find it to be a problem. You also have 3 pillows, which really makes the seat even more cozy and comfortable.
IFE + Wi-Fi
The seat features an 18 inch HD screen. The screen itself is not touch screen, possibly due to how far it is in front of you. Instead, you will need to use the IFE remote to navigate. The remote works quite well and is a must when trying to watch while in bed mode. As I mentioned in my other SQ review, the inflight entertainment system, KrisWorld, had a great selection of content that kept me entertained throughout the flight.
The provided headphones were nice and comfortable as well.
On our flight, complementary Wi-Fi was available to those seated in business class.
Since our flight, Singapore Airlines has now announced that all passengers, regardless of class will receive unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi as long as you are a KrisFlyer member. I believe complimentary Wi-Fi should be standard for all passengers, so it is great to see Singapore Airlines leading the way here.
Complimentary Wi-Fi for all passengers, Credit: singaporeair.com
Service
The crew was friendly and attentive, especially for such a long flight. Whenever we requested something from the crew, for example the amenity kit or some water mid flight when the cabin lights were dimmed, they were quick to bring it and always asked if we needed anything else.
Booking
I booked this flight roughly 1 year in advance and was able to secure Business Saver tickets. We paid 190,000 miles and around $120 USD in taxes and fees for two people, meaning the cost per person one way was 95,000 miles. This flight normally costs around $4,700 USD round trip per person using cash, so if you are able to find Business Saver tickets, this is an excellent point redemption.
Conclusion
Overall this was a very good flight and I highly recommend flying on Singapore Airlines, regardless of the class of service. I have flown Singapore Airlines over a handful of times and find that they delivery a consistent experience time after time. Their crew is always pleasant and friendly, the food is delicious, and the seats are comfortable. What more can you ask! We also really appreciate that Singapore Airlines offers a direct flight from Singapore to Seattle , since we do not need to have a layover in San Francisco or Los Angeles to get home.
Singapore Airlines is truly World Class and we will no doubt continue to fly them to Singapore and beyond.
A+C Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars