Review: Singapore Airlines Suites on the A380-800
Singapore Airlines A380-800 Suites
A+C Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Flight Details
We flew on Singapores Airlines from London Heathrow (LHR) to Singapore (SIN) on SQ 319 in June 2023. The flight was scheduled to depart London at 8:50pm and arrive in Singapore the following evening at 4:55pm. We flew on an Airbus A380-800 in Suites on this 13 hour and 5 minute flight. The London to Singapore route is currently the longest flight where Singapore Airlines flies the A380 and we were very excited to finally experience Suites!
Singapore Airlines A380-800, registration 9V-SKQ
Ground Experience
Check In
Singapore Airlines operates out of Terminal 2 in LHR, also known as The Queen’s Terminal, along with the other Star Alliance airlines. We took the tube from Central London and arrived at LHR around 5pm, a few hours ahead of our flight. Luckily, Singapore Airlines offers a few daily flights between London and Singapore so the check in counters were open. We were able to have our boarding passed printed quickly and headed over to the dedicated priority security line which was open to both first and business class passengers.
Lounge
Singapore Airlines operates their own SilverKris Lounge in LHR which has both a first class section and business class section. We were shown into the first class section and greeted by the friendly staff. The first class lounge is also open to other Star Alliance passengers flying in first class, but it has ample private seating to accommodate everyone. In our time in the lounge, there were never more than 10 passengers in total so it felt very private and calm.
The lounge has a great view of the tarmac with tons of natural light, a good selection of food and drink, and a la carte dining. The lounge also has a shower, which I greatly appreciated given we had spent the morning walking around London in the summer sun.
The lounge had a decent wine selection and they served two champagnes, Rodier Pere & Fils along with Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee.
The highlight of the lounge was the a la carte dining with signature items from Singapore Airlines.
We opted for two of the signature dishes, the Singapore Laksa and Hainanese Chinese Rice.
SilverKris Lounge LHR Hainanese Chinese Rice
SilverKris Lounge LHR Singapore Laksa
The dishes were both large and flavorful. The Hainanese Chicken Rice dish was accompanied by its signature sauces: dark soya sauce, chilli sauce, and ginger sauce - I decided to just have the chili and ginger sauces.
After our meal, we shared a chocolate ice cream topped with fresh fruit.
We did our best not stuff ourselves since we were both looking forward to the food and drinks onboard in Suites! Before we knew it, they announced that our flight was about to board, so we headed over to the gate.
Onboard Experience
Cabin
The Singapore Airlines Suites and business class cabins occupy the entirety of the upper deck on the Airbus A380-800. The Suites cabin is at the very front and features 6 suites in a 1-1 layout. There are two dedicated lavatories for Suites passengers just in front of the suites.
Singapore Airlines A380-800 Cabin Configuration, Credit: aerolopa.com
All suites have an abundance of space, feature a recliner that swivels electronically, a separate bed, a closet, and a fully closing door. Since each passenger has a closet to store their luggage, the cabin does not feature any overhead bins.
Suites 1A/2A and 1F/2F can be converted into a double suite that has a double bed, so if you are traveling in a couple these the suites you want! Those traveling solo should opt for 3A or 3F. If you do end up in one of the front four Suites and are traveling solo, do not fret, the wall between the row 1 and row 2 suites can be raised.
We were seated in 1F and 2F on this flight, the front two suites on the right side of the plane.
Seat
The Singapore Airlines Suite is massive and features a recliner as the centerpiece. The recliner is spacious, comfortable, and swivels and reclines electronically with buttons in the armrest. It comes with a comfortable pillow for lumbar or head support.
The suite features two windows that are controlled electronically via buttons underneath them. There is an unbelievable amount of storage, with numerous storage cubbies beside the window and a private closet equipped with hangars inside your suite to store your baggage and anything else.
The suite also has a massive tray table that the crew can help to deploy.
The recliner does not convert into a lie flat bed, instead the suite features a separate bed that can be folded down and made up by the crew. Since we were in the adjoining suites of row 1 and 2, our two beds were later converted into a double bed. With the amount of space we had, you almost forget you are on a plane!
Lavatory
Singapore Airlines Suites passengers have two dedicated lavatories at the front of the plane. The lavatories may not feature a shower like other A380 configurations, but they both have a large amount of space, with one featuring a full vanity.
This is the larger of the two lavatories, located on the right side of the plane.
This is the other lavatory, located on the left side of the plane. While smaller than the other one, it is certainly larger than any normal lavatory.
Amenities
An amenity kit and a pair of Bang & Olufsen noise canceling headphones were located in the suite by the windows when we boarded. The amenity kit was from Lalique and featured a few of their skincare products. The Bang & Olufsen noise canceling headphones felt very premium and comfortable.
Singapore Airlines Suites Bang & Olufsen Headphones and Amenity Kit
The Lalique branded amenity kit contains a few products from Lalique, including a bar of soap. The Lalique amenity kits used to contain a candle, but this is no longer included.
Singapore Airlines Suites Amenity Kit Contents
Singapore Airlines Suites Bang & Olufsen Headphones
Shortly after boarding, we were offered a pre-departure beverage of champagne.
The crew also handed Lalique branded pajamas to us and we found slippers in the suite closet. We were so excited for this flight and decided to change into the pajamas before takeoff to get comfortable.
Food
A very thick menu was provided at our seat, but we had both pre-ordered meals through the Book the Cook service that Singapore Airlines offers. We really love this service since it allows you to pre-order from a wide selection of meals and you can ensure that exactly what you want to eat will be provided.
Singapore Airlines Suites Menu
Since we had already selected our meal options, I quickly flipped through the menu to check on the champagne and coffee offerings for our flight. In Suites, Singapore Airlines serves several champagnes: Krug Grand Cuvee and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. In addition, our flight had a third champagne for the “Celebration of Champagne” which was a 2018 Vilmart Grand Cellier d’Or.
For coffee, Singapore Airlines offers a variety of coffee from illy along with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee which is exclusive to those in Suites or First class. I tried this back in 2019 when I flew Singapore Airlines First class and had been excited to try it again!
The first meal service began shortly after take off with the signature chicken satay dish.
Singapore Airlines Suites Chicken Satay
Next up we were served caviar, complete with blinis, sides, and the mother of pearl spoon. I am not someone who would normally think to eat caviar as I am not a huge seafood fan, but I was pleasantly surprised with the taste and finished off my portion.
Singapore Airlines Suites Cavair
For my main, I pre-ordered the Grilled Angus Beef Fillet, while Adrienne pre-ordered the Roasted Lamb Rack with Lamb Jus. A bread basket was presented before the main and I went for the garlic bread.
Singapore Airlines Suites Book the Cook Grilled Angus Beef Fillet
Singapore Airlines Suites Book the Cook Roasted Lamb Rack with Lamb Jus
I was pretty full at this point and decided to just have fruit for dessert.
I paired this with a cup of delicious Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
Singapore Airlines Suites Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Throughout the meal, the crew continued to top up our glasses of Krug and by the end we were thoroughly stuffed and ready to get some rest.
Our second meal service started off with a salad and more garlic bread.
For the second main, I pre-ordered the Thai Beef Red Curry and Adrienne pre-ordered the Seabass. Adrienne was still full at this point, so she did not eat much of her dish.
Singapore Airlines Suites Book the Cook Thai Beef Red Curry
Once again, I finished off the meal with fruit.
We thoroughly enjoyed both meals onboard and left the flight very full. There is no shortage of delicious food when in Suites!
Bed
Each suite comes with a separate bed and booking the two adjoining suites in rows 1 and 2 allows the two beds to be combined into a double bed. While we brushed our teeth, the crew made up the bed for us, which included a mattress pad, comforter, and pillows. It really felt like we were in a hotel room in the sky! The bed was extremely comfortable and we were able to fall asleep with ease.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Each suite comes with a huge 32” HD TV and a tablet to control the content. The position of the TV can also be controlled with buttons in the armrest, allowing you to rotate the TV to find the perfect viewing angle!
Suites in row 1 also come with a smaller TV at the front which is used to display the safety video, but can also be used to watch content.
The inflight entertainment system, KrisWorld, has a ton of content, enough to keep anyone entertained for the entirety of their flight.
Wi-Fi was complementary to those flying in Suites and Business class for the duration of the flight, while those in Premium Economy and Economy were limited to 3 hours and 2 hours respectively.
Update: I checked the Singapore Airlines website recently and saw they updated their policies to provide free Wi-Fi for all passengers, regardless of class, as long as your KrisFlyer member number is attached to the booking, that is World Class!
Service
The crew attending to the Suites passengers were simply exceptional. They were friendly, personable, dedicated, and had an amazing attention to detail. It really felt like they were anticipating our every need and were available whenever we needed anything.
Booking
I was able to confirm us off of the waitlist around 6 months before the flight. Stay tuned for a future post where I explain how we ended up on the waitlist in the first place. This flight did not come cheap, our only option was to book Advantage, so our one way from LHR-SIN we paid 451,000 miles and roughly $650 in taxes and fees for two people, which means the cost per person one way from LHR-SIN was 225,500 miles.
Booking a cash ticket on Singapore Airlines in Suites from LHR-SIN usually costs around $14,000 USD round trip per person on average, so around $7,000 USD one way per person. Using miles allowed us to experience this amazing product for a fraction of the price, even though the mileage cost was steep!
Conclusion
This was a truly spectacular flight and we were blown away by every aspect. Flying in Singapore Airlines Suites lived up to the hype and it is definitely a bucket list item that I would recommend others to try. While the price was very steep, I felt it was well worth it to finally experience this product. While Singapore Airlines may not have a shower or bar on their A380, they have a top notch first class product that offers an unrivaled amount of space and privacy for passengers. We only wish we could have experienced it for even longer!
After landing in Singapore, we headed to The Private Room, an exclusive lounge for only Singapore Airlines Suites passengers. I will have a review for the lounge coming soon!
A+C Rating: 5 out of 5 stars