Beyond the seating area at the far end are the washrooms and showers, which were absolutely spotless. The lounge offers both a buffet and an la carte option, however the buffet selection was fairly limited, with only Dim Sum and Chicken Congee on offer for breakfast.
The a la carte selection was however decent; I opted for the Nasi Lemak, which was delicious, accompanied with a mango smoothie. The breakfast selection also had on offer: cereals, smoothies, juices, croissants, pastries and fresh fruits. The Lounge offers a self-service wine and bar service, stocked with a respectable selection of spirits, wines, and cocktails, along with Laurent Perrier champagne.
After breakfast I settled down with a SilverKris sling, in a chair next to the floor to ceiling glass window for some plane spotting. Overall, it is a decent lounge, but I was a tad disappointed with the offerings. The designated boarding gate was B42, which was quite a walk from the lounge.
For First Class passengers this is not a problem, Singapore Airlines arranges a buggy to speed you from the lounge to the gate. The aircraft, registered 9V-SKY, was delivered to Singapore Airlines in June , it is configured to seat a total of passengers as follows:.
Boarding was through the L1 door on the upper deck, where I was greeted by the purser at the entrance of the aircraft and escorted to my Suite — 1A. The first thing that strikes you is the SIZE, it is huge! I chose Suite 1A, as suites in Row 1 are the biggest, at 57 sq ft, followed by those in Row 2 and Row 3 respectively in terms of size. With over 50 sq ft worth of space, this is one of the most spacious First Class products in the world; this is definitely bigger than my old college dorm.
The immediate comparison that comes to mind is with the Etihad Apartment. The suite looked resplendent with the cabin lighting; the decor is modern, elegant and well styled with subtle pallets of brown and beige with clean lines. It is designed like a mini-hotel room, with a swivel chair, fold out bed and a tablet to control everything in the suite from the lighting to the entertainment options.
If you are travelling with a companion, Suites 1A and 2A and 1F and 2F are the ones to go for, where the divider can be lowered and the suites can be turned into a double bed.
I had a glass of both but later continued with the Krug, which is one of my favourites. After a couple of tipples of the Krug, I started exploring the suite. To the right of the armchair is a sleek white marble counter, with a flower vase and in-built slide out dining table.
On the wall, behind the seat, is the fold out bed, which is stored at the bottom of the privacy divider. Next to the bed is a ledge, which supports the bed when it is folded out. On the left side of the armchair, along the windows, are 3 small storage compartments with a back-lit vanity mirror, which are used to store the amenity kit and head phones. Make sure you turn off iCloud syncing and background updates!
Even though I had a big snack in the lounge, there was plenty more on the plane. I started with Dom and sparkling water before takeoff. First-class passengers can dine on demand, so everything is served at your own pace. After changing into my pajamas I decided to begin the main meal service. Just check out that huge pop-out table!
I definitely ended up needing all that space. For my entree, I usually opt for Book the Cook, and this flight was no exception. The good news was that I still had room for dessert, and they brought me both — the warm rum baba and a passion fruit mousse cake. Finally, before landing I had the chicken and mushroom congee, which I found a bit too bland. So I ordered three dishes. All were quite tasty, including the Yusheng salad, dim sum basket and chicken rice pictured below.
I also enjoyed a glass of Dom. As we were approaching Singapore, my flight attendant asked if the new product was TPG-approved. Of course I responded with a resounding yes! With just a few As equipped with this product at the moment, it may be a while before we see more ultra-long-haul flights offer the new suite.
Before Singapore Airlines took delivery of its final five As from Airbus, from a total order for 24 of the jets, it returned its first five models to their leasing companies. The new aircraft came equipped with brand new cabin products from late , including a smaller Suites cabin with capacity for just six passengers, relocated to the upper deck of the aircraft.
The new Suites offer more space, the latest in-flight entertainment system and Wi-Fi connectivity, though in our opinion they fall short in many other areas. See our comprehensive review for full details. ExxonMobil paid for the fuel and Singapore Airlines covered the airport taxes and fees on all tickets, ensuring the money raised all went directly to the charities involved.
As you may have noticed from some of the original A Suites photos and more recent ones, the leather upholstery was upgraded from the lighter mid-brown shade to dark brown with diamond stitching, similar to the First Class seats. Singapore Airlines launched in-flight connectivity back in early , so it seemed strange that with the arrival of the technologically-advanced Airbus A no such feature was offered when the first aircraft arrived.
SIA had partnered with Connexion by Boeing to provide its in-flight internet services yes, even on its Airbus aircraft! Boeing will work with its customers to facilitate an orderly phase out of the Connexion by Boeing service….
The New York Times reported that only aircraft globally had been equipped to offer the service, a tiny fraction of the 5, Boeing had originally hoped for. Boeing had been trying to sell its unprofitable Connexion division for some time. Singapore Airlines had not yet made a decision on how to offer in-flight connectivity when the first As were delivered. We are exploring possible solutions and technologies currently available but there are no firm plans at the moment.
The remaining Singapore Airlines Airbus As, which have had the latest Suites cabins installed either from new or through the ongoing retrofit programme, are equipped with Inmarsat GX Aviation high-speed internet connectivity, with an unlimited free allowance for Suites passengers. Thankfully in it became possible to redeem these new cabins at Saver and Advantage award rates too. Unveiled at the end of , the new Singapore Airlines Suite Class entered service onboard five of the new Singapore Airlines As in the same year.
Retrofit work to update the existing 14 aircraft with the new cabin structure began shortly after, continuing until the end of last year. Compared to the previous version of Suite Class, which featured 12 private suites, the new Singapore Airlines Suite Class has become even more exclusive — with only six suites available on board in a pattern, with the aisle in the middle of the plane.
Each of the suites has been finished with the highest attention to detail, including an artistic sliding door that guarantees privacy and seclusion whenever you request it. The main feature of the suite is a plush leather armchair, which has been upholstered in fine leather by world-renown Italian furniture specialist, Poltrona Frau. Fully adjustable and reclinable, the armchair can accommodate a range of movements that are configured using the electronic control side panel.
The chair has a swivel capacity of degrees and a recline of up to 45 degrees, providing flexibility and the freedom to change positions depending on your needs. The Singapore Airlines suites are also furnished with a separate full-flat bed that stows away, which is created by staff as part of the full turn-down service. Simply request that the bed is made, take your time preparing for sleep — including changing into the pajamas provided, made for Singapore Airlines by Lalique — and return to your suite where a crisp, well-made bed is waiting for you.
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