Welcome to a brand new Lounge Review on Seeing The World In Steps. I am so excited to share this with you and will be posting this way in advance than planned. This is after all going to be super useful for most of us that are based in Singapore. The Krisflyer Gold lounge reopen recently after another hiatus after it served as the temporary SilverKris Lounge for a brief moment back last year. It reopen on May 20 after a touch-up. It ties in nicely with my Bangkok flight and I managed to check it out right on the day that it opened. The old lounge was very much in need of a makeover. Seeing The World In Steps reporting to you straight from the brand new Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge in Changi Airport Terminal 3.
Access Requirements
The KrisFlyer Gold Lounge is open 24 hours. Currently, all Star Alliance premium cabin customers, KrisFlyer Gold status and above holders as well as Star Alliance Status holders are allowed access to the lounge. This lounge is typically catered to Star Alliance Gold members who are flying in economy class. Premium cabin passengers, as well as PPS Club members, are invited to the SilverKris Lounge. Typical access rules for guests follow. Even if you are a KrisFlyer Gold or Star Alliance Gold holder flying in business but would like to bring in a guest that is flying in Economy, you can only guest someone into this lounge and not the SilverKris Lounge.
Arrival & Location
The SilverKris Lounge is located a level above the main terminal and after passing the immigration hall you can head left and go straight up the elevator. You can almost immediately see the entrance and logo. I was welcomed in by the staff and was admitted upon presenting my boarding pass. The staff wasn’t polished and they even tried to deny me entrance at first. After all, it is the first day of opening and the rules might get a little confusing. I also realised that the lounge seems to be staffed by a combination of Singapore Airlines and SATS staff instead.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge
The lounge was really empty! Given that this is the first day of opening and I was here during the lull period in the afternoon. The addition of this lounge to the overall lounge capacity in Changi Airport will no doubt be a lifesaver for the pent up travelling and lounge demand these days in the morning and evening peak period. SilverKris Lounge is more like a night market nowadays. This is the point in time where everyone is having status and flying premium cabin. I am wondering how it will be in the future when seemingly now, Singapore Airlines is not even operating at full pre-covid capacity yet.
I love that the lounge has an open terminal concept or so-called alfresco design. With views of the tarmac and the openness of the terminal, it is such a welcoming sight with natural light coming in. This is a stark contrast to the old lounge which was gloomy, dark and depressing. It is nice to see that they have some changes to the lounge even from the time it operated as the temporary SilverKris Lounge. It is now equipped with brand new furniture and fittings. Most of the lounge is mainly filled up with typical lounge couches and you also have some sofa seats as well as some tabletop seatings. Here are some pictures of the seatings.
It is nice to see that they actually have installed numerous power sockets and even USB outlets. They are easy to be found and this will be useful when people are working and getting a charge on their mobile devices. The one thing that I am constantly paranoid about when travelling is running out of juice. You won’t want to see something amazing and not have any more battery left to snap a photo for memories.
While the lounge seems comfortable now, I felt like the seats are arranged rather close to each other. I would wish that they have use some partitions to increase privacy and segregated various seating areas. It might not be an issue now but when it gets crowded this might be a difference. At the end of the lounge and near the refreshment area, you can find more typical dining tables which are more suitable for dining.
There are also some desks that are good for some last min working on the go.
My favourite seating area of the lounge will be all the way inside, after the food and beverage area. It is very quiet here and has some great seatings.
One of the main improvements of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge now is that it comes with its own dedicated toilet and showers. This is a nice touch and a huge improvement. With Singapore serving as a huge transit hub between regional flights and the late-night Europe and US flights, showers are extremely crucial and this is something that I will appreciate in a lounge when having a long travel day.
The showers are located in individuals’ rooms and they look pretty good. However, toilets are not found in the shower rooms which may be slightly inconvenient. Other than that, all sorts of amenities and towels are provided.
Food & Drinks
The refreshment areas are mainly located in the middle and here are some pictures of the food. Coming from the SilverKris Lounge just a moment ago, I realised that most of the food is actually the same and there is not much differentiation going on except more live station food in SilverKris and chicken wings in the KrisFlyer Gold.
Non-alcoholic drinks selection are pretty much the same.
The main dilution factor comes in the drinks, especially the alcoholic choices. There is no bar in the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge which means no bartender service in the evening and freshly made coffee in the morning. Champagne is also not provided here. I would wish that they at least offer a sparkling wine option. Well, I am sure Singapore Airlines is able to do this at the very least.
Conclusion
This is a very nice lounge when compared to the old one and a great improvement. While the opening might feel like a devaluation when currently all eligible passengers are invited to the superior SilverKris Lounge, it is an inevitable fact. Having more space and seats might be a welcoming fact given how busy the lounge is these days. Having to walk around in circles to hunt for seats does take out the basic purpose of having a lounge in the first place. The First Class Section of the SilverKris Lounge and The Private Room is opening very soon and I hope that I will be able to check that out soon too.
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