What else could it be besides Singapore Airlines? I needed to be in Bangkok in late February and got tickets for SQ Business Class. I am surprised that Saver awards were available and paid just 24,000 miles and 61.20 SGD in taxes. That is quite a deal. This is quite an impromptu booking as I need to be in Bangkok in collaboration with some hotels. The rates were rather high given how late I booked my flight. I love the flexibility you get when paying with miles. You can check out some of the hotels that I stayed at in Bangkok. Both Ascott Thonglor and Ascott Embassy Sathorn were amazing. You can consider them if you are looking for a place in Bangkok. I reviewed this product multiple times when I flew to Japan and Bali on it. You can check out one of my older reviews of Singapore Airlines Business Class on a long-haul flight here. I can’t say that these are my favourite SQ business class seats. I did manage to get bulkhead seats for this flight which makes things slightly better.

Checking In

I arrive at Changi Airport at around 11.30am. I check in at T3 rather than T2 where SQ regional flights depart from. I wanted to grab lunch from the T3 SKL before my flight. You can check in at either terminal but just cater more time for buffer especially if you have checked in bags. The airport was rather quiet during this lull period and there was barely any wait at the business class counter. I was immediately helped to at one of the business class counters. Sadly, the staff had a huge attitude and the SATS lady was extremely rude. It seems that my turning up is keeping her busy from her chill time at work. She immediately says that I am at the wrong terminal and I can’t check in here. Only after some rebut and questioning why I can’t did she reluctantly check-in for me. This got to be a first and it was extremely unpleasant. I certainly hope that SQ or SATS can take this up and properly advise their ground staff. Later on in the SKL, I clarify this with one of the lounge managers who further also confirm that there won’t be any issue checking in at T3 for the T2 flight. It is just not recommended if you have bags to be checked in and on a tight schedule as your bags might not make it to the plane. This is the first time after a couple of dozen of SQ business class flights that I have encountered such hospitality from the ground staff.

Boarding Process

I made the trek over to T2 via the Skytrain. It is about a 15 mins walk to the gate after the Skytrain. I had one of the furthest gates in T2. There was a snaking queue for security checks and there is no priority lines for premium customers. Boarding started at 2.55 pm right on the dot with Business Class passengers as well as PPS Club members being invited to board first. I boarded via the first door which is dedicated to business class passengers. I was greeted by the IFM at the door and Joyce who then proceed to usher me to my seat. Joyce was such a delight! I managed to get a bulkhead seat in the second mini business class cabin.

I lucked out in having almost the entire mini cabin all to myself. It is very exclusive with only 2 other passengers here. On the other hand, the first cabin was almost full. While it is always nice to get bulkhead seats since it offers more space, being seated in the mini cabin also meant that the foot traffic is very heavy during boarding. The rest of the plane boards via the second door and pass by you constantly. This leads to a rather lacklustre on-the-ground service as the crew doesn’t come by as much. I was offered a welcome drink and tried the newest drink that SQ recently added to the menu.

The bellini is way too sweet for my liking. I switched back to Champagne and Joyce happily kept my glass full while on the ground. The crew and IFM came over to introduce themself and welcome me onboard. Stella, the leading stewardess and inflight sommelier was awesome. We had a nice chat about wines later on. While we push back on time, we had a long taxi on the ground and only depart at about 3.50pm.

Singapore Airlines A350 Regional Business Class

I’ll just post some pictures of the seats. I am not a huge fan of them but they are more than sufficient for the sub two hours flight. While I am strongly against using these seats for anything out of the region and flights to Japan / Korea / Australia, they are very lovely for a short hop. I should really try and review one of the narrow bodies business class one day.

The nice thing about these seats is that they can be reclined fully flat when you are seated on them. This comes in useful if you need a power nap during a short flight. I hate the three-point seat belts that you have to wear during take-off and landing. The crew seems to enforce it strictly. Together with the awesome KrisWorld entertainment system, 2 hours went by in a blink of an eye. I caught one of my favourite movie! Furthermore, currently, unlimited wifi is offered to PPS Club members and business class passengers. I actually really love the intimate second mini business class cabin. The only bad thing about it is the hectic situation during boarding.

Views are great in the air!

Meal Service

For this particular flight, they are offering a light dinner service. It is a three-course meal. It is downright impressive that Singapore Airlines can offer a full service with multiple drinks orders on a flight this short. Other airlines will just offer some refreshments. You can check out the menu for the flight here. I ordered the Beef Steak from the Book The Cook selection instead. They have an extensive selection of mains that you can choose from. I went for something western as I will be predominantly having Thai or Asian food when I’m over there in Bangkok for the next week or so.

Joyce and Stella sprang into service once we level off. Given the short flight, everything is served on a tray and we soon had the starter. The Pan Fried Scallops with Cured Lemon Labneh and chicory were actually pretty good. I love the scallops. They were fresh and had a nice char to them. This is one of the better appetizers that I had onboard. At the same time, the crew also came by with some bread and as usual, I went for the garlic bread!

Joyce then brought over the main. The Charcoal Grilled Beef Tenderloin was served with creamy polenta, red wine sauce and seasonal vegetables. Stella then came over to offer me some wine recommendations. I even did a tasting between the two reds that they had on offer. The 2015 Chianti is my choice. The steak was flavourful and well-heated. There is still some pinkness in the middle. It is not as good as the one I had on my flight back from Tokyo but still very good. I finished it. Stella kept my glass full throughout the meal. She kept me well wined and we shared a common interest in Rioja wines.

The meal ended with a Honey Semolina Cake. It was alright. I wanted to get some Sake after the meal but they did not have it loaded up for this flight. A little lacking since they had it on the menu. One of the best meals I had onboard SQ recently.

Conclusion

Excellent set of the crew! Flights like these make me wish that I had a lengthy delay. I wish I had this set of the crew on a ULH flight. The hospitality provided by Stella and Joyce was excellent. I am well taken care of by them and we had a lovely chat about our love for wines! I wish that SQ bring back the towel service soon. Despite the criticism of Singapore Airlines these days, I always enjoyed their flights. They are still so many levels above almost 99% of the airlines in the world. Ground service is surprisingly lacking at Changi Airport Terminal 3. I was not expecting that attitude from the SATS staff! That needs to be improved! While it is certainly controversial over the need for business class for such a short ride to Bangkok, the fast-track service was a lifesaver on arrival and departure. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport has some of the worst crowds nowadays. The fast-track security and immigration save me easily 1.5 hours.