I had a last-minute work trip to Taiwan earlier this month and was booked in Singapore Airlines Economy Class for the trip. I am relishing the opportunity to check out and review SQ Economy Class. It’s been quite some time since I reviewed it and certainly the first time I am doing so after COVID. It would be nice to check out the difference and the meal, especially after all the bashing recently! Singapore Airlines Economy Class is constantly said to be one of the best in the market and I have always enjoyed it previous! The ticket was outrageously expensive and it cost 1000 SGD. This shows the demand for tickets these days and the increasing value of using miles. I have reviewed and flown on the 787 multiple times and you can find reviews of the business-class cabin here and here. While there is usually nothing much to speak about an economy class flight, I would love to share my experience and review the F&B after the recent bashing and changes. I will not be reviewing my return flight but just share the food here since it is the same hardware.

Checking In

I arrive at Changi Airport Terminal 3 hours before my flight. I wanted to have some spare time to check out the Plaza Premium Lounge in T1. It will be nice to plan more time since I am also in economy class. The Singapore Airlines Economy Class check-in counters are located in row 3, most of them are self-check-in kiosks these days with a couple of assistance desks. I got thru immigration in no time despite being hit with another secondary screening. I have no idea why I have been getting this recently. There were tons of electronic gates available and I did not have to wait. You need to appreciate Changi Airport, where I stay, I could come here just before check-in is closed and still make it to the plane.

Boarding Process

My flight was boarding at 7.20 am and I have to check back later for the gate number. It turns out that I will be departing from the C gates in Terminal 1 which works very well since I am at the Plaza Premium Lounge. I will be seated in the first row of economy class on Row 41 and the window seat. I managed to select them right at the 48 hours mark. These are usually blocked for PPS members ahead. The bulkhead seats offer additional legroom and it can be really handy when you are flying in economy. Check-in begins with premium cabins and status holders. The flight was slightly delayed. Right when boarding was supposed to begin, the crew just boarded the plane.

Boarding finally commenced at 7.40am. I was warmly welcomed by the crew at the door who offered help with my bags. They came around to give out headphones and we started pushback at 8.20am before a late departure after a fairly long taxi and only got airborne by 8.50am.

Singapore Airlines 787 Economy Class

This is my first time in the 787 Economy class. There is only two class of travel on the 787. Economy Class consists of 301 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. There have been a lot of remarks that say that the 787 economy is the worst across the fleet since they have 9 abreast and the 787 has a smaller fuselage. I am very lucky to get a bulkhead seat that gives me extra legroom. I will be seated at gate 41K.

Here are some pictures of the seats. Row 41 and 58 offer some of the best seats in my opinion. If not you can also go for rows 74 and 75 in H and K. Extra legroom is mighty in Economy where every inch counts. The legroom is as good as a business class or even better in my opinion. For row 41, the A B H K seats are better as the screen is right in front of you. The C and J seats come with a flip-up TV instead which prevents you from using the IFE when take off, landing and cabin being prepped for landing.

I do feel that the seat width is a little bit narrow and tight for me. Do note that for bulkhead seats, the armrest can’t be adjusted. The seat does have a good recline and I got comfortable for the flight.

The TV screen is of a good size and found mounted on the wall in front of me. Singapore Airlines IFE is world class and the KrisWorld comes with tons of movies and shows for you to watch. If keen, you can check out the selection ahead from the mobile app. The seat remote on the 787 is one of the old types with a phone? What era is this? The location of the remote also makes it easy to accidentally press or touch it. The TV is touchscreen.

For seats on the first row, the table comes out from the armrest. It is of a decent size and can be flipped into half with a cup holder.

Right in front of the wall, you can find a pouch with some reading materials. Upon boarding, a pillow and day blanket is found on the seat. I did not have to use the blanket as the cabin was quite warm while on the ground.

The seat comes with a 4-way adjusted headrest and offers good neck support. I can’t believe I am saying this but I felt that Air NZ domestic economy class are more comfortable than SQ. Glad to have reviewed this. I also got the chance to check out and use the new feature of Singapore Airlines. Unlimited wifi for all cabins! The speed was decent and much better than expected.

The toilets are basic and nothing memorable. They are always well-maintained and cleaned by the crew throughout the flight. I luck out with an empty middle seat on my return flight back and it felt like Intra-Europe Business class or even better!

Meal Service

There is no menu available and you can see the e menu from the Singapore Airlines App. This is different from pre covid days. I remember having a physical menu in the past. I am excited to be trying the economy class meal service for the first time after the recent changes. For my flight, they will be having the breakfast service. The crew sprang into service upon levelling off and service started fast. I was served first given that I am in the first row. You can find the menu for the flight here. There is two option, Chicken or Fish Sir? Just Kidding! I went for the Braised Chicken with Noodles and paired it with a Singapore Sling. Not making the same error of ordering SilverKris Sling in Economy Class again. The meal was a good portion and served with fruits, yoghurt, bread and butter. You can also find a bottle of water. The food was quite good although it could use some more sauce as some parts of the noodles were quite dry and tasteless. It is not as bad as the complaints.

Throughout the remainder of the flight, the crew came around a couple more times to offer drinks. I will not be doing another separate review for my return flight back to Singapore since the experience is fairly similar. I had the same seat onboard. I will just share the meals I had on my flight back. For my flight back from Taipei, we had dinner service. You can find the menu here. Similarly, there were two choices and I went for the western one after a week of Chinese food. I have heard that the Soy Sauce Braised Patty “Lion Head” was pretty good too. I enjoyed my Braised Chicken with Grain Mustard Sauce. The crew was even more spectacular on my flight back. They even remember my customization for Gin Tonic and I knock back a couple of those.

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines is one of the best and a key reason why they can make your economy flight better than most airlines out there. You might not get a spectacular set but you can be sure that the standards are there. This is the main reason why they are mopping up and charging this premium in the market. I got a mixed set on my first flight out but a spectacular one on my flight back. Thank you, Sandy and Kaiyi! I lucked out in getting extra legroom seats and they made a huge difference. A flight of this duration is just nice my cut-off timing for economy class. It is perfectly comfortable for a journey of this duration. This is my first SQ Economy flight in almost 4 years! I also managed to earn some valuable elite miles and got a bonus since this is a commercial booking within 3 months of my birthday! I would be keen to try out the premium economy as well as other aircraft-type economy cabins soon.

TLDR: The meals are not as bad as what you read about!