This is the cream of the crop! The best! The bucket list! The one that everyone aims for when we are talking about Singapore Airlines! It is the newest and the best product of the airline. I book this ticket about a week out. It was a rather impromptu trip. I could not make up my mind. But getting two First Class saver tickets to London tips the scale for me. I paid 141,000 miles and 62.20 SGD in taxes and fees. What a deal seeing how this ticket would have cost 12,000 SGD if paid in cash. My last experience on Singapore Airlines First / Suites left a sour lingering taste in my mouth and it was a disaster. Hope that this makes up for it and I would love to end the year with a bang. I am travelling on Boxing Day and getting the Christmas specials for flying during the festive period. I might just have the entire cabin all to myself. Ended up, I got an even better surprise during check-in and got switched to the Suites on the earlier flight. I switched from SQ 318 to SQ 308. This is the longest flight in Suites! It is going to be 14 hours and 20 mins of pure enjoyment. Check out my Book The Cook Menu Dictionary and my Singapore Airlines Reviews Wikis for other reviews.

Checking In

I arrive at the airport at around 6.30am. I wanted to have plenty of time for The Private Room. There is always a reason to arrive early when you are flying in Singapore Airlines Suites. As we pulled up to the First Class Terminal, I was immediately helped by the porter and ushered over to the check-in desk. Checking in is a sit-down affair here. This is an exclusive area for passengers flying in Singapore Airlines Suites / First Class or Solitaire PPS Club members. It is very busy today even with 5 counters open. This is rarely the case over here. I was helped by a friendly lady once a counter cleared up. Checking in was prompt and efficient.

I enquired about a change of flight after seeing that there are still two seats available on the earlier SQ308 which will depart at 9am instead. I was originally on SQ318 which is due to be departing at noon. The reason I wanted this was cause SQ308 is operated with an A380 that features the Suites! After some calls were made, we got the golden tickets in hand. We were only left with seats 3A and 3F, the smallest remaining suites but I will still take it any day. This is the longest flight in Suites! It is going to be 14 hours and 20 mins of enjoyment. Do note that this is certainly an exception and not the norm.

Suites Saver redemptions are extremely difficult to come by, especially when we are talking about premium routings like London, Frankfurt, New York City and Tokyo. This even applies to Solitaire PPS Club members booking one year out. To be frank, I did constantly monitor the load and availability. The staff also made an urgent request to load up some additional First Class meals. It is too late for me to make any BTC selections. It always pays to come to the airport earlier. What a delight. This ended up with me getting two Suites in Saver Class. While there isn’t any BTC, Suite 1A / 1F or even the double suites, it is still very worth it! Off I go to the lounge!

Boarding Process

Boarding is scheduled for 8.30am for our 9am flight. The gate is just below the SKL and a short walk away. That makes it very easy and convenient. This is one of the larger gates with mini-centralised security. Do make sure to cater some additional time for clearance. Boarding started slightly ahead of time and by the time I got there, most had already boarded. Surprisingly, I still managed to be the first among the suites and got some nice pictures of the aircraft. I was warmly welcomed by the IFM, the Chief and the Leading Stewardess who then proceeded to usher me over to my suite.

It took a while before both Sherlin and I recognised each other! So lovely to fly with Sherlin and have a familiar face onboard. This is such a coincidence! We met onboard my flight to Taipei a couple of months ago and so glad to see that Sherlin is now promoted to leading. Sherlin professionally gave a mini tour and introduction to the suite.

I got busy snapping pictures of the suites. It is so nice to be onboard once again on the suites. Soon, the crew came over to provide welcome drinks and I was up for some champagne. It is always an occasion to celebrate. I opted for some Krug Rose. This is a Christmas special. It was delicious! Sadly, they only have 2 half bottles catered and it was finished in no time.

The Lalique amenity kit was already left on the seat and the crew also came over to help me with my bags and jacket. Soon after a hot towel arrived to complete boarding service. The crew also came by with pyjamas for the flight. They are great to lounge in.

I spent the rest of the time catching up with Sherlin. Meal orders were also taken on the ground. Due to the last-minute change of flight, I did not manage to get my book the cook meals. I choose from the in-flight menu itself. Check out my BTC Dictionary.

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites

It has been almost 4 years since the last time I flew on the Suites. The Suites is Singapore Airlines’ most exclusive product. They are located on the upper deck of SQ A380 aircraft. You can access it directly via the aerobridge to the upper deck or by the stairs from the ground level. There is only a total of 6 suites with one on either side of the aisle. As you turn left to enter the cabin. You have a gorgeous entranceway. I love the batik and finishing of the product.

This time around we got Suite 3A and 3F. The two smallest suites. 1A and 1F are the largest followed by 2A and 2F. Suites in row 1 measure 54 ft2. Suites in rows 2 and 3 measure 43 ft2 and 35 ft2 respectively. The suites in rows 1 and 2 can also be combined into double suites. This will be the best setup for couples and families. It is always a treat to get a double bed onboard.

Screengrab from aeroLOPA

The new suite cabin sort of throws us back to the 747 days onboard Lufthansa, where the seat and the bed are two separate. The finishes were classy and in a modern greyish finish. You have a large tabletop right after entering your suite. Left on it is the menu for the flight and a classy orchid display. I do miss the leather menu holder that they used to provide. This is also where the table slides out from.

Along the windows, you have lots of storage space for you to place your stuff and little items. You can find a vanity mirror, the Bose noise-cancelling headphones and the vanity kit. Under the storage area is the power outlet and a HDMI port. You can also find some of the seat controls here. You have another one in the chair armrest that allows you to swivel the chair.

For flights out of Singapore, you get a gender-differentiated amenity kit. Each of them comes with a body lotion, facial mist, lip balm and a full bottle of Eau de Toilette / Eau de Parfum.

The chair is well-padded and super comfortable. It comes with a nice recline and leg rest.

There are no overhead compartments in Suites but rather you get a cabinet to store your items. It is right next to the sliding door. It comes with plenty of hangers and could fit your carry-on suitcase well.

Each suite comes with a huge 32-inch high-quality television. This is paired with the award-winning KrisWorld Inflight Entertainment System that comes with countless options.

The TV can be controlled using the remote control in the seat armrest, or through the tablet by the window to pivot it.

Wifi is also available and Suites guests get unlimited allowance. The speed and connection are good. Do note that it might not be available when you are flying above certain regions. Proper turndown service is offered with proper duvet and beddings. This is your little mini hotel room 36,000 ft in the sky. The bed can be converted easily by the crew and you can also set it up in a lounging mode. I do feel that the bed is on the narrow side. Perhaps the true impact of Row 3 is seen here. You are also more prone to the Galley noise in Row 3.

I also had the pleasure of getting a double suite on my first Suite flight a couple of years back. It is life-changing. How lovely to be able to fly like this.

There are two bathrooms in the front of the cabin for suite guests and the crew to use. Both of them are super spacious and leaps better than your usual aeroplane toilets. The nicer one is on the right. It was the most spacious airplane toilet that I have ever seen as well as the most glamorous one. You can have enough classes for a yoga class inside too. It comes with a vanity area and well well-stocked with Lalique amenities.

The other bathroom is much smaller and there might be chances where you have to “downgrade” yourself to use it. It is still super generous by any aircraft standards.

Although I do have to say that they could have done so much more with it such as having a shower. Let’s hope that they do something innovative for the upcoming 777 First Class. Furthermore, during service, the doors will usually be left open which results in awkward eye contact with your opposite neighbours. Lastly, the seats also do not encourage couple dining like the old suites!

Meal Service

This particular flight comes with a Breakfast and Dinner service. They also have an extensive Delectables menu given that this is a premium long-haul route. You can find the menu for the flight here. You can also pre-order your meals from the Book The Cook selection ahead. Meal orders were taken on the ground. You can also dine anytime you want. Immediately upon levelling off the crew came over to offer after-take-off drinks.

I wanted some more of the Rose but they had already run out of it. Kind of stingy that they only load 2 half bottles for a full cabin of six passengers. They didn’t have some backup Krug too. Thankfully, there are two other amazing Champagne on offer. SQ is the only airline known to pour 3 different types of Champagne in the air. You also have the 2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne which is one of my favourites and the 2007 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires. The latter is part of their Celebration of Champagne feature, a 10-month long programme with a revolving third champagne option added in Suites and First Class. Sadly, I am not a fan of it.

I got some Blue Mountain later on too. This is one of my favourite drinks to order and is exclusive to Suites / First Class. We hit some turbulence during the first part of the flight resulting in the meal service being slightly delayed. It only properly started roughly about 2 hours after take off.

We had the breakfast service to start. That was the fruit platter that came with some melon watermelon mangoes and strawberries the fruits were really good and fresh.

I opted for a Muesli service. The crew also soon came by with some pastries.

Upon Sherlin’s recommendation, I got the Fresh Eggs with Caviar. This came accompanied by tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoes. This also came with some bacon or sausages. I had more coffee and champagne to go with the meal.

My mum had the Selections of Dim Sum.

I got the bed made and had a little nap while catching more shows. The IFM Jamal came over with some snacks and a blue label. We had a nice chat while the blue label kept flowing.

I woke up after a solid 5 hours of sleep and was feeling a little peckish. I got the Singapore Carrot Cake with Prawns and went with some of the Bordeaux. I have heard so much about this dish and am keen to give it a try. Do check out the snacks menu if you are flying a long-haul route.

Dinner is served about 2 hours out of London. This started with the signature satay service. The food is so good today. Those satay were nicely washed down with some 2020 Von Hovel Saar Riesling Kabinett.

I got my usual garlic bread when the crew came by with the pastry basket. Moving on to the appetiser, I went with the Christmas Special. I got the Lobster, Crab and Caviar. It is a cold poached Maine lobster tail dish and comes with snow crab salad and caviar. It was decent but nothing too memorable. The portion was generous and the lobster was quite nice.

Sherlin also very kindly offered me soup and I got the Oriental Chicken Broth. This came with bamboo fungus and fish maw. It was served piping hot. I love it a lot. It is just a tat too salty.

For my main course, I chose the Braised Beef Cheek in Red Wine Sauce. It is delicious. The meat was fork tender. The crew is also very thoughtful in serving the additional sauce on the side.

In the meantime, my mum got the Singapore Style Prawn Noodle Soup. We could opt to go without beansprout.

I am so full at this moment but how can we do without desserts? I went with the Festive Delight, another Christmas special. I always feel that the dessert courses are their weakness point. I hope that they can continue their improvement in this area.

The crew are spectacular onboard this flight. They are very polished and lovely, from Sherlin to the IFM and even the Chief. I also had another crew come by for a hello as we flew together a couple of years back.

Conclusion

All good things come to an end and it is time to bid farewell to Sherlin and the rest of the crew. The only bad aspect about this is my limited time at The Private Room and losing my BTC meal selection. We even cut it a little close to getting First Class / Suites meals. But going for the suites is a no-brainer. Flying Suites is always a treat and I cherish every one of them. These are the flights that will keep me up at night and excited before taking an aeroplane like a kid. You will always be in for a treat unless you get Yvonne. This comes in for 141,000 Miles which is by no means cheap but seeing how it costs 12,000 SGD for this ticket. You are getting around 8.5 cents per mile. That is an excellent return. This is the longest flight in Suites. I still wish the 14 hours and 20 minutes can be longer. This is especially true when I am flying with the amazing Sherlin onboard. The IFM is also an amazing guy. We had some lengthy conversations ranging from life to travels. I can’t wait to be onboard the Suites once again. This is the best SQ cabin. Do check some of my other Singapore Airlines Reviews here. I have all of Singapore Airlines’ premium cabins there.