Singapore Airlines is one of my favorite airlines and I always look forward to flying with them. With comfortable seats, attentive service and a quality entertainment system, Singapore Airlines Economy Class makes the long-haul travel experience pleasant and enjoyable. And with frequent sales from North America, Singapore Airlines provides an exceptional value for Americans traveling to Southeast Asia and beyond.
The other trip reports in this series include:
- Korean Air Lounge LAX, a Priority Pass Lounge
- Star Alliance Lounge LAX
- Singapore Airlines Economy Class, Los Angeles to Singapore
- Singapore Airlines Economy Class, Singapore to Bali
- Korean Air Lounge Concourse A Seoul, a Priority Pass Lounge
- SATS Premier Lounge Singapore, a Priority Pass Lounge
- The Stones Hotel, Bali
- Hilton Bali Resort, Nusa Dua
- Singapore Airlines Economy Class, Singapore to Los Angeles
Singapore Changi Airport is open 24 hours a day but during the late night/early morning hours, most stores and restaurants will be closed. There are plenty of places to sit and relax while waiting for your flight but if you need something a little more comfortable, you can check out one the airport lounges or transit hotels. For longer layovers, the Ambassador Transit Hotel located in Terminal 3 is a great option. This transit hotel offers a clean and comfortable room to rest and a private bathroom to freshen up. Rooms can be booked in 6-hour blocks.
For Star Alliance Gold members, Singapore Airlines does not allow access to their first or business class lounges. Instead, Gold members will be directed to their KrisFlyer Gold Lounges if traveling in economy class. Needless to say, the KrisFlyer Gold Lounges are a huge disappointment compared to their other lounges. I’ll have a full review up later but you can check out some pictures of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge Terminal 2 here.
For Priority Pass members, you will have several lounge options including the SATS Premier and Dnata Lounges. SATS has lounges in both terminals 2 and 3 and they are among some of my favorite Priority Pass lounges in the world. In my opinion, the SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 is the best Priority Pass Lounge at Singapore Changi. The lounge is clean, comfortable and offers a great food selection.
Singapore Airlines Economy Class, Singapore to Los Angeles via Seoul
Flight: SQ8
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Singapore (SIN) to Seoul (ICN) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Depart: 4:45 AM on Thursday
Arrive: 7:10 AM same day
Duration: 17hr 45mn
Seat: 57D Economy Class
After a short Singapore Airlines A330 regional flight from Bali, my friends and arrived into Singapore Airport at approximately 12:20 AM. We proceeded to the SATS Premier lounge for a quick bite to eat and then made our way to gate B2. We got to the gate with plenty of time to spare as boarding was delayed approximately 20 minutes. Keep in mind that security is handled at the individual gates and not at a centralized location. You won’t be able to bring bottles of water through security but there are drinking fountains located post-security to fill up your empty water bottles before flight.
I already reviewed the Singapore Airlines Economy Class seats on my flight from Los Angeles to Singapore but here’s a recap. Singapore Airlines operates these Boeing 777-300ERs on mostly long-haul flights. These aircraft are configured with 184 standard economy class seats in a 3-3-3 layout. These seats offer a generous amount of personal space with 19 inches of width, 32 inches of pitch and whopping 6 inches of recline. These are great numbers considering other airlines operate this exact same aircraft in a more dense 3-4-3 layout with less legroom and recline.
On this flight, I was seated in seat 57D, an aisle seat in the middle section of aircraft. These seats are fantastic for economy class seats. The bottom cushions are well-padded and the seats come with bolstered sides, 4-way adjustable headrests and footrests for increased passenger comfort.
Each seat is equipped with an 11.1 inch personal IFE (in-flight entertainment) touchscreen monitor, USB port, electrical outlet, coat hook, reading lamp and vanity mirror.
Waiting at our seats were plush pillows and large blankets. The pillows actually had some support to them and the blankets were large enough to cover a significant portion of your body.
As we settled into our seats, the flight attendants came by with hot towels, printed menus and very basic amenities kits. Economy class passengers do not normally receive amenities kits but this is a special thing they are doing to celebrate their 70th anniversary. The kits contained a pair of socks and a dental hygiene kit; nothing special but the pouch can be re-purposed for future use.
There are several lavatories for economy class passengers to use. They are all furnished with dental hygiene kits, combs and body products such as lotion and perfume.
SQ 8 – Singapore to Seoul
Due to the early morning departure hour, services were fairly limited on this flight. My recommendation is to eat beforehand because you won’t get a meal immediately after takeoff. The first service was a beverage service only. The service was completed quickly after hitting cruising altitude and the cabin lights were turned off shortly thereafter.
Because this was a red-eye flight, everyone fell asleep right away. I watched a movie and worked for a bit but eventually fell asleep. I got about 3 hours of sleep before the cabin lights were turned back on. It was great sleep thanks to the comfortable seat and my GoSleep Travel Pillow and Sleep Mask. I woke up well-rested and ready to eat. The pre-arrival meal service was served approximately one and a half hours before our arrival into Seoul.
For our pre-arrival meal service, there was an option between a cheese omelet or a beef bibimbap. I chose the bibimbap (of course) and it was delicious. In fact, it was the best airline meal I had this entire trip. The beef bibimbap was served with a yogurt cup, side of fresh fruit and a bread roll.
Once everyone was done eating, our trays were taken away and the flight attendants prepared the cabin for our arrival into Seoul.
SQ 8 – Arrival into Seoul
At Seoul Incheon Airport, all passengers must exit the aircraft, clear though security and then re-board the same aircraft for your final leg to Los Angeles. Singapore Airlines does operate a very modest SilverKris Lounge for premium cabin passengers and Star Alliance Gold members. The SilverKris Lounge is small but does offer a comfortable space to rest, relax and refresh in between flights.
For Priority Pass members, you can use the Korean Airlines Lounge adjacent to gate 116. The forced layover is just long enough to grab a quick bite to eat, stretch your legs and freshen up a bit before boarding again.
SQ 8 – Seoul to Los Angeles
Approximately 40 minutes prior to our departure time, we boarded the same aircraft but with a different crew and some new passengers. Blankets and pillows were laid out on the seat and another amenity kit (same one) was provided once all the passengers were boarded.
The Captain then came on the PA to make his welcome announcements. He provided us with our estimated flight time and flight path. We then pushed back from the gate and departed for our final leg home. Once we hit our cruising altitude, the seatbelt signs were turned off and the flight attendants prepared for our lunch service. Service started with a warm towel, beverage and a package of peanuts.
For lunch, there was a Korean option (Korean style pork-belly with steamed black rice) or an international option (grilled chicken with noodles). Wanting something a little more “healthy,” I went with the chicken and noodles, which was served with cheese and crackers, a smoked salmon appetizer and bread roll. Dessert was a chocolate ice cream cup.
One of my biggest criticisms of Singapore Airlines is their in-flight catering. I find their catering to be pretty lackluster and tasteless. They do surprise once in awhile with a great meal but unfortunately, this meal was not one of those times. The chicken and noodles tasted as good as it looked in the picture above.
After lunch, our trays were cleared away, the window shades were drawn and the cabin lights were dimmed for those wanting to rest. I planned on staying up for a bit but fell asleep right after the meal service.
I woke up hungry a few hours later and wandered the cabin looking for more food. In between meals, snacks and other delectables were laid out in the galleys and the flight attendants made frequent passes through the cabin with trays of water, juices and other snacks.
Singapore Airlines updates their entertainment options on the 1st of every month and we were lucky enough to have a whole new set of movies to watch. I ended up watching a couple of movies, working a bit on my laptop and then zonking out again for the rest of the flight.
Approximately two hours before our arrival into Los Angeles, the flight attendants turned on the cabin lights and prepared for our pre-arrival meal. For breakfast, our two meal options were Korean rice porridge or a cheese omelet. This time, I went with the cheese omelet option, which was served with a side of fruit, yogurt cup and a bread roll.
Again, this meal was nothing special to the taste buds but it did fill me up. Our trays were then taken away and flight attendants made final preparations for our arrival into Los Angeles.
Singapore Airlines Economy Class Overall Thoughts
The Singapore Airlines Economy Class seats on their Boeing 777-300ERs are fantastic and the overall flight experience makes for a very pleasant journey. I’m not really a fan of their catering but everything else, from the service on-board and quality hard product, make up for it and then some. If you’re looking for a great way to travel to Asia, I would recommend Singapore Airlines as a great option for budget and luxury travelers alike.
Have you flown Singapore Airlines Economy Class? If so, please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
