Aboard Singapore Airlines Suite, I spent less than €120 to travel in the world's best first class
This was not just another trip. Impossible to categorize Singapore Airlines' Suite aboard its fleet [...]
Singapore Airlines
Star Alliance
JFK
This was not just another trip. Impossible to categorize Singapore Airlines' Suite aboard its A380 fleet with the word normal. The reason is that there is nothing comparable in the world. Of course, before the pandemic there were The Residence and The Apartment by Eithad, but today - November 2022 - there is nothing in the skies even remotely comparable to this cabin. And those who say otherwise are lying. #knows.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A380
- Class:
- Suite
- Treat:
- FRA - JFK
- Price:
- 86000 krisflyer + 118€
- Book
Reservation
Singapore Airlines has only 11 A380s still in its fleet and fortunately they will remain so for a long time to come since all of them have had in the last 24 months the installation of the new first and business class cabins. While 7 have already been sent to the scrap heap.
Singapore's A380 at Sydney Airport.
Given the small number of aircraft, there are not many routes operated by Singapore with the giant of the skies. To date it flies from Singapore and back to Sydney, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi in Asia. London and Frankfurt in Europe and precisely New York in America. The latter flight is not direct, but via Frankfurt. It is a fifth freedom flight.
There are only six suites on board each A380. It is therefore difficult to find an award seat in what is in effect one of the most exclusive cabins in the world with only 66 seats in total. By December 2021, however, Singapore Airlines had opened all of its inventory To reservations with points, Providing even more than two premium seats on board.
PS Of course, we at TFC had written it down. and alerted our readers both through our newsletter and through our social channels.
And since certain opportunities are never passed up, because I believe that in this particular case something like this will never happen again, I immediately took advantage and booked a ticket.
The final cost was 86 thousand Krisflyer points and 118.01 € fees. A very unrepeatable thing because in the meantime Singapore has also tweaked the award ticket tables.
In any case, since the ticket paid cash at a cost of no less than 4 thousand, I can only be satisfied.
Considering also that getting points from Singapore's loyalty program is Easy, fast and free of charge by transferring from Membership Rewards and that there are often bonuses that allow you to get free points if you transfer from American Express, this was by far the cheapest first-class ticket booking I have ever made.
If you don't yet have an Amex in your portfolio now. you can get the Gold Card for free forever.
A small premise
When traveling first class, not in your home airport, it is logical to expect inferior treatment on the ground. This happens with all carriers. From British Airways to Air France, even Emirates, which is the carrier with the most first-class seats in the world fails to provide the same experience away from Dubai.
Farewell A380 to JFK
In recent days came the cold shower from Singapore Airlines. From May 2023, the A380 will no longer be the aircraft with which the route to New York will be operated, via Frankfurt. This effectively leaves only the London to Singapore route the only route served with the giant of the skies, and this beautiful suite, from Europe.
At the airport
I arrived in Frankfurt the night before and stayed at the Moxy near the airport.
Around 9 p.m. I received a text message and notification on the Singapore app alerting me to the delay of the incoming flight from Singapore and that my departure would slip by about 60 minutes. Not bad and very frequent on this route.
I went to the airport anyway at the scheduled time to check in and lounge and browse around the airport. Singapore departs from Terminal 1 and the check-in desks are in Area C of the terminal.
When I arrived at the airport in Europe's financial capital, there was already a fair amount of queuing at the Singapore counters, not obviously at First's.
With only six seats on board, and only one flight departing in the morning, hard to queue at the dedicated counter for First passengers.
Mine being a one-way ticket, I was asked to show the return flight and state that I was fully vaccinated. I was not asked to show anything about the vaccine. This is standard practice, which slightly slowed down check-in. The return flight was the exact opposite of this, since I flew with Neos Italian carrier specializing in charter flights.
At the security checkpoint, there was not much traffic., but I still took advantage of the fast track and then also went through the gates to access the non-Schengen flight area in Terminal 1. In less than 10 minutes total I was at the door of the Senator Lounge. In the area of gate B42. SQ has no lounge at German airport and relies on Star Alliance partners to look after its most important guests. But the Lufthansa Senator Lounge or Air Canada's Maple Leaf lounge can never offer what Singapore's Silverkris lounge can.
I really liked this Senator Lounge, both for the quality of the food and the services offered. There is also a small spa to get a massage (for a fee) before a long flight.
At 8:50 a.m. I showed up at gate b48 and the giant of the skies was parked in its place.
Passengers making the entire route from Singapore to New York., via Frankfurt aboard flight Sq26 are required to disembark from the plane, only to re-board about 90 minutes later. This is to allow the staff to prepare the aircraft for guests who will instead board in Frankfurt bound for New York. After a 13-hour flight, one then has a chance to walk, breathe and possibly do some shopping.
The gate was very crowded. partly because flights to Las Vegas and Los Angeles were departing at those nearby. Fortunately, however, first class passengers are reserved a cordoned-off area where they can wait for boarding to open.
Boarding which as expected went off on time and I rushed on board like a child after two hours in line at Gardaland's Blue Tornado.
On board
To understand the difference in space that the 6 first-class passengers have, just make a comparison. In the same space Emirates has more than twice as many seats on its A380s, 14.
It is therefore obvious that we are talking about a product that is clearly superior to any other offering first-class. And we are unlikely to see anything as exclusive in the future.
We are aboard a gigantic plane like the A380 and yet there is only one aisle in the cabin, and this happens because each passenger has his or her own private room of nearly 5 square meters. So much space available that Singapore has chosen to use in a manner unique in the world of aviation, instead of putting an armchair that becomes a bed, he put an armchair and a bed.
The seat is very comfortable and is motorized. During takeoff and landing it faces the clear wall, the one where there is a small TV screen that is only meant to show the safety video. And the one in Singapore is really nice.
But then it is possible, by pressing a hidden button on the armrest, to turn to the 32″ TV screen, to the bed, or if you want to turn to the windows, all at the touch of a button.
The special feature of this configuration is that, If you are traveling as a couple and booking seats in row 1 and 2, you can completely tear down the divider and turn the single room into a double room.
The master bedroom suite aboard Singapore Airlines' A380.
There is plenty of space, just think about that. in economy on the lower floor in the same area sit 36 passengers,
As mentioned, the chair is governed by the hand control under the armrest. E'is possible to adjust the seat tilt, leg support and of course the orientation. All very easy to understand since there are 4 pre-set positions (start/decline, toward TV, bed or portholes), but everyone is also free to choose the position they prefer.
In addition to this hidden inside the armrest is the remote control to operate the entertainment system.
Needless to say, there is all the space one could need, even too much. Each suite also has available a closet with associated hangers where you can hang your clothes you could almost think about unpacking, if there were a butler at the St. Regis you might even think about it.
Food & Beverage
I didn't have time to sit down that the cabin attendant arrived to offer me the first glass of Dom Perignon 2008, one of the two champagnes offered on my flight along with the Krug.
Shortly after the second assistant arrived to take my lunch order, having found nothing to convince me from the menu I had opted to order a dish off the list thanks to the book the cook service. And as soon as we took off, along with a glass of Krug, I immediately asked for the chicken skewers as an appetizer-they are an icon of Singapore and are really delicious.
Then it was a crescendo, impeccable service of excellently prepared and really good dishes. Everything is taken care of down to the last detail such as the idea of even offering a shot of vodka if you order caviar Or the smoke show along with dessert tasting. Everything I ate and all the considerations . I leave them to the video on our youtube channel.
The service
There are only 6 suites for as many passengers and a total of 4 attendants in addition to the cabin manager. It is basically like having a personal butler or almost.
The courtesy kit includes pajamas, a beauty kit, slippers, socks and mask all from the well-known brand Lalique.
The quality of the products is good, but it is not of the best among those offered by first-class airlines. Let's say that British Airways and Air France offer far superior products.
The attention to the passenger is total. This is evidenced by the footrest that the assistant brought me to allow me to be more comfortable. Something I have never seen.
Attention to detail is total, everything is designed to excel and to give a unique experience to the passenger
The bathroom
A380s have two bathrooms for first class passengers, one smaller and the other definitely huge. Of course, here the difference with Emirates can be seen by the lack of a shower, but everything else is top notch.
There is everything you need. It looks like a hotel room bathroom, and for once I couldn't resist getting into my pajamas to go to sleep.
The bedroom
Because there is a real bed in the suite, not the classic armchair that reclines and becomes a bed. Here is a bed with a mattress, sheets, comforter and two huge fluffy pillows.
The attendant who took care of preparing my bedding also left me a small stuffed animal to keep me company. Teddy bear that ended up in my daughter's collection.
Closing the door to my suite, I enjoyed the end of the movie and then slept for almost two hours as I had never slept aboard an airplane before.
IFE
Each suite has two screens, a smaller one on the side wall and a 32″ TV on the wall separating from the hallway.
In fact, the second screen is used only during takeoff to watch the safety video.
The room is controlled-as well as from the control panel in the armrest-the one hidden inside the cupboard and the tablet.
The tablet enables room home automation management. It turns on various lights, allows you to decide the light intensity, call the staff, manage the television, and more.
Unfortunately, however, my tablet did not work even for a second during the flight. As soon as I lifted it from the base it would go into lockout. Attempts by all the staff were to no avail. The staff tried several system resets, tried everything, but with no luck.
A few days later I received A voucher worth 400SGD, about 280€, as reimbursement for inconvenience. All thanks to the report made directly by the cabin manager and without any request from me.
Even without a tablet, I was able to manage the screen with the good old remote control. Singapore's IFE is second, perhaps, only to Emirates', but we are truly at a battle of giants. Hundreds of films, content for every age and every traveler, and As many as 29 complete seasons of the most popular series.
In conclusion
What to say about this experience? What a memory I gave myself using American Express membership rewards points. It was truly a unique experience and the video tells it in all the details. The crew was AMAZING, on the level of Air France. The cabin is something crazy and I must say. I'm looking forward to rebooking it, maybe on a flight a little bit longer than the 8 hours it takes between Frankfurt and New York. This time perhaps aiming to travel as a couple in order to experience the double bed.
This flight kicked off my challenge for 2023, Flying on as many A380s as possible. at the moment I have booked two flights aboard British Airways one of which I hope to be able to detach an upgrade. I will then try the first class of Qatar And that of Emirates. Among the carriers still flying A380s I am left to try Lufthansa, ANA and Qantas, let's see what next year holds for me.
Pro
- The cabin is a unique thing in the world
- The service is great
Against
- Lack of ground service
- The tablet not working