Ever since I was on-board the Singapore Airlines new A380 delivery flight from Airbus factory in Toulouse to Singapore, I've wanted to try out the new Singapore Airlines First Class Suite.
Currently the new A380 featuring the new First Class Suite flies to London, Sydney and Hong Kong.
The airline is in the process of introducing new seats on its A380s in all four classes: economy, premium economy, business and first. These will be fitted to its entire Airbus A380 fleet; including retrofit work on 14 existing aircraft, starting in late 2018 and targeted for completion in 2020.
A one way Singapore to Hong Kong First Class Suite Ticket cost $2,100 or 37,500 Kris Flyer Miles. This is the cheapest way to experience the new luxury. In my trip review, I am going to show you what luxury you can expect from this quick 3.5 hours flight.
Video Review
First Class Check-in
Singapore Airlines have a separate and dedicated check-in area for its First Class passengers. There is a separate driveway leading you to the First Class check-in area when approaching Terminal 3 of Changi Airport; a porter and assistant will also greet you at the doorway.
There is a dedicated immigration channel for First Class passengers. Within minutes of check-in, I found myself walking into the lounge.
The Private Room
Only First Class passengers are allowed to use the Private Room. I walked past the SilverKris Lounge (for Business Class passengers) and the First Class Lounge (for top tier frequent flyers) to arrive at The Private Room.
For a detail review of the Private Room, please click here.
As the name suggests, The Private Room is indeed very Private!
The Private Room offers both a restaurant a la carte style and a buffet service. Knowing I will have a full brunch on-board; I chose to have some dim sum, it was fresh and tasted excellent.
Welcome Onboard
9V-SKU is the aircraft registration of the A380 which operated to Hong Kong that morning.
There were dedicated queues for both Business Class and The First Class Suites. On-board, my boarding card was checked and I was taken the few steps left into the first class cabin. This at first seems like a short corridor with suites on either side, six in total with a configuration of 1-1, A and F on each side. The suites are located on the upper deck at the front of the A380.
The Suite are the biggest I've been on an airplane!
The layout of the suite takes a little getting used to. There is a leather arm chair facing forward, and then running perpendicular to this in front of you is the bed, which is folded up when you first board. Along the side of the cabin, by the windows, are several storage spaces for magazines and bags; there is also a private wardrobe for hanging your clothes and storing wheel on bags, though larger bags are stowed at the front by the two washrooms.
The leather seat, which has a seat width of 21 inches, can be moved to one side or the other to swivel either towards the two windows, or towards the table area and television. I was so busy moving it around that only later did I realize that you can also recline the seat and raise the leg rest, if you simply wanted to sit back and read.
There are plenty of storage spaces including a mirror with light. The suites have a number of charging points, including one power point in the wide table when you are working and another by the bed, so you could keep two devices on charge that way and a third through the USB charging port.
The table comes out of the side of the cabin and is very large and firm; it can be turned so that it is directly in front of the table for dining or working, or kept slightly to one side if you just want to rest things on it.
As you can imagine, there is a huge amount of personal space, and you can get up and walk around if you feel like stretching your legs without ever walking out into the corridor.
A choice of Krug 2004 or Dom Perignon vintage 2009 champagne were on offer
We took off around 10:20; flight time to Hong Kong was 3 hour 25 minutes. On this mid-morning flight, a course by course brunch was offered in First Class.
I was presented with the new Lalique First Class Amenity Kits. There are 3 types of amenity kits male, female and a unisex one from outstation inbound to Singapore. For demonstration purpose, I was given all 3 to present them on my blog. They are only distributed on long haul flights.
In each Lalique amenity kit, there is a perfume for ladies or EDT for gents; also included is a special crystal "fish". I was informed that each amenity kit came with a different fish as part of the collection. There is also a scented candle to take home in the unisex kit bag.
Within 30 minutes of take-off, my dining table was set; the first course was fresh fruit with chilled juice.
One advantage of the swivel chair is you can get out of your seat anytime during dining, as the image below shows.
A glass of ice milo with my brunch.
For main course, I have lobster thermidor from the "Book the Cook". You can book your preferred meal 24 hours in advance online.
Ending my brunch on a sweet note, a beautifully presented Mont Blanc cake with ice cream.
The only negative observation is that during the dining position, I was facing the door of the suite and it may look into another passenger across the aisle, if we both were to dine at the same time. This privacy issue can be solved by closing the door of your suite.
After the brunch, I still had about 1 hour 45 minutes flying time to Hong Kong; I decided to check out the massive lavatory at the front of the upper deck. There is a separate make up stand for the ladies.
Singapore Airlines also provide free on-board WIFI with 100MB size.
My Personal Space
The flight attendants came into the suite and lowered the bed from the side wall, put a mattress topper on it, prepared the pillows and then placed the duvet on top. (Watch it on The YouTube Video.)
The bedding was EXCELLENT, it was smooth and had a texture to keep it cool during the flight. Contrary to other reviews, I found the mattress firmness about right, not too hard or soft.
I spent the rest of flight making myself comfortable in the privacy of my suite; enjoying some in-flight entertainment from the massive 32 inch screen and just continued day dreaming!
The bed is 76 inches long, one of the longest i've been on!
We circled for about 25 minutes in a holding pattern before being allowed to land in Hong Kong.
Finest Service Onboard
What my pictures don’t show (perhaps the video does) is the great service on-board by the 2 leading stewardesses in First Class, Jerleen and Crystal. The cabin was full, with all 6 suites occupied, as it was a busy Monday morning flight. The crew were not only able to deliver all the meals, within the first hour, but also managed to turn down the beds and keep up with all of the passengers demands on this short 3.5 hours flight.
Not every airline willing to go this far on a regional flight, but Singapore Airlines does!
Which Suite to choose?
All of them are equally good for the single traveller, but if you are travelling as a couple you will want to choose either 1 and 2A or 1 and 2F, as these two seats have a divider allowing you to spend time together and make a private suite with a double bed.
I'd avoid suite 3A or 3F as there may be some noise coming from the galley.
Bonus Space
If the First Class suite next to you isn't taken, you may have the opportunity to have 2 Suites to yourself for the price of one! Here are some pics when the divider is lowered, which created a massive over 100 sq. ft. of space from the two First Class Suites combined.
Verdict
Simply excellent, the best regional flight I've ever experienced! The product is for long haul but the fact that passengers can experience the full product on a regional flight is mind boggling!
The amount of luxury, privacy and space on offer is second to none. I had so much space to myself inside the Suite, it was unreal; with the usual high service delivered as standard, Singapore Airlines once again delivered a faultless experience. It’s hard to see how these First Class Suites can be better than now!
A one way Singapore to Hong Kong First Class Suite ticket cost $2,100 or 37,500 Kris Flyer Miles. This is the cheapest way to experience the new luxury.
Sam’s Travel Hacks
