FLIGHT REVIEW: Singapore Airlines Business Class from Singapore to London Via Barcelona For Only £700

Booking

This was a one-way cash fare from Singapore to London for GBP700.  Yes, you read that right, 700 pounds.  People often ask me the best way to get cheap business class tickets, and my advice is always the same – use a search engine like Google Flights or Kayak, which allows you to enter 3 or 4 different departure and arrival cities in a single search and check dates around your preferred date.  I needed to get from Jakarta to Manchester, so I used Kayak to search Jakarta/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur to Manchester/London/Dublin, and I got lucky, GBP700 one way from Singapore to London.  Mind you, this was not the first search I made.  Tip number two, search again and again and again.   When I saw this fare, I knew it would not be around long, as it was likely a miscoded economy fare, so I booked quick sticks.  The ticket was issued by TAP; however, after booking, I was happy to see that I could add it to my Singapore Airlines app, which allowed the full functionality of selecting seats, ordering meals, etc.  Singapore – Barcelona (which stops in Milan) would be operated by SQ, with Barcelona – Lisbon – London operated by TAP.  A bit of a long way around, but let’s just say I did not complete the full itinerary as ticketed 😉

Check in/Lounge

Singapore Changi does not need me to sing its praises as it is one of the most awarded airports in the world, renowned for being efficient, clean, operating around the clock and offering bespoke attractions like a butterfly garden and The Jewel shopping and entertainment centre.  SQ primarily operates from the most modern terminal (3) and, of course, has designated business class check-in desks.  After a quick interaction, I had my boarding pass to Milan and made my way through automated passport control.

The SQ lounges are very close to each other, with the business, first class and ‘private room’ all sharing a common entrance.  If you are accessing the lounge on the basis of Star Gold status, you will be directed to a different SQ lounge just down the hall (a la Qatar Airways in Doha).  Being a huge transit hub, SIN has ‘banks’ of departures, late evening being one of their busiest, with the overwhelming majority of their jets headed towards Europe departing.  Given this, the lounge was quite busy, but down to the sheer size of it, as well as the strict access requirements, it never feels overcrowded.  I have reviewed the lounge previously, and not much has changed. 

I had always thought that SQ only operates out of terminals two and three, so I was surprised to see that my flight to Milan was showing as departing from Terminal 1.  Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are all connected airside and landside by a transit system, so it was no big deal, but I made sure I left plenty of time as I would need to get over to Terminal 1 and still clear security at the gate. 

I have mixed feelings about having security at each gate versus a centralised location, on the one hand once you are through security and in the gate you are stuck there on the other hand you will never be stuck in a queue at security behind throngs of people arriving at the airport four hours ahead of their flight when your own is departing in an hour (COVID flashbacks).  I believe the main reason SIN operates with at gate security, however, is more driven by security regulatory requirements, as the departures area is not truly ‘sterile’ in the sense that arriving and departing passengers share the same space and can interact, unlike most international airports where arriving and departing passengers are segregated.

Boarding

Passenger boarding started at 23:05, exactly as indicated on my boarding pass and was called by class of travel, followed by seat row number (rear to forward). 

I located my seat in the second cabin and already waiting for me was the menu, a bottle of water and headphones.  The impeccably groomed crew passed through with a choice of pre-departure drinks, including orange juice, champagne or a Bellini (my choice). 

The Seat

Singapore Airlines flies two different A350 configurations, the first it designates as long-haul and the second it refers to as ‘medium haul’, although both have a full flat bed with direct aisle access. 

SQ’s seat on the long-haul A350 to Barcelona is quite polarising, with many appreciating the space, particularly when it comes to width; however, some struggle with the seat as a bed.  Firstly, it needs to be converted by a crew member, and secondly, the cubby hole where your feet go while horizontal is at an angle, so if you are not a side sleeper, you will likely struggle for comfort. 

The bulkhead seats differ in that there is no cubby hole, just a great big ottoman where you can stretch out to your heart’s content.  Of course, these seats are not available to us average Joes when we book and are only available to top-tier members of SQ’s own frequent flyer program.  However, when online check-in opens, if there are any left, it’s first in best dressed, so I was there, phone in hand, SQ app opened exactly as online check-in opened, and I managed to nab one.  The difference in space really is noticeable, and I would highly recommend you do your best to grab one of these if travelling on the 350. 

We taxied out to the runway and were airborne 22 minutes later.

Inflight

Fifteen minutes after taking off, the seatbelt sign was still on, and there was no activity when the captain made an announcement that he would be keeping the seatbelt sign on until we reached 36,000ft due to weather in the area.  It was not until 45 minutes after take-off that it was finally extinguished.  SQ had a highly publicised incident where an aircraft hit turbulence that resulted in several serious injuries and a fatality, so this approach is understandable. 

Once things got cracking, one of the very professional crew members came and introduced herself, welcomed me by name, gave me a run-down of the service and confirmed my ‘book the cook’ meals. 

She also took a drink order, which I received 70 minutes after take-off.  The Singapore Sling was served without any nibble or bar snack, which seemed a bit of a missed opportunity.

An hour and a half had now passed, and as we were over Bangkok, a tablecloth was laid and the meal service was started from a trolley.  The starter was presented (there is no choice of starter), a glass of water was automatically poured, and wine was offered.  The starter was announced using the full menu term, which is very premium; however, the crew forgot to offer bread. 

Shortly after, starter dishes were cleared, and the main dishes began to be hand-run from the galley.  My main was absolutely delicious with flavoursome and tender beef, and soon after, the crew came to clear the entire tray.

There seemed to be a bit of confusion with the crew, as I noticed they went to remove the trays of some customers to be informed by the passenger that they had not yet received their main.  The crew seemed to be a little disjointed, but were full of good intentions – I think they were probably trying to make up for the time lost at the beginning of the flight with the seatbelt sign on for an extended time.

The trolley reappeared with dessert and cheese, and I opted for the cheese although the friendly crew member offered me the dessert also (I declined).  The cheese plate was decent and consisted of four varieties with two small packets of crackers.

It was now two and a half hours after take-off, and we were passing Yangon when the cabin was all cleared in and getting ready to bed down.  Given there was a 45-minute initial delay to the service, I think that’s pretty good going for a three-course meal service on a full-ish flight.

And this is where the issue with the seat/bed first appears, as you cannot simply push a button and recline flat at your own pace; you need the assistance of a crew member who performs some magic and flips the seat over that has now become a bed with a fitted sheet.  The rest of the bedding also becomes available.  I found the bed really comfortable, but for whatever reason (probably wine and jetlag) could not sleep solidly and just had a couple hours here and there. 

Two and a half hours before we were due to arrive in Milan, and whilst passing Ankara, the lights were gradually illuminated, and the breakfast service began with a hot towel.  A crew member asked if I would like my bed reconverted to a seat, and I said I was happy to just keep it flat for the time being, so I dined hippy style, legs crossed on the bed. 

A tablecloth was laid and the starters presented, which consisted of a fruit salad comprising cherries, pomelo, orange and melon, a selection of bakery items as well as tea, coffee and juice.

The starters were cleared, drinks refilled then it was time for the famous Book The Cook option of lobster thermidor.  It was absolutely delicious, and sorry EVA, yours was good, but SQ’s was better.

The entire breakfast service was cleared in an hour and a half, still to run, and while I was waiting for the loo got chatting with the crew about their jobs with SQ and their itinerary this trip.  The crew would get off in Milan, another crew would get on and operate Milan-Barcelona-Milan, and then this crew would do the BCN turnaround the following day.

The preparation for the landing announcement was soon made by the captain, and we landed in Milan at 5:50 am, which was 40 minutes early.  Those ending their journey in Milan were invited to disembark, whilst those of us continuing to Barcelona were asked to remain on board during the transit stop.

SQ has fifth freedom rights between Milan and Barcelona, so it can sell tickets just for that segment; however, there were a grand total of six passengers who joined in Milan for the short hop to BCN. 

At 7:30 am, we were again pushing back for the last 1hr20min of the flight, where the service consisted of a selection of open sandwiches served with water, juice, tea or coffee, although I am assuming other drinks were available on request.

We arrived at the stand in Barcelona at 9:00 am, bang on time.

IFE and WiFi

In both arenas, Singapore offers a good product.  In terms of Wifi, it is available free to all passengers onboard, provided you have signed up to the Singapore Airlines frequent flyer program.  The airline’s in-flight entertainment system features an 18-inch display with pretty good resolution and plenty of content.  You can even browse content on the airline’s website ahead of your flight and construct your own bespoke playlist you can log onto when you fly. 

Final Thoughts

I have always wondered what the fuss is about Singapore Airlines, especially as in some respects competitors outpace them, whether it be seats, amenities or catering.  For example, there are no PJ’s in business class on SQ, and many airlines offer a choice of starter, which SQ does not. 

However, having now flown SQ enough times in business to get a pretty good view of them on a good day and a bad day, I think their appeal is consistency – over ten or eleven sectors, they have been consistently good.  Good seats, good lounges, good in-flight and ground service, good catering, good on-time performance.  I do not rate them as ‘excellent’ in any of these areas (for example, Qatar has better seats, many airlines have better catering, Cathay has better lounges, Garuda has better in-flight service); however, SQ has no real weak spot that I can identify, whereas I can name a weak spot of every one of the aforementioned airlines.