Hello from London! I’ve just wrapped up my trip to Singapore and Hong Kong. I’ve got a couple of flights that I’d like to report my first impressions back on (as well as finishing my Australia trip report series), though I’ll do them slightly out of order. I’m actually going to start with the last flight I took, which was a 14h Singapore Airlines premium economy flight from Singapore to London Gatwick.
To me, I consider a good premium economy experience to be one with a comfortable seat, good amenities and WiFi, and upgraded catering and service (including between meals). I’d say that Singapore Airlines fires on all of these cylinders without standing out in any particular one. In fact, I find the airline’s premium economy product to be neck-and-neck with its biggest competitor Cathay Pacific at the moment – the catering and service are slightly better, though there’s a lot to catch up on in terms of the hard product and amenities.
I’ll share my first impressions here, and I’ll write a full review in the coming weeks.
Singapore Airlines’ A350 Premium Economy Seat: Nice, But A Bit Dated
Singapore Airlines features premium economy on all of their longhaul aircraft. Their A380 and 777 have an identical seat, whereas the A350 seat is slightly different, being made by a different manufacturer. I reviewed the A380 and 777 eons ago, though did go out of my way to book the A350, since I haven’t tried it before (in case anyone’s wondering, that’s why I booked to Gatwick, as the timings otherwise worked out better than the much later A350 Heathrow flight).
My flight from Singapore to London Gatwick was operated by an A350. This was one of the airline’s regular A350s, though do note that if you’re flying one of their ultra-longhaul A350s from Singapore to New York, you’ll also get this seat if flying in premium economy.
Singapore Airlines’ A350 premium economy cabin is intimate, just featuring three rows with a total of 24 seats.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Cabin
On the plus side, I was very impressed by the recline at these seats. These seats have a “cradle effect” when they recline, meaning that the seat pan slides forward. Alongside the fold-up legrest and the fold-down footrest, I was able to get very comfortable on the flight. The cradle effect is also quite pronounced, which is good, as it means that the seat in front doesn’t impinge on “your” space much when your seat is reclined.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Recline
This seat doesn’t have the most seat pitch – there’s 38″ of seat pitch (that’s the distance from one seat to the same point of the seat behind). That’s not industry-leading, though I didn’t think the seat was that tight.
However, what I did mind more was the lack of storage. Apart from the seat pocket, there was only a tiny pocket that was barely big enough for AirPods underneath the armrest, as well as a water bottle holder. A separate compartment for a phone, passport, or small bits and bobs would’ve been really handy, particularly under the TV screen. I kept losing my phone or AirPods at times during the flight (due to them falling out of some fairly full storage compartments), which a storage compartment would’ve solved.
Singapore Airlines’ A380s and 777s feature enhanced dual-layer seat pockets where you can easily place a laptop or an iPad in a separate compartment to everything else, though this wasn’t present here.
This storage pocket was barely big enough to store AirPods
These seats are ~10 years old, so there isn’t any USB-C charging or Bluetooth audio to be found. On the plus side, I appreciated that USB-A ports were available both by the TV screen in front, as well as on the side panel next to the seat.
I’d say that it’s probably time for the airline to consider investing in some new premium economy seats (or at least refresh them quite significantly with the next iteration of cabin products), though the current version of these seats has the basics. I slept comfortably for a number of hours due to the seat comfort, which I’d consider to be the most important feature.
Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Amenities: Mediocre
I wasn’t impressed by the amenities available in Singapore Airlines’ premium economy, and found it to be a weak point. Let me start with the upside – WiFi was free, even though it was on the slow side. The airline also has an award-winning entertainment system, which was as good as its reputation suggests, responsive, and easy to use.
Great bedding can make quite a big difference in premium economy, and I didn’t get the impression that Singapore Airlines invested a lot into the bedding available here. The pillow itself was okay, though the blanket was quite thin, and not particularly soft. I would’ve much preferred a quilted blanket like you can find on Cathay Pacific, KLM, or EVA Air.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Bedding
Singapore Airlines is also known for a rather odd approach to amenity kits. They used to not offer amenity kits in business class or premium economy, and even now they only do so on request. The amenity kits are super basic, though they do feature some (low-quality) slippers, which is an appreciated feature. You can also find dental kits, razors etc. in the lavatories, which are shared with economy.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Amenity Kit
So there’s definitely enough to get by, though I wasn’t hugely impressed by the amenities on offer.
Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Catering: The X-Factor, But Only If You Pre-Order
In my opinion, catering is the most competitive element of Singapore Airlines’ premium economy product. Not only is the general selection quite good, though crucially premium economy passengers have the option to Book The Cook, which is Singapore Airlines’ meal pre-order programme for those travelling in premium cabins.
As a premium economy passenger you don’t get as upscale of a selection as you do in first or business class, though there are a plethora of Singaporean, Chinese/Malaysian, and Western options on offer, available from a month before departure. I pre-ordered both meals, and for the first meal had a delicious nasi lemak with rendang chicken, which was a flavour bomb, complete with (spicy) sambal, otah fish cake, an omelet, anchovies, and peanuts.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Meal Service
For the second meal I had the “Singaporean Favourite” dry bak chor mee, which was a bit strange to be having at 4 AM in the morning, though was delicious nonetheless.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Meal Service
It’s worth noting that you generally have access to the same selection for both meals. So you could technically have an herb crusted seabass for breakfast, or buttermilk pancakes with berry compote for dinner.
Also note the side dishes that came with both meals, which were both really good – the first meal was served with a smoked salmon and egg salad, and the fresh fruit served with the second meal featured juicy pomelo and the plumpest grapes I’ve had on an aircraft. The garlic bread roll that came with the first meal was also sublime (though quite garlicky, so I would avoid striking up a conversation with your seatmate afterwards).
My seatmate didn’t pre-order, and I kind of felt sorry for him – the choices felt a lot more limited, with only two options available for each meal. In fairness there was still variety with a Singaporean option on offer for each meal (Singaporean carrot cake was on offer for breakfast), though I’d highly recommend taking advantage of Book the Cook.
Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy Meal Service
Now, I’ll say that I’d probably give catering a 9/10, even with Book the Cook available. Between meal services there are only various cold sandwiches or snacks on offer – I prefer the hot pastries, egg tarts, profiteroles etc. available on Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Qantas, Air New Zealand, etc.. The turkey and/or carrot ciabatta on offer was a bit too rudimentary for my liking.
Also, while there is Singapore Sling available in premium economy, they used a packaged concoction that isn’t particularly tasty, and I sort of wished they would’ve presented the same freshly mixed cocktail they do in business class. I would’ve appreciated another couple of specialty drinks – the airline does pour Charles de Cazanove Brut champagne in premium economy, though in my understanding only a glass is offered post-takeoff.
Not the most glamorous snack between meals I’ve ever seen
Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Service Flow: Hey, This Is Not Bad
Singapore Airlines’ premium economy service flow is standard – the meal services themselves were executed fairly efficiently, with 40 minutes between when my meal was served (~5-10 min before everyone else’s, since I pre-ordered) and when it was cleared. The meal service was served front-to-back for the first meal and back-to-front for the second, and they didn’t run out of meal choices in either case.
However, I’ll point out the more impressive bit – the crew came down constantly with bottles of water and the on-demand snacks on offer, quietly offering them to everyone who was awake. I imagine there was a crewmember coming down the aisle with water or snacks at least once every 15 minutes – this was among the most attentive service I’ve seen in premium economy. This is especially impressive considering that Singapore Airlines doesn’t have dedicated crew for premium economy, meaning that the same crewmembers serve the standard economy cabin.
My only criticism is that the lights were turned all the way up for breakfast 2h 30m before landing – I think the meal service can be served a bit later than that.
Conclusion: Singapore Airlines’ A350 Premium Economy
Singapore Airlines’ premium economy seat is a bit dated, though they do have a great soft product. The seat itself is easy to get comfortable in, even though storage at the seat is subpar. The entertainment system and free WiFi are great. I’m a particular fan of the ability to pre-order delicious meals, even though the drinks selection and snacks between meals can’t compete with other carriers in the region. The only letdown was that the amenities situation wasn’t great, with mediocre bedding and very limited amenities available (even with the amenity kit).
The airline is slated to refresh their seat in the coming years, so between that and (hopefully) more investment in their amenities, we’re looking at a world-class product.
What do you think about Singapore Airlines’ premium economy product?
