I think everyone’s heard about Singapore Airlines Suites Class.  Launched almost 10 years ago with Singapore’s launch of the Airbus A380, Suites Class has long been the gold standard of airplane seats.  When you combine an amazing seat with the legendary service of Singapore Airlines, it’s a pretty special combo.  I’ve been lucky enough to fly in Suites Class twice, in 2013 and 2014.  Since so many of you enjoyed reading my post earlier this week about Etihad, Qatar, and Cathay Pacific First Class I thought I’d share what it’s like to fly up front in one of the most exclusive cabins in the world.

Checking in

Depending on from where you’re departing the ground experience can be pretty hit and miss.  In Frankfurt, for example, the Singapore Airlines check-in desk is kind of isolated and the check-in agents were grumpy both times I flew out of there.  But if you are flying about of Changi Airport in Singapore, you’ll get access to The Private Room, Singapore Airlines’s most premium lounge.

They call it the Private Room because, well, it’s pretty private, only passengers on Singapore Airlines in First or Suites Class are allowed in.  It’s not as big as Qatar’s Al Safwa First Class lounge in Doha or Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class lounge in Hong Kong, but it’s nice in its own way.  It has great food and some lovely alcohol choices and is a perfectly nice place to begin your journey.

Boarding

When you get your tickets for Singapore Airlines Suites Class they’ll have a gold bar across the top to denote Suites Class, versus other colors for economy and Business.  That way your ticket will be instantly recognizable for any Singapore Airlines staff with which you come in contact.

Obviously you’ll board first.  Singapore Airlines Suites Class is on the bottom floor of the A380 along with Economy, Business Class is on the top deck.  

When you walk onto the enormous Airbus A380 you’ll be greeted by cabin attendants who will walk you to your Suite.  From this moment onward you will be waited on hand and foot for the duration of your flight.

The Suite

First things first: the Suite is huge.

The seat itself is enormous, with plenty of storage space around the seat for your carry-on items.  There are no overhead luggage bins in Suites Class, but they will take your carry-on baggage and store it for you to keep it out of your way.

When you first arrive at your Suite, a lovely cabin attendant will appear, introduce themselves, and ask if you’d like something to drink, and typically they suggest champagne.  If you reply yes (note: reply yes.), they’ll ask the best follow-up question in the sky, “Would you like Dom Perignon or Krug Grand Cuvee?”  Just for the record, if you joyfully reply “both!” they will in fact give you both.

Surprisingly, the seat inside your Suite is perfectly comfortable for takeoff and landing but I had a hard time finding a really comfortable lounging position, which was easy in other First Classes.  But still, it’s enormous and fantastic, you really do have to try hard to find things to critique.

The doors to your Suite close and there are window shades to give you an incredible amount of privacy without feeling claustrophobic.  During the boarding process they’ll give you a set of pajamas, a great amenity kit, and a little teddy bear wearing a Singapore Airlines shirt.

Once you have everything squared away, the only thing left to do is sit there with a dumb grin on your face as you wait for the boarding process to complete.

The Food

Singapore Airlines has a variety of food options and you can reserve your choice in advance via their Book the Cook option.  I’m not the most foodie person out there but I’ve enjoyed their food, even though others say it’s not the best food out there.

I’ve had a variety of appetizers and found them all delicious, but I especially loved the satay (I’m a sucker for satay).  The mains have been lovely as well, and yes they’ll keep giving you Dom and Krug!

Desserts are wonderful, as you’d expect.

Throughout the flight, they have a variety of snacks available along with signature drinks like the Singapore Sling.

Depending on the timing of your flight, they serve a good breakfast as well, but not as good as Cathay Pacific’s breakfast, which is the best in the sky in my opinion.

The Bed

Wait, seriously?  Yes, the bed.  Whenever you’d like to sleep, your cabin attendants will convert your seat into a very comfortable bed.  If there are open seats in the cabin, they will gladly prepare your bed in a different Suite so you can have a sleeping area and a seating area (that sounds absolutely nuts to write about an experience flying on a plane, I agree).

The bedding is super comfortable, if not a little warm, and there’s an extended seat belt so you can be secure in your seat without having to sit back up.

The best part, though, is if you’re flying with someone and are sitting in the middle two suites.  They can lower the separator between the two suites and make a double bed.  My cabin attendant volunteered to do this for me to show me what it was like, and I thought it’d be rude to say no, you know?

I grabbed a quick nap in a double bed on an airplane.  And yes that’s a sentence I never thought I’d type.

The Experience

When you put all of the above together it’s an absolutely amazing experience.  The service is almost too good.  The cabin crew use (I think) hand signals to communicate to each other and also use magic to realize when you’re waking up even though your suite is completely enclosed (so they can suddenly appear with some potato chips and a bottle of water for you).  The food I thought was great and the variety of options is almost second to none (if you use the Book the Cook option).  Put it all together and it’s hard to find an equal experience in the skies.  For as few as 58,750 Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points you can fly in Suites Class between JFK and Frankfurt, it’s cheaper than you think!

The Future of Singapore Airlines Suites Class

Singapore Airlines have refreshed the upholstery on the seats, but, as crazy as it is to say, you have to wonder what’s next for Singapore Airlines Suites Class?  As I mentioned earlier the product is almost 10 years old (Singapore took possession of their first A380 in 2007).  With Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar elevating the game with their amazing A380 cabins, everyone is wondering how Singapore will respond, or will they respond at all?  As we’re seeing First Class cabins cut on almost all airlines, could Singapore simply ride out the existing cabin until they retire the A380 platform?  Time will tell, but either way the service of the Singapore cabin attendants will continue to set this airline apart.  Singapore Airlines Suites Class is nothing short of an amazing experience, try it if you can!

Have you flown in Singapore Airlines Suites Class?  What did you think?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below!