At the Airport

Check-in

Our flight from Singapore to Bangkok departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2. Singapore Airlines operates Rows 3 through 6 for check-in at the terminal. Row 5 is dedicated to Economy Class passengers, comprising a few counters for passengers who want an in-person check-in experience and several counters for automated baggage drop-offs. As a member of KrisFlyer Elite Gold, we used the check-in counters at Row 3, dedicated to Business Class and status members of the airline’s KrisFlyer membership programme. There was a short queue at the check-in counter, and we did not have to wait too long for our turn to be checked in. The ground staff at the check-in counter was very friendly, greeting us with a warm smile and making us feel welcome. She efficiently processed our check-in, and we were at the immigration gates within 5 minutes. The ground staff gave us information on the boarding gate and our boarding time. She even reminded us of our eligible access to KrisFlyer Gold Lounge and told us it would take about 15 minutes to get from the lounge to our boarding gate. The friendly ground staff set our great experience with Singapore Airlines.

KrisFlyer Gold Lounge

As Elite Gold members, we were entitled to access the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, located one level above the departure hall in Terminal 2. The KrisFlyer Gold Lounge was recently reopened in 2022 after refurbishment. My first impression of the lounge was classy and relaxing, using dark brown wood on the ceiling coupled with the soft, warm lighting. The lounge has only two areas: the buffet and lounging area. Most of the real estate in the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge is dedicated to the lounging area, furnished with single-seater armchairs in rows. The leather armchairs exude a sense of luxury and are very comfortable to sit on, but I find them are not ideal for consuming food. We had to bend over sideways to use the small side table or lift the plates to consume the food from the buffet area. Sitting at the furthest corner of the lounge from its entrance, hiding behind a false wall, is a small row of work desks catering to passengers who want a quiet area to do some work. I did not find any toilets or showers in KrisFlyer Gold Lounge. Passengers who needed to use the toilet would have to find the public toilet outside the lounge.

The buffet area in the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge offers a good selection of local food for breakfast, representative of the three races in Singapore. The Laksa in the lounge was flavourful and delicious, with a strong coconut taste, while the Indian food was mildly spiced to suit even non-spicy eaters. There is a small salad bar section along the wall where the buffet is placed and a section for dim sum. The variety of food available in the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge was sufficient to fill one’s stomach.

The Aircraft

Singapore Airlines operates several types of aircraft between Singapore and Bangkok. The aircraft that flew us to Bangkok is the A350-900 Medium-Haul variant.

The Cabin

Singapore Airlines A350-900 Economy Class has 263 seats spread into two cabins: 126 in the forward cabin and 137 in the aft cabin. The cabin is decked in bright white and supplemented with bright white lights, while the lilac mood lighting used during boarding gives it a sense of calmness. The use of blue and light grey seats gives the cabin a sense of cheerfulness, while the navy blue carpeting gives it a classy vibe.

There are five lavatories in Singapore Airlines A350-900 Economy Class serving all 263 passengers. Three are in the section between the two Economy Class cabins, while two lavatories are at the rear of the aircraft. The bright light and the use of white on the walls in these lavatories made it feel larger, while the wooden panelling on the sink cabinets gave the lavatories a sense of luxury. Singapore Airlines is rather generous when it comes to lavatory amenities. While most airlines only provide hand soap, Singapore Airlines also stocked their Economy Class lavatories with hand lotion, dental kits and sanitary pads. I like the touchless functions on the tap and the rubbish bin.

The Seat

Economy Class seats onboard Singapore Airlines A350-900 are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration (except a few rows in the rear cabin, which are arranged in 2-3-2 and 2-3-3). Each seat has a pitch of 32″ and is 18″ wide, capable of reclining up to 6″. I found the legroom was quite generous in these Economy Class seats, and I had plenty of knee space from the seat in front of me. The Economy Class seats are also very comfortable for this 2-hour flight, with great lumbar support and padding in these seats. When it comes to powering up our lifestyle devices, Singapore Airlines fitted each Economy Class seat on their A350-900 with a USB-A power outlet under the TV screen and universal power outlets to be shared amongst the three passengers in the row for charging.

Singapore Airlines uses the bi-fold design in the Economy Class tray table. When fully deployed, these tray tables gave passengers plenty of space to dine or work on their laptops. There is a cutout for drinks in both folded and full deployment mode for passengers to put their cups on. I also like the inclusion of a cup holder under the TV screen that gave passengers additional space to hold their cups without deploying the tray table. In terms of storage, I find the space afforded by the seat pocket sufficient to place a tablet and my smaller items. I like how Singapore Airlines compartmentalised their seat pockets to increase the storage capacity. On top of the main seat pocket, Singapore Airlines also fitted two smaller pockets in front, increasing the storage capacity and allowing me to be more organised when storing my items. Other than the seat pockets, there is a small pocket under the TV screen for passengers to store small items such as USB charging cables.

Inflight Entertainment

Singapore Airlines A350-900 Economy Class seats come with an 11.1″ personal touchscreen TV. The picture quality on the TV screen was very sharp, but it could only tilt upwards. The tilting function catered more to accessing the small storage compartment and the charging outlets beneath the TV. There are no IFE controllers for the TV. Instead, passengers would have to rely on the touchscreen functions on the TV to select their entertainment. Fortunately, the touchscreen functions are very responsive. Singapore Airlines also designed the controls for the seat features, such as the overhead reading lights and call attendant buttons on the TV screen. There is an extensive entertainment library in the KrisWorld entertainment system, ranging from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to Asian movies to TV series and games. The KrisWorld is intuitive to use, and the entertainment options are very well organised. Singapore Airlines offered its frequent flyer members unlimited Wifi onboard. However, the connection speed only allows me to browse my social media, chat with friends, and post some pictures. The connection speed does not allow one to stream YouTube videos.

Meal

I was not impressed with the meal options for this morning’s flight. Economy Class passengers are given a choice of scrambled eggs with chicken sausage or congee with pork, but neither option appeals to me. I also find the meal portion to be on the small side, which is only sufficient to fill one’s stomach temporarily. As the options were not to my liking, my friend and I pre-ordered meals from the Special menu. I pre-ordered the Muslim Meal, while my friend pre-ordered a Seafood meal. I got Dried Mee Siam for my Muslim meal, which I find quite tasty and generous with the amount of prawns. My friend commended his seafood meal as mediocre. All meals also come with a side of a bun and yoghurt.

Service

The service in Economy Class was excellent. We were warmly welcomed by the friendly cabin crew at the door, who would direct us to the correct aisle. The cabin crew serving my aisle were friendly and warm. Despite not being part of their jobscope, they would help passengers stow their carry-ons on the overhead bin when instructed by other passengers (these passengers are quite rude when asking the cabin crew to put their bags). The cabin crew were responsive and efficient in fulfilling requests for blankets and drinks. I saw the industrious cabin crew constantly patrolling the cabin to either check for safety or to clear trash, apart from the meal service. When confirming my order, the cabin crew recommended I order food from the Singapore menu when I told him my past few experiences with the “Book-the-Cook” were disappointing when I flew in Business Class.

Afterthought

I had a great short 2-hour flight onboard Singapore Airlines in their Economy Class. The seats offered excellent legroom and were sufficiently padded to provide comfort to passengers. KrisWorld kept us entertained throughout the 2-hour flight time and made time pass by quickly. The catering onboard could have been better with the options and the portion size. Fortunately, the Muslim meal that I pre-ordered was tasty. The service we received onboard was great.