At the Airport

Check-in

Singapore Airlines check-in counters are located in Row K in the centre of Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminal, with the nearest entrance being Door 5. Singapore Airlines operates 10 check-in counters, from K11 to K21, near the immigration gates. Of the 10 counters, only seven are manned. Singapore Airlines dedicated three counters to Economy Class passengers, one to KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Silver members, and another three to Business Class passengers. The check-in experience was very pleasant at this offshore check-in counter. We were welcomed by the ground staff, who gave us the warmest smile one can ask for. She was polite, professional, and patient with our requests, efficiently processing our check-in. She invited us to the SilverKris Lounge and gave us instructions on the gate, boarding time, the location of the lounge and directions to the fast check-in counters. One of the perks of flying out of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Business Class was the access to Fast Track immigration lines, where we could clear immigration in less than 3 minutes as there were no queues at the immigration counters. There are two Fast Track immigration counters located at both extreme ends of the terminal. We used the Fast Track Immigration counter at Row A, next to the Thai Airways check-in counters.

Lounges

We did a little lounge hopping during our short stay at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. As Singapore Airlines belongs to the Star Alliance network, there are eight lounges that we can use. Five are Thai Airways Lounges, while the rest belong to Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, and Turkish Airlines. Due to the limited time, we only used the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge in Concourse D and the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge in Concourse D.

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge

The Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge is the most conveniently located of all the Thai Airways Lounge. The lounge is just one escalator down from the Fast Track immigration counters. The lounge staff warmly welcomed us at the time of our arrival. As there are two parts of the lounge from the entrance by the escalator, the lounge staff recommended we use the lounge on the right of the counter, stating that this lounge is the newer of the two lounges. The first thing that greeted us in this newer Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge was a cocktail bar, which we returned later for a drink. The lounge felt spacious as it was not filled with furniture cluttering it. Thai Airways freed up a lot of space for walking by placing the armchairs near the green walls and pillars. Speaking of armchairs, there are quite a number of them decked in purple and light brown, the choice of seat colours on Thai Airways aircraft, and they are well placed throughout the lounge. The planted green walls in the lounge not only act to decorate the lounge but also exude a relaxing vibe. A dining area is carved out in the lounge next to the buffet area, filled with four-seater tables and chairs and long black tables to cater for larger groups. Shower facilities are co-located with the toilets further into the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge.

The Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge serves food buffet style. I find the food selection in the lounge a little small but sufficient for us to fill our stomachs until our flight. Besides the warm food, the lounge also served up a variety of pastries that seemed so inviting. Cold food is in a corner of the lounge, where ice cream is also on the menu. The Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge is very well stocked with a variety of beverages that ensure passengers don’t go thirsty. We tried out the cocktail from the bar. The only two mocktails on the menu are Pina Colada and Mojito. I tried the Pina Colada and found it to be very refreshing. My friends tried their signature Rak Khun Tao Fah, mixed with their butterfly pea drink onboard and found it delicious.

Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge

The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge is on the same concourse (D) as the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge we visited earlier, between Gatres D7 and D8. The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge feels much brighter owing to the brighter lighting and the choice of white marble tiles on the flooring. The lounge has distinct lounging and dining areas, cleverly demarcated by the use of carpet for the former and marble tiles for the latter. The lounging area, mainly furnished with armchairs, is found right by the entrance to the lounge. Individual booths also serve as an area for passengers to do some work placed by the walls in the lounge area. A huge Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge area is marked out to the dining area. There are proper dining tables and chairs, mainly for parties of two, in the dining area.

Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge also has a cocktail bar, with seats at the cocktail table in the middle of the lounge, serving alcoholic drinks (I am sure they also serve Singapore Sling here). Food is served in a buffet style at the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge. The food counters are found at the end of the lounge, next to the dining area. There is a good spread of Thai, Singaporean and Western cuisine at the kitchen table in the buffet area. There is even a snack and dessert corner serving up Singaporean food. I find it refreshing for the lounge to offer young coconut drinks in the fridge on top of the usual soft drinks.

The Aircraft

We flew on Singapore Airlines B787-10 for this leg of the flight, which is configured for medium-haul routes.

The Cabin

Singapore Airlines B787-10 has a single Business Class cabin housing all 36 passengers. The cabin feels luxurious, with earthy tones in the seat and cream-coloured seat shell. The choice of brown carpeting was coherent with the cabin’s colour scheme and exuded a sense of calmness and sophistication. The use of orange mood lighting during meal service enhances the luxurious vibe seen in the cabin.

The two lavatories serving all 36 Business Class passengers are found in the front of the aircraft. The white interior lavatory offers passengers a good amount of space. However, unlike the A350-900 lavatories, the plasticky lavatory does not emit any luxurious vibe. I wouldn’t be able to differentiate the Business Class and Economy Class lavatories if not for the added Penhaligon’s amenities and cloth handkerchiefs. I also find the sink a tad small in the B787-10 lavatories, which can result in water splashes while washing one’s hands. On top of the luxurious Penhaligon’s amenities, Singapore Airlines also stocks its lavatories with amenities such as dental kits and shavers.

The Seat

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class is fitted with regional seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with a pitch of 60″ and measures 20″ wide. Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class seats are wrapped in dark light brown leather, which is comfortable to sit on. The leather feels soft, and the thick padding on the seat and the headrest provide passengers with great comfort. These seats are configured with three modes, adjustable with the touch of the preset seat control buttons found on the inside of the aisle-side armrest. The Upright mode for take-off, landings, and dining saw the seat being adjusted to the most upright and stiffest position. Fortunately, the soft leather made sitting in this mode comfortable. These seats can also recline to a flatbed, allowing passengers to catch a nap in flight. The high shell design in the seat provides passengers with much privacy in the flatbed mode. Despite the thick pillow provided to its Business Class passengers, I thought reclining 180° was a tad uncomfortable as I felt my head was too low. I usually tilt the upper part of the seat up a little for a better rest. In between the Upright and the Flatbed mode is what I called the “Lounge mode”. I find this mode perfect for lazing on the seat while watching movies on the entertainment system. The Lounge mode allows the seat to be adjusted to an angle that provides better comfort while supporting our lumbar. The ability to allow passengers to configure the seat to the angle according to their preference further enhances comfort while sitting in this mode.

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class seats are fitted with a small cabinet at the side console for passengers to stow items, where the airline placed a bottle of water and noise-cancelling headphones welcoming passengers upon boarding. The cabinet, which comes with a small sliding door, is only large enough to fit a tablet, a book and some smaller items. Inside the cabinet are the power outlets, such as two USB-A ports and an international power outlet. One point to note is that the cabinet door has to be kept open when plugging in for charging, which I thought made sense since we are not allowed to charge anything during take-off and landing. Besides the cabinet, passengers in Business Class can use the cubby hole under the footrest to put away their carry-on, although this space was designed for passengers to place their shoes in. The seat pocket, while able to function as an alternate storage space, was a little too out of place for storage. The slim-designed seat pocket, located near the floor and at the entrance of the seat, is only accessible when passengers move off their seats.

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class is fitted with a large, sturdy table, stowed under the personal TV when not used. The bi-fold solid wooden table can be folded in halves when passengers do not require the entire surface. The table is large enough for passengers to work on their laptops while not using it for dining. However, due to the design of the narrow entrance to the seat, there is no space catered for a swivel function to be added to this table. This means passengers must put away the table when getting in and out of their seats. Other than the dining table, Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class seats also come with a side table next to the cabinet that passengers can use to stow small items when the aircraft is at cruising altitude. This side table also functions as a cocktail table where the cabin crew would place the drinks passengers requested. Other than the overhead reading lights, a panel of three reading lights are fitted inside the seat shell, each catering to the three seat modes.

Inflight Entertainment

All Business Class seats are fitted with an 18″ HD touchscreen personal TV, offering its passengers sharp and excellent quality pictures. The screen can be tilted downwards for optimal viewing when the seat is adjusted to different modes. The entertainment options can be selected via the TV’s responsive touchscreen function or through the IFE controller, which resembles a mobile phone. It is this resemblance that was made using the IFE initiative. Business Class passengers are provided with noise-cancelling headphones that effectively remove ambient noises. In fact, the noise-cancelling function was so good that I had to remove my headphones when speaking to the cabin crew. KrisWorld is Singapore Airlines’ entertainment system, loaded with thousands of movies, TV shows and games. The KrisWorld menu was very well-designed and easy to use. The entertainment options were well catalogued, which made navigating through them very easy.

Meal

As this is a short 2-hour flight between Bangkok and Singapore, meals are served in one setting. Singapore Airlines does not offer the “Book-the-cook” service for flights out of Bangkok. Nonetheless, all three choices for dinner tonight, namely Seared Chilean Seabass, Braised Pork in Sour Plum Sauce, and Gaeng Garee Gai, tasted great. I opted for the Braised Pork, which was well presented on the porcelain plate and tasted tender and flavourful. My friend opted for the Seabass, which tasted fresh. My other friend opted for the Gaeng Garee Gai (yellow curry Thai chicken) and commented that the dish tasted flavourful and that the spice was not overpowering. The prawns in the prawn ceasar salad tasted fresh, and the vegetables were crunchy. However, I am not a fan of the Raspberry Bavarois dessert, which I thought tasted a little too sour for my liking. For drinks, Business Class passengers are given the option of cocktails and mocktails on top of the usual soft drinks and beer. I am a fan of the mocktail – Midsummer Breeze, introduced to me on my flight from Maldives last year, which was refreshing.

Service

The service I experienced on this flight was heaven and earth compared to my experience on the same airline three months ago. We received impeccable service in Business Class on this flight. Despite working a shift from Singapore to Bangkok leg and the one-hour-plus delay at the gate due to heavy rain, the cabin crew were still energetic and warm. Our great service experience started with the cabin crew welcoming all passengers onboard at the door. The airline only uses the front door for embarkation, so inflight service begins when all passengers are boarded. This was when the cabin crew came around to serve all Business Class passengers welcome drinks.

Jasmine came around to introduce herself and confirm my order for dinner. Jasmine came across as warm, sincere and attentive. We briefly spoke about my favourite mocktail, Midsummer Breeze, during meal confirmation. Jasmine took note of my preference and would always come by with the drink. During meal service, I was pleasantly surprised that she already had the drink prepared in her cart (this drink requires time to prepare) and popped it out like magic without having me ask for it. She would always come over to my seat with a glass of Midsummer Breeze whenever she noticed my glass was empty. When I mentioned to her that I needed to visit the lavatory to apply hand lotion (due to my dry skin), Jasmine later popped by and gave me a bottle of hand lotion to save me the effort of walking to the lavatory. Jasmine was observant, personable and cheerful. I was lucky to have her working on the aisle where I sat.

The service provided by Coral, who was working on the other aisle where my friend was sitting, was also remarkable. I witnessed her acknowledging my friend’s status with the airline and welcoming my friend back to flying with the airline. She also took note of my friend’s allergy and volunteered to remove the prawns from the appetiser. This attention to detail is what Singapore Airlines’ World Class stands for. Carol was also observed working hard during the flight, busy serving meals and ensuring passengers under her charge were well cared for. The cabin crew onboard this flight were observed to patrol the cabin very often, ensuring passengers were comfortable.

Afterthought

We had a great time onboard this flight with Singapore Airlines. The seat was comfortable and well-maintained. The entertainment option on KrisWorld made the flight (and waiting time at the gate) whizz past without us noticing. Despite the good hardware, what I liked the most was the warm and personal service offered by the cabin crew, especially Jasmine and Carol. The cabin crew remained energetic and warm despite working an earlier shift and overtime due to the delay.