Hong Kong Chek Lap Airport

Check-in

Singapore Airlines check-in counters at Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok Airport are located in Row F of Terminal 1, in the central part of the terminal. However, as we were coming from Macau, the Macau-Hong Kong bus dropped us off at the Sky Pier instead of the main airport terminal. Singapore Airlines did not operate any dedicated check-in counters at the Sky Pier Terminal. After asking the staff at the Cathay Pacific counter, we were directed to the last three counters on the extreme right of the terminal. Singapore Airlines, like many other airlines, uses the three generic check-in counters to check in its passengers. All passengers checking in here, regardless of travel class or membership status, must use a single queue. Fortunately, the number of passengers from Macau was low, and there was no queue upon our arrival. The check-in process took a while because the counter staff had to confirm the bus’s arrival time before she could pull up our information from the airline list. The staff had to check our airlines and then our flight to pull out our information. However, once the information was obtained, our check-in was processed quickly. After checking our luggage, the staff gave us vital information like where to obtain the airport tax refund (apparently, as long as we did not enter Hong Kong, we were refunded HKD120 per adult), our boarding gate and timing, and the lounge location.

The row of check-in counters in Hong Kong International Airport Sky Pier Terminal

There are 21 counters serving all airlines flying out of Hong Kong with a handful counters dedicated to specific airlines

Signages in the Sky Pier Terminal pointing to security clearance and boarding gates

Singapore Airlines shares three generic check-in counters with all other airlines which does not have dedicated counter in the Sky Pier Terminal

The Aircraft

Singapore Airlines operates several aircraft between Singapore and Hong Kong, from the superjumbo A380-800 (operational seasonally) to the B777-300ER, B787-10, and A350-900. We flew on their B787-10 on this trip.

The Cabin

The light blue and grey tones used in the seats on board Singapore Airlines made the Economy Class cabin look vibrant and relaxing at the same time. The colour tones used also conveyed a cheerful vibe, which was a great start for passengers embarking on their holidays with the airline. While the light tones on the seats give off a cheerful vibe, the charcoal colour used on the seat backs exudes a classy vibe. The dark and light colour schemes used in the Economy Class cabin complement each other very well. The 301 Economy Class seats on Singapore Airlines’ B787-10 are split into two sections: 150 in the forward cabin and 151 in the aft cabin. Despite the large number of seats in both cabins, the Singapore Airlines Economy Class cabin felt cosy and well-spaced.

Singapore Airlines Economy Class cabin uses a combination of light blue and light grey colour scheme in their seats

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class cabin looked bright and spacious thanks to the white lighitng used during boarding

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class cabin

There are a total of five lavatories for all 301 Economy Class passengers, two in the front of the Economy Class cabin, two at the back of the cabin and one between the two sections of Economy Class. The white lighting, used in conjunction with the large mirrors, made these lavatories feel larger than they actually are. I like the footpaddle design of the trash bin cover, which makes it easier to use and more hygienic. I reckon more airlines should adopt this design. A single small bottle of Singapore Airlines-branded hand lotion sits on the small rack at the sink with dental kits underneath, alongside the hand wash. Singapore Airlines is one of the few airlines in the world to provide its Economy Class passengers with dental kits.

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class look plasticky, but felt spacious thanks to the bright lighting used

The toilet in the lavatory uses a proximity sensor for flushing

The clever use of mirrors made the lavatory feel larger

Singapore Airlines is one of the few airlines in the world that provides dental kits in Economy Class

Singapore Airlines also stocked its lavatories with its own branded hand lotion

The Seat

Seats onboard Singapore Airlines’ B787-10 are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration with a 32″ seat pitch and a width of 17″. These Economy Class seats are capable of reclining up to 5″, giving us a way to feel relaxed on these seats. The Economy Class seats are pretty comfortable, well-padded, and offer good legroom. I had lots of space between my knees and the seat in front of me. Storage is always an issue in Economy Class seats. Due to the limited space allotted to each passenger, Economy Class passengers often have only the seat pocket in front of them for storage. Singapore Airlines increases storage space in its seat pockets through design. On top of the large compartment, Singapore Airlines also included two smaller pockets in front of the larger seat pocket, perfect for storing smaller items. There is also a somewhat useless pocket underneath the personal TV, which can only be used to stow very small items such as the provided earplugs, AirPods or charging wires.

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class seats

Seat recline button is located on the armrest

The legroom is quite good in Economy Class

Seat pocket, through its design, offers us with a good amount of storage capacity

Seat pocket contents

When it comes to charging, passengers in Economy Class seats on Singapore Airlines B787-10 aircraft can charge their phones and lifestyle devices using the USB-A outlet under the personal TV. However, I find the charging speed a tad slow in these USB-A ports. There is also an international power outlet beneath every two seats for those who want faster charging. Singapore Airlines uses a bi-fold tray table in every Economy Class seat. These tray tables fold out to quite a size, sufficient for working on a laptop. Like all aircraft, Singapore Airlines only fitted an overhead reading light in every Economy Class seat.

There is an international power socket between the seats on board Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class

The light and attendant call buttons, together with the USB-A power outlet and headphone jack, are located under the TV

I like how Singapore Airlines fitted a cup holder in the seat for us to stow our drinks without having to deploy the tray table

The tray table is folded in half for storage

Overhead lightings on Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class cabin

The tray table is rather sizeable when fully deployed

Inflight Entertainment

Each Economy Class seat onboard Singapore Airlines B787-10 is fitted with an 11.1″ touchscreen personal TV. The responsive touchscreen function on these TVs somewhat made the IFE controllers redundant, which is why I did not find any IFE controllers on this aircraft. Singapore Airlines provides take-home earbuds to all Economy Class passengers, available at the door or from cabin crew. I felt these earbuds were rather comfortable to use. Singapore Airlines’ KrisWorld entertainment system is packed with tons of entertainment options —from the latest Hollywood Blockbusters to TV series and games. I like how Singapore Airlines has a separate menu for junior flyers, which contains mostly cartoons and games. KrisWorld is organised in a very easy-to-navigate menu, where entertainment is catalogued in an initiative menu. With a massive library of entertainment options, the four hours seem to zip past quickly. Singapore Airlines also offers unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi to its KrisFlyer members, even when flying in Economy Class. The onboard Wi-Fi connection is only good for social media browsing and messaging, but it took forever to stream or upload videos to our social media sites.

Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class seat back

Singapore Airlines fitted a 11.1" touchscreen TV in every Economy Class seat

KrisWorld is decked with tons of entertainment options in an easy-to-navigate menu

Singapore Airlines supplies take-home ear plugs to its Economy Class passengers

Meal

Meal service begins about 1 hour after takeoff. We were able to see the menu six weeks before our flight. As I was looking through the menu, the food on offer on this flight was not to my liking, hence I pre-booked the Hindu non-vegetarian meal from the special order menu. Before departure, the cabin crew came around to confirm our pre-booked meals. Since I pre-ordered the special meal, I was served about 30 minutes before the main service. For the Hindu non-vegetarian meal, I was served curry lamb as the main course, with a salad, potato mash, and a bun. The curry lamb was tasty and flavourful, without the lamb smell, and the rice served with it was fluffy. I was also given a Häagen-Dazs ice cream, along with the rest of the passengers, after the meal service. For an Economy Class meal, I found it tasty and filling.

The meal options for this flight from Hong Kong to Singapore

Curry lamb with basmati rice and lady's finger was serve as the Hindu non-vegatarian meal tonight

My friend got curry chicken and fragant rice as part of the Muslim meal he ordered

The ginger chicke my sibling opted from the inflight menu

Service

The service onboard this flight, despite being in Economy Class, was awesome. The initial experience of the service felt a little scripted with the mandatory greeting at the door and the crew directing us to the correct aisle for our seat. During the flight, I found the crew to be friendly and enthusiastic. Despite having flown a 4-hour flight from Singapore to Hong Kong earlier and the hectic meal service in full Economy Class, the cabin crew still wore smiles and ensured passengers were quickly served their meals. The cabin crew did not seem to rest as they were constantly seen patrolling the cabin. When one of the cabin crew was confirming my meal order, I was pleasantly surprised that she addressed me by my first name. She also got back to me relatively quickly when I checked with her about what was in the Western Child meal I pre-ordered for my nephew. We were pleasantly surprised when the cabin crew came by after dessert with a birthday cake for my sibling. Overall, I thought the service on board in Economy Class was great.

Afterthought

It was a pleasant flight in Economy Class from Hong Kong to Singapore. The legroom was good, and the seat pocket design increased storage capacity. The seat was comfortable thanks to its thick padding. The huge library curated in KrisWorld kept me entertained throughout the 4-hour flight. The food served was tasty and the service was great.