Singapore Airlines
Date: Sunday 30 April 2023
Gate: A1
Seat: 14A (Business Class Seat | Window)
Plane: A350-900
Boarded: 01:50
Pushback: 02:03 (Scheduled 02:05)
Departed: 02:25
Arrived: 07:45 (Scheduled 07:45)
Scheduled Duration: 11 hour 0 minutes
Distance: 8,680 kms

This was the second leg of two flights on two different airplanes to get to my final destination in Istanbul, Türkiye. The first flight was Melbourne to Singapore on SQ208.

This flight was from Changi (Singapore) Airport to Istanbul Airport (Türkiye).

Airport Check In

Airport Check In occurred back in Melbourne. On arrival I just have to go to my new departure gate. There was no customs requirements but you do another security gate when accessing the departure gate.

Lounges

I briefly visited the Singapore Airlines SilverKris (Business Class) Lounge in Terminal 3 to refresh up with a shower during the 1 hour 50 minute schedule transit (actually was 1.5 hours).

Boarding

We boarded from Gate A1 using priority boarding. As I was travelling in Business Class I was given the first opportunity to board and by chance was the first person in the plane.

The Seat

Singapore Airlines A350-900 Business Class seats are set up in 1-2-1 rows, meaning A and K seats mostly have windows (there are some exceptions). There are 12 rows in business class with 4 seats in each row equalling 48 business class seats.

The seat is covered by quilt and Scottish leather encased by polished copper for an elegant look. The seats recline into a nice and comfortable 78 inch sleeping pod with padded duvets. Seats are equipped with 100V power outlet to charge devices, and 18 inch HD screen for entertainment.

I found the seat 14A to be excellent, I was far enough away from the gallery and toilets to have minimal noise. Switching the seat to a bed was a huge luxury on such a long flight. I probably slept 4.5 hours broken up across 7 hours.

Amenity Kit

No amenity kit was offered.

Meals

You are provided with pre-departure drink options I choose orange juice.

During this scheduled 11 hour flight we had Supper and a Breakfast service.

The Supper service commenced shortly after departure (served 30 minutes into the flight) and the Breakfast service commenced about 2.5 hours before arrival.

If using the Singapore Airlines Book the Cook service (which I did) there was 31 supper meal choices (see full listing here), if ordering on board there was 3 options. For supper I selected the Kok Kee Wonton Mee, which was superb. The appetiser was Hot Smoked Salmon Salad.

For breakfast there were 4 meals choices or pre booking there were 28. I pre booked the Grilled Angus Beef Burger which was lovely but probably not the best breakfast option. The entree was a select of fresh fruits.

Service

The service was very strong and professional for this flight. I even received assistance converting the seat into a bed.

Entertainment System

The KrisWorld entertainment system was massive. I watched several episodes of Young Sheldon throughout the flight and also viewed the flight tracker at different points.

The Flight

This was a smooth flight for most of the way but we did have about 40 minutes of mild to light turbulence around the half way point.

Arrival

We arrived on time but it took over 15 minutes to get to the gate. Customs and border Control was a breeze. Immigration let me though within minutes. The longest wait was for my bag which showed up. While waiting I obtained local currency from an ATM.

Summary

Singapore Airlines is one of the better airlines and they do Business Class especially well. The entertainment system with extensive options gives you something to do, the seat is very comfortable and the bed mode assists in helping you sleep (even if limited space).

With the timing of this flight making sleep and relaxation as much you could go past this airline and especially their business class product, especially if you can book on points like I did.