Singapore Airlines is generally seen as the gold standard for business class travel. We’ve often seen others rave about their experiences with the airline with some regarding it as the best you can get. So when we saw a great price to fly business class with them from Mumbai to Singapore (and then onward to Sydney), we were really looking forward to it.
It’s worth noting that the business class experience does differ depending on the plane you get and Singapore Airlines is no different. The first flight we took was an Airbus A350 and the second was an Airbus A380, and whilst similar in many regards, they also had some stark differences.
So here’s what to expect from the Singapore Airlines A350 business class experience.
Our route and ticket price
The route
We flew on SQ421 from Mumbai to Singapore, which is a day flight that departs from India at 11:50am, arriving into Singapore at 7.50pm. There is also a night flight option that departs at 23:35 and arrives into Singapore at 7.30am.
The flight time is 4 hour 45 minutes.
The price of the ticket
We paid for our tickets in full, so you can rest assured that this is an unbiased review. However, the A350 flight was the first flight of two from Mumbai to Sydney, so we can’t tell you the exact value of the Mumbai to Singapore leg.
The price of the ticket for the flight from Mumbai to Sydney was $1,750 USD per person, which was significantly cheaper than other 5 star airlines in the region, but more than the likes of Air India etc.
After searching on various comparison websites for the purpose of this review, we found that the average price of a ticket from Mumbai to Singapore in business class with Singapore airlines is around $1,280 USD per person. We felt that the ticket price we got to go onto Sydney was decent value, but $1,280 USD per person for a 4 hour 45 flight to Singapore is on the pricey side.
What’s included in the ticket
The first thing to note about Singapore Airlines is that they currently don’t add on sneaky charges like some other carriers do. We were shocked to see that Qatar Airways had joined British Airways in charging for seat selection in business class (sometimes charging over $100 per seat!). This is something you can accept on a Ryanair flight when you’re paying $100 for the flight and $10 for the seat, but for business class……
Anyway, Singapore Airlines are pretty generous with their inclusions as the ticket includes seat selection, two pieces of checked baggage that weigh up to 40kg combined, two cabin bags of up to 7kg each, onboard wifi for the entire journey and a lounge pass.
All luggage is also designated as priority, so it’s first on the belt in Singapore.
Our experience flying business class on the A350 with Singapore Airlines
Cabin layout & space
The business class cabin on the A350 Singapore Airlines flight was a 1-2-1 layout, which ensured that all seats had a lot of space. This is currently the industry leading layout. Some airlines have a 2-2-2 layout and British Airways amongst others still have some flights with a 2-4-2 layout.
The cabin has screens to ensure privacy, which is a welcome addition. Despite the screens, the cabin still felt spacious and not claustrophobic and there are only 40 business class seats split across the two sections. This matters more on night flights as we found out on the second leg of our flight, which was in a huge cabin on an A380.
However, the seats aren’t uniform and differ in the layout depending on the row you are seated in. For window seats, on odd numbered rows, the seat is on the aisle side. Your storage and inflight entertainment system sit just by the window (this is the reverse for even numbered rows, where your seat is directly next to the window and the storage/console on the aisle).
For those who want ultimate privacy, then make sure you pick a seat on a row with an even number, as the storage sits on the aisle side of the cubicle and creates a little barrier.
Similarly, the middle seats differ between the rows, with seats on odd numbered rows having a closer proximity to each other than the even numbered rows, which have more space.
If you’re an individual who didn’t manage to snag a window seat, then we’d recommend booking a seat on an even numbered row.
The seat
As we mentioned above, the seats in the Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class are pretty special, and feel like you’re in a bit of a cocoon. The screen ensures privacy and there’a a good amount of storage space and necessities, such as charging ports. It’s worth noting that while there are two usb ports and a universal plug, there are no usb-c ports. So if your devices use a usb-c port, then you’ll have to bring an adapter to use the universal plug or usb port.
The seats feel spacious and are good for anyone wanting to get some work done, or simply chill while watching a movie. For a daytime flight like ours, it was great.
However, it isn’t perfect, and while some people may think this is us being picky, as the flights are expensive, it’s worth mentioning. Firstly, the seat isn’t that soft, in fact, on both Singapore Airlines flights we took, we found the seat to be pretty firm, which isn’t too bad when upright, but becomes less comfortable when fully reclined.
It’s a lot better than economy - and for the length of flight we took it was fine - but we’ve had much softer and more comfortable seats with other airlines. A mattress pad is not provided even if you’re taking an overnight flight.
The second problem we found with the seat is the footwell. The seat when fully reclined juts into the footwell, which narrows from your knee downwards, this can make your feet feel cramped. Whilst there’s room above your toes, there’s not much room to move your feet. This isn’t unusual, but again, it’s not the best business class seat we’ve had.
Despite these problems, the seat is great for a day flight, combining space and privacy, as well as all the ammenities you need. It’s just not ideal for anyone wanting to catch up on some sleep due to the firm seat and lack of mattress pad.
Food, drink & service
This is the part which Singapore Airlines excelled at on this flight, they really didn’t put a foot wrong. If you’re someone wanting to fly business class for the luxury soft product experience, then Singapore Airlines is up there with the best of the best. As it was just under a five hour flight, there was only one meal service, but you had enough food for this to not be a problem!
Firstly, all staff learn your name, which is a nice touch. Upon getting to our seats, we were asked if we would like a soft drink before takeoff, followed by a hot towel and then were given a champagne with nuts after take off. The offer of a top up was frequent.
Then a trolley came out for what I thought was the start of the meal service, only to find that this was just a canape! This is their signature chicken satay, which was delicious. Sadly there wasn’t a vegetarian alternative. It was an unusual choice for a flight from India - a country where the vegetarian menu is the main menu and meat is a side menu - but as it was a canape, I didn’t notice anyone complaining if they couldn’t have it.
Then the main meals came out, which were excellent. I would have been happy with the food if it were served on the ground, let alone in the air, and the portions were just right - big enough to not go hungry, not too big to make you feel overly full.
To make it more luxurious, Singapore Airlines serves each course individually, which I wasn’t expecting. Despite this, you didn’t feel like you were waiting for too long between courses.
I chose a prawn starter, snapper and pesto main and a cheesecake for dessert.
Cat opted for the paneer curry as a main, but otherwise had the same. She agreed that the food was also very good.
The alcohol list was great, and having spent a lot of time in Australia and New Zealand, I was happy to see selections from some of my favourite wine regions. You can choose champagne (Piper-Heidsieck), cocktails (including a classic Singapore Sling) and also Italian style coffee such as flat whites or cappucinos.
Finally, Singapore Airlines only offers an amenity kit on request. This didn’t really bother us, as we use few of the products that are in there anyway. We didn’t request an amenity kit but did see one and inside it was quite sparse, with only lip balm, hand cream and a facial mist spray. It didn’t contain an eye mask if you’re travelling on a night flight.
Overall, it’s hard to pick a fault with the service and food. The staff continuously offered us whatever we wanted and more (my wine glass kept getting topped up) and the food was as good as it gets on a flight.
In-flight entertainment
There isn’t much to say about in-flight entertainment nowadays as I find that the majority of airlines do a good job. The IFE on Singapore Airlines had a lot of movie choices, both Hollywood and other languages, as well as documentaries and TV series, so you won’t struggle to fill up your time on the flight.
The screen on our flight was good quality and a decent size. The noise-cancelling headphones they supply are also good, so you won’t have to struggle to make out what’s being said on the movie you’re watching, as you do with some headphones that other airlines supply.
Wi-Fi
Onboard Wi-Fi is free of charge for all business class passengers for the duration of the flight. However, India restricts the use of it over their airspace, so you’ll find that it’s unusable for a couple of hours until you’ve left India.
Once it was activated, I was pleasantly surprised by the speed. The Wi-Fi onboard our flight was better than the majority of wifi we’d experienced in hotels in Mumbai. On the speed test, it achieved a 9mbps download speed and 1 mbps upload speed.
Granted, if you’re used to American internet speeds, this will feel underwhelming, but 9mbps will allow you not only to browse websites and use social media, but watch videos. For internet on a plane, I was really impressed by how good it was.
The lounge and airport experience
Normally reviews include the lounge and check in experience at the start of the article, but as this isn’t that important to us (we really prioritise the seat and service), I wanted to include it towards the bottom.
If you’re flying from Mumbai Airport, then the experience from check-in to boarding is pretty good. You’ll get your own designated check-in desk (which we missed and saw afterwards) as well as your own security and immigration queue.
This means you shouldn’t spend much time getting to the lounge and there were no queues at all when we flew. However - and this has nothing to do with Singapore Airlines - Indian security are incredibly picky. As someone with cameras, two laptops and a lot of equipment that has to go into carry-on, this created a clash, as they demanded all things had to be emptied from my bag to be checked. I then had an allen key and roll of sellotape confiscated…… before having every single item individually scanned.
Anyway, after crossing through security, you’ll arrive at the lounge, which is spacious and comfortable, but not particularly special.
It had showers, a bar offering drinks and a small section of uninspiring food, but that was pretty much it. We found that the Wi-Fi didn’t work unless you requested a specific code which had a small data allowance.
The showers were immaculately clean and spacious. The lounge was fine for an hour or so, but it isn’t the kind of lounge you wish you could have spent more time in. It was functional and did the job, which was fine by us.
The overall experience
Positives
Incredible service
Brilliant food
Very good onboard Wi-FI
Spacious cabin, not too many people
Privacy in the seats
Seats are spacious and good for work
A very good choice for a day flight
Dedicated security lane and immigration from Mumbai
Negatives
Not the most comfortable seat when in full recline
Lack of a mattress pad makes sleep challenging if on a night flight
Not the best value unless you snag a deal
Is it worth it?
Overall, this is a flight that is heavily dependent on the price you get it for and whether you’re flying by day or by night. If you are able to get a good deal, then it is well worth it. Similarly, if you are someone who is looking for a real luxury soft product experience when flying, then the A350 Business Class on Singapore Airlines is definitely for you. There are few times we’ve experienced service and this quality of food on a plane.
However, we wouldn’t say it’s worth it if you are planning to do an overnight flight, or you’re paying the full rate we found it for when looking it up for this article. The sleeping situation isn’t great if you’re on the later flight. Singapore Airlines is also one of the most expensive airlines to fly with, so you may find a much better value flight with other airlines who may not offer quite the market leading service and food, but will be a lot lighter on your wallet.
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