SIA Business Class in the B777-300ER | Is it simply overhyped?

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Hey guys, this is my experience of flight SQ631 from Tokyo Haneda to Singapore in the Boeing 777-300ER Singapore Airlines business class. This was my first time flying long-haul with Singapore Airlines in their new-ish business class - watch to find out why I found the experience more than lacking.
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[@unmatchedvoyages]

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[@mbnb007]

1. book the bulkhead, completely straight with much more space 2. book the cook for food full range of food choices (do note where you departs catering highly effects quality) 3. have the cabin crew make your bed if it is too difficult (they will do happily)... now perect flight lol

[@andrelim5371]

I agree the food quality on SQ is poor, in was excellent in the past before COVID. I believe it is due to cost cutting. Book the cook selection has a lot of low quality cheap hawker food. Nevertheless the service by the crew on all their flights is way better than most airlines. Chris, the amenity kit is given out when asked because there are a lot of regular SQ business class travellers that keep getting them which is environmentally unfriendly. The slippers, eye mask, socks, etc are available on request and the toiletries (razor, comb, etc) are in the toilet. This is absolutely the right policy by the airline since many travellers take then even when not needed. SQ is an environmentally conscious airline which you seem to be totally unaware of hence your comment about the amenity kit. The seats are good for average person, 98% of people have no problems with it. Please find out more about Penhaligon luxury fragrances before you comment about it. It so sad you are clueless about this famous 150 year old UK company that carries the Royal Warrants since Queen Alexander including members of the current royal household of England. I hope you fly more often and get a better idea of what flying experience is about.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Thank you for your comment, Andre. Well noted on the impact Covid must have had on the food experience - it might well be that it will return to its better days once the aviation industry has fully recovered. In regards to the amenity kit, while I agree with your point that it is more environmentally conscious, I would then argue that the ANA approach (see my HND-CGK review) of not giving any amenity items upfront and just upon request would be even better. But regardless, the amenity kit does not impact my flight experience too much, so that’s fine. In regards to the seat I can only assess how it is for me. And for me it was terrible. Looking at the other comments, I don’t seem to be the only one. But in the end, we should not forget that any and all reviews are subjective. The best way is to look at a few different reviews from different people with different viewpoints so that you get a multitude of inputs. What is important to me might not be important to you and vice versa :)

[@dorinbentley]

I always appreciate the time and effort taken to make flight reviews, even when they’re negative - that’s ok. I do think your seat position experience was particularly bad because of your height. I’m 163cm and felt very comfortable in this seat for 14 hour flight. The spring-board table is definitely a design flaw. I also couldn’t keep it in every time I leaned on the arm rest. Have to disagree with you about the food - SIA catering is the best. ❤ 😊 if you fly SIA again, I recommend you choose Asian options for the full experience. The amenity kit is pretty small, but all the other things you usually get in larger amenity kits are still provided, just separately - eye shade, tooth brush/tooth paste, socks and slippers.. these are things I’ve seen in other amenity kits which bulk it up but usually just go to the bin. I prefer SIA version which is an on-demand style - much less wastage. As for having to “order” it.. I think this depends on the flight length. On my syd-sin-mxp flight and back, the amenity kit was waiting at the seat. But you can always just ask for one. I don’t see the problem with that.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Great points, Dorin, and I do agree with them. Catering can be a hit-and-miss and my sample size so far is only 2 long-distance flights (and 2 short SIN-CGK flights on the same product) so that should be seen as only one of many data points we all should collect over time :) The height certainly is a drawback for me. I can‘t wait to see how the First Class compares on the same plane - am gonna fly that next fall and can‘t wait to make a review here, too! Fair point about the amenity kit. I guess I just personally like to have everything ready from the beginning but it certainly isn‘t a big issue. Again, I hope that I could provide my thoughts, but also it’s of course up to every viewer to decide how to assess these things for themselves. We all have different things we deem important :)

[@wintergirl8]

Agree with the amenity kit. Most seasoned travelers will have their own (better) eyemask, earplugs etc. Great that it's there if you need it, but I have a bin at home that is FULL of airline eye masks. Totally wasteful.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

@@wintergirl8 That‘a a fair point. I like having the drawer with the amenity kits as a kind of memory but from a resource perspective the SIA approach might be better

[@wintergirl8]

@@unmatchedvoyages I think it's more of an optics thing. Whenever something that used to be standard gets clawed back, it feels like something has been taken away (even if it makes sense to do so).

[@unmatchedvoyages]

@@wintergirl8 well said. Maybe it‘ll turn into an industry standard eventually and even offering an amenity kit will be Impressive. I guess, personally I just like to get free goodies :)

[@witsend008]

True : one just cannot stretch out in that seats . That's what I pay business class prices for. Very bad for long haul flights.

[@azizanaziz3376]

I agree with your review. I flew on SIA business from JFK to KL and thought it was OK. Likewise I don’t get the hype. I personally prefer JAL and ANA. I still fly SIA because their ticket prices are competitive.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

This! The prices are certainly attractive. For many routes, SIA seems to be the cheapest airline option so they got that going for them. That’s about it for me

[@BobSaysWhat22]

JAL and ANA are very underrated. Their attentive service is very Japanese.

[@Capt737AA]

I flew “The Room” on ANA twice last year LAX-BKK and LOVED it!! Far superior to anything Singapore had to offer imo!

[@unmatchedvoyages]

@@Capt737AA Can't wait to try this one out! It's unfortunate that the Tokyo to Europe routes hardly have this product on board. I think, it's only the London route. But the US is super well connected

[@ajrocks12x]

SQ like other companies need to realize that once reputation is lost, it's difficult to regain.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Well said! It’s hard to balance reputation and cost cutting - I hope, they can manage!

[@sxnchou]

nah they're good. you are being overcritical

[@ajrocks12x]

@@sxnchou : Nah, not as good as they used to be. Qatar has now surpassed them.

[@Design_no]

While SIA is not quite as good as they used to be, that sest product is quite old, and book the cook offers better choices. Also, other airlines have similarly taken a bit of a dive since covid.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Well said! I am looking forward to testing a newer hard product of SIA if I have the chance. However, I used the book the cook service and deliberately chose the steak and am still bummed out about it, haha. But the food certainly wasn’t my main issue with the flight. I will take a Thai Air biz flight on the A350 HND-BKK-HND in a few months and will definitely compare :)

[@ednatan2108]

I appreciate the content of your review.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Appreciate the kind words, Edna :)

[@benwarnock]

Gotta get that bulk-head set for straight leg room

[@happygal1974]

For a tall individual, is tough with that weird sitting position, However, it works well for me as I couldn't even reach the leg rest as am literally 160cm.. shorty... lol

[@unmatchedvoyages]

That must be nice, haha. Air travel seems to be generally more enjoyable when you are not so tall :)

[@IraSophie]

Interesting… so would you recommend booking BIZ for someone who is below 1.60m? Is it comfortable? Even for sleeping?

[@gerardmorris6191]

Great review. Looking to book San Francisco to Singapore soon. I am tall, so flying SIA is out as 16 hours with my body contorted would be torture.....I hear the bulkhead seats, which are much better, are not easy to get.... what were they thinking when designing those seats...

[@unmatchedvoyages]

I hear you - definitely not the right business class for tall people… maybe you can connect via Japan and fly ANA‘s new biz product?

[@JL-cr1lr]

This is their worst full-flat J product. They had a far superior 2006J (which was hands down the best J product of any airline to date) but sadly (and foolishly) that product had been retired during Covid.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Another victim of Covid. But maybe we’ll see them phasing out this product at some point when they retire their 777s

[@JL-cr1lr]

@@unmatchedvoyages they have a new J product that they’re rolling out with the 777-9 in 2025, but with the design concept already locked in, one can only hope that they remain competitive against what we’ll see being rolled out before then

[@TB-oy8kt]

thank you for your honest review. i cant decide J class between qatar and singapore. which one would you choose? thanks

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Personally, I have the feeling that the hard products on Qatar's planes are more consistently modern and new, while SIA feels like a bit of a gamble. Although, Qatar likes to switch their planes kind of last minute so you never know which plane you are getting. Still, I'd personally go for Qatar

[@iFlyTheWorld]

Qatar’s seat and food are better, but SQ have better crew service.

[@anitastanley8986]

Qatar

[@Johnfulkan283]

SQ business class is overrated. Korean Air, JAL ultra long haul business class seats are so much better and almost like private room

[@astrophile1188]

I can understand why the seat is not comfortable for you due to your height and also the leg rest is on the left, you got a bad seat honestly. For that plane, always chose the bulkhead seat so you can get a wider and straight leg rest. Row 11 is good. I think you should have made your seat into bed mode the whole flight so you can get more leg rest. SIA business class does not have the same seat style for all planes so I hope you'll get a better seat next time you fly with SIA business class if you got no other choice, make sure you chose the correct seat. As for the meal, order lobster thermidor from Booked the Cook. It's very good. Asian meal is also a better choice. Meals in SIA are not the best when you fly to Singapore but if you fly off Singapore, the food is better. Well, for me though 😅

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Thanks for the feedback and the ideas, Sasha! Definitely will aim for the bulkhead seats next time - the diagonal way of sitting was killing me, haha. Can’t wait to try out the newer seat styles - and also the Thai business class in the A350 in a few months for comparison! And as another commenter also highlighted the lobster, this is gonna be on my bucket list for the next trip :)

[@ajrocks12x]

@astrophile: That's only one row available then or two at most. That's a bad design.

[@IraSophie]

You can’t just book the bulkhead seats right away. They are blocked for special passengers

[@1133811]

Next time, bring your own recliner and ottoman on board. Your review is very nit picky! I am Australian.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Haha, it probably is nit picky but for me that’s what separates good airlines from great ones!

[@ajrocks12x]

@1133811: You are being ridiculous. You can damn well be picky when you are paying thousands of dollars for a product.

[@iFlyTheWorld]

I agree with everything this guy says. For the cost the SQ seats are not well designed. There’s plenty of space but it could be a lot better. It’s lucky that the crew make up for the strange seat design.

[@nieznajomy2791]

I agree!!!

[@nieznajomy2791]

​@@ajrocks12xthousands of dollars?!🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😅🤣 dude business class on Singapore cost maybe $2k-$2.5k for a roundtrip!! You and the OP r seriously ridiculous!!

[@dlini-vv8tb]

I miss Singapore airlines 😢

[@user-ri5ml6ei4g]

when you keep on saying disappointing but the quality of the video is also _________.. meh

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Haha, fair point. I have to up my gear for flight reviews - the confined spaces probably warrant a nice wide-angle lense camera at some point :) My iPhone is reaching its limits, especially with the low light in some cabins

[@krispipes]

I like qatar business class than singapore

[@chairmandan1794]

I flew business class on SQ and after the meal service, the cabin crew, came and shut my shade, expecting me to go to sleep. Would not fly business again with SQ, waste of money!!!

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Oh wow. "You go to bed now! It's not a suggestion." :D Sounds rough!

[@chairmandan1794]

@@unmatchedvoyages Yeah, I was treated like a 2 year old. I had previously flown on SQ many years ago and found them to be outstanding.

[@romeyDog21]

Agree. A pretty mediocre business class all things considered. Bulkhead helps.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

I guess one thing SIA has going for it is that they are fairly affordable, compared to e.g. the two Japanese airlines. So maybe the way to look at it is in the context of the price. When it comes to using mileage points, that‘s of course a different story.

[@You717on99]

Ah I just booked and I think I will cancel it. Your review is helpful

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@Mario-ch9nl]

Next time fly LH, then you have reason to complain. You get all the amenities you need except pyjamas, so whats wrong? Next time preorder your meal , there are a lot of options in Book the cook, I had lobster for breakfast more than once. Those seats arent new, they are about 10 years old already (dont remember iPods?). If you flip the seat its same like in the new AY seats, you even can dine in bed mode. Next time choose bulkhead, youll get space like in first class

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Haha, totally agree with you there. As a German, Lufthansa is atrocious (although I do hope that the new Allegris seat will improve the experience a bit) I do stand by my points, though. For a great business class experience, there were too many issues. But well noted on the bulkhead seats, might be a good idea! I did use the book the cook service for the steak - gotta try the lobster next time then, haha. I had a Japanese dish on my flight back with the same aircraft and it was also a bit underwhelming

[@gotminnam]

Nice video Try Starlux

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Have you tried it yet? Any thoughts?

[@tiantangyu12]

Singapore Airlines has gone seriously downhill since the pandemic.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

I think they are trying to increase their profitability by reducing food and service cost and are still banking on their excellent reputation to carry them through this

[@IraSophie]

How tall are you?

[@unmatchedvoyages]

1.90m. Definitely a challenge at that height :)

[@Capt737AA]

I tried Business class on SIA a few years back….and never again: For 1 and 1 reason only.. You even mentioned it: The awkward position of where your feet go when you want to either sleep or stretch out your legs. HORRIBLE and Shame on SIA for this ridiculous design!!! NEVER AGAIN, Singapore Airlines!!! You lost me as a regular Biz class customer to Asia twice each year!! 😢

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Yeah, the lounging angle is unfortunately just too awkward. Very unfortunate, since SIA has such great routing in the Asia region...

[@1DLflyer]

That awful and unconfortable position you have to seat for such a long time? Not me. Not worth paying that much for a business class seat. The food looked good though.

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Aye, would also think twice to book this again. Unfortunately, the food also was not a strong point, despite it looking good. But there the quality probably varies strongly depending on which dish you order. Some commenters recommended the lobster :)

[@tf2368]

@@unmatchedvoyagesget first next time, and stop moaning

[@rafemohd3889]

There are some toilet items like toothbrush/brush/shaver in the drawer.. btw if u looking out for hardwares .. Middle Eastern carriers better but if u looking out the service then SQ is way better than any airlines.. so ur review is not complete as vlog blogger!

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Hey there, I have to see that during my total of 4 flight legs (HND-SIN, SIN-CGK, CGK-SIN, SIN-HND) I have not come to experience the famed SQ service. It might be a matter of taste but the cabin crew was too cold and robotic for me. It is definitely above average, but I much prefer the service on the Japanese carriers. Again, might just be my preference :)

[@michaelnagel1990]

furchtbarer Sitz, da geht nur der Bulhead Seat. Allerdings ist der auch ein bisschen kurz für deine 190cm

[@unmatchedvoyages]

Und das sind leider auch die Sitze, die immer als erstes weg sind :(

[@Lasloy-n8g]

You complain too much