Singapore Airlines business class review – A380 from Singapore to London

This is our review of business class on a Singapore Airlines A380 to London.

For the return journey of my trip to Singapore I decided to switch things up and fly back to London Heathrow, rather than Gatwick, in order to try business class on the Singapore Airlines A380.

Heathrow sees more A380 operators than any other airport, with six airlines flying the super-jumbo: British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. I’ve previously flown on all of them except Singapore Airlines, so I was keen to complete my ‘collection’.

As it happens, Singapore Airlines also offers a different business class seat on its A380. I was intrigued to see how it compares to the business class seat on the A350, which I reviewed on my outbound flight here.

In fact, the A380 business class seat is slightly newer and was introduced in 2017 as part of a refurbishment program. The A350 fleet, on the other hand, features a seat first introduced in 2013.

I flew to Singapore as the guest of Singapore Airlines on their inaugural service from London Gatwick.

The Singapore Airlines website is here.

Singapore Airlines ground experience

Singapore Airlines operates out of Terminals 2 and 3 at Changi Airport, but long haul flights departures are from Terminal 3 which was completed in 2008.

Having previously only visited Terminal 1, which is home to the majority of oneworld airlines including British Airways and Qantas, I was even more impressed by T3. It feels much more modern, with huge airy ceilings and gigantic green walls.

Most economy passengers are directed to self-check-in kiosks and bag drop stations, but for business class passengers and above there are a number of dedicated staffed desks. (First Class passengers get access to an even more exclusive dedicated drop off and check in area.)

There was a short wait of about five minutes when I rocked up at around 7am, but the queue moved quickly and I was soon on my way with boarding pass in hand.

It’s worth noting that exit and arrival immigration is a doddle at Singapore Changi Airport. A row of gleaming white eGates is always available and work much more consistently than those in the UK. A quick scan of your passport and you are through on both arrival and exit. I could easily get used to Singaporean efficiency!

Unusually, you do not pass security at this point. Instead, you are deposited straight into the terminal concourse with its myriad shops, lounges and even a free cinema screening films 24 hours a day. Airport security is conducted at the gate before boarding and was the only part of the Changi experience that didn’t feel as efficient as it could have been.

Singapore Airlines operates a number of flagship lounges in Terminal 3:

• SilverKris Lounge, for business class passengers
• KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, for elite status members (and those travelling in First on partner airlines)
• The Private Room, for Singapore Airlines First and Suites passengers

I popped into the SilverKris Lounge which was refurbished and expanded in 2022 and now has a capacity of 570 guests. Unfortunately it was too busy for me to review during the morning rush but I was impressed with the space. It features natural stone floors and metallic bronze accents as well as a large self-service buffet and even self-pour Piper-Heidsieck champagne.

Onboard the Singapore Airlines A380

About 40 minutes before departure, knowing I still had to clear security, I headed to the gate which was just round the corner.

The boarding experience was one of the calmest I have ever seen, with staff encouraging all passengers to sit down in the departure gate and insisting we would be called group-by-group. I was in Group 2, after First Class passengers, and was one of the first to board. The crew once again showed me to my seat:

Like other carriers, Singapore Airlines has put its First Class suites and business class cabins on the top deck. There are just six suites at the very front, followed by a whopping 78 business class seats spread over three distinct cabins. Bizarrely, the row numbering is a little strange with the large forward cabin featuring rows 11 – 24. It then jumps to rows 91 – 95 and 96 – 97 for the smaller rear cabins.

Singapore Airlines A380 business class seat

Although it’s a different seat to that on the A350, I was struck by the similarities between the two. The bottom line is that, bar a few improvements, the experience is remarkably consistent.

As with my outbound flight, I was able to select one of the bulkhead rows which are usually reserved for top KrisFlyer members until check-in opens. On the A380 there are three bulkhead rows – 11, 91 and 96. I popped myself in 91A, the medium-sized middle cabin, thinking I would get a larger footwell as I did on the A350.

I was wrong! As it turns out, only the middle pairs get an extended ottoman, with the window seats a standard footwell. However, despite 91D being unoccupied during the entire flight I decided to stay in 91A and was perfectly comfortable, including getting six hours sleep. The bottom line is that the A380 seat fixes the footwell problem found on the A350s.

Let’s take a look at the seat in more detail. Like the A350 seat it features a large cocooning shell that’s upholstered in sound-dampening materials. Although there’s no door, it remains a very private seat thanks to this shell.

There is a lot of open storage underneath the padded ottoman and side-ottoman, big enough for a backpack and even, potentially, a trolley bag. This meant I didn’t have to get up and open the overhead locker to access my bag.

Other storage compartments in the seat are more limited. There’s a large console table which features a flip-open mirror as well as a sort of phone or passport rest next to a USB-A outlet, which was useful.

Underneath is the large bifold tray table, which pops out:

Along the side-ottoman, you’ll find the in-flight literature pockets which are the perfect size to put a laptop in vertically, as well as another USB-A port and universal mains socket:

This tapers into a decently-sized footwell, which is larger and less angled than on the A350:

If you are in a bulkhead row then your 18″ touch-screen monitor is mounted to the bulkhead:

Other passengers get a few more features, including another little storage slot with pop-up flap as well as a fold-down cocktail table, which is nifty:

Singapore Airlines A380 business class bed

The biggest changes to the A380 seat, versus what is on offer on the A350, are improvements to the sleep experience.

As I mentioned above, the footwell has increased in size and is now much more spacious:

The other improvement is that the seat now reclines into bed mode, rather than flipping over, which allows you to do it yourself as well as recline even when the seatbelt sign is on. This isn’t possible on the A350 where you need to physically get out of your seat and flip it over.

The provided mattress is secured by slipping it over the headrest whilst a white duvet and pillow complete the experience.

Overall the bed is very comfortable and spacious when flat, with the padded side-ottoman increasing the surface area of the bed and providing extra knee room over most business class seats. I managed to get a solid six hours’ sleep which I was very happy with.

In-flight entertainment and wifi

There was a decent amount of content loaded, including new releases such as Dune Part Two and old classics such as Shakespeare in Love. They were helpfully divided into various categories and you could save favourites to a ‘playlist’ to browse later.

It’s also possible to pair your Krisflyer account with the IFE, which apparently resurfaces your Playlist and watch history. In theory you can easily start a film on one flight and continue on the next.

The provided headphones were surprisingly good for an airline branded pair: they were comfortable and featured active noise cancellation, to the extent that I didn’t bother using my own at all.

Wifi is free for anyone travelling in Suites, First and business class, as well as Krisflyer members in economy and premium economy. However, just as on my outbound flight, it wasn’t super reliable and dropped out for large portions of the flight – including India, Turkey and Iran – for regulatory reasons. This appears to be a Singaporean oddity and limits its usefulness, particularly if you are trying to get any work done.

Singapore Airlines amenities

Waiting at my seat was a set of bedding, including a mattress cover, white duvet and two pillows.

I was on a day flight and only a pair of slippers were provided, but I’m sure the usual eye mask and socks would have been available on request.

Rather than provide all passengers with an amenity kit stuffed with items they may never use, Singapore Airlines operates a ‘take what you need’ approach.

Amenity bags are available on request. These are Penhaligon’s branded and contain hand lotion, facial mist and lip balm from the brand’s Luna range.

Other amenities, including dental kits, razors and combs, are free to take from the business class bathrooms.

Food and service on Singapore Airlines

Service started on boarding and I was shown to my seat by one of the cabin crew. This was shortly followed by a pre-departure drink, with water, orange juice and I believe apple juice offered as this was a pre-10am departure. However, I asked for a glass of champagne and the crew were happy to provide this.

Crew also came round with a hot towel as well as meal choices before take off, for those passengers who hadn’t ‘Booked the Cook’.

Whilst I had tried the ‘Book the Cook’ pre-ordering service on my outbound flight, which lets premium economy passengers and above choose from a wider range of options up to 24 hours before departure, it really came into its own when departing Singapore.

The range was truly overwhelming. I counted 40+ different main courses, ranging from Singaporean classics to Western, Korean, Indian and meat-free dishes. This is in addition to the onboard menu.

(If you have special dietary requirements then you need to order these separately as ‘Book the Cook’ only offers a choice of main courses and will not cater vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal or gluten free starters or desserts etc.)

I was on a day flight departing at 10am so I was in the slightly entertaining position of having pre-ordered the classic Singapore Airlines lobster thermidor as my main course for the first meal, which is otherwise served as breakfast. This meant I had the breakfast fruit plate starter:

Pastries including croissants and pain au chocolats were also offered.

Had I not Booked the Cook then my mains options would have been:

• Egg omelette, chicken sausages, sauteed sweet potato and vegetables
• Singapore style kway teow soup
• Brioche French toast
• Continental breakfast

I had pre-ordered the lobster thermidor, which is presented in a lobster tail shell with roasted gourds on the side:

(Before you ask, the brown stain on the side plate is from my pastry!)

I thought the presentation of this was a bit messy and didn’t quite show off the lobster as well as it could have, whilst the sauce is almost too overpowering for the lobster meat. I know Singapore Airlines was trialling different variations of this a few years ago – I’d love to see these return.

Whilst the first meal was served on trays, the second meal was served ‘properly’ with my tray-table hand-laid and each dish brought out plate-by-plate.

As this was a breakfast service there was no dessert.

After breakfast I went to sleep and woke up six hours later, just as the cabin lights were turned on again ready for the second meal service. I was surprised this was happening midway through the flight. I asked cabin crew who told me that this was when passengers typically got hungry, and I did indeed find myself ready for more food!

This was served as lunch and featured a full four-course service, starting with the typical Singapore Airlines satay:

This time round, I even asked for seconds!

This was followed by the starter, which was a marinated smoke salmon with capers:

I thought this was a bit basic and uninspired for a business class flight – smoked salmon is everywhere these days – and I could think of a million ways this could be elevated.

For my main course I had pre-ordered the Singapore Laksa, with prawns and fish cake and deep-fried bean curd, which came out in a steaming hot bowl:

The crew asked if it was too spicy for me but I assured them it was just right and just very temperature hot!

The other onboard options included:

• Roasted stuffed chicken with forest mushrooms
• Fried grouper fillet with ginger and spring onions
• Yerachi mealgu varuval, been foogath, dal moong, ghee bhatt
• Braised pork cheek au jus

For dessert, the options consisted of:

• Chocolate brownie
• Banana cheesecake with butter crumble
• Selection of cheeses
• Selection of sliced fresh fruits

I choes the chocolate brownie:

There was no formal service after this apart from a tea and coffee round, but crew were very quick to respond to the call bell and deliver any drinks or snacks you might desire. I guess Singapore Airlines likes to take a more ‘hands off’ approach but it would have been nice to have at least another proactive drinks run during the remaining five hours.

Conclusion

My return flight from Singapore was just as pleasant as my outbound, and I was surprised just how similar the A350 and A380 business class seats are. Thankfully, the A380 does make some important improvements to the sleep experience that are very welcome.

Singapore Airlines is often praised for its food. Whilst it was all very good, I can’t help but think that there’s more that could be done. For a start, a smoked salmon starter seems a little uninspired whilst the presentation of the lobster thermidor left didn’t really showcase the premium ingredients as well as it could have.

The crew were – as always – ineffably polite, although an extra drinks run or two wouldn’t have gone amiss!

If are looking for a good Star Alliance frequent flyer programme to credit with your flight, we discuss options here. If you are looking for ways of earning Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards, we look at your options here.

You can find out more, and book, on the Singapore Airlines website here.

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