The service onboard was friendly and not overbearing. I would say that in fact, there could have been more of an on-board service as it was lacking in areas. But more on that below.

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A cold and wet early morning Thursday at the end of August was the perfect setting to be jetting off to sunnier climes. After almost three years of waiting thanks to that small world event that shall remain unnamed, it was time to head to Bali.

After spending some time researching options, I decided to treat myself and began researching options for business class flights to get me to Bali, arriving as early as possible the following day so that I could head to the retreat that I had booked.

Emirates would have been a great option and I do love their service. However, the layover in Dubai meant that I would have lost a full day on arrival in Bali and so I chose to fly Singapore airlines out to Singapore and then connect to Bali with their low-cost partner airline Scoot, into Bali.

The Check In

The flight departed at 9:25 from London Heathrow Airport, terminal 2. Check In was smooth. There was quite a queue for the economy check in but for Business class I only had to wait a matter of minutes. The lady that checked me in was friendly enough and very efficient. Then it was time to clear security. A perk of flying business class is that you get to use the fast-track security lane. Again, there was no queue – I’m sure in part due to the fact that it was so early. But it was quick to get through. The only issue I had was that I was so delirious with excitement that I forgot I had taken my laptop out and… I ended up leaving it at Heathrow’s security. Luckily, I managed to get it back, but it was a bit of a drama. Story for another time!

Tip: Shops at Heathrow are only just starting to open around 6-7pm and so if you’re looking to shop especially for clothes then you may want to take a later flight.

The Lounge

Mission! That’s the one word that springs to mind here. It took a good 10-15 minutes to get to the lounge after security and what felt like I had to walks through the deserted areas of the airport. There must have been a quicker way, but I was following the signs and it took a bit of a walk for me to get there. Once I got there, the SilverKris lounge is accessed by a lift and you just need to show your boarding pass to gain entry.

As you enter the lounge, there is a buffet area on the left and as you continue walking through, you’ll find a bar and plenty of seating options that are a mix of individual seats, seats around tables or high tables with stools. There are also bathrooms where you can take a shower if you need to freshen up.

The bar in the lounge opens around 8am, before then its self-service and there are plenty of food options to choose from. Traditional dishes are available along with continental and English breakfast options. There are also cold smoothies, drinks, croissants, and fresh fruit. Once your flight is ready to board there will be an announcement and then its only a 5 minute walk to the gate.

The Flight

Tip: If flying solo like I was, try to get a bulkhead seat that’s at the front. I was in seat 11A. The bulkhead seats offer more room than the standard business class setup on Singapore airlines which is a little different as the lie flat beds are diagonal which may be uncomfortable for some.

Keep checking up until departure. They tend to release these around this time if they’re available.

There’s plenty of storage both in the overhead lockers and next to the seat and a huge screen to watch the entertainment. The service onboard was friendly and not overbearing. I would say that in fact, there could have been more of an on-board service as it was lacking in areas. But more on that below.

The Food and Drink on the Flight

This flight was around 13 hours. Yes, 13 hours! Yet we were only offered two meal services. This was my biggest disappointment flying Singapore airlines. I expected a more comprehensive service of pre take off drinks (and I was hoping for some champagne!), an amenity kit and snacks but this wasn’t offered. I did ask for beverages during the flight, but it took away from the high standard of service I was expecting from such a world class airline.

The meals in my opinion were ok but not of the best quality. Before your flight you can choose to ‘Book the Chef’ and pre- select your meal options, but I chose not to do this. Maybe this results in better meals. The setup in terms of linen tablecloth, cutlery and plates was very nice but my food options were subpar for both the lunch option and breakfast before we landed.

Anything else…

One of the advantages of business class is of course the lie flat beds. You can put this out yourself if you know what you’re doing or you can ask one of the crew for assistance. This is something I wasn’t offered and so it was a while before I could grab someone’s attention to set the bed up and get some rest. That being set it was very comfortable.

Entertainment options were good. The screen was huge and there’s a handset in the seat that you can use to navigate the screen. There are also USB ports and reading lights if you’d need this. I did attempt to connect to the wifi on board but had no success.

Verdict:  

For the most part, my experience flying Singapore airlines was disappointing. Everything before my flight was great. From check-in to my lounge experience – I really enjoyed these parts of the trip. However, the onboard experience just didn’t live up to my expectations, especially for the price you pay (over £2,000). The service was lacking and the meal options were not up to standard, or frequent enough. If flying Singapore airlines, I would recommend their Premium economy class instead of business class as this is much better value for money.

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