Flight Review - Singapore Airlines Bangkok to Singapore in Business Class
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- My trip around the world continued with a shortish hop on Singapore Airlines from Bangkok down to Singapore. This flight connected to an epic onward flight which will feature in my next video...
I flew in business class and the contrast between the experience offered by Singapore and that offered by European airlines over similar distances could not have been starker... By no means perfect (I'll have to give up this UA-cam lark if I start experiencing perfect flights!!!) but a memorable experience nonetheless....
Seat maps courtesy of aerolopa.com
⭐ #flightreview #SingaporeAirlines #MattsPlanet ⭐
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⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1.50 - Suvarnabhumi Airport
6:00 - Boarding
8:20 - The flight
10:06 - Singapore
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. This video may not be copied or reproduced without written permission.
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Flew Singapore LHR- SIN back in the 80s . Still one of my most memorable experiences 😎
Those were the days!!!
So excited to see you closing in on 10k subscribers! Glad to see you getting further afield from Europe as well, enjoying the trip reports and details as always :) I flew via BKK last week and used the Royal Silk Platinum Lounge, which is far larger and has a fresh hot food station as well, worth a visit on your next layover!
Thanks Pranjal. Closing in on 10k... Still hard to believe anyone watches my nonsense!!! I think I've been to that Platinum lounge before but I didn't have a huge amount of time after Singapore and Turkish so went for the closest!!!
Makes you want to fly Singapore above all others. Great vid. Cheers.
Thanks Roy... If only Singapore would fly LHR-AGP!
Agreed ! Iberia fly A330 (and occasionally 350) LHR-MAD and I wish they would do direct to AGP. BA aren’t nearly up to these standards!
Love Singapore Airlines, i always find the crews truly outstanding
Thanks. The crew were great
Another great, informative and comprehensive review. Look forward to watching the next leg to the US!
Thanks Joe. Epic one next week....
@@MattsPlanet already looking forward to it!
Another great video, Matt! I would certainly consider SQ a good all rounder airline - while other airlines in Asia may do certain elements better (e.g. Cathay with their lounges, ANA with their newer seats), Singapore Airlines just seem to get the whole package just right. Look forward to the follow up video next
Thanks Callum! >>>Shameless Plug
Great review
Thanks!
Sadly, I’ve not flown with SQ since 1980/81 when my father’s company moved us to Singapore from the U.K. Back then, their 747s had to refuel in Bahrain and also stopped in Bangkok enroute, so it was a very long haul. Also flew short haul to Jakarta with them too on a 727 outbound and an A300 back to S’pore. Service was out of this world and my two younger brothers and I left laden with SQ branded model planes, toys, games etc - all free … and we flew economy! I remember, as a 13 year old used to relative U.K. 70s austerity, being amazed by the abundance of food and fizzy drinks on offer, duly overdid it, and threw it all up again on the Bangkok - Singapore leg. After that, my parents switched to Qantas for our trips home who, to be fair, were pretty good too but not a patch on SQ. Happy days.
Happy memories!!! Fantastic... My first flight to Singapore in 1990 was an Air Lanka special (remember them???). Supposed to be LGW-DXB-CMB-KUL-SIN but when we checked in they said they didn't have enough fuel to make it all the way to Dubai so they had to stop in Cyprus en route... That was a long day...
@@MattsPlanet haha, a long day indeed. Hope you were in business class! I do remember them. I’m told their current incarnation, Sri Lankan Airlines, was very recently having to stop in India to refuel on flights to the U.K. because of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. I’ll be flying with them in Oct, albeit only within the subcontinent.
Me: Pub Crawl
Matt: Lounge hopping
Pub = you have to pay... Lounge = not so much!!!
@@MattsPlanet i don't think i've seen a video on 3 Lounges on the same trip. 2-4 hours before your flight is needed!
Good to know about the times to get to BKK as i'll be there in the summer👍👍
Only when it rains! Which it does a lot in our Summer at least...
Have flown SQ sporadically prior to the you-know-what. For me personally, I'd rate them as the best overall airline experience I've ever had. The crews I've flown with have been, quite simply, superb. The problem I've had with QR is not the service or product, but the customer service. Now, having said all that, I've no experience flying SQ kit as it is today, so I eagerly await your next video. But I've always enjoyed flying SQ to date when I've had the chance. This was a nice video for me personally as my experience with SQ has always been long haul.
Thanks RTB. I've never had anything go wrong with Qatar that required me to use their customer service team but that is indeed the ultimate test of an airline...
As you say, a premium airline.
It was a pleasure
Very informative thanks Matt. Looks a bit of a faff at the airport but lounges and on board product looks excellent for such a short flight... the only comparison In Europe would be Turkish ?
Not flown Turkish for a while and never in business - its on the list... But its reputation is strong. I think the Asian carriers have the edge - Turkish may describe themselves as an Asian airline though!
Beltin’ airline, my best flying experience. Looking at Manchester -> Houston later this year 👍
Thanks David. MAN to IAH is a cheeky option to try out... If you don't mind visiting Houston of course!
Thanks again Matt. Always row 1 for me, no foot cubby😇. Just landed in Nairobi from Addis with Ethiopian on a very old 777-300ER. Huge space though. Also forget about the 4 window La Premiere of AF. You get 4 windows in Business on this plane🤣🇿🇦
Africa is calling.... Just need to find a window... South America is slightly further up the to-do list at the moment!
@@MattsPlanet Good luck in all your plans Matt. Look forward to the videos as always👍
Thanks, from.Leeds.West Yorkshire.
Thank you!
Great review and bought back some recent pleasant memories!! Flew MNL - SIN in the short haul A350 (great seat) and then SIN - JFK in that ULR A350 Business cabin also in February. Fantastic service which is second to none, but would almost prefer the newer BC seat on the short / med haul A350 / 787 seat on the JFK leg both because the foot well on the A350 ULR cabin seat is, as you pointed out somewhat awkward AND it has to be manually transitioned to bed mode. The seat was almost too big too! Tried to get the bulkhead but no such luck. Very much a first world problem all-in-all though :)
Thanks Howard - excellent trailer for next week's video where I make very similar points... Hope you still watch it! Was the flight reasonably priced with the MNL prequel? I'd seen BKK and CGK as unlocking a great fare on the longer leg but hadn't seen MNL do the same...
@@MattsPlanet I booked a round trip from JFK to MNL (in Premium Econ) with a few days layover in SIN on the return - so the return was two separately upgradeable flights - which I did using KrisFlyer Miles. Not sure if its the greatest value usage of miles but could not resist, didn't check the cash price. However, looking ahead, Singapore airlines currently seems to be a really good value proposition if travelling from the USA to Southeast Asia in Premium Economy (and business) with some very attractive fares!
@@howardbreen15 Makes sense... Its a long flight from JFK even in premium economy...
Looks fab Matt. Limited menu from my point of view, pork and crab, no thanks lol. I guess I’d just have to work through the wines instead. Quite fancy a trip to the Far east, it’s been nearly 30 years, 😱 I feel old lol
A fine point! You can pre-order other meals even on flights not leaving Singapore but you are right that the base offering was a touch exclusive of some dietary requirements! Asia is fun...
Nice overview! This is a near mirror image of the journey I plan to take late next month. Though I am expected to get on a regional A350 and take the first flight out. What time was your flight if you don't mind asking and how long before that did you turn up at the check-in desk?
No worries! This was SQ709 departing 15:40. I was probably there just under 3 hours before departure as the rain wasn't quite as disruptive as I'd allowed for!
My flight is scheduled for mid-morning. My hotel is relatively close to the MRT and I don’t mind an early departure from the hotel at 05.15-ish. But I am keen to enjoy the lounge hop and wish to be at the airport four hours before departure. Question is will SIA’s BKK station open early enough for me to avoid the issues you’ve highlighted and enjoy the *A lounges?
My last minute trip to Chiang Mai helped in avoiding the departure check in and exit immigration at BKK. I was flying Thai Smile back to BKK for my EVA flight. Since it's all Star Alliance I was able to do exit immigration in Chiang Mai first thing in the morning and it only took a few minutes. The Thai Smile agent was able to print up my EVA boarding passes for BKK and TPE back to the States. They were also able to send my bag through directly. A big time saver since I didn't have to retrieve my checked bag and then go check in at BKK and add exiting. The layover in BKK was only 2.5 hours
Interesting you could do that... It would have been a domestic arrival into BKK so presumably you could have just walked out whilst technically emigrated from Thailand?? Good tip to know about though as BKK can be awful
@@MattsPlanet Pre-pandemic you could not do this. Now I could do exit immigration and security in Chiang Mai, at BKK I was sort of lead to transit security which took around 10-15 minutes after reaching the terminal and then on to the gate. It was confusing as we arrived at a bus gate so after arriving at the terminal I had to follow the terrible signage for international passengers. Could I have walked out? I suppose so. It was difficult not to do so by accident. Oh, in Chiang Mai I checked in at business check in even though I had a Thai Smile economy ticket because I had an international connection.
@@pcmacintyre Thanks - my flight in from Phuket didn't seem to accomodate international connections, but then again I wasn't really looking out for that option! But thinking about it, we were at a domestic terminal in HKT so didn't have the option to emigrate there anyway...
I completed a return trip from London to Adelaide with Singapore airlines in 2014 and was very impressed with their service (despite being in economy). One way of making the duration of travel a little more bearable was to book an overwing exit seat and go for a swim at the hotel pool on my 4+ hour connection. Having said that, I’d have to think long and hard before booking such a long travel day without being up the front…
Oh the things we do when we’re 22!
Thanks Mark! Lots of flights I took in my 20's I probably wouldn't consider now!! At least I can kind of justify it these days that economy flights make for boring videos!!!
@@MattsPlanet Just found your channel at the beginning of the week and subbed after the first 2 videos I watched. I’m probably 15+ deep now and really impressed by your content. Thanks for the hard work, and keep it coming!
@@mjrc123 Thanks Mark!
Not managed to try Singapore yet but my favourite Asian airline is Philippine Airlines.
Also, have you thought about doing an update to your solo travel video - perhaps offering more insight into what you do when you travel solo? Would also be interested in seeing your perspective on travelling carry on only if that's something you ever do.
Thanks - cracking name by the way! If that's your real name your parents need a talking to... I'll keep the suggestions in mind - I'm very self sufficient (or I've learned to be very self sufficient over the years) so solo travel doesn't intimidate me at all... And HBO is the way to go - although I am now paying close attention to what I wear in videos so it doesn't look like I spend all week in the same shirt!
I am 18 years old, I have been outside of India only 3 times and all 3 times were to Australia with my grandparents from Ahmedabad to Singapore to Melbourne... Even though I had not travelled on any other airlines back then, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that Singapore airlines IS THE BEST ... just 1 week ago, I had the opportunity to fly Qatar airways from Bangalore to DOHA to Atlanta ... all my friends and even my parents used to say that you'll forget Singapore airlines once you board the Qatar flight... but I was so sure that nothing could ever beat the hospitality and the experience SINGAPORE AIRLINES gives... and hell yeah I was right ... Did enjoy my Qatar flight but there were some points where it lacked
the IFE had no comparison at all ... Krissworld could never be beaten
the flight map also had no comparison at all ... Qatar flight map sucked ... even though I selected English, it kept showing in Arab language every now and then and you could not select the overall layout of the flight map and it kept on showing on its own
the seats though comfortable, but The seat I got had its tv remote stucked and I had to use my finger for the full 15 hour flight ( DOHA to Atlanta )
Food was good , but if Qatar airways food was a 90 then Singapore airways food was a 95 ...
and ahhh, changi airport vs Hamad airport ... , would prefer changi over hamad at any given point of my life
anyways, great video , looking forward to your flight from Singapore to Los angles/ new York / san Francisco / Seattle ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much! Some great flying experiences at a young age! Qatar might not be quite up there with Singapore but it beats a high density Cebu air flight!
7:04 wow impressive for short haul. Nothing like that for us on ba ?
Nope! I think its more likely that Asian airlines head in Europe's product direction rather than it going the other way around...
I was really keen to view this video as BKK-SIN was the first SIA flight I took back in January 1973. Of course it hadn't been long since SIA had split from MSA. Singaporeans are thrifty and the flight I took was an ex-Qantas 707 still with the wattle leaf images over the cabin walls. I cannot remember much of the Y class flight but Y cabin service (according to my wife who has taken SIA several times to Sydney over the years) isn't what it used to be. Certainly serving meals in cardboard boxes (which was trialled on the London route last month) to Y and PE passengers is a case in point.
Thanks Alex - fantastic memories! I can only imagine what Changi was like in 73... My first visit was in 1990 and that is unrecognisable versus how it is today!
@@MattsPlanet Changi has changed a lot. Originally it emulated Schiphol with a single terminal. I was told (when I toured the construction site in 1981) that the Schiphol design team were responsible. But in 1973 it was even more fun as I used the former Paya Lebar airport where the foot outlet was open air and above the terminal ! I was connecting there with SIA to MEL (another ex-Qantas 707) and I knew nothing (at that time) about sixth-freedom traffic !
@@MattsPlanet Changi wasn’t open in 73, they used Paya Lebar airport til 1981 when Changi opened. I remember taking a RTW trip in 1981 with my family SIN-BAH-LHR-GLA-LHR-YYZ-YYC-YVR-NRT-SIN on QF, BA, AC & JL where we departed from the soon to close Paya Lebar on QF and flew into the very recently opened Changi on JL! A school friend of mine’s dad, also an expat from the U.K., was in S’pore working on Changi.
Hello Matt. Invite you to travel to south america. Do you enjoy Brazil?
I've never been to Brazil but I actually booked a flight there this morning! Won't travel until next year, but I'm booked!
I agree with Matt that the premium seats of Singapore Airlines but also its rival Cathay Pacific are a bit outdated. However, both airlines are still top notch. I think Singapore Airlines has still the best First Class product in particular if you fly together with your better half.
"SIA still has the best F class product". Yes its Suites were ahead of the pack but one or two others have caught up. I refer to Emirates' A380 F class.
Outdated and a little strange.... Next week's video includes me trying to sleep in this seat...
@@MattsPlanet That wasn't my comment Matt. Not outdated considering these were short flights.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Indeed! The seat converts by flipping forward, hence the strange comment... Intended for the original commenter!
@@MattsPlanet can’t wait
Just spent 10 fantastic days in Singapore visiting our daughter-if only there was a way of getting business all the way there from Jersey that didn’t require a second mortgage with BA! Or maybe there is?
I don't know of one! Qatar starting somewhere like Dublin or Oslo is closest, or it was before the you-know-what... And you need a third mortgage to do anything when you're in Singapore these days too!!
Hi Matt, Singapore Airways is a great airline, you mentioned British Airways and their standards?? There is no comparison, I would not fly BA if I got a free ticket. Keep up the great reviews.
Kind regards
DS
Quite a few people share you views on BA, Dave!
How did you live in Singapore is it hard?
I was seconded to Singapore within the company I was working for so it was extremely easy to get in, get visas etc. It used to be very simple to get in if you had your own business but I believe its tightened up significantly - I was there 15+ years ago... Its now extremely expensive too.... Great place to live though if you can get in!
Do they still do the little coke mirrors in economy class?
I was up the front so don't know...
Haha bangkok taxis do rip you off but the 500THB i happily paid from the airport is essentially USD10+. On the way back i paid 250THB when he was forced to use a meter by hotel staff. Basically I don’t think it is worth the hassle of an argument 😂
Indeed - its a small amount.... I'd rarely take a taxi from a hotel as they know they can usually get away without turning on the meter - other guys are generally happy to use the meter if they're not used to being able to get more by fleecing hotel guests!!! Unless its raining, of course!
Crikey!!! be grateful you can experience this - a bit of an offset footrest, crumpled menu and not so good view and other stuff are very petty in my opinion.
Thanks Helen - you are completely right of course, but if you are paying to have this experience it is reasonable to expect excellence and these things are ways that Singapore is not delivering to the standard the passenger might expect. I try to make the point that overall its a great experience but probably don't do a good enough job of making that point, alongside pointing out the relatively minor shortcomings. The offset foot cubby is a big one though!
Singapore Airlines knocks spots off almost every other carrier - they are in a class of their own. I flew Business Class on their A380 (LHR - SIN), their A350 (SIN - PER & BNE - SIN) and their 777 (SIN - LHR). The overall best seat was the A380 - the best for sleeping was the 777 - the A350 was great for a mid range flight (8 hours) but wouldn't have been so good on a longer flight. I tried their lounge in LHR (very nice) SIN (excellent) and BNE (not bad) - but I'm nit picking because at every level they knocked spots of any other airline I've flown with nationally and internationally. That includes Virgin, BA, United, Continental, KLM, ANZ, QANTAS. If I was advising any of my friends, I'd say go Singapore at any chance - their Economy and Premium Economy are also ahead of the pack. Great video and look forward to the long haul from SIN to US.
BTW if travelling in Business Class use Book the Cook for advance ordering of food - and DEF have the Lobster Thermidor - it's sublime!
so true, Singapore Airlines could never be beaten, just a week ago I flown on Qatar airways and I don't know how Qatar is the No 1 Airlines in the world .. I mean like there were so many things where it lacked behind Singapore Airlines
Thanks - it was good... I don't love lobster though, but I believe it is fantastic if you do!
@@shivanshjha pre I haven't flown Qatar but from the in flight reviews i've seen it's mixed feedback - I did love SQ and that was in 2019 so pre-Covid - thank goodness - no masks or stuff...