Review of Singapore Airlines flight Frankfurt → New York in Business

Introduction

There are over a dozen airlines connecting the US with Europe. Choosing an US or European carrier would therefore be the obvious choice to cross ‘the pond’ for most travelers. But Emirates and Singapore Airlines both offer 5th-freedom flights from Europe to the US. Singapore Airlines is renowned to have one of the best onboard products, which I was really looking forward to test out.

In the end I chose Singapore Airlines over Emirates (for this itinerary at least). 

Ground experience

By the time of travel in late 2021, the aviation industry was still dealing with the COVID-Pandemic. Checking-in at Frankfurt took longer than usual, due to the validation of vaccination-documents. But since there were very few people in the airport building, there wasn’t really a wait anywhere. Checking security and passport control was also straightforward. 

Airport Lounge

Singapore Airlines is part of the Star Alliance. Business class tickets give you admission to the Star Alliance Lounges in Frankfurt. I wanted to visit the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, but the lounge was closed due to the pandemic. Because of my Star-Alliance-Gold status, I went to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge – B42 in the non-Schengen area instead. 

The Senator Lounges are normally only accesible by Star Alliance Gold members and first class passengers. Due to COVID-19, the Senator Lounge was open to all business class passengers departing on Star Alliance flights.  

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the lounge on that morning.  

Unfortunately food selection was still severely limited. I forgot to take a picture of the food offering though.

The lounge offered a view on the apron, but there was not a lot going on that morning.

The beverage selection seemed to be unaffected though.  After a short stay, I then made my way to the gate. 

Aircraft

Carrier:                          Singapore Airlines
Type:                              Boeing 777-300ER
Registration:                9V-SWT
First flight:                    24/01/2009
Cabin configuration:  4F / 48J / 28W / 184Y

Cabin / seat

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER are equipped  with a total of 264 seats in a four class layout. Four first class seats are placed in the front of the aircraft, followed by 48 seats in business class. The business class seats are split into a mini cabin behind first class and into a bigger section behind door 2. Further back you can find 28 premium economy seats and two economy class cabins with 184 seats.  

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER first/business class layout @aerolopa

Although the cabin has seen almost 10 years of service, it has aged surprisingly well. There are no overhead bins installed above the middle rows, giving the cabin an airy feeling. There certainly are cabins which offer a more open design such as Qatar Airways' Boeing 787-8 business class. But it surely makes up ground with a higher privacy for each seat. 

What are the best seats for couples?
The first choice should be the seats between the aisles (seats D and F). Try to get the bulkhead seats (11D, 11F, 15D, 15F). There is a small privacy divider if you decide to isolate yourself from your neighbor.

What are the best seats for solo travelers?
I can recommend any window seat (seats A and K) for improved privacy because of the construction of the shell. Again, the bulkhead seats (11A, 11K, 15A, 15K) should be your first choice, if available.

I was sitting in a bulkhead seat 15A in the bigger business class cabin for this daytime flight. Even though the second cabin accommodates much more business class passengers, it didn’t feel crowded due to the low occupancy.    

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the seat is, how wide it actually is. The seat itself is made out of a leather-like material, with a nice square pattern stitching. The seats are either made in a grey or dark-purple finish, which just ads to the overall elegant feeling in my opinion. 

On the left you can find an open storage area and the power outlets. There was also a closable storage compartment right next to the table, which of course was stowed. Above that there was the IFE-remote. I found another storage cubby to the front-left of the seat. These housed the inflight magazines and were perfect for smaller items like tablets or laptops. Needless to say, I didn’t have problem storing all my belonging at my seat. 

My seat came with a set of windows. 

I highly recommend reserving a bulkhead seat in advance or during check-in, because it is more spacious than the other seats not located behind the bulkhead. The only minor downside is the IFE-screen, which is quite far away in the bulkhead seats. The bulkhead seats are only accessible by Krisflyer Elite Members and passengers travelling with infants. During check-in you can select these seats if they are still vacant.

The seats not located behind the bulkhead offer less personal space, because of the seat in front of it. The foot cubby is also directed towards the window, so you have to sleep and lounge in an angled position. On the other hand the screen is closer to your seat.  

After reaching cruising altitude I put the seat into the lounge position. I stayed in that setting for the majority of the flight, because it was the perfect position to relax for me. 

As shown below the legspace is very generous. 

food / beverages

I’ve heard so many good things about Singapore Airlines Book-the-Cook service and their catering in general.

Let's see if they could live up to my expectations.

Sadly Singapore Airlines didn't provide physical food menu's for this flight.   

Upon boarding I was offered a Champagne by the warm and very friendly cabin crew. I can’t remember what kind of Champagne it was, but it tasted delicious nevertheless.

Shortly after take-off Singapore Airlines' famous Chicken Satay was served, which are always something I am looking forward to. It didn't disappoint a bit.

For the starter I went for the prawns, which were accompanied by quinoa and green asparagus on top of it. I am not a big crustacean fan, but it tasted delicious nevertheless.

The main Asian dish tasted better than it looked. The presentation was a bit underwhelming, but the sauce had plenty of flavour to it. In the end it is the taste that counts.

During mealservice, there were various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinking options on offer. I stayed with the champagne and sparkling water.

The dessert was the real highlight. The coconut icecream was just amazing, along with fruit cuts. Up until this day I haven't had dessert in the skies, which stayed in my memory for tasting as delightful. It doesn't look that fancy in appearance, but definately give it a try if you have the chance to (provided that you like icecream of course).

It even had the SQ's logo on top of it. Those little details are what make SQ one of the best airlines in my opinion. 

The airline does provide so called "refreshments" on demand. Shortly before landing I ordered the fried noodles. The size of the meal really suprised me, as the portion was quite big. The noodles tasted really good as well. This time I ordered a white wine to go along with the meal. 

lie-flat bed

After the meal service, I decided to take a nap. The seat controls allow you to move it into a lounging position and change various angles to comfort your needs. To convert the seat into a fully flat bed, the seat needs to be flipped over. I asked a flight attendant for turn-down-service, which was quickly taken care of.  

The bed was suprisingly wide. There is more than enough shoulder space while lying down. Thanks to the sheer amount of space, side sleepers will have more than enough room to stretch out.

SQ provides a matress pad, two cozy pillows and a high quality blanket. You can always ask for extra pillows and blankets if you need them, but for me the bedding provided were more than sufficient.

service

The cabin crew’s overall performance and attention to detail really blew me away. The crew actively asked if they can refill the drinks and tried to make the flight as comfortable as they possibly could. From the time of boarding the plane, I felt welcome and taken care of.
It didn’t feel like the flight attendants pretended to be friendly, it is just their attitude and hospitality towards international guests, for which Singaporeans are known for.

For me it was one of those flights I wished would never end, really. 

IFE

The screen had a decent size. Although the seat and the screen was first introduced in 2013, the IFE controller felt very modern and had an own display, which you could tuck into the console to the left of the seat. It showed you basic flight stats, which was a nice touch. The main IFE-screen was easy to see, although not touch sensitive. Passengers can also tilt the screen downwards when lying down in bed mode.
As of the content, there were plenty of options to choose from.

I didn’t use the IFE much, because I was obsessed with the product / service and the views out of the window on this day flight.