Review: Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class Singapore to Perth

Flight Number
SQ215
Aircraft
Boeing 787‑10
Duration
5 hours 15 minutes
Date
January 2010
Rating

Singapore Airlines is known as one of the world’s leading airlines, but its regional business class product has been in need of a refresh for quite some time.

Until last year, most of its regional routes were operated by a fleet of Airbus A330s, which come with older, angled-flat business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration (a product I had flown not too long ago).

In This Post

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Booking

That’s why it was exciting news when Singapore announced it would be the launch customer for the Boeing 787-10, which eventually debuted in April 2018 and would gradually become the new backbone for its regional routes, featuring an all-new lie-flat business class product. I booked this flight as of an Aeroplan mini-RTW to Perth for a total of 160,000 miles.

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Ground Experience

Stepping off my Turkish Airlines flight, I was excited to be making an immediate connection onto the Singapore Airlines 787-10 that would bring me down to Perth, Australia. In fact, my inbound flight had been delayed slightly, so I saw a Singapore Airlines representative holding a placard with my name on it when I disembarked, ready to whisk me to my next departure gate onboard a dedicated buggy service.

Singapore Changi Airport buggy service

Singapore Changi Airport buggy service

As is customary at Changi Airport, I had to go through airport security at the departure gate, since they operate a dedicated security checkpoint for every gate instead of a central checkpoint for the entire departures hall. Soon after that, the gate agents called priority boarding, and I made my way onboard a Boeing 787-10 plane for the very first time.

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Cabin

Business class on the Singapore Airlines 787-10 is housed in one large cabin at the front of the plane. There are a total of 60 business class seats, spread across 15 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore uses the Stelia Opal business class seats on this aircraft, and it would be my first time trying out this seat type. The seats are staggered such that each seat’s footwell sits underneath the console unit of the seat in front of it; in addition, the window seats alternate between being closer to the window and being closer to the aisle, while the central seats alternate between being close together and being far apart.

As a solo traveller, I selected Seat 11A in the front row, which is a window seat that’s closer to the aisle. Along with Seat 11K, this is one of the best seats in the house, and you’ll see why very soon. 

(And yes, that’s despite SeatGuru giving it a “Beware” rating!)

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cabin

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat 11A

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat 11A

(If you can’t secure Seats 11A or 11K, then I’d recommend choosing one of the window seats that are actually closer to the window, since those afford you more privacy. Meanwhile, travelling couples would probably want to select the middle seats that are closer together.)

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Seat

The cream and walnut seat finishes make for a beautiful colour palette, and the textured pattern on the curvature of the seat shell was also an elegant and modern touch. Big thumbs-up to Singapore Airlines for choosing some swanky new visuals for their brand-new aircraft – it’s certainly a big improvement from the regional seats on their A330s, which were starting to look a little tired.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat 11A

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat 11A

Because of how new this product is, it’s a real pleasure to sit down and admire all the little details of the seat, starting with the incredibly sharp KrisWorld entertainment system. Both the picture quality and the responsiveness of the touch screen are very impressive.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment screen

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment screen

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment screen

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment screen

To the left of the entertainment screen here in Seat 11A is the key feature that makes this seat such a winner: this little nook is used as a baby bassinet if required, but if there are no babies on the flight, then the two lucky passengers in Seats 11A and 11K can simply use this area as additional storage space!

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet seat

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet seat

I kept my backpack here throughout the flight, and really appreciated having such a generous amount of space for my belongings. Needless to say, if I were flying this product again as a solo traveller, I’d aim to select Seat 11A or 11K without a moment’s hesitation. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet seat

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet seat

Underneath the entertainment screen is a footwell that becomes part of the bed in lie-flat mode, and underneath that is another storage area.

If you weren’t sitting in one of these bassinet seats with the huge space on the side, you’d be able to store a small personal item, such as your purse or backpack, in the space down here.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Footwell

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Footwell

Then, to the left of the footwell was the literature pocket.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Literature pocket

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Literature pocket

The tray table is released from underneath the entertainment screen with a small push, and slides outwards into place. It can then be folded over to become a full-sized table.

I do prefer this type of sliding tray table compared to the ones that fold out from the side, as I find them to be easier to use and less likely to get in your way if you need to stand up during your meal.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tray table

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tray table

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tray table

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tray table

She also confirmed with me the dinner I had selected via Singapore’s Book the Cook service (a chicken and prawn laksa dish), as well as asking me if I wanted to continue with the same champagne after takeoff or switch to another drink (I chose to have the red wine instead). The world-class service on Singapore Airlines was well underway!

Anyway, back to the seat itself, where the spacious seat console plays host to several interesting nooks and crannies. The most significant feature is a large storage unit with a latch that can be opened and closed. All the pre-departure amenities, such as the headphones, menu, and slippers had been waiting for me here when I arrived at my seat.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Pre-departure amenities

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Pre-departure amenities

As you can see, there are two USB ports and one power port within the storage unit itself, making it ideal for charging your small electronic devices and closing the latch to keep everything organized within.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Storage unit

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Storage unit

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Storage unit

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Storage unit

Adjacent to the storage unit is a small pull-out vanity mirror, which is an underrated feature that you don’t find on many airlines. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Vanity mirror

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Vanity mirror

Then, a bit lower on the side of the seat console is a set of illuminated seat controls, which look quite stylish and are also highly functional.

I will note that the Singapore 787-10 business class seat doesn’t allow for the position of individual parts of the seat (headrest, seat-back cushions, etc.) to be customized; instead, you can only use the seat controls to slide between various degrees of recline, from upright mode all the way to lie-flat mode. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat controls

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat controls

Beneath those controls are the entertainment controller; since the touch-screen monitor was easily within arm’s reach, though, I didn’t end up using the standalone controller at all.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment controller

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Entertainment controller

There are armrests on both sides of the seat, which can be lowered to be at the same level as the seat cushion. I had read a few other reviews of the 787-10 business class seat that indicated the seat was slightly on the narrower side; however, with the armrests lowered on either side, I didn’t think the width of the seat was a problem – at least in upright mode.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Armrest

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Armrest

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Armrest

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Armrest

On the opposite side of the seat “shell”, you’ll find a set of reading lights, which can be toggled between several modes depending on how strong you like your lighting.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Reading lights

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Reading lights

As you can see, the structure of the seat is curved in such a way that affords maximum privacy, even looking across the row. Once you’ve sat back and settled into your seat, you really do feel as though you’re in your own private suite, which is a real luxury to have on a regional flight within the Asia-Pacific.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Privacy

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Privacy

We pushed back from the gate relatively efficiently after boarding was completed, but before that, I took the time to inspect some of the pre-departure amenities that had been left at my seat.

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Amenities

As I was playing around with the seat, the flight attendant came by to offer me a hot towel and a choice of welcome beverage. I selected the champagne over the water and orange juice.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Welcome champagne

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Welcome champagne

Perhaps it’s because of the relatively short duration of these flights (clocking in at around the 5-hour mark), but Singapore Airlines doesn’t provide a full amenity kit on their flights down to Perth; instead, I was only given an eye mask and a set of slippers, which I decided to put on for now. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Eye mask and slippers

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Eye mask and slippers

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Slippers

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Slippers

There was also a set of headphones, which I later used to watch a movie during the meal service. The audio quality was good enough, although they weren’t fully noise-cancelling.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Headphones

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Headphones

Lastly, there was the business class menu, which contained both the food and drinks list for this evening’s flight. If you read my airline reviews regularly, you’ll know that I usually keep a copy of the menu with me to include a scanned copy in the review; however, I must’ve misplaced the Singapore Airlines business class menu somewhere in my house in the days since taking this flight. 

I’ll update this section if I find the menu again, but for now, I’m unfortunately unable to recreate the menu here, and I do apologize for that.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Menu

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Menu

The safety video was displayed on the screen as we taxied across the tarmac of Changi Airport, along with a helpful video explaining all the features of the business class seat. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat features video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat features video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat features video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Seat features video

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Meal Service

The meal service didn’t actually begin until about one and a half hours into the flight, which was something I found mildly surprising. By that time, Rowan Atkinson in the movie I’d been watching had basically saved the day already, and I ended up finishing the movie midway through the appetizer course.

As is commonplace onboard Singapore Airlines, the meal began with a round of delicious chicken satay skewers… which I unfortunately ate too eagerly to be able to photograph. Oops! 

No worries, you can catch a glimpse of those satay skewers in this Instagram post:

 

That was followed by the appetizer course, which was a delectable cold soba noodle dish with seared albacore tuna. As someone who loves noodles and seafood, I savoured every single bite, and was very tempted to ask if they had another plate available – before thinking better of it and deciding to save my stomach for the upcoming chicken and prawn laksa.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Soba noodles with seared albacore tuna

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Soba noodles with seared albacore tuna

Check out the searing action on that albacore tuna. Yum!

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Soba noodles with seared albacore tuna

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Soba noodles with seared albacore tuna

Garlic bread was offered on the side, and it was very tasty, although the combination with the Eastern flavours of the soba noodles wasn’t the most complementary.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Garlic bread

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Garlic bread

After I finished my appetizer, it was withdrawn from the tray, and replaced by a steaming hot bowl of chicken laksa as my main course. This was my first time experiencing Singapore’s signature Book the Cook service, where passengers departing from Singapore can choose from over 50 Asian and Western dishes (and passengers departing from outstation airports can select quite a few locally-inspired dishes as well).

The chicken and prawn laksa did not disappoint in the slightest. I wasn’t expecting the laksa in the sky to taste anything close to the level of the stuff you’ll find at Singapore’s famous hawker stalls (since the dish gets prepared on the ground, frozen, and then reheated onboard), but it certainly did come close. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Chicken and prawn laksa

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Chicken and prawn laksa

The laksa soup, in particular, was rich in that delightfully spicy and coconut-y flavour, and I finished the whole thing down to the very last drop.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Chicken and prawn laksa

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Chicken and prawn laksa

After the main course, I washed down the sharp flavours of the laksa with some smooth chocolatey goodness in the form of tiramisu cake…

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tiramisu cake

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Tiramisu cake

…and also tried a few bites of the cheese plate, although as is often the case on these multi-course business class meals, I wasn’t able to finish the whole thing.

On another note, I also thought the arrangement of the cheese plate felt a little cheap, since I’d expect the crackers to be removed from their packaging on an airline of Singapore’s calibre, as much of a first-world complaint as that is…

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cheese plate

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Cheese plate

To finish the meal, I ordered a nice cup of Earl Grey tea, and the kind flight attendant treated me to a small piece of candy as well. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Earl Grey tea

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Earl Grey tea

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Candy

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Candy

By this point, we were past the halfway point of the flight, with two and a half hours having elapsed since takeoff. Like I said, while the crew’s service was exemplary throughout the meal, I did find the service speed on this particular flight to be on the slower side. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Airshow

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Airshow

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Bed

I visited the business class restroom after the meal, which was right around the corner from me in Seat 11A.

Despite the 787-10’s larger size compared to the -8 and -9 variants, it’s not the most spacious restroom in the world; however, as you’d expect from Singapore Airlines, it was kept immaculately clean throughout the flight, and there are also a variety of amenities on hand in case you need them (especially since we didn’t receive amenity kits in business class this time).

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Restroom

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Restroom

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Restroom amenities

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Restroom amenities

I wasn’t planning to sleep on this flight, but I did experiment with putting the seat into lie-flat mode to see what it would feel like if I did want to sleep. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bed

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bed

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bed

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bed

The verdict? In lie-flat mode, the seat does feel slightly narrow – the lowered armrests somewhat alleviate this issue for your upper-body area, but not really in the long and slender footwell. On the plus side, the seat is indeed quite long, and there was plenty of room lengthwise for my 5’11’’ frame to maneuver.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Legroom

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Legroom

Overall, I’d say that the seat is perfectly acceptable for getting some sleep, despite its slightly elongated size compared to your average business class seat. It’s certainly a huge improvement upon Singapore’s older regional A330s, which still only offer angled-flats in business class!

When I wasn’t working, I’d place my laptop in the bassinet space where it was easily within reach. This generous amount of space is definitely a real luxury to have if you manage to book it as a solo traveller. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet space

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Bassinet space

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Wifi

I spent the next few hours intermittently working on my laptop and simply relaxing in my seat with my tea. Singapore Airlines has equipped their newest planes with wifi, and business class customers can connect to the service for free, simply by entering their last name and seat number.

That’s excellent news, because the normal wifi prices aren’t very generous at all (you’ll get at most 200MB of data for US$28). 

Singapore Airlines 787 Business Class – Entertainment

Back when we initiated our takeoff sequence, I browsed through the KrisWorld entertainment channels, looking for something to watch over dinner before getting some work done for the remainder of the flight. I was impressed with the vast selection of over 100 movies and TV titles on Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie selection

In particular, it was cool to see that you could choose between Complete Seasons and Back-to-Back Episodes of a huge number of TV shows.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – TV selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – TV selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – TV selection

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – TV selection

I decided to watch something light-hearted, so I put on Johnny English Strikes Back for a bit of mindless entertainment. 

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Movie

As the captain announced that we were nearing our arrival in Perth, a rather amusing video from Australian customs was displayed, warning visitors about the importance of strong customs controls in safeguarding Australia’s unique biodiversity.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Australian customs video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Australian customs video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Australian customs video

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Australian customs video

Finally, the crew also came through the cabin to pass out some bottled water, candies, and chocolate treats to thank us for flying with Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Thank-you treats

Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class – Thank-you treats

My eyes were glued to the windows all the way along our descent into Perth Airport, since this would officially mark my travel milestone of finally visiting all six inhabited continents.

As I stepped onto Australian soil for the first time, I bade farewell to a very pleasant flight onboard the Singapore Airlines 787-10, knowing that I’d probably be back soon on my next big Aeroplan Mini-RTW journey with far-flung Perth as the destination. 

Conclusion

For a long time, Singapore Airlines’s lacklustre regional business class product on their Airbus A330s belied their stature as one of the world’s five-star airlines. With the introduction of the new Stelia Opal seats on the Boeing 787-10, that’s definitively no longer the case.

The 787-10 business class seat is a true pleasure to fly on, with ergonomic seat features and ample storage and surface space (especially if you can snag one of the bassinet seats, 11A or 11K). Moreover, I was delighted to try out Singapore’s Book the Cook service for the first time, which gave me a delicious laksa dish as the star of an already impressive meal service. I’d make every effort to fly on the Singapore Airlines 787-10 again the next time I’m jetting around the Asia-Pacific.

7 Comments
  1. Alice

    Thanks Ricky for the review, my upcoming A330 was upgraded to the 787-10 so your review is perfectly timed. I also ordered Book the Cook, are the famous chicken skewers always part of the appetizer? The tuna and soba looks amazing…!

    1. Ricky YVR

      The satay is definitely served on the majority of SQ flights, but not all. I had it when flying SIN-PER in business and AKL-SIN in Suites, but not when flying HAN-SIN in business.

  2. Mike

    I may come off the wrong way here, but… you don’t see anything wrong with taking one of the only two seats that have a bassinet when you don’t have a baby?

    Those seats are golden for parents, life savers on long flights, and a real burn when someone is in one of them without a baby

    I know, first come first serve.. I never cared before I had kids, wouldn’t even think of it, but they change your way of thinking once you experience the difficulties of juggling a little one and keeping them content… and now I wouldn’t think of taking up one of those seats, in a plane or any where really unless it’s last option, and would offer to switch with any parents without them asking

    Other non-parents, or even those with kids, will likely just think of this post as just another self entitled parents whining… blah blah… but I’m just pointing something out, and a little food for thought

    But really if you think about it, you used that space to put a bag.. a bag.. in business class where there is TONS of space to put your crap, it really can’t be put anywhere else?

    1. Alice

      I see most, if not all, airlines do block these seats off until an x number days prior to departure if it contains a bassinet section. What that number is, is up to each airline, we have no control over that. As Ricky makes it a point to mention in his post, there were no babies on board this flight.

      Your post was fine, but I did not see the last paragraph as necessary, you illustrated your point enough.

    2. Ricky YVR

      Oh don’t get me wrong, I would’ve happily changed seats if there was a parent with a lap infant on the flight. In fact, I’m pretty sure Singapore would’ve given them priority and booted me out of the seat.

      Most airlines do indeed block-off the bassinet seats until check-in, as you alluded to in your follow-up comment below. You can’t usually select the bassinet seats beforehand, and even if you do it over the phone, they’ll tell you that anyone with a baby would take priority over you.

      As it turned out, there didn’t seem to be any parents with lap children on this flight, so the bassinet ended up being a nice home for my bag.

    3. Mike

      To add, I should say I wish the airlines could come up with some sort of method that allows these seats to be reserved for booking for only those travelling with a lap infant until a certain # of days before the flight or until the plane reaches x% full… something that makes sense which gives parents a chance to grab one of these seats first

      1. miafll

        @Mike
        You probably have no idea how airlines handle the bassinet seats – it is NOT a first come first serve at all. Parents with babies that need a bassinet ALWAYS have priority over those seats even the seats are preassigned to a passenger like Ricky – the passenger is ALWAYS told that should a bassinet is needed, the passenger will be moved to another seat, just as Ricky and Alice pointed out.
        CX has bassinet seat in its First class cabin (1A) – and it operates the exact same way – the agent would assign the seat to you upon calling but would make you understand AND agree upon, should a baby is onboard and the bassinet is needed, you will be removed from 1A.
        Before you make a complaint, you should do some fact check / get some knowledge on how things work first. Just sayin.

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