The Complete Guide to Singapore Airlines First Class

Singapore Airlines offers some of the most unique First Class experiences available anywhere in commercial aviation, delineated into two distinct products.

Singapore Airlines First Class is the more modest of the two, akin to First Class products offered by other top airlines around the world. Passengers can expect top-notch service, excellent food and drink, and a very comfortable flight.

Singapore Airlines Suites Class, on the other hand, is arguably the best First Class product that can be booked on points.

In addition to the “standard” Singapore Airlines First Class offerings, which are miles above those of other airlines, the Suites Class experience is exponentially elevated with a massive suite and the most comfortable double bed in the sky.

In this guide, we’ll look at everything that is Singapore Airlines First Class and Suites Class, including routes, availability, how to book using points, and how to make sure you snag a seat in the coveted Singapore Suites.

The Singapore Airlines First Class Experience

Singapore Airlines offers an incredibly unique First Class experience from start to finish.

The airline is renowned worldwide for its consistently excellent ground services and very competitive hard and soft products onboard their aircraft. 

Let’s go over the entire experience before delving into more details.

Ground Experience

If you’re flying Singapore Airlines First Class out of Singapore Changi Airport, then your opulent adventure will begin long before you board the plane.

The Private Room by Singapore Airlines is a dedicated lounge for First Class passengers that has recently undergone a massive renovation.

You can expect a refined atmosphere, top-shelf alcohol, and world-class dining from an à la carte menu. 

Only Singapore Airlines First Class and Suites Class passengers have access to The Private Room.

If you’re flying Singapore Airlines First Class or Suites Class into Singapore, you can access The Private Room even if you don’t have a connecting flight. 

If you’re flying Singapore Airlines First Class or Suites Class out of a country other than Singapore, you’ll have access to SilverKris Lounges, where available, as well as Star Alliance partner lounges.

When flying Singapore Airlines First Class or Suites Class, you can rest assured that you’ll never be left without a lounge.

Seat – Airbus A380 Suites Class

While all Singapore Airlines First Class seats are sure to please, it’s the most recent iteration of Singapore Airlines Suites Class that stands above the regular First Class.

There are many elements to the newly-improved Suites Class product that are as unique as they are spectacular. When compared to other First Class products from competing airlines, Singapore Airlines towers above most, if not all, others.

The airline gained additional notoriety with its most recent version of Suites Class, which was introduced in late 2017. This refresh was a revamp to the original Suites Class that debuted around 10 years prior.

While the original Suites Class was something to behold, the airline has since refreshed all of its Airbus A380s, so you won’t find the older version in operation anymore.

In fact, the updated Suites Class is better measured in square feet rather than in pitch or width. At just over 50 square feet per suite, it’s essentially a mini-hotel room in the sky. 

As you ascend the staircase to the upper level, you’ll first notice the sheer size and the vast amount of storage space at your disposal. There really is no other First Class product that compares to the size of this suite, and everything else inside it.

Let’s begin with the seat. The metallic grey swivel chair lets you experience your personalized cabin from any direction, as it can swivel a full 360 degrees.

The chair can’t turn into a lie-flat bed, but that’s certainly not an issue. When it’s time to sleep, there’s a completely separate part of your Suite dedicated to that.

This means you have both a bed and a chair for use during the flight, instead of just the usual chair that turns into a bed with the push of a button.

What Singapore Airlines Suites Class is most known for is the double bed in the sky. Where other airlines may offer a double bed option on select premium products, often the two beds are not 100% connected, as the bottom half tends to be tucked away in separate compartments and footwells.

In the newest Suites Class product, you can rest side-by-side from head-to-toe. There is some space in between the two beds where the divider usually is; however, you’ll still be able to sleep right next to your companion in the comfort of the airline’s luxury bedding and pajamas.

There’s also a sliding door to each suite, offering even more privacy. However, the door doesn’t offer complete privacy, as it doesn’t connect all the way from the floor to the ceiling.

The suite comes equipped with advanced technology, too, including a personalized handheld wireless tablet with a host of seat and lighting controls.

There are multiple power plugs and USB outlets in the Suite, conveniently located so you can ensure your devices are ready for selfies. With so many charging options, you’ll also have them close by whether you’re wining, dining, relaxing, or sleeping.

Seat – Boeing 777 First Class

If you’re flying Singapore Airlines First Class on the Boeing 777, you’ll be flying perhaps a more underwhelming product compared to Suites Class. With that having been said, it’s still a First Class seat, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

One notable difference between First Class and Suites Class is the lower degree of privacy. Without any sliding door, this First Class seat is more exposed; however, with only four First Class seats in a staggered arrangement on the Boeing 777 aircraft, you’ll still enjoy a decent level of privacy.

The wide seats provide ample room with plenty of storage space. Any other passenger on the aircraft would surely be envious.

If you’re flying with a companion, you can still enjoy the experience together with a lowered partition in the middle seats. Unlike with Suites Class, there’s no double bed in the sky option here.

Food and Drink

As expected, Singapore Airlines First Class food and beverage options are of the highest quality. You can expect plenty of options with gourmet food and top-shelf beverages.

To start, you’ll be offered your choice of two high-end Champagnes (or both 😉), such as Dom Perignon 2008, Taittinger Comtes 2007, or Krug 2004.

Exactly which two Champagnes you are offered will depend on the route you’re flying and may change based on availability.

For the main course, all Singapore Airlines premium passengers have an option of selecting their meal in advance of the flight through Singapore Airlines’s Book the Cook service on select routings. 

While in the air, the food service is dine-on-demand, meaning that Singapore Airlines First Class passengers can order their meal whenever they so desire.

Among some world-class dishes, you can also take part in the caviar service, which pairs perfectly with your high-end Champagne or with some ice-cold vodka.

In addition to caviar, Singapore Airlines has a signature satay chicken dish, which I wholeheartedly recommend.

You have a number of options available for main courses, including curries, noodle soups, grilled meats, and everything else in between.

The meal service is completed with a delectable dessert offering.

While Singapore Airlines Suites Class offers an amazing product for those travelling together, you can’t truly dine with your companion. Even though the beds can be set up beside each other, the separate chairs cannot.

Instead, you’ll still be in the same “space” as your companion with the lowered divider, but you’ll be sitting away from one another.

On the other hand, the Boeing 777 First Class seat may have a better configuration for dining together.

Dining together in First Class on the Boeing 777 is only possible for those sitting in the two middle rows with a lowered partition. You won’t be face to face, but you’ll be right next to each other, making it easy to toast to the experience.

Singapore Airlines First Class Aircraft Cabins

The regular Singapore Airlines First Class is offered on the Boeing 777-300ER, while the loftier Singapore Airlines Suites Class is offered on the Airbus A380.

Airbus A380

The most recent version of Singapore Airlines Suites Class is located on the upper-deck of the Airbus A380. The cabin has a simple 1-1 layout, with only six seats spread out across three rows.

Passengers travelling with a significant other, family member, or friend will want to choose either Suites 1A and 2A or Suites 1F and 2F.

Suites 3A and 3F cannot be combined with any other suites, and are therefore unable to combine into a double bed in the sky.

Solo travellers really can’t go wrong with selecting any suite. All suites have window access and the same level of privacy. However, the Suites in Rows 1 and 2 are slightly larger than the ones in Row 3.

There are two restrooms exclusively available to Suites Class passengers. Located at the front of the aircraft, the restroom on the right side is slightly bigger, but both are very spacious and come with everything you need to freshen up before going back to your suite.

With two restrooms for at most six passengers, you’ll most likely never have to wait in line.

Despite the massive space, however, the restrooms don’t come with a shower in the sky – as Emirates First Class does.

Boeing 777-300ER

The smaller Boeing 777 aircraft has only one level. The cabin has only four First Class seats at the front of the plane across a single row in a 1-2-1 format.

Passengers travelling together will want to select Seats 1C and 1D in the middle, should they wish to share the experience.

Solo travellers should choose Seats 1A or 1F for the ideal flying experience with the greatest privacy. 

Singapore Airlines First Class Routes

After temporarily grounding all First Class flights due to the pandemic, Singapore Airlines reintroduced the regular First Class flights in June 2021, followed by the return of Suites Class beginning in November 2021.

With an ever-changing schedule as the world races back to pre-pandemic travel, be sure to check that your desired route is indeed offering First Class.

Singapore Airlines is currently offering Suites Class on the Airbus A380 on the following routes to and from Singapore:

Note that Singapore Airlines has a fifth-freedom route between Frankfurt and New York. This is currently the only way to experience Suites Class on the A380 to or from North America.

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines is currently offering the Boeing 777 First Class cabin on the following routes to and from Singapore:

On the above map, note the fifth-freedom route for the Boeing 777 First Class seat between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita.

How to Redeem Points for Singapore Airlines First Class

Outside of spending an exorbitant amount of money, Singapore Airlines only allows its First Class and Suites Class products to be booked through its own frequent flyer program, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

For the same routes, all First Class cabins cost the same amount of miles. It doesn’t matter if you’re flying in First Class on the Boeing 777 or in Suites Class on the Airbus A380 – the cost is the same.

To search for award availability, you can use a tool like ExpertFlyer. Alternatively, you can easily search directly on the Singapore Airlines website.

Note that you’ll have to create a KrisFlyer account before you can search for award space on the Singapore Airlines website.

After you’ve created an account and signed in, simply enter your desired route, dates, and class of service. Be sure to check off “Redeem flights” to see award space results.

When redeeming KrisFlyer miles for an available First Class seat, you have the option of either a “Saver” or “Advantage” fare. You’ll ideally be able to find a “Saver” fare, as an “Advantage” fare costs almost double the number of miles.

There are a couple of differences between an “Advantage” First Class fare and a “Saver” First Class fare.

One perk of the “Advantage” fare is that the flight date can be changed without any additional cost. If you book a “Saver” First Class ticket, you’ll be subject to a $25 (USD) change fee if you’d like to change dates.

Similarly, cancelling an “Advantage” ticket costs only $50 (USD), compared to a $75 (USD) cancellation fee for a “Saver” ticket.

The fares also have different stopover rules.

Booking a “Saver” fare allows for one complimentary stopover on a round-trip flight. Booking an “Advantage” fare allows for two complimentary stopovers on a round-trip flight, and one complimentary stopover on a one-way flight.

On the search results page, you can see availability one week at a time. If you’re flexible with dates, it’s easy to scroll through and look for a seat at a “Saver” fare that won’t be waitlisted.

The following are the number of KrisFlyer miles required to book both Saver and Advantage fares on one-way flights either to or from Singapore.

The following are the miles required for either direction on the fifth-freedom routes:

On the earning side, KrisFlyer miles are generally harder to come by than points for other frequent flyer programs.

In fact, outside of crediting points from paid flights, the best way to access KrisFlyer miles as a Canadian who doesn’t have access to US credit cards is through HSBC Rewards.

HSBC Rewards points can be transferred to KrisFlyer miles at a rate of 25:9.

Marriott Bonvoy points may also be transferred to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at the ideal ratio of 60,000:25,000.

South of the border, there are many more transfer options.

KrisFlyer miles can be attained by transferring points 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express US Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, or Capital One.

In the past, we’ve seen occasional 15–20% transfer bonuses from bank programs to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. If you aren’t in a hurry, it may make sense to hold off and see if such promotions will return.

Singapore Airlines First Class Award Availability

Award availability for Singapore Airlines First Class flights is generally quite hard to come by for the most popular routes.

Singapore Airlines releases First Class award availability 355 days from the departure date. If you’re able to plan that far ahead, this will be your best shot at snagging the preferred “Saver” fare.

However, “Saver” seats may not be released on all routes, so you’ll need some patience and dedication to lock one in on a popular route.

If you’re able to find “Saver” space on a popular route, be sure to book it right away, as availability tends to dry up very quickly on these highly coveted flights.

When there are still unsold Singapore Airlines First Class seats that haven’t yet been made available to book with KrisFlyer miles, you can also choose to be waitlisted. To select the waitlist option, you’ll need to have the required amount of KrisFlyer miles available in your account.

Once you’ve waitlisted, you’ll remain on the waitlist until two weeks prior to departure. Your waitlist could clear at any point before that, and you’ll be notified by email if a seat becomes available. 

If you receive an email that your waitlist request can be cleared, you’ll be able to confirm the seat right away.

If, at two weeks prior to departure, your waitlist request hasn’t cleared, it will be cancelled. Note that not all flights have a waitlisting option.

If the First Class seats don’t get sold in advance of departure, Singapore Airlines may release additional award seats closer to the departure date. Since there’s no guarantee this will happen, be sure to have a backup plan in place.

Tips & Tricks for Singapore Airlines First Class

If you’d like to fly Singapore Airlines Suites Class from North America, your only option is to fly between New York and Frankfurt.

If you’re looking to continue onwards from Frankfurt to Singapore, and perhaps even further, but can’t find availability for the second leg, you can take advantage of Singapore Airlines’s First Class stopover policy.

You can make a complimentary stopover of up to 30 days if you’re flying round-trip with a “Saver” fare, or on either a one-way or a round-trip booking with an “Advantage” fare.

If you have the option, it’s better to fly westbound from Frankfurt to New York, rather than eastbound from New York to Frankfurt. This way, you’ll be able to experience everything Singapore Airlines has to offer during your waking hours, rather than during the eight-hour overnight flight.

The same can be said about any other flight routing in Suites Class. After all, you wouldn’t want to be asleep for most of this aspirational experience.

Conclusion

With your own mini-hotel room, complete with a double bed, swivel chair, free-flowing Champagne, and caviar service, Singapore Airlines Suites Class is the ultimate sanctuary in the sky.

Even if you fly in the regular Singapore Airlines First Class on the Boeing 777, you’ll be in for a treat, with highly regarded service and the same excellent food and drink.

Put simply, Singapore Suites and Singapore Airlines First Class are among the best ways to travel by air, and it’s hard to believe that this lavish experience can be booked at a fraction of the cost simply by earning and redeeming KrisFlyer miles.