Review: Singapore Airlines New Business Class A380 Zurich to Singapore - SamChui.com

I travelled in Singapore Airlines latest A380 Business Class product from Zurich to Singapore at the end of June. Here are the flight details:

Flight: SQ345 Zurich to Singapore
Reg: 9V-SKV
Seat: 91D Business Class

Singapore Airlines uses the SWISS Business Class lounge at E-Gate area, which boasts a fantastic view of the apron from the outdoor section. I spent the majority of my time here before my flight, enjoying some fresh air and getting in some plane spotting.

Outdoor terrace at SWISS Business Class Lounge at Zurich E-Gate
Outdoor terrace at SWISS Business Class Lounge at Zurich E-Gate
Outdoor terrace at SWISS Business Class Lounge at Zurich E-Gate

After boarding, I walked all the way to the rear section on the upper deck of the A380; my seat was a bulkhead seat, 91D, which could be requested at check-in, if it is not available earlier. The bulkhead seat offers extra room for leg rest, which is quite important for a long haul flight.

The best Business Class seats on Singapore Airlines new A380 are in rows 11, 91 and 96; all of which have extra leg room. These seats can be requested at check-in if not available earlier.

Singapore Airlines new Business Class on A380
Singapore Airlines new Business Class on A380

Singapore Airlines new Business Class on A380

Seat 91D of Singapore Airlines New Business Class on A380
Seat 91D of Singapore Airlines New Business Class on A380

There are a lot of cool features on the NEW Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class seat. The privacy is excellent (as it should be) but I did notice that it is not as wide as the old Business Class, which I actually quite miss….

Arm rest can be folded down on both sides.

One slight concern was that my arm keep hitting these control buttons (including accidentally pressing the call button).

Singapore Airlines do not give out amenity kits in Business Class. You’ll find an eye shade and a pair of slippers already placed on the seat. Flight attendants also came round to offer additional amenities during boarding. You’ll also find some of these amenities in the bathroom.

We had a delay in ATC clearance, due to the tension in the Persian Gulf. This flight was taken at the time when a drone was shot down and a lot of airlines were avoided flying through the Hormuz Strait. We eventually got the clearance after 1.5 hours waiting on the ground.

Flight path of my flight, avoiding the Persian Gulf area.

After takeoff, lunch was served from the following menu.

The canape was the famous Singapore chicken and beef satay.

The appetiser was Parma ham, pork-pistachio terrine with salad dressing which was excellent.

For the main course there were four choices. I initially chose the braised veal cheek but later swapped to an Asian dish, Kung Pao Chicken, which was excellent. The catering came from Gate Gourmet in Zurich.

Lunch was served efficiently and at a good pace; it took just under 2 hours to finish. The crew did a fantastic job, despite the flight being totally full.

I’ve noticed lot of airlines take much longer and are less co-ordinated in serving when they have a full flight, but not on Singapore Airlines.

It was time to: recline the seat, relax and watch a movie on this day time departure long haul flight. The TV monitor in the bulkhead row was mounted slightly higher than my eye level, so I had to either seat up a bit or look up a little to watch.

Excellent leg rest in seat 91D.
Bathroom amenity on Singapore Airlines Business Class

During half way, I had the BBQ pork (char siew) noodle, even though this is not on the snack menu the crew on Singapore Airlines had no problem with me ordering this.

The noon departure flight from Europe to Asia is hard for the body to adjust to; sleeping during an entire day time flight is also difficult.

The flight departed around 13:30, with 12 hours flying time this meant we would be landing in Singapore around 01:30 Central European time. On this flight I only slept about 1 hour, which was not great. After 10 hours, just about as I was getting sleepy and tired, the breakfast service started.

Braised Chinese style beef noodle

At the end of the flight, the captain filled out my log book. Here you can see the data.

Pros and Cons of The New Business Class Seat

Pros

Great privacy throughout, even when sitting in a middle seat with a neighbour next to you.
Great pair seating in the middle seats (you can lower the privacy screen all the way to the leg level).
Direct aisle access.

Cons

Less wide than the previous Business Class seat on the A380
Apart from the bulkhead seat, the footwell is too small for a decent rest; you tend to sleep in an unusual “Z” position.
Your arm could accidentally hit the call button, which is very close to the arm rest.

Final Verdict

Despite some pros and cons on the new seat, the service on my flight was absolutely stellar! The crew were efficient and attentive. On one occasion, they even noticed my slipper didn’t quite fit my large feet and came to offer a bigger size slipper. Despite this being a nearly entire day time flight for my body clock, I felt quite relaxed during the flight in my own private cocoon. I am certainly looking forward to my next Singapore Airlines flight.