So while there was certainly nothing wrong with the old product, Singapore decided it was time for a refresh, which it unveiled . TPG himself had the chance to try out the new and improved suites class on a flight from Sydney (SYD) to Singapore (SIN) , and it blew him away.
At the moment, Singapore isn't retrofitting older A380s with the new suites. Rather, it's taking delivery of entirely new aircraft with the suites product installed and simultaneously retiring some of the original A380s. The new suites debuted on the route from Singapore to Sydney, but have since been expanded to include multiple other destinations. One Mile At A Time is now reporting that Singapore will be adding the new suites on flights to both Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM) in the coming months. For all these destinations, Singapore operates multiple daily frequencies (including multiple daily A380 flights), but only one frequency features the new suites, so you'll want to be careful to pick these flight numbers.
Below is the list of routes currently featuring Singapore's new suites. This list is liable to change as Singapore continues to update its fleet, so we'll do our best to update this post:
- SQ221 Singapore (SIN) 8:20 pm departure → Sydney (SYD) 5:55 am (+1) arrival
- SQ232 Sydney (SYD) 11:00 am departure → Singapore (SIN) 5:30 pm arrival
- SQ322 Singapore (SIN) 11:30 pm departure → London (LHR) 5:55 am (+1) arrival
- SQ317 London (LHR) 11:25 am departure → Singapore (SIN) 7:30 am (+1) arrival
- SQ856 Singapore (SIN) 9:55 am departure → Hong Kong (HKG) 1:55 pm arrival
- SQ861 Hong Kong (HKG) 3:40 pm departure → Singapore (SIN) 7:35 pm arrival
- SQ830 Singapore (SIN) 9:45 am departure → Shanghai (PVG) 3:05 pm arrival
- SQ833 Shanghai (PVG) 4:50 pm departure → Singapore (SIN) 10:20 pm arrival
- SQ346 Singapore (SIN) 1:25 am departure → Zurich (ZRH) 8:15 am arrival
- SQ345 Zurich (ZRH) 11:45 am departure → Singapore (SIN) 5:55 am (+1) arrival
From August 1st-31st:
- SQ406 Singapore (SIN) 4:50 pm departure → Delhi (DELH) 8:10 pm arrival
- SQ403 Delhi (DEL) 9:55 pm departure → Singapore (SIN) 6:10 am (+1) arrival
From September 1st onward:
- SQ424 Singapore (SIN) 7:00 pm departure → Mumbai (BOM) 10:10 pm arrival
- SQ423 Mumbai (BOM) 11:40 pm departure → Singapore (SIN) 7:40 am (+1) arrival
Singapore Suites can only be booked with points using Singapore's own KrisFlyer frequent flyer program, but the good news is that you can transfer points to KrisFlyer from all five major flexible points currencies, including Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles and Marriott. The bad news is that Singapore doesn't appear to be releasing much, if any, saver award space on these routes, which means you'll have to pay for a standard award (which can cost almost double), book a cash ticket to the tune of several thousand dollars or waitlist and hope space opens up before your departure date.
If you do want to waitlist, the saver level cost of the flight to and from Zurich is 125,000 points one-way, while the standard award space is 210,000 points. On the much shorter route to Shanghai, you can pay as little as 98,000 points for standard space, with saver space as low as 53,000 points.
There's no fee to waitlist for an award on Singapore, but you must have enough miles in your account to cover the entire cost in order to submit a waitlist request.
Bottom Line
While the new suites represent a huge upgrade in terms of hard product, the upgrade also halves the seat count from 12 to 6. It's also possible that we'll see some equipment swaps and schedule changes as Singapore takes delivery of more new planes, and the August 1 start date is always subject to change as well. So make sure to check expertflyer.com before booking your trip. If you see this seat map, you flight features the new suites:
If, however, you see 12 seats in the cabin, that's the old configuration:
Don't panic! It's still one of the best first class seats in the sky, and you'll still be treated to Singapore's impeccable catering and service. But if you want to experience the absolute best Singapore Airlines has to offer, aim for the new Singapore Suites if you can.
H/T: Andrew at mainlymiles.com
