Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class Boeing 737 MAX (SIN-KTI)

From Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia!

More from this series:

• Introduction: From Iceland To The Residence Via Cambodia!
• Review: Icelandair Saga Business Class Boeing 737 MAX (JFK-KEF)
• Review: Torfhus Retreat Iceland (Pricey, Mostly Charming, Unique Location)
• Review: The Reykjavik EDITION, Iceland (Well-Rounded Marriott Property)
• Review: The Retreat Hotel At Blue Lagoon, Iceland (Shockingly Stellar!)
• Review: Courtyard By Marriott Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (Clean & Convenient!)
• Review: Icelandair Saga Premium Lounge Keflavik Airport (KEF)
• Review: Icelandair Saga Business Class Airbus A321LR (KEF-LHR)
• Review: Air India Business Class Airbus A350 (LHR-DEL)
• Review: Holiday Inn Express Delhi Airport Terminal 3 (Airside Convenience)
• Review: Air India Business Class Airbus A320neo (DEL-KUL)
• Review: Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Luxury On The 108th Floor!)
• Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class Airbus A350 (KUL-SIN)
• Review: The Singapore EDITION (Fine EDITION, But I Wouldn’t Return)
• Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class Boeing 737 MAX (SIN-KTI)

For the next portion of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, it was time to fly Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 8 business class on the 1hr40min flight from Singapore Changi (SIN) to Phnom Penh Techo (KTI).

I was excited to finally fly with the carrier’s only narrow body aircraft, which only joined the fleet in recent years, after SilkAir was integrated into Singapore Airlines. This flight was lovely, as you’d expect from Singapore Airlines, with comfortable flat beds, great entertainment and free Wi-Fi, tasty food and drinks, and friendly service.

How I booked my Singapore Airlines business class ticket

I booked my Singapore Airlines business class ticket using Air Canada Aeroplan points. Specifically, I booked the following for 25,000 Aeroplan points plus $109.65 in taxes & fees (that includes an extra 5,000 points for having a stopover of more than 24 hours in Singapore):

11/03 SQ105 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore departing 10:30AM arriving 11:45AM
11/04 SQ156 Singapore to Phnom Penh departing 12:45PM arriving 1:45PM

I was excited about this itinerary, since the first flight was on Singapore Airlines’ regional A350, while the second flight was on Singapore Airlines’ 737 MAX, both of which were new (to me) experiences on the airline.

Singapore Airlines business class lounge & boarding

I didn’t arrive at Changi Airport long before departure time, since I was coming from town, having spent the night at the Singapore EDITION. My flight was departing from Terminal 2, so I quickly cleared passport control, before heading in the direction of gate F35, where my flight would be departing from.

At Changi Airport Terminal 2, security is at each individual gate. The gate opened at 11:45AM, one hour before departure, and 30 minutes before the scheduled 12:15PM boarding.

At the gate I had an obstructed view of 9V-MBF, the seven-year-old plane that would be taking me to Cambodia.

Boarding started exactly on schedule at 12:15PM, with business class passengers being invited to board first.

Singapore Airlines 737 MAX business class cabin & seats

I boarded through the forward left door, where I was greeted by two friendly flight attendants, and pointed toward my seat. Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 8s are configured with 154 seats, including 10 business class seats and 144 economy class seats.

In business class, the seats are spread across three rows, with the first and third row being in a 2-2 configuration, and the second row being in a 1-1 configuration. Singapore Airlines has a customized version of the Vantage product from Thompson Aero, which is a staggered and fully flat seat. Seats feature 44″ of pitch, have 21″ of width, and can turn into 76″ flat beds.

In the first and last row you’ll find pairs of seats, which are good for those traveling together (or anyone, really — this is still a perfectly nice product when sitting next to a stranger, especially given that these planes aren’t operating long haul flights).

However, the best seats are the “throne” seats, as they’re referred to, which are the single seats in the middle row. Because of how the staggered configuration saves space, the idea is that these seats don’t have neighbors, because the footwell is between the seats in front.

Note that Singapore Airlines blocks these seats in advance for everyone except elite PPS Club members. However, starting 96 hours before departure, passengers can assign these seats on a first come, first served basis. I was in seat 12J, the “throne” seat on the right side.

When it comes to seat features, the outer part of the seat has a vertical storage area (which also sort of acts as a privacy shield), with the headphone jack and a USB-A outlet.

There’s also an enclosed storage area plus a vanity there.

The tray table extends from next to that storage area, and can be folded over in half.

There’s a small panel to the side of the seat that controls the seat controls.

There’s also an entertainment controller, should you prefer to use that to manage the entertainment selection. Since the monitor is touchscreen, personally I don’t think there’s much need for it, but to each their own.

Speaking of storage, there’s also a large exposed storage area to the side of the seat, where items can be placed during the flight.

For that matter, the counter space next to the seat is so big that you can also just place things there during the flight.

At the top of the counter space on one side is the AC power outlet, plus a second USB-A outlet. There’s no USB-C charging available at these seats.

While this flight was too short to get any sleep, I did at least give the bed a try. It was nice to have such a private cocoon, though these throne seats do tend to feel pretty tight in bed mode, particularly around the feet.

As is standard for new Boeing 737 cabins, the overhead console was modern, and there were individual air nozzles.

Talk about an excellent business class hard product for a narrow body, especially when you consider that these planes mostly fly very short hops!

Singapore Airlines 737 MAX business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX business class features the carrier’s KrisWorld entertainment system, known for being among the best in the sky. Business class seat back monitors are 16″ and are pretty high definition, though the screens do have a bit of glare, and there’s no bluetooth audio.

I found the entertainment selection to be massive, including a ton of movies, TV shows, games, audio, and more. I don’t believe the selection was quite as big as on Singapore Airlines wide body planes, though (but maybe that’s just my incorrect perception?).

Singapore Airlines 737s also have Wi-Fi from Panasonic, which is free for business class passengers, and also for all KrisFlyer members.

Connecting was easy, as I just had to enter my last name and seat number. I found speeds to be good, and I could switch between devices with my complimentary pass.

Singapore Airlines business class amenities

For such a short daytime flight, Singapore Airlines offers an impressive number of amenities onboard. For one, the standard business class pillow & blanket were placed at each seat, and I find them to be mighty cozy.

A pair of noise canceling headphones were also offered, for use during the flight.

Then there was the menu and drink list, which was extensive, as usual.

Also during the boarding process, passengers were offered pre-departure drinks, with the choice of a bellini, champagne, or orange juice, plus warm towels, and bottled water.

Singapore Airlines 737 MAX departure from Singapore

Boarding seemed to drag on for quite some time. On the surface you’d think a narrow body would board fast due to there being fewer passengers, but when there’s only one jet bridge and one aisle (compared to two jet bridges and two aisles on some wide body planes), everything drags on.

I’ve gotta say, as someone who has been flying Singapore Airlines for around two decades, there was something that felt so weird about being on a narrow body on the airline, since it’s something I’m just not used to. It’s also something I recently experienced for the first time on Cathay Pacific!

Boarding finished up around 12:40PM. While economy was mostly full, only five of the 10 business class seats were taken. At 12:45PM the main cabin door closed, at which point the first officer made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our imminent departure and our flight time. The safety video was then screened.

We pushed back at 12:45PM, and then started our taxi at 12:55PM. From there, it was a pretty quick journey out to runway 20C.

There we had to wait briefly, for a Scoot 787 to take off, and a Starlux A330neo to land.

It was our turn for takeoff at 1:05PM. We had a short takeoff roll and a steep climb.

There was a bit of turbulence after takeoff, and the seatbelt sign was turned off after around 10 minutes.

Singapore Airlines business class meal service

Lunch was served on this Singapore Airlines business class flight, and you can find the menu below.

Then you can find the Singapore Airlines business class drink list below.

Meal orders had been taken on the ground. Not that this is a terribly long flight, but I found it interesting that the crew immediately served the full meal, rather than first doing a round of drinks. I guess that makes sense given the duration, the potential for turbulence, and the carrier’s general policy of preparing the cabin for landing early.

Around 20 minutes after takeoff I was presented with my meal. Of the main course options, I opted for the stir fried prawns with dried chili. While the presentation left a bit to be desired, the dish itself tasted great. This was also served with a crab salad appetizer with diced mango, along with a selection of bread (though I passed). To drink, I had a glass of the Australian chardonnay, plus some still water.

As the meal finished up, I was offered some coffee or tea. I asked for a cup of coffee, and then decided to have the dessert with that. The dessert consisted of ondeh ondeh cake, which is a pandan-flavored soft sponge cake with coconut flakes. Yum.

Singapore Airlines 737 MAX business class lavatory

During the flight, I checked out the business class lavatory, at the front of the cabin, right behind the cockpit. As is all too common on the 737 MAX, this was one of those space saving lavatories, which was really tight. At least it was clean, and had some nice products from PAYOT.

Singapore Airlines business class service

Service in business class on this flight was very good, as usual. There were two flight attendants working the cabin, which is an excellent ratio for a 10-seat cabin (and it’s even better when the cabin is only half full).

So as is standard on Singapore Airlines, the crew was friendly and efficient. I’m curious, given the history of these planes flying for SilkAir, does anyone know if the ex-SilkAir flight attendants still primarily fly the 737s, or if they now get to work on all planes in the fleet?

While the crew was excellent, I did get a slightly different vibe than the typical Singapore Airlines service, which is why I raise this question, because I wonder if they may have been ex-SilkAir.

Singapore Airlines 737 MAX arrival in Phnom Penh

Around an hour after takeoff, the first officer was back on the PA to announce that we’d be descending in around five minutes, and would be landing in around 40 minutes. Around five minutes after that the seatbelt sign was already turned on, due to rough air.

I loved the views on approach to Cambodia — what gorgeous landscape, and what nice weather!

Sure enough, we ended up touching down on runway 23 at 1:45PM.

From there, we had a quick five-minute taxi to the arrival gate, where we pulled in at 1:50PM, just a few minutes behind schedule.

I was excited for my transit at the new Techo Airport (which is gorgeous), and my connecting flight in Etihad’s A321LR first class.

Bottom line

I finally had the chance to fly Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX business class, and it didn’t disappoint. While it almost felt weird to fly a narrow body on Singapore Airlines, this is a really luxurious product, from flat beds, to great entertainment and free Wi-Fi, to delicious food and drinks, to friendly service.

Flying in Asia is just in a completely different league than what we’re used to here in the United States…

What’s your take on Singapore Airlines’ 737 business class?