Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Hong Kong To San Francisco

Singapore's reconfigured 777-300ERs with premium economy (well, 9V-SWM, which I flew) has OnAir data-based WiFi, same as their A380s.

@ Alvin -- What the heck?! So they took a step backwards with wifi with their newest planes?

You used the phrase "given that" 7 times in this article. I've seen you use it excessively, to the point that I always know it's your article vs your other writers when I start seeing it pop up. Please vary your writing a little more. I see "given that" and "but rather" so often, I'm beginning to think you've never learned another transition phrase.

Ben:

You indicated that the seat didn't recline into a bed. Does it recline at all (for example, to watch TV if you weren't ready for bed)?

Hi. I'm just curious as to why you prefer sitting at the back, or towards the rear, of the business cabin. On Etihad, I know that they take meal orders starting from the rear of the business cabin.

@ Lucky - No, they didn't retrofit them with the older OnAir system. Only the later batch of 7 77WNs delivered from 2012 (as it's referred to in SQ) were delivered with the Panasonic WiFi system. The initial batch of 777-300ERs delivered from 2006 onwards that became retrofitted 77WRs were delivered with OnAir and they left it as is even though they went through cabin refitting with the new 2012 products.

@ Susan - The seat does recline to a limited extent - the new seat featuring the lazy-Z position. Pretty much like a day couch that reclines to about 45 degrees for lounging and as you said, watching TV. Anything more, you only have the option of flipping it over to become a full flat surface.

Are the bulkhead seat the ones to snag on the A380?

Hot cabins are the worst.

@Ben - Please give your expert opinion: I have made 2 reservations to return home (MIA) from a trip with my wife and have not yet decided which one I will actually keep:
1st reservation Singapore Airlines All flights Business Class - 136,000 Krisflyer miles + $690.00
HAN/SIN/LAX (We have bulkhead seats on all flights). We will need to pirchase out flight LAX/MIA
2nd reservation Japan Airlines Business/First Class - 220,000 AA miles + $126.00
HAN/NRT/ORD/MIA (Business HAN/NRT, 1st NRT/ORD, 1st ORD/MIA.
Which one would you take, the Singapore with very low miles or the Japan with more miles but flying first class ???

The "book the cook" was a disappointment, once I ordered sea bass for my daughter and soy tenderloin for myself, the seabass way overcooked and dried out, my tenderloin was so tough and dry too, I didn't eat it after few bites, I even cut it up to eat from the inside out but still it's bad! Terribly disappointment!

Great review, thanks! So does CX business on the 77W trump SQ?

Jeremy = Credit

It is ridiculous that people criticize you for a perceived lack of variety in transition phrases. Give me a freaking break!

Just completed Business Class flight [SQ12 NRT-LAX] on the 773 with PE. I found the legroom restrictive [I'm 6' 0"] while in the seated position. AA's legroom and seat comfort on their 773 is far superior.

Not real clear but do you have to angle your body to sleep flat with feet in the compartment to the side of the seat back in front? Seats do not appear to be staggered.

@AdamH - if you tell the flight attendants on SQ that it's too warm, they'll typically turn the temp down from their control screen in the galley. Most airlines will do it I have found, with the exception of TK and KE crews.

@Lucky - The bulkhead is where it is at for sure, the rest of the seats are essentially reverse herringbone seats masquerading as forward facing seats!

@Randy - you basically have to sleep diagonally or on your side with your feet curled up into the cubby hole. It's one of the biggest flaws about the seat honestly.

SQ also designs their premium cabin seats from scratch from what I understand -rather than buying "off the shelf"- so that they have a unique and one of a kind product in the market. The downside with doing this is that they can potentially overlook major design flaws that an off the shelf solution would have sorted out in the production phase. SQ has had this issue before with the dreaded "Spacebed" from years back which had some major flaws that they had to make retrofits to after launching (anyone remember the drink rest that was in the arm that you had to open to get the tray out? Yeah - drinks everywhere all over the place.)

While SQ is a great airline on many different levels, they also have a reputation for being a bit aloof and snobbish at the corporate level and suffer from lots of groupthink at the middle management level. At least that's what I've heard.

How can you be German and not be a fan of sausage?

@Susan
Yes the seats and leg rests recline to a very comfortable position. I've tried these new BC seats twice and for some reason have never turned the bed down but rather used the recline mode for a 7.5 hour flight.

@Lucky
the bulk head seats feature some really awesome real estate but as I've mentioned before they are bassinet seats too so woe to you if you end up sitting next to an infant. My girl was an angel the last flight so I didn't get dirty looks from the other pax!

You flew the same plane from LAX-SIN in business. It was kind of difficult to lay the bed down.

I can't believe they got rid of the chicken satay appetizer. That was seriously the best part of flying SQ!

I flew that same flight in F once. Woke up sweating since it was so warm. I don't know why Asian carriers keep the cabin so warm.

Lucky, a little off topic from this post, but i was wondering if you could clarify something. Last summer my mom flew JFK-NRT round trip on cathay. On the leg back HKG-JFK we were upgraded from premium economy to business. We have no one world status nor cathay status. Do you have any idea how this happened?

I actually thought they did a horrible job with the new seats as I always sleep better in the old ones. I think the cubby in the old ones are more spacious than the new seats.

I'v flown Singapore only twice and find the service to be top notch. But for a long flight with

1- warm cabin
2- hassle to turn from recline to full flat bed
3- hard bed, and
4- awkward foot cubby

That's a deal killer for me.

@Jack, my wife who is malaysian always complains that European carriers keep the cabin too cold 🙂
And, knowing Malaysians and Singaporeans in Europe, they do tend to like keeping the house very warm...

I really loved the muesli Singapore served while I was in Suites last year. However, the one Lucky had doesn't look like the one I had. Is it different between the two classes?

I've done this flight twice and your experience fits both of mine to a T. Huge seat and bed but the bed is hard. Meal service was fantastic except for the lackluster main dish.

Re champagne -- they don't serve the same thing across all business class. Did SYD-SIN-HKG-SFO in business class in August 2016 and what they were serving on SYD-SIN on the A380 was different and much nicer than the 777 to SFO.

You said SQ flight attendants were great compared to UA, but how did the load factor compare? Seems like you SQ flight was only half full in C so the crew had plenty of time to spare.

We've been on the SQ A380 twice, and will be again this coming Summer. Which we enjoyed much more than even LH FC, not to mention JAL FC, so we are quite spoiled. 😉

As once a year leisure travelers I think the only way we would ever want to go long haul SQ J would be if we could be assured of getting those bulk head seats. If we book award tix with SQ miles (thru cc points transfers, so no SQ status at all) at the start of booking, is getting them automatic? Or do they reserve those for people with status, or else keep them open until they find out if they need them for "bassinet" passengers?

Since I don't currently have enough miles in my SQ account to book a flight, they will not let me do a dummy booking to find out. 🙁

Not trying to be annoying, but a quick piece of stylistic writing advice. You use "among the best xxx" a lot in this review. Might help your writing to vary the phraseology a bit so as to not be repetitive. Otherwise, great review.

Lucky - You use the word "seat", "runway" and "menu" a lot in your reviews....jeez man, switch it up once and a while 😉

Having flown this new product before. The biggest complaint would be the bed. It wasn't very wide and was indeed very hard. Everything else was conveniently placed in the seat. Their supposed to be unveiling a new business product very soon.

I have to agree with @A. After flying in both J and F on Singapore, I can't deal with the sauna like conditions on the aircraft. I might as well be on Spirit air with no recline for 15 hours - I cant sleep. There is no amount of caviar or champaign that can make me feel better.

@Patrick
Well that's because he is talking about a "seat", "runway", and a "menu"!

Don't take this as personal poke. When I am new to these blogs o cannot afford the fly my family three business or first class. Where can I find reviews on economy seats flying internationally. I know think all the same but I found depending on time of day and if you fly on thanksgiving evening to TLV direct from JFK the flight is 1/2 empty which is nice in the cattle section.

@Robert in my experience people who say "not trying to be annoying" are usually very annoying. This seems to run true in this case. Lucky should be able to write reviews in his style. His phrases are what make the article his. I do not understand what you and Jeremy are trying to prove here. Anyways...I am finding the US carriers hard products to be matching the offerings of foreign carriers more and more (I need my air vents). Obviously, the service will never be the same.

@Anthony: you won't find ANY self-respecting German in the World, who would call these white cylindrical things/abominations... "Wurst"! Disgusting

FYI I believe Asian carriers keep the cabin so warm due to a personal preference from the local flyers.

Remember, Singapore as a country is located pretty much exactly on the equator and the temperature there hovers around 32C year round and almost never drops below 26-27C even in the middle of the night.

As a result people who live here get used to a much higher temperature. Western style air conditioning of between 16C-21C would be uncomfortably cold to the native Singaporean.

2 things:
1) I would say the second colour of the seats is not black but dark brown (which fits in much better)
2) you had no cook on board for a fresh prepared meal (much better than book the cook)? : http://www.so-war-mein-flug.de/index.php?item=bewertungausgabe&navi=20&fairline=41&fklasse=5&fairportvon=9005&fairportnach=5092&fbewertung=1070bc23ce4c2cac5eddf0449bb35bb7&fmember=0bca34bc2c13086aff412177f3e2d0fb 😉
LG Peter

I've taken this same flight (SQ2) multiple times and will do so again in June.
I have always enjoyed flying SQ J.

I actually enjoy the J bulk head seat better than the FC seat. I think the J seat is cozier and I like being able to put my legs up on the side shelf. The FC seat is too far from the front shelf to put my feet on.

Fortunately I have had good luck with book the cook and the meals have been between average to great.

@Jeremy - Given that you don't like the way Lucky writes, I don't know why you read his blogs.
@ Robert - I find Lucky's reviews among the best I read so perhaps you need to read others before making such sweeping statements.

Found the review to be accurate. I love flying Singapore Airlines. Bulkhead seats are the best. I actually appreciate the warmer cabin. They also have a gluten free menu available.

the selection is KrisWorld is "exceptional", but half of the movies become unwatchable because the audio quality is just so bad, at least on the A330 I flew to Seoul and back.

Both KrisWorld and Studio CX blow Emirates' ICE away. Emirates edits EVERYTHING making any movie selection worthless. I'll take SQ any day, in J or F, over EK.

"They’ve stated that it’s an amenity that they don’t find that people value, and that it’s wasteful"

So a question to those frequent traveller. Do you like having those amenity kits or use them at all? I'm curious.

The China Southern 77W is an upgraded version with newer seats and newer IFE you should try on business class

Gotta disagree about Singaporean preference for keeping the temperature warm. I live here and the aircon is consistently set at an uncomfortably (to me) cold 21-22C. So don't know what's going on with SQ but am flying the 777 next month so interested to see how bad I find it

Stunning

Well done for managing to take a screenshot the minute you were drifting off to sleep 😉

I hate warm cabins too, especially on night flights. Regardless of what part of the world you're from, it's a physiological fact that the human body needs a cooler temperature to sleep. At the very least they could provide individual air vents to give people an option to feel a bit cooler, yet i think SQ has been removing them from planes as they retrofit. it's crazy. Do they also think air vents are not an amenity that people value??

Lucky, Nice report. Thanks. It's good to see the HK-SFO Busincess class was up to standard. My mother flew Business Class on SIA nonstop between Singapore and SFO and she mentioned Book the Cook wasn't available on that flight and the food wasn't as good as those on Business Class plying Singapore and, say, the UK.

@ Jeremy.

Get a freaking life. If you don't like his articles, simple, don't read the bloody thing. Could you do better.

Great report. Always fascinate me how on earth do SQ have a "bed" when the seats were so closely bunched up together.

I think "Book the Cook" is purely a way to get to know exactly how much of each mains they should pack onto the flight. We have all heard of passengers not being able to choose their preferred options... That was a nice and creative way to get round that problem. 😉

"Singapore doesn’t use trays in business class, but rather everything is placed directly on your tablecloth."

Correction: Singapore Airlines do serve meals on a tray in business class for regional flights (example: Singapore to Beijing). I am of the firm belief that trays should be removed and meals properly placed on the table for all business class flights regardless of distance -- especially for a premium-priced airline like SIA.

I am curious, did you ask the flight attendants to lower the cabin heat?

I was told eons ago on a Delta trans-Atlantic (ex-Pan Am) flight that they purposely kept the cabin heat high to get people to sleep and not bother the crew. Sadly, 30 years later, that is still my experience. the hotter the cabin, the less I see anyone.

Thanks for your review.

@lucky when are we going to see the Residence review?

Hi Lucky,

In reference to your statement "The absolute best seats in this configuration are the bulkhead seats in either cabin."

I have a question, I will fly SQ J in a few months and want to select the seat. I notice in the Seatguru that the bulkhead seat on 777-300 are Row 11 and Row 15. My question is: Is the row 15 bulkhead (behind the lavatory) seats have same space like row 11 bulkhead seats?

Your answer and help really means a lot for me. Thank you so much.

@ confusedflyer -- It sure does! Enjoy the flight!

@lucky

Thank you sooooo much!!!

You know why I sort of hate United's frequent flyer program? For some (stupid) reason, you can't use United miles to upgrade on Singapore Airline's A350, A380, or 777-300ER!!!

Hey @lucky,

Dont know if someone has asked this already. Is there a way to know before booking your ticket if the plane you will get is the retrofitted plane w/ the new business product or if its the older product? Thanks!

Unless you are in bulkhead in J, you cannot raise one of your legs because of the TV monitor which is on the other side of the cubby hole. So forget about comfortable reclining and leg rest because which is true only on one leg - the cubby side. Your other leg would bump into the underside of the TV cabin if you try to raise it. On this side the leg room is incredibly short. A truly horrible design! I will try to avoid these seats as much as I can, and the steamer cabin is simply awful.

Just flow J class on Sin to LHR on 777 300ER and the return on A380. Overall top marks as expected; meals were pre-ordered via book-the-chef while service was attentive not overwhelming. Though the seat has been updated (more appealing in the 777) the overall design is rather annoying as it takes a Hercules effort to change the seat to a flat-bed. One has to step out of the seat altogether to manually do it; almost like removing the sun-roof of a topless car decade ago by hand vs that of the modern version at the touch of a button! A serious challenge to those who only manages to sleep intermittently throughout the flights as you may have to do this a few times. And not to mention the off centre space to rest your feet. I heard a new design is coming and hope it will address this annoyance. Even the 777 300ER has a more modern look I prefer J seats, aged pretty well, of the A380. Perhaps the overall ambience (entire upper level for J) has something to do with it.

Hi Ben,
Yes , very detail trip report on SQ Biz Class. Service is always good in SQ. However the seat for bed mode, is it comfortable. I can't really figure out where to put my feet in those strange cubicle. After reading your review, i prefer Reverse Herringbone and Apex Suite. For that long hour of your flight, i prefer to have a good sleep, Ben.

Oh, very detailed review of your experience with Singapore Airlines. I just take a look at the menu on board and OMG this is not unlike a 5 - star fine dining in the sky. I always wan to try it once in my life. Thanks for your post!

Thanks for the review - I read it before I took the same flight in Nov 2017 and it was very helpful (Iusually fly United). I used Book a Chef and had their lobster thermidor. The part where you have to flip the back cushion in order to make the bed fully flatten is the main downside of not only this 777-300ER, but I recall on their A350 as well. Sometimes you want to alternate between sleep or watch a movie several times during a long (>10 hr) flight - it makes no sense asking flight attendants to do these repeatedly (I learned how to do it after watching it once, but older fliers will definitely need help). And the small left pocket for your feet is also a negative, making the traveler sleep diagonally as i sleep with my body straight. Yes, flight attendnts look so relaxed and certain/polished, it makes US airline flight attendants look like they are fresh out of training.

I've flown this product a few times now on the A350 and B777 and I'm still not sold on the seat concept.
I suppose it's like a reverse herringbone but with lots more space around you but I'm sure the reverse herringbone seats I've travelled on (Cathay, Virgin Australia, Finnair, Qatar, American) had more space for my feet than the small cubby of SQ's new Business seat.

I've flown this SQ Business product a few times now on the A350 and B777 and I'm still not sold on the seat concept.
I suppose it's like a reverse herringbone but with lots more space around you but I'm sure the reverse herringbone seats I've travelled on (Cathay, Virgin Australia, Finnair, Qatar, American) had more space for my feet than the small cubby of SQ's new Business seat.