Review: SATS Premier Lounge Singapore Airport Terminal 3

I understand the avoidance of buffet in tropical areas, but why only avoid it in a contract lounge. (I wish I would have avoided it in the Air India lounge once).

Are there any PP lounges in Singapore that are 24 hours open?

@ Debit -- Yes, several of them are open 24/7.

@ Beachfan -- I wasn't intending to suggest that the inverse is necessarily true (that I eat food in all non-contract lounges). Rather there's a subset of non-contract lounges where I'll eat. But I guess to be totally accurate I did once have a meal in a contract lounge (specifically, the GVK Lounge Mumbai).

Thank lucky.

For me it has to do with location. In Singapore, I'll eat at the contract lounges, just like I'll eat at hawker stalls without concern.

In India, I won't eat anything raw nor items in most buffets.

I would like to second some if the comments regarding buffets in India. Each time I tried buffet in an Indian airport lounge, I ended up sick for 2-3 days with frequent visits to the restroom (ie diarrhea...). Not sure if this comes from a particular allergy or the freshness of the food

@ Megumi, it is likely the lack of any semblance of hygiene in India.

I just flew out of the new terminal 4 at Singapore. At that terminal, there is a single security check point just after immigration, it's not done at each gate. It worked fine.

I've been to this lounge (using Priority Pass) quite recently, and honestly wasn't impressed at all.
The white wine was left at room temperature, the hot foods were honestly not appetizing, there was trash everywhere, and the lounge was incredibly stuffy, crowded and also noisy because of the children's playground (or something) located right underneath it.
Especially considering how clean and organized the Changi airport itself is, this lounge felt like something right out of 3rd world countries.
I'm not picky, but I would definitely use another Priority Pass lounge when I'm at Changi.

Any improvements to the shower/toilet situation in this lounge? When busy you used to have to go to the public toilets nearby.

@Ivan.. What you experienced at this SATS Lounge does not happen all the time and you should try it again.. it is actually one of the better/nicer lounges anyway.. What you had experienced, I have unfortunately experienced more than once at SQ’s Krisflyer Business Class Lounge.. dirty plates and glasses everywhere, not enough floor staff to clear them quick enough.. this sometimes happens when the lounge, even though huge (SQ’s) by any measure, I reckon, can fill up from time to time and then stewarding manpower can’t cope...

The hot food at the lounge is usually delicious compared to other contract lounges in the region

@Ivan: I echo Ken's sentiments that what you experienced isn't the norm.

The trick with Singapore Airport security is to arrive lateish, around 25 minutes before the plane leaves. By that time they've cleared the queue of people who were waiting when it opened and there are only a few remaining.

Just FYI SATS or Singapore Air Terminal Services caters to all lounges in Singapore except the TPR and Qantas lounge. So it’s the same caterer as the neighbouring SilverKris lounge.

Lucky, you're actually misguided on your hot food policy.

It's much more advisable to strictly avoid cold foods (salads, cold cuts, etc) at any airport in the world. Anything at room temperature is at risk for harboring salmonella, etc.

Piping hot foods are much safer. You have to be careful while handling the serving utensils though. Better to wash hands after serving yourself and prior to eating.

So is it impossible to miss your flight while ‘waiting’ to clear security when security is done at the gate?

@ Ever -- Assuming you show up before the door closes, yes. That's the benefit to this setup.

I have used the SilverKris, dnata and SATS lounges in the last 3 years.
Shower was definitely a bit disappointing in the SATS lounge, there was only 2. Although they are quire large, there's no water barrier and the whole floor tends to get wet. Both SilverKris and dnata have smaller but better designed showers.
Foodwise I found SATS and dnata to be OK, option was slightly limited. SilverKris was a bit disappointing as the food keep running out. I'm not a drinker so cannot comment on wine.
Seating I found SATS to be the best, very comfortable sofas with power with every seat. dnata is visually not appealing, but comfortable. SilverKris is a huge lounge but also incredibly busy. SATS and dnata had open space that goes down the the lower level so there is noise from the public area.
My flight to ZRH had technical problems and we had to roll back and deplane. So I actually spent quite a while in the SATS lounge. As it was pretty empty in the early morning hours, it was actually quite comfy for an overtired pax.

Visited in October 2019. Tremendous overcrowding turns this lounge into a parody - feels more like a refugee camp! Would be curious to know how much SATS charges airlines for this “customer experience”.