- Introduction: Flying Halfway Around The World For Half A Day
- Review: China Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Los Angeles To Taipei
- Review: China Airlines Lounge Taipei
- Review: China Airlines Business Class A330 Taipei To Singapore
- Review: Singapore Changi Airport Transit Hotel
- Review: British Airways Lounge Singapore
- Review: SATS Premier Lounge Singapore
- Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 767 Singapore To Tokyo
- Review: Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Haneda
- Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777 Tokyo To San Francisco
I checked out of my room at the Aerotel Terminal 1 at around 9:30PM, which was still more than four hours before my 1:50AM Japan Airlines flight from Singapore to Tokyo Haneda.
Japan Airlines technically uses the SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Airport for their early morning flight to Tokyo, given that the oneworld lounges are closed at that time.
However, I knew that British Airways had a nice lounge in Terminal 1 that closed at 11PM, so figured I’d quickly check it out while I still had the chance.
The lounge was only a five minute walk from the transit hotel I was staying at, one level up from the main concourse.
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1
The lounge exterior is gorgeous, and so is the reception area.
British Airways Lounge entrance Singapore Airport
I was warmly welcomed by the associate at reception, who just warned me that the lounge closed at 11PM, though I was welcome to use it until then. I should note that this isn’t just a first class and oneworld Emerald lounge, but rather is also open to business class and oneworld Sapphire passengers.
British Airways Lounge reception Singapore Airport
British Airways renovated this lounge last year, and they did a fantastic job with it, in my opinion.
Near the entrance to the lounge were several couches and traditional lounging chairs.
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
Past that were some high-top communal tables.
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
Past that were some more leather chairs.
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
The center section of the lounge was especially stunning, between the light fixtures, the translucent privacy partitions, and the contrasting furniture color.
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
Similar seating areas continued along the perimeter of the lounge.
British Airways Lounge Singapore seating
British Airways Lounge Singapore seating
Then there was a TV area with some more comfortable-looking leather chairs.
British Airways Lounge Singapore seating
British Airways Lounge seating Singapore Airport
In the very back of the lounge was a business center with a couple of communal tables. There were a couple of PCs, as well as a printer.
British Airways Lounge Singapore business center
I was impressed by how many outlets there were throughout the lounge, including USB plugs in the business center area. You’d think plenty of outlets would be a given, but I’m always surprised by how many newly renovated lounges don’t get this right.
British Airways Lounge Singapore adapters
Perhaps the most stunning part of the lounge was the dining & bar area. There were booths lining the edge of the self serve area.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dining area
British Airways Lounge Singapore dining area
In the center of the lounge was the self serve drink area, as well as some high-top tables.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dining area
The centerpiece was a self serve wine bar.
British Airways Lounge Singapore bar area
British Airways Lounge Singapore wine selection
British Airways Lounge Singapore wine selection
Then on both sides of the centerpiece were liquor stations that were nearly identical, along with packaged snacks.
British Airways Lounge Singapore liquor selection
British Airways Lounge Singapore liquor selection
British Airways Lounge Singapore liquor selection
Just behind the self serve drink area was the food spread, which looked fairly appetizing.
British Airways Lounge Singapore buffet area
British Airways Lounge Singapore buffet area
There were samosas, curry, penne pasta, etc.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
There was even satay, which I of course indulged in, given that I was in Singapore.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
There were a couple of types of dessert, as well as some cookies and biscuits.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
Then there were finger sandwiches, cold cuts, fruit, cheese, etc.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
There were also a couple types of salad, as well as soup.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
I hadn’t eaten since the China Airlines flight, so made a small plate with some satay, samosas, and a finger sandwich.
British Airways Lounge Singapore dinner
The lounge was still extremely crowded when I arrived, but as soon as boarding was called for the British Airways flight to London, the lounge emptied out. Of course the lounge also closed a few minutes after that. 😉 Anyway, that’s how I managed to get the empty pictures of the lounge that you see above, as I snapped them after most passengers left.
Then at 11PM I was kicked out and headed over to the SATS Premier Lounge, which was just a few steps away.
British Airways Lounge Singapore bottom line
I thought the British Airways Lounge Singapore was stunning, and aesthetically by far the nicest British Airways lounge I’ve ever visited. Hardly the best airport lounge in the world, but aesthetically it was even much nicer than the Concorde Room New York and Concorde Room London, in my opinion. Keep in mind that this lounge is open to business and first class passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald & Sapphire members, so this isn’t just a first class lounge
Are there showers available to use in club lounge?
I am OW Ruby member and on MH business class from SIN to HKG via KUL. I confirm there is no Champagne at Qantas lounge. After being given sparkling wine there I turnt to BA lounge next door. You do need to ask the staff nicely for champagne since they are not placed on the wine rack. Do note that the BA lounge opens at 3pm while Qantas lounge opens at 2:30pm. An exciting news...
I am OW Ruby member and on MH business class from SIN to HKG via KUL. I confirm there is no Champagne at Qantas lounge. After being given sparkling wine there I turnt to BA lounge next door. You do need to ask the staff nicely for champagne since they are not placed on the wine rack. Do note that the BA lounge opens at 3pm while Qantas lounge opens at 2:30pm. An exciting news is , CX is opening their own lounge in Sep in Changi !!! It will be comparable to the pier in HKG
The BA new Concorde Room at Changi is a horrible place, dark and claustrophobic. Although I fly LHR-SYD via SIN first class several times a year, I prefer the business lounge.
I have the same question as Ken as CX always sends me to the 'meh' Dnata lounge.
Can anyone confirm? I guess the answer is yes but want to double check.
If I'm on a CX J ticket do I have access to this BA lounge? We were told to do to the DNATA lounge which was decent, but this BA or even the SATS lounge would've likely been better.
Lucky:
My first reaction as I read the review was that it sure made the Concorde Room at LHR look outdated and tweedy. And I noted that you made a similar comment at the end of the review.
And from the comments many others have similar reactions.
Neil
I would disagree with the BA SIN lounge being anything worth going to, especially when there is the vastly superior QF SIN Premium lounge, that markedly exceeds the BA lounge in all ways that matter (although I do think the BA lounge has a slightly nicer shower set-up, and a few designer aesthetics that stand in it's favour).
The BA SIN Concorde Room (Broomcloset it should be named) is the triumph of marketing over...
I would disagree with the BA SIN lounge being anything worth going to, especially when there is the vastly superior QF SIN Premium lounge, that markedly exceeds the BA lounge in all ways that matter (although I do think the BA lounge has a slightly nicer shower set-up, and a few designer aesthetics that stand in it's favour).
The BA SIN Concorde Room (Broomcloset it should be named) is the triumph of marketing over substance, which has woeful F&B compared to the QF lounge, and is frequently packed (as someone else noted, there is no real access control). It looks run down and dowdy despite being a recent addition to that lounge (the main lounge looks much better in my opinion, though frequently just as packed). And it's the same sad F&B in the main lounge (with even the cheap bubbly hidden).
But most of all, most of the lounge staff at the BA SIN lounge are contract staff running around in BA uniform, and some of them are incredibly rude and even deceitful (one contractor in particular tried to force downgrade me from First, without compensation, and without authority, to try and swap a seat for a friend of hers in a lower cabin - she might have gotten away with it too if I hadn't already been checked through from, and had my boarding pass issued at, LHR and smelt a rat, and got another member of staff to call the BA Airport Duty Manager to attend, where the corrupt ruse was revealed - but not before she threatened to have me jailed by the airport police for challenging her "authority", that it was confirmed by the Duty Manager she didn't have!)
I love the BA Concorde Lounge at LHR T5, but I'll never step foot in the BA SIN lounge again - it's decidedly inferior to the QF SIN lounge and it's contract staff are super dodgy.
@Pavel
The current SkyView CX lounge is still the dreadful contract lounge - the new one opens when T4 is completed in 2017.
This will be the first CX lounge at Changi operated by CX.
That's why many savvy CX and OW travellers make tracks for the superior Qantas Singapore Lounge.
Looks great. I never get a chance to visit as I'm always on the early JL flight.
Looks pretty similar to the Galleries lounge at LHR T5 South... But definitely better than the other lounges at SIN (although the one CX uses now is a marked improvement over the dreadful contract lounge they used to have).
@flyingfish..in terms of food the QF lounge is defintely better and around 9 PM always quite empty. Regarding the Concorde Bar..i don't think all guest were GGL..the problem is just that anyone can walk-in when the door is open for around 30 sec after you entered the PIN...and people tend to do it:-) Saw a lot of people coming in, but as the comfortable seats in the TV-corners were all taken around 10pm , they went out again.
"Boarding was announced for the British Airways flight to London"
technically, it's flightS ;)
@Philip
Yeah, you are right that there is this special Concorde Bar. They now hide the Champagne in there, unlike in the past where the whole floor has access to the Champagne (which made this my preferred OW Lounge back then). Now that they removed the Champagne, I am not sure if this Lounge is better than Qantas Lounge next door though.
As for more guests than those on your F flight, perhaps a few of them are on GGL, which entitles them to the Concorde Room.
I can confirm what SINJim says RE the champagne - having checked out the BA lounge recently and agree with Lucky how nice a restoration job they have done. However I much prefer the Qantas lounge around the corner. You can have champagne served either by the bartender or waiting staff or can simply help yourself. Also the buffet spread is far superior with fantastic salads and deserts and the à la carte items are...
I can confirm what SINJim says RE the champagne - having checked out the BA lounge recently and agree with Lucky how nice a restoration job they have done. However I much prefer the Qantas lounge around the corner. You can have champagne served either by the bartender or waiting staff or can simply help yourself. Also the buffet spread is far superior with fantastic salads and deserts and the à la carte items are always delicious. I always factor in a couple of hours lounge time in when transiting Singapore - if only Qantas or Jetstar would fly a widebody from Perth. Lucky hopefully you can review the Qantas Singapore lounge next time your in Singapore and give us your opinion on the best one world lounge there. I think Qantas holds this spot until the new Cathay lounge opens.
Champagne is also available in the main section of the lounge, but only upon request as it is (curiously) not kept on display.
Ben - love your blog. One suggestion: no need to say "in my opinion" when you're writing a review - we know it's your opinion since this is your blog and you're the author of the review.
"British Airways renovated this lounge last year, and they did a fantastic job with it, in my opinion."
Keep up the great work!
Just after entering there is also the door to the Concorde Bar, which you only can enter with a code you get at the reception. The food spread was more or less the same snacks there, but it's quite calm there compared to the crowded rest of the Lounge. I know it's only for BA F Passengers, but from the around 10 people there I only saw 4 in F later (and on lady too the earlier BA flight).
I do find BA outstation lounges to be better than those in the UK. Lounges at New York and Boston is meh, but I love BA lounges at Toronto and Singapore. BA has to upgrade and refurbish its lounges at both Heathrow and Gatwick in order to stay competitive.
My favourite lounge at LHR is Cathay Pacific lounge at T3. While T3 at least have some choices (3 Oneworld lounges to choose from; BA,...
I do find BA outstation lounges to be better than those in the UK. Lounges at New York and Boston is meh, but I love BA lounges at Toronto and Singapore. BA has to upgrade and refurbish its lounges at both Heathrow and Gatwick in order to stay competitive.
My favourite lounge at LHR is Cathay Pacific lounge at T3. While T3 at least have some choices (3 Oneworld lounges to choose from; BA, AA, CX), passengers at T5 doesn't really have any choice but to go to BA galleries lounge. But one at T5B is quite nice. Hardware and services are pretty much identical to both North and South lounges at main terminal, but there's less people, which means the lounge itself is less crowded and lower staff to passenger ratio (T5 Main lounges are somewhat understaffed, especially during peak hours. Dishes and cups aren't taken away promptly, and the overall environment isn't really clean)