My China Eastern flight from Singapore to Shanghai was departing at 12:25AM. I had to check out of the Andaz at 4PM, so headed to the airport shortly after that. I wanted to get some work done, and Changi Airport is about as pleasant of a place as anywhere from which to work.
I had checked in for my flight online and had printed my boarding pass, but to my surprise when I tried to go through immigration I was told that my printed boarding pass wouldn’t work, and that I’d need to go to the counter. Hmmm…
Fortunately there was a single China Eastern employee in the check-in area who was there specifically to issue boarding passes for those arriving early, so that turned out to not be an issue. She also gave me an invitation for the SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3.
During my long stay at Changi Airport I sat in the terminal itself, I grabbed a meal at the airport’s Priority Pass restaurant, I visited the butterfly garden, and I even got a massage.
Eventually I headed towards the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 3, which is the contract lounge that many airlines use for their passengers (in the past I’ve reviewed the SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 1).
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3
Escalator to Changi Airport Terminal 3 lounges
This is located near the center of the terminal, right by the Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge that I used prior to my flight to Sydney.
Changi Airport Terminal 3
While I had an invitation from China Eastern, the SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 can also be accessed by Priority Pass members, so plenty of people with major premium credit cards can get in as well. The number of Priority Pass members has increased greatly the past couple of years, since now there are quite a few credit cards with lounge access.The following are some of the popular premium US credit cards that come with Priority Pass™ memberships (along with their respective guesting privileges):
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
American Express Platinum Card®
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
SATS Premier Lounge Changi Airport Terminal 3
Upon entering I was informed that an announcement for boarding would be made, though since Changi Airport has security at each individual gate, I always leave before the actual boarding call.
The lounge itself was nice, much to my surprise. At least the decor was. The lounge consisted of one main room with tons of spacious seating, and I liked the partitions that were used between each row of seats.
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore seating
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore seating
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore seating
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 seating
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 seating
In the far left corner of the lounge was an area with a few booths that doubled as workstations. A couple of them had PCs, while others just had an empty desk, so you could use your own computer.
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore seating
Next to that were a couple of massage chairs.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi massage chairs
The lounge’s buffet was located on the opposite end of the lounge.
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 buffet
The buffet had a few different areas. To the left was a make your own laksa station, as well as a couple of soups.
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 soup & laksa
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 laksa
Next to that was a fridge with soft drinks and beer.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi drinks
Next to that was the liquor selection, and then the buffet area that had the cold options.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi liquor
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
Then there was a buffet with hot options, as well as dessert.
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
I’ll let the pictures of the hot options speak for themselves. Personally I shy away from hot food in contract lounges.
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Singapore buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Changi buffet
There was also a selection of bread, more soup, desserts, as well as coffee and tea.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Changi buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Changi buffet
SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 coffee machine
The lounge had a couple of showers, though I wasn’t able to get a picture, as they were occupied while I was there. The lounge’s bathrooms were all individual rooms, which I generally like, though they weren’t especially clean.
SATS Premier Lounge Changi bathroom
Wifi in the lounge was fast. The lounge was quite empty at first, but as midnight approached it really started to fill up, given how many redeyes there are out of Singapore.
Boarding was scheduled for 11:55PM, so I decided to head to the gate at around 11:15PM, since I still had to go through security. My flight was departing from gate B8, which was about a five minute walk from the lounge.
Changi Airport terminal
The fact that security is at each individual gate at Changi Airport is both good and bad, depending on how you look at it. On the plus side, it avoids a long wait when you first get to the airport. On the other hand, it can be quite a wait to get through security, and there are no priority lines. In the case of my flight, there must have been 150 people ahead of me in line, including a huge school group.
Line for security at Changi Airport
Getting through security took about 25 minutes, and I was in the sterile area by 11:45PM. The timing worked out great, because boarding started almost immediately.
Changi Airport gate
SATS Premier Lounge Changi bottom line
As far as contract (and Priority Pass) lounges go, the SATS Premier Lounge Terminal 3 Singapore is solid. The lounge has nice furniture, and during the day would have plenty of natural light. In many ways I prefer the design of this lounge to Singapore Airlines’ own lounge at the airport.
The food selection was also extensive, though I didn’t eat anything, so can’t really say much about the quality. While I wouldn’t arrive early to use this lounge, it’s not a bad place to kill some time.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees).
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.