I recently reviewed Singapore Airlines’ longest flight, from Singapore to Newark, and now I get to review Singapore Airlines’ shortest flight, from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.
Both flights were operated by A350-900s, though the flight between Singapore and Newark was operated by the “ULR” version (ultra long range), featuring just business class and premium economy.
Singapore Airlines 115
Singapore (SIN) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Saturday, December 15
Depart: 6:40PM
Arrive: 7:40PM
Duration: 1hr
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Seat: 22A (Business Class)
Getting an A350 on a sub-200 mile flight sure is a special treat. At the door I was greeted by the friendly team of two flight attendants and the cabin manager, and was pointed towards my seat.
Singapore Airlines’ A350-900s feature 42 business class seats. This includes 26 seats in the forward cabin, in a 1-2-1 configuration.
Singapore Airlines A350 business class cabin
Then there’s the rear business class cabin, where I’d be seated, featuring just 16 seats spread across four rows.
Singapore Airlines business class cabin A350
Singapore Airlines business class cabin A350
Since I was seated at the very back of the cabin, I also peeked into the premium economy cabin, which consisted of 24 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.
Singapore Airlines premium economy cabin A350
Singapore Airlines premium economy seats A350
Anyway, I had assigned myself seat 22A, the window seat in the last row of business class on the left side.
Singapore Airlines business class seat A350
I won’t talk too much about the seat as such, given that I’ve shared my in-depth thoughts on the seat in previous reviews.
Singapore Airlines business class seat A350
Singapore Airlines business class seat A350
Even though this was a very short flight, service was spectacular. A moment after settling in I was offered a bottle of water, along with my choice of juice or champagne. I didn’t have a pre-departure drink, given that I had a good amount of Dom Perignon in the lounge and a good amount of Krug on the previous flight, and I figured I had already maximized my enjoyment.
Singapore Airlines business class pre-departure drink
A few minutes later I was offered a warm towel, as well as a selection of reading materials.
Singapore Airlines business class warm towel
The cabin on this flight was empty. Of the 42 business class seats, only 16 were occupied. On top of that, I was the only person seated in the rear cabin, so I had all 16 seats to myself (not that there’s much you can do with more than one seat).
Economy was fairly full, on the other hand, though by 6:30PM boarding was complete. At this point the captain came on the PA to welcome everyone onboard and inform us of our flight time of 40 minutes.
At that point the safety video was screened, and we commenced our pushback.
Pushing back Changi Airport
SilkAir 737 Changi Airport
During the taxi out I checked out the airshow for our short 184 mile flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (for context, that’s just over half the distance of a Los Angeles to San Francisco flight).
Map to Kuala Lumpur
We had a quick taxi, and at 6:50PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 2C.
Taxiing Changi Airport
Taking off Changi Airport
Gosh do I love an A350 wing and engine view!
View after takeoff from Singapore
We hit some turbulence on the initial climb out, so the seatbelt sign wasn’t turned off until 10 minutes after takeoff.
View after takeoff from Singapore
View enroute to Kuala Lumpur
At that point the crew sprung into action to close the curtains between cabins, and of course I sprung into action to capture pictures of “my” private cabin. 😉
Empty Singapore Airlines cabin
Empty Singapore Airlines cabin
Literally within a minute of the seatbelt sign being turned off I was asked what I wanted to eat. The choices were either a tuna croissant or chicken wrap. I chose the tuna croissant, and was asked if I wanted tea or coffee.
The tuna croissant was served on a proper plate with a glass of water (there’s no other drink choice). On one hand it’s nice they put it on a plate, though it being served in plastic packaging isn’t exactly the presentation you’d expect from Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines business class snack
The croissant itself tasted… fine. It’s roughly how I’d expect a croissant to taste in economy on a US flight from their buy on board menu.
Singapore Airlines business class snack
A few minutes later I was brought out a cup of coffee.
Singapore Airlines business class coffee
The problem is that just 15 minutes after takeoff (five minutes after the seatbelt sign was turned off), the captain advised the crew to prepare the cabin for landing.
I have to give the crew big credit for how friendly and professional they were. Even though there wasn’t much service, they were an absolute delight, and couldn’t have been more charming.
There was quite a bit to see on the descent, between the sunset, thick clouds, and thunderstorms in the distance.
View approaching Kuala Lumpur
View approaching Kuala Lumpur
View approaching Kuala Lumpur
For the last 25 minutes the crew couldn’t provide any service, so I just looked out the window and enjoyed watching the map. The approach was bumpy, with the nose constantly being pitched either way up or way down.
View approaching Kuala Lumpur
Airshow approaching Kuala Lumpur
Airshow approaching Kuala Lumpur
Airshow approaching Kuala Lumpur
Airshow approaching Kuala Lumpur
We touched down in Kuala Lumpur at around 7:30PM, and from there had a five minute taxi to our arrival gate. The thunderstorm really started to get worse once we landed, as there was a lot of rain, lightning, and thunder.
Cabin upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur
I bid farewell to the crew, and from there I had a quick overnight before continuing to Tokyo the next morning.
Singapore A350 business class bottom line
I almost feel silly sharing my thoughts on a 40 minute, sub-200 mile flight. The fact that Singapore Airlines operates widebody aircraft with incredibly friendly crews and any service at all is more than most airlines can say. In the US you’d likely get zero service on a flight like this.
At the same time, I think it’s only fair to mention that Singapore Airlines can’t in any way to compete with service on Gulf carriers on flights this short. If you flew Qatar Airways on a flight this short you’d get a full meal, a huge range of drinks, and even a cappuccino or other custom made coffee drink. They work from the second the plane takes off till the second the plane lands.
But that’s of course totally unnecessary, and it’s also worth stressing that the crew had five minutes to perform their service on this flight, between the time the seatbelt sign was turned off, and when the crew was told to prepare for landing.
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