I had been swayed by reels showcasing the superior in-flight experiences of long-haul flights, so I decided to upgrade my flight from San Francisco to Singapore. I will be reviewing my entire experience from pre-flight, during, and post-flight.
Pre-Flight
Two days before my flight, I took advantage of SQ Upgrade, which offers last-minute deals for remaining seats. It auto-selected both SFO-SIN and SIN-BKK for the upgrade, but I de-selected the latter. Here’s why:
Upgrading from Economy to Premium Economy on the SFO-SIN leg, a 16-hour flight, cost $400 ($25/hr). However, upgrading the SIN-BKK leg, a 1.5-hour flight, cost $250 ($166/hr).
Two main benefits of the Premium Upgrade are comfier, wider seats and priority boarding. I only needed the extra comfort and sleep for the first flight. Since my luggage was checked through, I’d get priority stickers regardless of upgrading the second leg. So, I effectively had a 20-hour Premium experience for $400 ($20/hr). Seemed reasonable!
However, they didn’t inform me there was only one seat left in Premium Economy. Normally, you get free seat selection in your tier, but I was auto-assigned to a middle seat in a four-seat row, next to the bassinet seat. My previous Economy seat was an aisle seat and there was no reversing for this upgrade, so I was upset, fearing I’d be next to a crying infant the entire time. When I took the lack of transparency up to the live agent, she had nothing better to offer than trying my luck with the check-in kiosk.
On the day of my flight, the separate check-in counter for Premium Economy was a relief as the Economy queue was long. One of my suitcases was overweight (23 kg per luggage for two pieces; one was 13 kg and the other was 27 kg). In other Star Alliance experiences, this wouldn’t be an issue since the total was 6 kg below the limit. I offered to quickly switch two pairs of shoes between bags, but the staff member asked me to do it out of sight, saying my luggage made an "ugly view."
In-Flight
Fortunately, my in-flight experience was much better. I had plenty of legroom given it was the front row for Premium Economy. It also meant no one was going to recline in front of me, and that I would be able to watch movies without having an eyestrain. The seats were cushy, and we had a water bottle and noise-cancelling headphones. There were no babies in my row (I love kids, but I was just frustrated that I was not disclosed adequate information before paying for my upgrade).
The seat pocket also had the in-flight menu (accessible way ahead of time on the website as well for each flight segment).
Trust that you will not be hungry in this flight. They had a separate snacking menu in addition to all the food that I will tell you about, but I did not order anything from the snacks.
There is also a vast variety of drinks, with a good selection of tea and alcoholic beverages. I decided to try Milo for my drink.
Frankly, from my meal, my favorite bits were the Smoked Duck, the veggies, and the snacks.
I was unable to eat much of my dinner, so the flight attendant asked me if something was wrong with it. I explained that I was just having a tummy ache, and then I fell asleep. I was woken up with a slight tap on my arm, as I was brought some tea for my stomach. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness.
I then raised my footrest and slept 8 hours straight. During the times that I was awake, I truly enjoyed a great selection of in-flight entertainment.
I had to use the bathroom for a slight emergency, so I rushed through the front as that was what the signs reflected (pictured above), but I was kindly warned by another flight attendant to use the economy one next time. Rest assured, the business bathroom layout was the exact same as the economy one that I indeed used the next time. It just had 1 or 2 people waiting for it at any given moment.
I had hoped to try the champagne to make breakfast mimosas with orange juice, but they had run out by morning. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my OJ and the breakfast, especially the chicken sausage.
On the second flight, the Economy class western breakfast offering was pretty much the same, and I did not have much of an appetite. So, I asked the flight attendant for a cup of noodles (they have this available along with other snacks on all of their flights!). They had curry chicken and beef options if I am not mistaken. My curry chicken noodle was pretty tasty.
Furthermore, I was very lucky, because I had a window seat and the seat next to me was empty, so it still felt business-y.
If you would like, the next time, I can review my 3-hour layover at the Singapore Changi Airport.
Post-Flight
At baggage claim, my first suitcase arrived quickly, but my second arrived with the rest of the Economy luggage, despite its "priority, business" tag.
To Conclude
Overall, I had a decent experience at the Singapore Airlines. Upgrades are worth it for a good night's sleep, but if I had to fly with them again, I would probably opt for a business tier booked well in advance or stick with Economy. I also think they have to improve the customer service as I was made to feel bad in several occasions mentioned in this post, an issue I never had when flying with other carriers in their level.