Singapore Airlines Suites Class: LAX-NRT-SIN A380

Singapore Airlines Suites has been the most talked about seat in the industry over the past few years as they now allow award tickets for the seat which had been restricted to just paid seats when introduced in 2008. It’s not the best in the sky anymore which Etihad Apartment Class takes the crown but it’s still the best seat Singapore Airlines offers today. I booked this award ticket (LAX-NRT-SIN) last year with 92,000 Chase UR points which puts a value of ~$0.08 per point with this redemption. Always make sure to get at least $0.02 per point in value when making an award redemption otherwise you’d be better off with the 2% cash back Fidelity card. Within the first 3 months of 2016, I’ve been able to fly 4 of the best airlines in First Class which include: Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Emirates (post coming soon). The miles & points game has finally paid off 🙂

I started my journey at LAX and immediately found the Suites Class checkin area. There was no line and I was helped right away. After a quick checkin process, I was handed my special Suites Class boarding pass which included an invitation to use the Star Alliance First Class lounge. There was a line at security which took about 15 minutes but I had plenty of time. I headed to the lounge after I cleared security. The First Class lounge was very private and had sit down dining so I decided to grab lunch. The service wasn’t very attentive and I had to go back to the front desk to place my order. The food however was very tasty. I’d been to the Business Class lounge 2 years ago which was busier but I missed having the outdoor balcony which makes the Business Class lounge almost better in my opinion.

The boarding gate was a good 10 minute walk from the lounge so I headed over after lunch. Boarding commenced on time and I was the first passenger on board the A380 which has the Suites located on the lower deck in the nose of the plane. As I was walking down the jet bridge, a flight attendant greeted me and insisted she take my bags. Wow, nice service! I knew I was in for a memorable flight. I was escorted to my window seat of 3A. I noticed right away that the leather seats were the newly refurbished style that Singapore rolled out in late 2014. I’m sure the original leather seats were quite worn after 6 years. I settled into the Suite and was offered the dining menu, a Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, Givenchy pajamas, a newspaper plus a chilled glass of 2006 Dom Perignon champagne! The entire crew introduced themselves and the lead flight attendant, Wendy, was very friendly.

One unique feature of Singapore Airlines is the Book the Cook option which allows you to book your meals in advance. I selected the Boston lobster thermidor (LAX-NRT) for dinner, Crabmeat ee fu noodle soup (LAX-NRT) for lunch and Nigiri sushi (NRT-SIN) for dinner.

Prior to taking off, we were notified that the WiFi system was down due to a system outage which was fine with me so I could enjoy the hospitality of Singapore Airlines, whereas it’s needed to put up with the poor service onboard American Airlines. We pushed back from the gate on time and off to Tokyo we went for my 1st leg to Singapore. As we were taxiing to the runway, we passed an Emirates A380 which was going to bring me home from SE Asia. My future experience in sight…

After takeoff, service commenced immediately. I was served warm nuts along with a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whisky. For the first dish, I opted for Chilled Malossol Caviar. This was my second experience eating Caviar with the first being on Cathay Pacific First Class earlier this year. It was very tasty again! Next I tried the chicken soup along with the salad which both were very fresh and perfect portions. My main course, the Boston lobster thermidor, was finally served and I was in heaven. It was better than the one I had on EVA Air 2 years ago. I finished the meal service with the baked apple and vanilla bavarois along with a fresh peach. By this time I was so full and could’t finish it all.

I went ahead and changed into my pajamas while a flight attendant made my bed. Once I got back to my seat, the bed was perfectly made including 3 pillows. I started to doze off and then I hear a knock on my Suite doors. It’s the entire Suite Class crew wishing me a Happy Birthday. They had a cake with some dry ice in a glass to act as candles. They provide me with a SQ bear as a gift. It was a very special moment that I’ll never forget! Of course, I had to have a slice of the cake. I was able to get 6 hours of sleep which was perfect as I woke up around the time they were serving lunch prior to landing into Tokyo. Randy’s Donuts is a famous donut shop in Los Angeles and Singapore Airlines carries them on this segment in Suite Class so I had to try one. The flight attendant ended up bringing me both flavors and they were amazing even at 35,000 ft. I started lunch backwards but next up was a Grilled Asparagus with Prosciutto salad which was tasty and refreshing after eating the donuts. For the main course, I had the Crabmeat ee fu noodle soup which had real crab leg meat in it to continue with my seafood main courses. I couldn’t pass up the final dessert of chocolate bread-butter pudding and it was well worth making room for it. Very tasty!

We landed into Tokyo and as always with SQ11/SQ12 you have to re-clear security in NRT. Once I cleared security I headed to the ANA Suite Class Lounge where I grabbed a glass of Hibiki 17yr old whisky and some fresh fruit. After a quick stop, I boarded the A380 through the Suites jet bridge for my 2nd leg to Singapore. It was a rainy and cold day in Narita so we were delayed 45 minutes due to an ATC (air traffic control) delay. I was in no rush as I had a 4 hour layover in Singapore but I did want to try out The Private Room if they would give me access even though my journey ended on Singapore Airlines in Singapore.

After a choppy takeoff, I was served the Singapore Chicken and Lamb satay with peanut sauce that was done perfectly! Some of the best peanut sauce I’ve ever had. I opted for the Chilled Malossol Caviar again and the Cantonese Lotus Root Soup for my next courses. The soup wasn’t the best so I didn’t finish most of it but that was fine as I was so full. My main course was Nigiri sushi which was excellent as it’s prepared in Tokyo. I declined dessert and opted to head to bed to catch up on sleep. My bed was setup by the flight attendant again and I was able to get 4 hours of sleep on this leg.

We landed into Singapore around 3AM local time and I headed to the Singapore First Class lounge to grab a shower prior to going to baggage claim to collect my checked bag. The shower was super refreshing with great amenities. As it was super early in the morning, I was the only passenger in the lounge which had to be a first for me. I took my time and then headed to baggage claim/immigration to check my bag into my Jetstar Asia flight to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. After quickly checking into the flight, I passed through immigration/security and then proceeded back to the lounge to try out the Private Room.

I entered the lounge and the same girl was working the front desk so she immediately escorted me to the First Class lounge but informed me that The Private Room didn’t open until 5:30AM so I had about 30 minutes to wait. At 5:30AM I was able to enter The Private Room after some discussion as I didn’t have an onward boarding pass with Singapore Airlines but she approved it as a courtesy and they weren’t busy. I went to the dining area to grab breakfast which had the largest seats I’ve seen. It was like you were a king or queen! After looking through the menu, I selected the Singapore French Toast along with scrambled eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. The orange juice was freshly squeezed onsite so I had to go for a few glasses. The food was amazing too! I wish I could have spent more time in the Private Room lounge but I had to go and catch my Jetstar Asia flight… Until next time!

Overall: Suite Class on Singapore Airlines was truly a memorable flight and was above and beyond what I had expected. You must try it once in your lifetime! I’d possibly wait until next year when the new Suite Class is to be released but you never know how long you’ll have to wait to book an award seat on it.

This was the first 2 flights of my Round The World journey, 25,725 mi of flying!