Singapore Airlines First class is arguably the best first class in the world, claiming the title over Emirates a couple of years ago. Traveling in Singapore Airlines’ first class is a luxury you won’t want to miss. Specifically, Singapore Suites is one of the best first-class cabins in the industry.
Not only is the inflight product amazing, but Singapore’s flight attendants are some of the most attentive in the industry. They are there with whatever you might need during your flight.
The major downside is that flights in Singapore suites can cost between $2,200 and $12,500 depending on the dates and routes, so for most of us, using miles is the only choice for booking a flight.
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What Does It Look Like Inside
Dom Pérignon. Caviar. A hotel room in the sky. Singapore Airlines’ Suites – available exclusively on Airbus A380 flights – is simply one of the most aspirational experiences in the skies.
Pre-Covid, SQ Singapore Airlines actually had 4 types of first-class products in the air across its fleet. The oldest one was unveiled in 2006, while the newest one debuted in 2017.
However, Post Covid, there are only 2 variants left; the Suites found on the A380, while the other First class cabin can be found on the Boeing 777-300ER. As confirmed to ManilyMiles in 2020, the carrier would return all of its A380 to the sky but would be retrofitting the latest suites to all the aircraft with the 2007 variant
What’s The Difference Between Singapore Airlines Suites And First Class?
In broad terms, both the Airbus A380 Suites and the Boeing 777-300ER First Class are regarded as ‘First Class’ products. The catering, lounge access, amenity kits, PJs, and so on, are all identical. If you’re using points or miles to book, both also cost the same.
However, Suites is regarded as a step higher than First Class on Singapore Airlines in terms of the ‘hard product’, or the seat specifically. Because of this, you should definitely aim for Suites where possible. But if Boeing 777 First Class is your only option, don’t let us deter you – it’s still incredible!
B777-300ER First Class
SQ’s 777-300ER first-class product is fantastic.
Set in a 1-2-1 configuration, the seat features copious amounts of storage space as well as a seat big enough for 2.
A380 Suites
The Suite is a huge step up from its predecessor.
You are looking at a 1-1 configuration with an Armchair, which is adjustable and can rotate up to 270 degrees, 55 sqft. of space as well as a separate bed.
How To Fly Singapore First Class Using Points
Without paying the cash route, there is realistically only 1 way to fly Singapore Airlines first class. The only exception is if you are down under in Australia where Virgin Australia’s Velocity programme can also work.
A one-way First Class ticket between Sydney/Melbourne and Singapore will theoretically set you back 85,000 KrisFlyer miles or 95,000 Velocity Points at the lowest level.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
If you want to book this flight, you are limited to a single frequent flyer programme. Singapore Airlines only allows Suites and first class to be booked through its own KrisFlyer program.
Once of the obvious ways is to convert miles into the Singapore KrisFlyer programme either via American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Venture Rewards, Standard Chartered 360° Rewards or HSBC Rewards for example.
If you’re unable to book the flight immediately, you can choose to be waitlisted. Singapore Airlines recently changed its rules so that you can only waitlist awards 21 days or more in advance of a flight. Then you have a chance of it clearing up until 14 days before travel. If it does not clear before then, your waitlist request will be cancelled.
If your waitlisted award becomes available for booking, you typically have 24 to 72 hours to decide whether you want to fly, so don’t let the deadline lapse!
Many have had success reaching out to Singapore Airlines to get moved off the waitlist by requesting a chaser (i.e., a request to open up more award space) prior to departure.
Singapore Airlines also allows you to book a stopover on award tickets. You get 1 free stopover for round-trip saver-level awards, and you can add extra stopovers on a one-way for around $100. You can add a stopover by calling after booking online, or you can simply book over the phone.
Velocity Frequent Flyer Route
SQ has a strong alliance with Velocity allowing you to earn in both alliances simultaneously – one of the only examples of double dipping.
All bookings for first-class travel can only be made over the phone by calling Velocity, you’ll never see these appear online, which is the same as for first-class bookings on Etihad Airways.
While you can use points to cover the entire journey without paying a dime, it’s generally best to pay for any taxes, fees, and charges with money, because taking the ‘all-points’ route converts your Velocity points into real money, and not at a generous rate.
We’ll also highlight for more advanced readers that Velocity points can of course be converted into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, and in turn, KrisFlyer miles can be used to book reward flights with Singapore Airlines and across the Star Alliance, although the conversion rate from Velocity to KrisFlyer is now 1.55:1.
Other Options For Booking Singapore Airlines
Just like Air France’s La Premier, you cannot book A380 First Class awards via Alliance partner’s miles, However, SQ does occasionally make B777 First Class award seats available to its partners.
Singapore Airlines First Class Award Availability
Award availability for Singapore Airlines First Class flights is generally quite hard to come by for the most popular routes.
The number of miles you need can be checked here.
- Advantage Awards – These are what you would call regular/standard awards redemptions. Singapore Airlines releases First Class award availability 355 days from the departure date. They are more frequently available but they are also the most expensive award redemption under the SQ umbrella.
- Saver Awards – SQ also releases a limited number of saver awards on selected routes (sometimes in advance, sometimes last-minute). Saver awards require fewer KrisMiles but they have limited availability. Saver awards on SQ’s new First Class product are rarely released. If you’re able to find “Saver” space on a popular route, be sure to book it right away, as availability tends to dry up very quickly on these highly coveted flights.
What Is Waitlisting
If you’re unable to book the flight immediately, you can choose to be waitlisted.
One of the things to keep in mind is that KrisFlyer has a very unique feature for redeeming points. When an award seat is not available on your requested flight, you will sometimes be offered the choice to be waitlisted for that award, whether it’s a regular award or a saver award.
If SQ decides later to make that seat bookable using KrisFlyer points, you’ll be the first in line to snag it, although not all flights have a waitlisting option.
The good news is that being waitlisted does not implicate any obligation or financial loss: after the seat becomes available, it’s up to you whether you book it or not, and only then will your credit card details be needed.
Singapore Airlines recently changed its rules so that you can only waitlist awards 21 days or more in advance of a flight. Then you have a chance of it clearing up until 14 days before travel. If it does not clear before then, your waitlist request will be cancelled.
If your waitlisted award becomes available for booking, you typically have 24 to 72 hours to decide whether you want to fly, so don’t let the deadline lapse!
Many have had success reaching out to Singapore Airlines to get moved off the waitlist by requesting a chaser (i.e., a request to open up more award space) prior to departure.
Since there’s no guarantee this will happen, be sure to have a backup plan in place.
Route & Miles Cost
Singapore Airlines no longer imposes fuel surcharges on awards booked on its flights, so the total taxes and fees won’t be steep.
However, competition for a seat definitely is. There are only six Suites on the newer Airbus A380s, compared to 12 previously meaning Saver-level flights will be hard to come by.
If you’re determined to fly Singapore Airlines First Class, you have better chances of securing a seat at the more expensive ‘Advantage’ price. For the Sydney/Melbourne – Singapore example above, you’ll need to pay 155,000 KrisFlyer miles (~82% more expensive than Saver). The taxes stay the same.
| Route | Saver Cost (Cheapest) | Advantage (Expensive) |
| Frankfurt (FRA) – New York (JFK) | 97,000 | 143,500 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Auckland (AKL) | 93,500 | 155,000 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Frankfurt (FRA) | 141,000 | 225,500 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Frankfurt (FRA) – New York (JFK) | 148,500 | 243,000 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Hong Kong (HKG) | 45,000 | 73,000 |
| Singapore (SIN) – London (LHR) | 141,000 | 225,500 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD) | 93,500 | 155,000 |
| Singapore (SIN) – Zurich (ZRH) | 141,000 | 225,500 |
The way most flyers in the U.S. will be able to experience Singapore Suites is by flying from the U.S. to Europe. With 97,000 KrisFlyer miles, you can book a one-way flight in Singapore Suites from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA).
If you’re based in Europe or can easily get to Europe, Singapore Airlines flies non-stop from Frankfurt (FRA) to Singapore (SIN) for 141,000 KrisFlyer miles. This flight can be another great way to fly to Singapore Suites if you’re unable to find availability on the New York to Frankfurt route.
