Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class Bangkok to Singapore Review

We took an evening Singapore Airlines A350 business class flight from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Singapore Changi Airport. We’ll cover the comfort, service, and amenities offered on board this modern aircraft, as well as the ground experience at the airport. With Singapore Airlines’ renowned hospitality, we hoped to receive more attentive service than we experienced on the outbound sector. Join us on a second attempt at a good short-haul journey on a long-haul Singapore Airlines aircraft.

Flight Details

Flight No: SQ711
From/To: Bangkok Suveranbhumi (BKK) to Singapore Changi (SIN)
Departure time: 18:05
Ticket Class: Business
Flight time: 2 hours 0 mins
Frequent Flyer Points: 1,100
Status Points: 1,100

Aircraft: 9V-SHV
Aircraft type: Airbus A350-900 type 2
Number of classes: 2
Number of seats in flying class: 40
Seat: 14K
Position: Right hand side of the aircraft, 13 rows from the front

In this review:

• Airport Experience
• Boarding & Welcome
• Seat
  • What’s the best seat?
• Onboard Experience
  • Food & Drink
  • In-flight Entertainment
• BG1 Verdict

Airport Experience

Upon arrival at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport, we were pleased to discover two available business class check-in counters with no queue. Additionally, we found a fast-track security lane available to business and first-class passengers, conveniently located hidden behind the N check-in area. Although the check-in staff did not explicitly mention it, this lane facilitated a quick and hassle-free security check.

The airside section of the airport was expansive, offering a vast array of shops after security, as well as more lounges than we could possibly visit. As we were flying with Singapore Airlines, we had access to any Star Alliance lounge, including the Thai, Turkish, and Singapore lounges. Among the four Thai lounges, we were able to experience two. Ultimately, we found the Singapore Airlines lounge to be the best option. The food was great, and the bar area was both stylish and served delicious drinks.

Boarding & Welcome

Boarding was well underway at the gate and was being manage very efficiently. We we able to enter the gate immediately via the boarding group 2 lane. There was a dedicated business class air bridge to the front left door of aircraft. This made for an exceptionally quick boarding experience.

We were offered a welcome drink shortly after taking our seat. This was a change from the outbound journey, when we were offered nothing until the aircraft was airborne. Water, orange and champagne were on the tray. We both went for the bubbles.

Seat

We were surprised find different business class seats on this Singapore Airlines A350 aircraft when compared to our outbound flight from Singapore.

The business class seat was narrower than the older variant, but was better in a number of ways. The seat automatically reclines into a fully flat bed without needing to stand-up and manually flip the seat over. A huge improvement and means you can fall asleep watching a movie and then just press the recline button to continue sleeping properly. We love being able to do this and prefer airlines that offer this type of seat.

The best part was a foot rest directly in front of the seat that meant you could put your feet up while watching TV. Call us posture princesses, but there’s something uncomfortably odd about slouching diagonally to the TV. Our lower backs always hate us for it. Thankfully, no pain with these seats!

Seats are probably harder to get in and out of, when compared to the wider business class seats. That said, there was plenty of overhead locker space and storage compartments around the seat itself.

The seat had USB and mains charging inside the rollaway storage locker. Wi-Fi was available during the cruise part of the flight, but was deactivated for take-off and landing.

What is the best seat on Singapore Airlines A350 Business Class?

We think midway along the forward (larger) business class cabin is the best place to sit. You’re far enough from the galley and toilets, and still get served relatively quickly. Rows 14-16 are good. We’ve found the rear (mini) business class cabin was noisy and also slow for service. Avoid rows 18 and up.

See the seating plan on SeatGuru.

Onboard Experience

Despite the nicer seat configuration, the cabin felt more congested and less spacious that on the type 1 A350-900 configuration. We tried to work out why, but we think it’s because of the central overhead bins and extra row on this type 2 configuration. The cabin definitely felt snug.

There was one toilet at the front of the aircraft and 2 behind the front business class cabin. All were well stocked and contained Penhaligon toiletries.

For a short 2-hour flight, service was very efficient and thorough. We thought it was much more professional and comprehensive than the previous outbound flight. Obviously the inconsistency is a little concerning, but it was good to see Singapore Airlines cabin service as it should be.

The A350 is a great aircraft, providing a quiet cabin environment with fresher, less dry air. The result is a more refreshed feeling on arrival.

Food & Drink

In addition to champagne and port, there were 2 white and 2 red wines on the menu.

Disappointingly, the wines offered differed from the menu. Water was routinely provided alongside our chosen drink. 

The chicken and apple salad came with a generous serving of chicken, but was a bit tough/chewy.

Visually, the main course was a disaster, but it tasted marginally better than it looked. That being said, the chicken was mushy and the sweet potato was puréed beyond baby food. The only texture in the dish was provided by the broccoli, which was still soft. Eating this, I began to think how much my granny would’ve enjoyed this meal. I paired it with the Chardonnay. That was nice, as was the glass of water.

On reflection, I take back the chewy comment about the chicken salad. Chewy is better than mushy. Dessert was very simple slice of cake.

In-flight Entertainment

The IFE system on this “upgraded” A350-900 had a touch screen display. Infinitely more usable than the display on the older A350 seats. Noise cancelling headphones were supplied. The first pair didn’t work, but the crew were quick to replace them with a functioning set.

Movie and TV content was plentiful, with a range to suit all tastes. Loads of blockbusters, as well as classics and back catalogues. The music content was also particularly good, with lots of playlists from a very diverse range of artists.

BG1 Verdict

We’re now Star Alliance gold members and are seeing a lot of inconsistencies in the Singapore Airlines business product. The aircraft and seat are excellent for a short-haul route. In Europe, we’d be lucky to get a reclining seat on an A320 with a 30” seat pitch, never mind touchscreen entertainment. That being said, the meal and cabin service varies a lot. It feels like pot-luck whether you’ll get a flight staffed with experienced cabin crew and also stocked with nice food. On this particular flight, the seat product and the service were great, but the food was bad. If Singapore Airlines can fix the food and beverage inconsistencies, this would be a 5-star review.

Something we need to call-out was the congestion we found in the lounge at Singapore Changi Airport. The main SilverKris lounge is huge, yet seating was at a premium and we couldn’t find 2 seats together. We were advised to go to the Star Alliance frequent flyer lounge. Food and drink was similar in quality, but there wasn’t as much choice. There was, however, plenty of available seating.

BG1 Tip

If there’s overcrowding in the main Singapore Airlines lounges at Changi. Ask the reception staff to redirect you to one of the quieter lounges.

Don’t forget to sign-up to our newsletter to get our latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.