Singapore Airlines First Class
The second leg of our SQ First Adventure was in their more traditional B777 configuration, and not nearly as good as the Suites on the A380.
Before we got on the flight, however, we stopped to check out the lounge. Singapore Airlines has a dedicated lounge for its First Class and Suites travellers at Changi Airport called the Private Room.
The first thing you notice is just how quiet it is in there. I’ve been there a few times and it’s certainly an elegant design, but it’s empty and super quiet which makes it feel totally absent of atmosphere. Personally, I like the more homely but refined vibes of the Cathay First Class Lounges, especially those designed by Ilse Crawford.
Once on the plane we had a second breakfast and napped a little on the four hour flight to Hong Kong. It’s a perfectly nice and extremely wide seat (35 inches), but there are a couple of strange design choices that I noticed.
Despite being wide, the seats aren’t very long. I’m 6’5 which is obviously tall but I would guess that they max out at about 6’2. That’s perhaps fine for business class but not for first. It’s especially strange when you consider that they aren’t using the full length of the First cabin. The seats are deliberately set back from the wall, with a passing space for crew behind the middle two seats. Given the very wide nature of the seat as a tall person you can just lie diagonally to get a bit of extra room but it just seems like a strange choice to limit the legroom for no reason.
The most obvious omission here, however, is a door. There seemed to be plenty of room to make these extra wide seats more private with a sliding door. The upside is a more open and light cabin but for individual comfort and privacy it seems like a strange choice.
Whilst the soft product (service, food and drink, amenities) is all the same, the seat just doesn’t compare. It’s a more standard open plan cabin, with seats in 1-2-1 configuration across one row. The most remarkable thing to say about it is the ratio of seats to lavatories (2:1), perhaps the most generous outside of private aviation, or on Etihad’s The Residence, where you get your own, which includes a shower.
