Introduction
Hyatt Herald Square New York
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK
Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380 New York To Frankfurt
Element Frankfurt Airport
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Frankfurt Airport FRA
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport FRA
Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380 Frankfurt To New York
I don’t think there’s a more aspirational first class product out there than Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class, so I was excited to finally fly it between the US and Germany, which is one of my favorite fifth freedom routes that they operate. Previously I had only flown Singapore Suites Class between San Francisco and Hong Kong and then between Hong Kong and Singapore. I’ve also flown Singapore 777-300ER first class many times.
Singapore Airlines 25
New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Monday, November 3
Depart: 8:25PM
Arrive: 10:00AM (+1 day)
Duration: 7hr35min
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 2F (Suites Class)
At the door I was welcomed aboard and immediately escorted to my seat, 2F. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the A380 featured Singapore’s refurbished Suites Class cabin. Best I could tell the product itself was more or less identical to the “old” one. The only difference was the finishes — the seat featured much darker leather.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class
In terms of hard product it really is tough to beat Singapore Suites. You have a huge seat with a massive TV and big ottoman which can double as a buddy seat.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class
The Suites Class cabin was totally full except for one seat, so I wasn’t able to score the famous “double bed.” The guy seated across from me did, however, as 2C was the only seat to remain empty. Selecting the middle seat on Singapore when traveling alone is a bit of a gamble — you could end up with the double bed, or you could end up seated next to someone else (though at least there’s a privacy partition).
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class double bed
There are four rows of seats along the windows. Row two kind of looks at the stairs and closet, so it does feel quite private. I slightly prefer row three, since it has an extra window. But I’d say rows two or three are the best ones to be in.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class, view from 2F
On the left side of my seat were the entertainment and reading light controls, as well as a small trash bin.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class seat controls
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class trash
In front of that on the left side was the magazine rack.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class magazine pocket
Then on the right side of the seat were power outlets (both 110v and USB), the headphone jack, and a small storage compartment for glasses, etc.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class power outlets
The Suites Class seat controls are pretty intuitive. You can only slide forward or backwards, or raise the footrest. One downside to the seat is that it can’t be reclined into a bed. You actually have to get up and “flip” the seat over in order to turn it into a bed. Or more accurately the crew has to do that.
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class seat controls
Also waiting at my seat were a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones. It’s nice that Singapore finally offers these, as they didn’t for years.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class Bose headphones
Since I was the last to board, I was quickly offered a pre-departure beverage. Upon requesting champagne, I was presented both of my options — Dom and Krug. Not a horrible decision to have to make, though the winner is clear.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class Dom vs. Krug
Krug all the way!
Singapore Airlines Suites Class Krug
I was also then offered pajamas and an amenity kit. The pajamas were produced by Givenchy, while the amenity kit featured Salvatore Ferragamo products.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class pre-departure goodies
Singapore Airlines Suites Class pre-departure goodies
The pajamas are much higher quality than the ones they had in the past. That being said, they’re still a bit too thick, in my opinion. Singapore Airlines tends to keep their cabins pretty warm, so I far prefer a lighter pair. I still love some of the “simpler” airline pajamas out there, like those offered by American and British Airways.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class Givenchy pajamas
The amenity kit only featured a few items, though among them was a bottle of cologne. It was actually a good size bottle — not quite as big as the ones Singapore offered several years back, but it was a huge improvement over the kit they had most recently prior to this one. Kudos!
Singapore Airlines Suites Class Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit
I was also offered the menu for the flight, which came in a leather folder.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class menu
During boarding the leading steward and leading stewardess came by to introduce themselves.
Shortly before pushback the captain came on the PA to inform us of our flight time of 6hr40min, which he anticipated would put us into Frankfurt ahead of schedule.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380
We pushed back right on time, at which point the safety video began to play. Maybe it’s just me, but for an airline as cutting edge as Singapore, their safety video sure is right out of the 90s.
Our taxi to our departure runway was quick, and we were airborne by around 8:45PM.
Lining up for takeoff New York JFK
View after takeoff from New York
Our climb out was smooth, and about 10 minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off. Usually I’d change into pajamas while on the ground, though I was running late on the flight, so only changed after takeoff. Singapore’s A380 lavatories are on the large side, though nowhere as big as those on Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar, and Thai.
Singapore Airlines A380 lavatory
Singapore Airlines A380 lavatory
The lavatories do have a nice selection of Salvatore Ferragamo amenities.
Singapore Airlines A380 lavatory amenities
It is really cool how private the Suites cabin feels. You almost feel like you’re on a train with a bunch of private compartments, or something (that’s intended to be a compliment, though I realize comparing airplane seats that sell for $20,000+ to train transportation might not come across as such).
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class cabin
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class cabin
Oddly the first thing I was offered after takeoff were slippers, socks, and eyeshades. In my experience those are usually offered with the amenity kits and pajamas, though I guess they were a bit rushed on the ground.
Singapore Airlines Suites Class slippers, socks, and eyeshades
At that point dinner orders were taken.
The dinner menu read as follows:
And the wine/beverage list read as follows:
I think the ultimate #FirstWorldProblem on airlines like Singapore is balancing sleep with enjoying a great meal. A five course meal greatly cuts into the potential for any real sleep on a short transatlantic flight, but on Singapore I find it’s almost always worth it. So I went “all in” and placed my order.
To my surprise the service didn’t start immediately. So instead I tried to browse the entertainment selection, though they were having technical issues.
Singapore Airlines entertainment system problems
About 50 minutes into the flight the entertainment system finally worked. So I started by taking a look at the airshow.
Singapore Airlines airshow
Singapore Airlines airshow
Singapore Airlines airshow
Then I browsed the entertainment selection, and eventually decided to watch some sitcoms.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld entertainment system
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld entertainment system
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld entertainment system
About 45 minutes into the flight I was offered my first drink, which was accompanied by some cashews.
Singapore Airlines Krug and nuts
15 minutes later my table was set. The Suites tray table is massive, and can easily be used to serve two (if you have someone accompanying you in your buddy seat).
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class tray table
About 75 minutes into the flight the first course was served. There aren’t many airlines that do caviar better than Singapore, in my opinion. I was also offered a selection from the bread basket. I went with my favorite airline bread in the world, which would be Singapore’s garlic bread. Mmmm…
Singapore Airlines dinner — chilled malossol caviar
Singapore Airlines dinner — chilled malossol caviar celeriac and pear cream soup
The next course was a delicious cream soup.
Singapore Airlines dinner — celeriac and pear cream soup
And then a salad, which was good, though had way too much dressing on it (my fault for not specifying for them to go easy on the dressing).
Singapore Airlines dinner — Alaskan crabmeat salad
Singapore Airlines dinner — Alaskan crabmeat salad
And then for the main course I had a grilled wagyu sirloin. It was good, but not great.
Singapore Airlines dinner — grilled wagyu sirloin
Lastly for dessert I had I had semi freddo with olive cake and ice cream — it was amazing, and beautifully presented.
Singapore Airlines dinner — Gotham pistachio
It was a bit over two hours into the flight by the time the meal service was done. Once the service began it was at a good pace, though I felt like they were a bit slow getting started. I’ve certainly had better service on Singapore, though I imagine this is also one of the toughest sectors for the crew to work.
Half of the passengers wanted to go to bed right away, which probably explains why the service was slow to start — two crew members basically spent the first 30 minutes just making beds.
After dinner I requested my bed be made, which was promptly taken care of. I was asked if I wanted to be woken for breakfast 90 minutes before arrival. I asked if it could be an hour before landing instead, since it was just a continental breakfast. She said “sure,” and I also requested a cappuccino for when I woke up (since I know it sometimes takes them a while to make them).
Singapore A380 Suites Class cabin
Singapore A380 Suites Class bed
At that point I was off to bed. Singapore has an excellent blanket and three pillows per seat in Suites Class, which is awesome. That being said, they could really use a mattress pad, since what they offer is more of a sheet than anything else.
Singapore A380 Suites Class bed
I slept exceptionally well for a short period, and was then woken up. I figured we had an hour to go to Frankfurt. I headed to the restroom to brush my teeth and freshen up, and in the meantime had them undo my bed.
Singapore Airlines airshow upon waking up
By the time I got back to my seat and looked at the airshow, we still had 1hr16min to go to Frankfurt, so I was clearly woken up about 90 minutes before arrival. Now that’s not a huge deal, but if I ask to be woken an hour before landing (and the flight attendant agrees to it), and I’m woken 30 minutes earlier than that on such a short flight, I think that’s kind of disappointing. Not only that, but I wasn’t offered a cappuccino.
Singapore Airlines airshow upon waking up
Singapore Airlines airshow upon waking up
On the plus side the view out the window was quite nice. By the way, speaking of the window, did I mention how old school Singapore’s A380 windows are? You actually have to manually raise and lower them yourselves, unlike the other A380 operators, where you can raise and lower them at the push of a button.
And the A380 window covers are huge as well. Bros could totally skip the gym on arm day and just raise and lower these puppies throughout the flight.
View approaching Europe
Once seated I was quickly offered breakfast.
The continental breakfast menu read as follows:
Breakfast on this sector simply consists of a fruit plate and items from the bread basket. So I find waking passengers up 90 minutes before arrival for that is kind of ridiculous.
Singapore Airlines breakfast — selection of fruit
Singapore Airlines breakfast — selection of fruit
After my meal was served I was asked if I wanted a hot beverage. I ordered a cappuccino, which was served maybe 15 minutes later (I guess they forgot about the fact that I ordered it before I even went to sleep).
Singapore Airlines breakfast — bread and cappuccino
30 minutes before arrival the first officer came on the PA to give us updated arrival information, expecting that we’d be at the gate in Frankfurt a bit ahead of schedule.
At that point I changed out of my pajamas and stowed all my carry-ons.
It was a reasonably nice day in Frankfurt (at least for November), so the views on descent were good.
View on descent into Frankfurt
View on descent into Frankfurt
View on descent into Frankfurt
We had a smooth touchdown at around 9:30AM, and then began our rather long taxi to our arrival gate.
View upon landing in Frankfurt
View upon landing in Frankfurt
View upon landing in Frankfurt
While I don’t love the terminals, Frankfurt Airport has some of my favorite traffic in the world, so I was glued to the window for the entire taxi in.
Traffic at Frankfurt Airport
Traffic at Frankfurt Airport
Traffic at Frankfurt Airport
Eventually we parked at our gate next to a Qatar Airways 777 at around 9:45AM, well ahead of schedule.
Qatar Airways 777 Frankfurt Airport
As we deplaned the crew asked the guy in front of me for a picture, which I found kind of tacky. I wasn’t sure who he was, though after snapping a picture of my own and asking some friends, it turns out it was Vijay Singh. I’m still not exactly sure who that is.
Singapore Airlines A380 upon arrival Frankfurt Airport
Singapore Airlines Suites Class bottom line
I’m a big fan of Lufthansa first class, but there’s no denying that Singapore Airlines Suites Class is the best way to get between New York and Germany. From the cabin to the entertainment to the food, Singapore is simply fantastic.
On any other airline I would have called this an above average crew, but by Singapore standards I didn’t think they were amazing. They didn’t go above and beyond like some of the other crews I’ve had on Singapore, and they messed up a couple of really basic things. But then again, I think the real issue is that Singapore Airlines creates impossible expectations because of just how good they are.
How to redeem miles for Singapore Airlines Suites Class
What’s amazing about Singapore’s New York to Frankfurt flight is that it’s also one of the most inexpensive transatlantic first class redemptions out there. KrisFlyer charges just 57,375 KrisFlyer miles one way, which is a heck of a deal. The best part is that KrisFlyer is transfer partners with all four “major” transferable points currencies, so those points are quite easy to come by.
Here are some of the best ways to rack up those points through credit cards:
Card
Current Bonus
Details
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
40,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within three months, plus an additional 5,000 points when you add an authorized user and they make their first purchase within three months
• $95 annual fee, waived the first year
• No foreign transaction fees
• 2x points on travel and dining
Ink Plus® Business Credit Card
Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $95 annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• 5x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services; 2x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and on hotels
Amex EveryDay & EveryDay Preferred Credit Cards
Amex EveryDay: Get One Year of Amazon Prime plus 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you make $1,000 in purchases with your new Card in the first three months.
Amex EveryDay Preferred: Get One Year of Amazon Prime plus 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you make $1,000 in purchases with your new Card in the first three months.
Terms and Conditions apply
Amex EveryDay:
• Get 2x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1X). Earn 1X points on other purchases.
• Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and get 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
Amex EveryDay Preferred:
• Earn 3X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1X). Earn 2X points at U.S. gas stations. Earn 1X points on other purchases.
• Use your Card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and get 50% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card
25,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $2,000 within three months
Terms and Conditions apply
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175
• Earn 3x points on airfare purchased with airlines, 2x points on gas purchased at US gas stations & groceries purchased at supermarkets
Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN
25,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $2,000 within three months
Terms and Conditions apply
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175
• Earn 3x points on airfare purchased with airlines, 2x points on US purchases for advertising in select media, shipping, selected computer hardware/software/cloud computing providers, and at US gas stations
Mercedes Benz Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $1,000 within three months
Terms and Conditions apply
Annual fee: $475
• No Foreign transaction fees
• Lounge access with Delta, Priority Pass Select, and others; access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts; a $200 annual airline fee credit, 20% Travel Bonus when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points
The Platinum Card® from American Express
40,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months
Terms and Conditions apply
Annual fee: $475
• No Foreign transaction fees
• Lounge access with Delta, Priority Pass Select, and others; access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts; a $200 annual airline fee credit, 20% Travel Bonus when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN
40,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 3 months
Terms and Conditions apply
• Annual fee: $475
• No Foreign transaction fees
• Lounge access with Delta, Priority Pass Select, and others; access to American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts; a $200 annual airline fee credit, 20% Travel Bonus when using Membership Rewards® Pay with Points
Citi ThankYou® Premier Card
20,000 bonus points after you make $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Earn an additional 30,000 ThankYou points after you make another $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of your second year of being a cardmember.
• $125 annual, waived the first year
• No Foreign transaction fees
• 3x points per $1 at restaurants and on select entertainment merchants including sports promoters, theatrical promoters, movie theaters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, record stores and video rental stores
• 2x points per $1 on purchases at airlines, hotels and travel agencies
• 1 point for all other purchases
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
and
Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Card from American Express
10,000 Starpoints after the first purchase, 15,000 additional Starpoints after spending $5,000 within six months
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
• Get a 25% bonus when transferring 20,000 points to an airline partner
The post Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class A380 New York To Frankfurt appeared first on One Mile at a Time.