I. Shanghai-Singapore Singapore Airlines 77W Business Class Review & How to Apply for Singapore Transit Visa-Free Entry
II. Review of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport
I’m Mr. V. I’ve owed OneMoreDay a trip report for quite a while... Mainly because I was swamped after getting back, plus I’m pretty lazy myself, so only now am I finally getting around to finishing this Singapore Airlines SQ A350 trip report. Ever since the A350, with its “panda-eye” cockpit window design, came out, I’d really wanted to fly on one. During my October vacation back to China, I was also thinking about what routing to take from Shanghai back to San Francisco. I had remembered that Singapore Airlines was launching the nonstop SFO-SIN route, operated by the A350. Before my trip home, I happened to notice that the inaugural flight would be on 10-23, while my return to the U.S. was planned for the 25th-26th, so I started booking tickets right away!
I’m sure most readers have already heard how to book Singapore Airlines award tickets and have seen plenty of posts about it, so I won’t repeat too much here. From Shanghai to San Francisco via Singapore, there were 2 options: the original Shanghai-Singapore-Hong Kong-San Francisco routing, with the Singapore-Hong Kong-San Francisco segment operated by the 777-300ER, and the new Shanghai-Singapore-San Francisco routing, with the Singapore-San Francisco segment operated by the A350-900. Since the A350-900 has three cabins—Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class (Singapore Airlines treats Premium Economy as its own separate cabin) —you can simply search for Business Class on the Singapore Airlines website. Choosing the nonstop Singapore-San Francisco routing requires fewer miles than routing via Hong Kong; from Shanghai, the full itinerary cost 76500 + RMB 2,621 in YQ. In terms of mileage, this Singapore Airlines route is a great value, but the YQ is also much higher than on other airlines.
Since I have friends in Singapore, I decided to stay there for a day and meet up with them. When booking, Singapore Airlines lets you choose your preferred routing and connection time. Since there is only one A350 flight to San Francisco per day, Singapore Airlines also offered connection options like mine, with almost a full-day layover, which is great for anyone who wants to spend some time exploring Singapore.
Because my first flight to Singapore was an early morning departure, after arriving at Pudong Airport and picking up my boarding pass at the Singapore Airlines counter, I didn’t bother stopping by the Air China lounge. That said, I had checked it out before when flying UA using A3 Gold status, and the environment and food were both quite good—it’s actually a pretty decent lounge.
My first flight to Singapore, SQ827, was operated by the 777-300ER. The A380-800 flight, SQ831, doesn’t depart until the afternoon. Since my time in Singapore was somewhat limited, it made more sense to just take the morning flight.
Here’s a full-body shot of the SQ 777-300.
I like boarding early so I have time to put away my luggage and take some cabin photos. This 777-300ER had the traditional three-cabin layout: First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class. Business Class was in a 2-2-2 configuration using Singapore Airlines’ Regional Business Class seat, which reclines into a fully flat 180-degree bed. At the time, Singapore Airlines had 3 Business Class products: the A350’s New Business Class, which I’ll mention later; the regular Business Class (you could also call it the older Business Class) ; and the Regional Business Class used on shorter routes.
Here is the image from the official website:
Overall seat comfort and legroom were both very good. Even though the product looked a bit dated, the overall experience was still quite solid. The flight also provided slippers and thick socks, which made the long-haul experience more comfortable.
The headphones provided by Singapore Airlines were a bit old, and to be honest, the noise-canceling performance wasn’t particularly impressive. Still, better than nothing.
Here are the menu and wine list for this flight:
Since it was a morning flight, I went with the lighter option: shrimp congee and fruit.
The shrimp congee tasted very fresh, and it was great with a few slices of youtiao on the side.
Because I had gotten up so early, after breakfast I just flattened the seat and went straight to sleep. I didn’t get around to taking photos of the lavatory or any other facilities on the Singapore Airlines 777. After about 5 hours of flying, we landed in Singapore smoothly. I also managed to catch sight of several A350s.
I have to say, the A350’s scimitar-style wings look absolutely gorgeous, and the nose design is also very cute. Its sleek fuselage looks good in just about any airline livery. ~ (Though some liveries are exceptions.)
Here’s one practical tip about transiting in Singapore. If you hold a Chinese passport and are transiting through Singapore on your way to the United States, you can use Singapore’s Visa Free Transit Facility to get up to 96 hours visa-free. The Singapore government didn’t provide any especially detailed official terms about VTFT on its website, just a vague one-liner. This was something I researched myself and then personally tested as a data point for everyone. If you want to use VTFT, make sure you have a valid onward ticket, a U.S. visa, your passport, and the other required documents. On the plane, or after arrival, you will need to fill out a Singapore arrival card.
I found one online—this should give you the general idea.
After filling out the form, bring the form, your passport, and your onward ticket to immigration and speak with the officer. Proactively tell the officer that you want to apply for a transit visit, or simply say VTFT—they’ll know what you mean. Although many Singapore immigration officers speak Chinese, I’d still recommend using English if you’re comfortable with it, just to avoid any unnecessary confusion.
Once it’s approved, immigration will give you a slip like this and stamp your passport. You can also see VTFT written in the upper-right corner.
