Singapore Airlines 777

LONDON - As the COVID-19 pandemic requires more of a cargo-based focus, Singapore Airlines (SQ) has taken the decision to convert two of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to carry cargo in the passenger cabins. It is understood that the airlines were recently converted and completed its first flights to Tokyo Narita (NRT) from Singapore (SIN). In the largest ever wide-body aircraft deal, Singapore Airlines on Tuesday agreed to buy up to 77 of Boeing Co.' S new 777-200B passenger planes for $12.7 billion. Singapore Airlines introduced a similar design on board the Boeing 777 aircraft through its ongoing cabin retrofit program. The Boeing 777-300 was the first model to undergo refit and had introduced the product on the Singapore–Sydney route on 22 July 2009. To get from Singapore (SIN) to Hong Kong, I booked a flight with Singapore Airlines aboard one of the carrier’s aging Boeing 777-200s in a regional configuration. After my flight, it’s safe to say that Singapore definitely doesn’t win any of its awards based on flights aboard the 777-200. While Singapore Airlines may be the world’s best airline, it’s not perfect. But on sheer looks alone, its business class cabins are pretty close. The Boeing 777s Singapore flies on this route are equipped with one of the airline’s newest products.

• Singapore Airlines 777-300er First Class
• Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 300er
• Singapore Airlines 777-300er Seats
• Singapore Airlines 777 Seatguru
• Singapore Airlines 777-300er Seatguru

Singapore Airlines operates 3 versions of Boeing 777-300.

First version of Boeing 777-300 operated by Singapore Airlines has 284 seats divided into three classes: first, business and economy.

First class consists of two rows of flat bed seats that have 1-2-1 configuration. Passengers with babies are often seated on the seats 1F, 2A and 2F as these seats have bassinet locations.

Business class may accommodate 50 passengers on 50 flat bed seats. Most of the seats here have 2-2-2 configuration. The noise that is coming from the galleys and lavatories may cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 11DF, 12C and 12H. As these seats have bassinet locations, they are first reserved for passengers traveling with babies.

The seats 17A and 17K have no windows.

The main disadvantage of the seats of the 20th row is proximity of the lavatories.

226 standard seats are located in the economy class. These seats are divided into two sections. The seats of the 31st row are narrower than standard as the tray tables are in the armrests making them immovable. Other passengers tend to gather in this area while waiting to visit lavatories thus causing discomfort to passengers of these seats. Another disadvantage of these seats is lack of floor storage during take-off and landing. The seats 31A and 31K are missing windows and it can get cold by the exits during the flight. Passengers of the seats 31BC and 31HJ will take advantage of extra legroom provided by exit row located in front. The seats 31DEG have bassinet locations and offer extra space for passengers’ legs.

Due to missing seats behind the seats 42C and 42H are often bumped by crew members and other passengers passing by.

For passengers traveling with a companion will be ideal the seats 43AC, 43HK and 44AC, 44HK. Close location of the galley may be bothersome for passengers of the seats 43C, 43DEG, 43H and for passengers of the seats of the 44th row. Also the seats 43DEG, 44AC and 44HK are less reclining than standard.

Behind the exit row the second section of economy class seats is located. Passengers with babies are often seated on the seats 45DEG, 46ABC and 46HJK. As other passengers congregate in this area it causes discomfort to passengers of these seats. Among other disadvantages of these seats: lack of floor storage during take-off and landing and reduced width of the seats.

The seats 55C and 55H are often bumped by service carts and other passengers as there are no seats behind.

Passengers traveling with a partner will feel comfortable on the seats 56AC, 56HK and 57AC and 57HK.

Close location of the lavatories may be bothersome for passengers of the seats 56AC, 56HK and for passengers of the seats of the 57th row. Limited recline make the seats of the last 57th row bad seats.

This version of Boeing 777-300 may accommodate 264 passengers in four classes.

First class offers 4 open suites that have 180 degree recline. For passengers with babies the seat 1A has bassinet location.

Business class consists of 12 rows of seats that have 1-2-1 configuration. These seats are divided into two sections. First sections consists of 3 rows of seats. The only disadvantage of the seats of the 14th row is close location of the galleys and lavatories.

Behind the exit row the other 12 rows of business class seats are located. The seats of the 15th row have bassinet locations. That is why passengers with infants are often seated here. However, proximity of the lavatories and galleys may cause discomfort to passengers of these seats.

The seats 19A, 19K and 21A, 21K have no windows.

Behind the seats of business class 28 seats of premium economy class are located. All these seats are standard. The main disadvantage of the seats 31A and 31K is missing windows. The seats 31DEFG are intended for passengers with infants.

Economy class may accommodate 184 passengers in two sections. First section consists of 67 seats. The seats 41ABC and 41HJK are considered the best seats of the economy class as they offer extra legroom to passengers. However, as the tray tables are in the armrests, the width of these seats is reduced a little. Also these seats have no floor storage during take-off and landing.

The seats 41DEG on the contrary have limited legroom because of the bulkhead position. These seats have bassinet locations. Among other disadvantages: lack of floor storage during take-off and landing and reduced width of these seats.

Due to missing seats behind other passengers and crew members passing by tend to bump into the seats 47C and 47H.

Close location of the galleys and lavatories may represent a problem to passengers of the seats 47DEG, 48AB and 48JK.

The last 14 rows of economy class seats are located in the second section.

The seats 49ABC and 49HJK have extra space for passengers’ legs. Other passengers tend to gather in the area of these seats while waiting to use lavatories and causing discomfort to passengers of these seats. Also these seats are narrower than standard and have no floor storage during take-off and landing. In addition the seats 49A and 49K have no windows.

Because of the bulkhead position the seats 49DEG have limited legroom. Proximity of the galleys and lavatories and lack of floor storage during take-off and landing are other disadvantages of these seats.

The seats 60C and 60H are often bumped by other passengers passing by as there are no seats behind.

Limited recline and proximity of the lavatories and galleys make the seats of the seats 64AC, 61DEG and 62HK bad seats.

The third version of Boeing 777-300 may transport 278 passengers in three classes.

First class has 8 flat bed seats. All of them are standard. The seats 1CD and 2CD are perfect for passengers traveling with a companion.

Business class consists of 42 flat bed seats. First two rows of business class seats are located in the first section. The seats of the 11th row are considered the best seats as they have extra legroom. All these 8 seats of the first section have an exclusive feel of mini-cabins. The seats 12A and 12K have misaligned windows.

The second section of business class seats has 9 rows of seats. Passengers traveling with infants are often seated on the seats 14A, 14K and 15DF as these seats have bassinet locations. These seats offer extra legroom to passengers of these seats. However, proximity of the lavatories and bulkhead position may cause discomfort.

Misaligned windows is the only disadvantage if the seats 18A, 18K and 20A, 20K.

Behind the exit row 2 section of economy class seats are located. There are totally 228 standard seats here.

The seats 31A and 31K have extra legroom. Among disadvantages of these seats: reduced width of these seats , lack of floor storage during take-off and landing and it can get cold by the exits during the flight.

The seats 31BC and 31HJ are designated as preferred seats as they offer extra space for passengers’ legs. However, passengers of these seats may get cold by the exits during the flight. As the tray tables are in the armrests the width of these seats is slightly reduced. Also there is no floor storage for these seats during take-off and landing. The seats 31DEG have the same disadvantages. The position of bassinets may be bothersome for passengers of these seats. But thanks to extra legroom passengers of these seats will feel comfortable.

The seats 41A and 41K have misaligned windows . Due to missing seat behind the seat 42C is often bumped by other passengers and crew members passing by.

The only disadvantage of the seats 42HJK and of the seats of the 43rd row is proximity of the galley and lavatory. For passengers traveling with a companion will be ideal the seats 43AC.

Singapore Airlines 777-300er First Class

13 row are located in the second section of economy class seats. All the seats of the 44th row have the following disadvantages: noise that is coming from the galleys and lavatories will cause discomfort to passengers of these seats, as the tray tables are built-in the armrests the width f these seats is reduced a little, lack of floor storage during take-off and landing is another disadvantage. The seats 44A and 44K are considered bad seats as they have no windows and the exit doors protrude out of the wall.

The seats 44BC and 44HJ are designated as preferred seats as they offer extra legroom to passengers.

Position of the bassinets may cause inconvenience to passengers of the seats 44DEG. Extra space for passengers legs provides additional comfort to passengers of these seats.

Limited legroom is the main disadvantage of the seats 53BC and 53HJ.

The seats 55C and 55H are often bumped by crew members and passengers passing by due to missing seats behind.

The seats of the last 56th row are considered bad seats as they are less reclining than standard and are located close to the galley and lavatories. The seats 56AC and 56HK will be ideal for passengers traveling with a partner.

While Singapore is gradually introducing their A350 into the fleet, the backbone of their longhaul fleet currently consists of the A380 and the 777-300ER. I had the chance to fly both planes in premium economy recently, and most of Singapore’s “premium” routes allow a choice between these two planes (e.g. London, where some flights are operated by the A380 and others are operated by the 777-300ER). I’d say if you were flying in first, business or economy class, the choice is pretty clear cut.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Hong Kong Airport

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Hong Kong Airport

If you were flying in first class, you would probably want to choose the A380, which features a fully enclosed suite that has been consistently hyped for the past ten years (while there probably are better products out there at this point, I agree that their suites are impressive, particularly those which convert into a double bed).

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Suites Class

Meanwhile, if you were flying in business or economy class, you probably would want to sit on the 777-300ER. The 777-300ER features an updated business and economy cabin, while the A380’s business and economy cabins are starting to become dated.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Business Class

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Economy Class

This leaves one cabin – premium economy. A number of Singapore’s 777-300ERs feature premium economy, as do most (all?) of their A380s. The difference certainly isn’t as big, as you’d get the same seat either way, which is pretty industry leading, in my opinion. While the padding isn’t great, the seat reclines pretty far back, has a legrest and footrest at every seat (most airlines only feature a legrest in the first row), and they’re practical, with quite a few storage options and two power ports.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Premium Economy

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 300er

I’ve reviewed both flights that I’ve taken between Hong Kong and Singapore on Singapore’s premium economy, which you can find here:

However, I thought I’d dedicate a post comparing between the two products, so those flying premium economy on Singapore would be able to choose between the 777 and the A380. Singapore Airlines’ 777s and A380s feature the same seat (which is comfortable, though I’d wish the padding was slightly better), so I’m basing the comparison around some other factors that I found interesting.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy

So, what differentiates the cabin products between Singapore’s A380 and 777-300ER economy class, and most importantly, which one would I choose on a longhaul flight?

Cabin Size

Singapore’s A380 lower deck is marginally wider than the 777’s lower deck, which fits one more seat abreast down in economy class. This means that the A380 cabin is ever so slightly more spacious than the cabin on the 777.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Premium Economy Cabin

However, the 777 only features four rows of premium economy, while the A380 features five. Personally I found the 777 premium economy cabin to be slightly confined, actually, and the A380 much more spacious. I can’t exactly explain that, but I guess it has to do with the 777 premium economy cabin being sandwiched squarely between business and economy class, while there’s a certain amount of space between premium economy and first class on the A380. So while the 777 cabin feels private, it does feel cramped at the same time.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy Cabin

Overall, even as someone who values privacy, I’d take the A380 cabin over the 777 cabin purely in terms of size alone. It feels less cramped, and it’s slightly wider.

Sleeping Comfort

While the seats are identical, it’s worth noting that the A380’s window seats feature space between the seat and the window, due to the curvature of the cabin. That’s terrific if you want to store pillows and unused blankets in the space by the window, as it’s big enough, though people usually pay for premium economy to get slightly better sleep quality as it’s less cramped. With the A380, you can’t prop your pillow against the wall and sleep, while you can do that on the 777. That’s value for the window seats, in my opinion.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Premium Economy Cabin

While it ultimately doesn’t matter if you’re not in a window seat, I think the 777 edges the A380 out in seat comfort for that reason alone. The A380 is slightly wider on the lower deck, though, which should translate to wider seats – I didn’t notice a big difference in that regard, though, apart from the cabin seeming more spacious.

Service Pace

The A380 is a huge plane, with over 400 passengers in economy class. That’s impressive up until the point where you have to wait for an hour on a four hour flight to get your tray cleared. On the 777, you’ll still have to wait for 45-50 minutes on a full flight (if you don’t book the Cook you’ll be waiting around 10-15 minutes less), which I don’t believe is acceptable. Nonetheless, the 777 features less waiting time in terms of service pace alone. I haven’t been on a longhaul flight so I can’t judge, but they seem to do things similarly on both aircraft on shorthaul flights.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Economy Class

So yeah, you’ll have to wait less for your tray to be cleared on the 777.

Entertainment

Singapore’s KrisWorld entertainment system is one of the best out there. I think that the A380 probably has the best entertainment system that I’ve ever used, based on the range of entertainment that it provides.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 KrisWorld Entertainment System

However, I do think that they botched the entertainment system completely on the 777, as it’s much harder to navigate. While Singapore tried to make the 777 entertainment system better so it could compete with Cathay Pacific and Emirates’ new systems, instead they fell behind. Ultimately there’s still a wide range of entertainment, it’s just the navigation that has been appallingly altered.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER KrisWorld Entertainment System

The one redeeming quality of the new entertainment system is that I prefer its inflight map, which features more extensive viewing options. However, if you’re not an airline nut that likes to watch the inflight map from takeoff until landing (hell, even I’m not one of those people), you probably wouldn’t appreciate the downfalls that the system has.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER KrisWorld Inflight Map

While the 777 was an attempt to improve the great first generation KrisWorld entertainment system, due to the lack of navigation options, I’d avoid the 777’s entertainment system, and would pick the A380 in that regard.

Exit Row/Bulkhead Seating

Singapore requires a payment for their exit/bulkhead rows, and I think that the legroom they provide is sufficient, so I personally wouldn’t spring for them. Singapore’s A380 features a window at their bulkhead row seat, though not a lot of extra legroom. I don’t have a picture of the bulkhead row, but from the below photo you can get a general impression of what it’s like.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Premium Economy Cabin

Singapore Airlines 777-300er Seats

I probably wouldn’t spring for a bulkhead even if it was free, as most of the other rows feature two windows.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Premium Economy Windows

Meanwhile, on the 777, there’s a ton of extra space at the exit row, though there aren’t any windows. As an aviation nut, I’d probably avoid the exit row despite its extra legroom, even if assigning an exit row seat was free.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy Seats 31H and 31K

Obviously all this is a moot point if you’re not seated by the window, but the window seats are easy to snag if you book early.

Singapore Airlines 777 Seatguru

Objectively speaking, I’d say that people would choose the 777’s exit row seats for their extra space, where there’s no reason to pay extra for Singapores’ A380 premium economy seats, as the extra space is marginal and they’re still missing a window. So I’d give the 777 the win, even though I wouldn’t pick their bulkhead seats either.

Bottom Line

I’d say that both cabins are pretty even in this regard, so I’d say the following:

Singapore Airlines 777-300er Seatguru

• If you wanted to stay up and work in a wider, more spacious cabin and be able to quickly navigate around entertainment, I’d suggest booking the A380
• If you wanted to prop your head up against a wall and sleep, or wanted an exit row and didn’t mind losing the window view, I’d suggest booking the 777

However, I can’t recommend the product enough, and do think it’s one of the better premium economy products out there. I’m eager to try more premium economy products so I’ll be able to weigh Singapore’s premium economy against the other big products out there, though you’ll have a good flight either way – at least if your USB port and your PTV remote aren’t broken and your PTV isn’t glitchy. 😉

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy USB Port

Do you have a preference of aircraft when flying premium economy on Singapore? How does their A350 premium economy weigh up against the rest?