Airline review: Singapore Airlines economy, Male to Singapore

Economy. Seat 31D in a mostly 3-3-3 layout.

DURATION

Four hours, 45 minutes. We leave on time but arrive 15 minutes late.

THE FREQUENCY

Twice daily.

THE SEAT

Seat 31D is an aisle bulkhead seat behind the business class cabin (yes, I sneak in and use their toilet). Pitch is 32 inches (81 centimetres) and width is 17.5 inches (45 centimetres).

BAGGAGE

Economy passengers can take on a generous 30 kilograms. Hand baggage is restricted to one piece weighing up to seven kilograms and a personal item.

COMFORT

I have plenty of legroom, find it easy to shuffle around and get served first. All the seats on the Boeing 777-200ER are comfortable because of the 3-3-3 configuration and the 32-inch pitch. Upon boarding, fleece blankets and large pillows are already placed on seats – so I get warm straight away. No amenity kits are provided (they were provided for the Singapore to Sydney leg).

ENTERTAINMENT

The screens are tiny (6.5 inches/17 centimetres) however, once you get into a film you get used to the size pretty quickly. Movie selection is adequate, but sometimes bizarrely categorised. Games, broken down into multiplayer games, video games and brainteasers, keep kids entertained. When the toddler next to me (the potential downside of the bulkhead seat) gets a little loud I flick through the music channel to tune out. The entertainment system isn't simple to use. When you turn it on you are prompted to refer to the KrisWorld guide for channels. Although some people like having a print guide, I enjoy watching the trailers. I work out how to skip this and get to the movie trailer section, but have to flick through still advertisements to get there.

SERVICE

As soon as the seatbelt sign comes off the team are on to it. Hot towels, nuts and menus are handed out in record time. We hit turbulence so meals are put on hold until conditions improve. If I only had one word for the team it would be efficient – they attend to customers' needs swiftly, calmly and hospitably.

FOOD

Meat eaters were offered stir-fried chicken and vegetables or braised beef with sauteed vegies. My special vegetarian option was a zucchini and tomato concoction with fried potato cubes, steamed carrots and broccoli florets. The zucchini medley is the tastiest part of the dish, while the potato chunks are too oily for my liking.

ONE MORE THING

Customers who want a stopover holiday would benefit from booking a flight-and-holiday package through Singapore Airlines Holidays.

THE VERDICT

Comfortable seats and great service made for a pleasant flight. I do, however, feel there's room for improvement when it comes to cuisine on board.

Reviewed by Tatyana Leonov, who travelled as a guest of Singapore Airlines Holidays, Anantara and Per Aquum.

See also: How to feel like you're in first class (when you're actually in economy)

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