Premium Economy Singapore Airlines Review From NRT to LAX
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Last year in October I flew with Singapore Airlines from LAX to NRT and wrote a review of my experience. This time I wanted to share my journey with Singapore Airlines from NRT to LAX (Boeing 777-300 ER).
Since I flew with them recently, I was pretty familiar with the airline and knew what to expect. However, I also discovered some things I was not aware of last time.
Singapore Airlines Aircraft at Narita Airport
Singapore Airlines ranks as one of the top airlines in the world and ranked 5th in the world last year in 2022. They were also voted as the World’s Best Cabin Crew in 2021, which makes sense since their flight attendant candidates must have pleasing personalities and be service-oriented.
Reserve Meals with “Book the Cook”
My perks with purchasing Premium Economy started prior to my departure. A week before my flight’s scheduled take-off, I received an email to select my meals online. I had the option of selecting from the regular menu or from their “Book the Cook” menu.
Book the Cook Premium Economy
I highly recommend selecting your meals ahead of time so that you can get those extra entrée options from the “Book the Cook” menu. On my previous flight, my “Book the Cook” meal did not make it onboard (there was a food strike at LAX), which meant that I ended up with a different meal.
For me, this was not a huge deal, but to make up for it, the airline offered me a $75 in-flight gift voucher. This was a nice surprise as I was not expecting anything and really appreciated the gesture.
Special Check-in Counter & Priority Baggage Handling
When I arrived at the Singapore Airlines counter, I had access to a dedicated Premium Economy counter and there were a handful of people in front of me. I didn’t think it would take long since there are only 28 passenger seats in this cabin. In the past, I only stood in line for at most 10 minutes; however, this time it took over 45 minutes.
Check-in Counter at Nartia Airport
The economy line was actually moving faster which was a tad annoying. I’m not sure what was going on, but the Premium Economy line was a little chaotic. The passenger crew was assisting groups of large families and one family in particular seemed to be a little agitated. With two large families ahead of me, this really held up the Premium Economy Check-in line.
Luggage with Premium Economy Tags
When it was finally my turn to check in, my bags were tagged and I had my ticket in less than five minutes. My checked-in bags received a priority baggage sticker. This meant that my luggage came out first at baggage claim. It was nice that my luggage was already off the belt and waiting for me by the time I cleared customs and immigration.
Quince Carry on Suitcase in Overhead Bin
TIP: Singapore Airlines is VERY strict with their weight limit, so if you are going to carry on a bag, make sure it’s exactly 7kg (15 lbs). They actually had personnel at the gate with a portable luggage scale and weighed bags that looked heavy. My carry-on bag got weighed, but luckily I was prepared for this.
Lounge Access
Unfortunately, my ticket did not have lounge access at either Los Angeles Airport or Narita International Airport. When I flew with Premium Economy on JAL, my ticket included lounge access in Japan which was superb, so it was a little disappointing that Singapore Airlines didn’t offer anything at either airport.
Priority Boarding
When the aircraft was ready for boarding, I didn’t have to wait long to settle into my seat. After First Class and Business Class boarded, Premium Economy was next, so I waited no more than ten minutes to board my flight.
Narita Airport Singapore Airlines Gate
Once I was settled into my seat, one of the cabin crew members came and confirmed my dinner and lunch options that I selected online with “Book the Cook”.
Enhanced Comfort Seating
There were a total of twenty-eight premium economy seats on the Boeing 777-300 ER (77W). My seat was spacious and had a wide center console which definitely made it feel like I had more personal space.
Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Cabin
The seat pitch was 38” which gave me plenty of room to stretch my legs. My seat included a calf and footrest which gave me a better snoozing position when I reclined my seat. There were two USB ports, a fully adjustable reading light, and a power supply that was all within reach.
Singapore Airlines Economy Cabin
Premium Economy Seat
There was a drink rest at the end of the armrest, which is so much better than having to pull out the table. There was also a little hook in front of my seat to hang my coat, but the coat ended up getting in the way, so that was pretty much useless.
USB and Headphone Outlet
Reading Lamp
Inflight Amenities
The airline does provide amenity kits, but you will have to request it. I’m the type that doesn’t like to bother the flight attendants so I wish a kit was just sitting at our seat, but I get that they are trying to reduce waste.
Amenity bag
When I requested for a kit, I was hoping for slippers, but was informed that they only had socks. Slippers definitely would have been better, so that I can wear them to the bathroom. Wearing socks to the bathroom is a no-go for me.
Socks and Lip Balm
Entertainment Controller
Noise Cancelling Headphones
The kit also included lip balm. I was hoping for some lotion, but the kit was VERY basic and only included socks and lip balm.
Premium Economy seats also receive a noise-canceling headphone, a pillow, and a large fluffy blanket. I was so pleased with the large blanket since I am always freezing on aircrafts. There was also bottled water in a cubby at the bottom of my armrest.
In-flight Meals
I definitely have had tastier dishes on other airlines, but for the most part, I enjoyed my in-flight meals. I highly recommend booking your meals ahead of time if you want your meal served before everyone else.
Chicken and RIce Dinner
All my meals came at least 10-15 minutes before everyone else started getting their meals served. By the time I was finished with my meal, everyone was just starting theirs so this was a great time for me to get up and use the bathroom.
TOmato Chicken Dinner
Red Wine and Snacks before Dinner
Bathroom
The Premium Economy cabin didn't have a designated bathroom in their section. The closest lavatory was in the economy cabin and it was surprisingly spacious. Also, every time I used it, it was clean and the trash bin was never overflowing with paper towels. There is also a drawer next to the sink that is stocked with toothbrush kits.
Toothbrush Kit next to the sink
Free Wi-Fi Onboard
Premium Economy travelers with a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account (it’s free to register for an account) get three free hours of Wi-Fi onboard. This is a new service that just launched earlier this year. The Wi-Fi worked great and I was able to check my emails, send texts, and browse Instagram and other apps.
KrisWorld inflight entertainment
Free In-flight Wi-Fi
The only thing is that once you start the three hours, you can’t pause it. So you definitely don’t want to start using it during mealtime or if you're about to fall asleep.
Krisflyer Shopping Catalogue
Remember that $75 inflight gift voucher I mentioned earlier? Well, I definitely wanted to use it since it was only valid for one year. I didn’t know if and when I would fly with Singapore Airlines again, so I started flipping through their catalog.
Krisflyer Catalogue
To be honest, it was filled with a bunch of items that didn’t really interest me. I asked my husband if he wanted anything (I texted him using the free onboard WiFi), and he suggested some whiskey so that’s what I ended up purchasing.
Final Thoughts
I definitely think it’s worth paying the extra money for a Premium Economy seat on a long-haul flight. The cabin crew was all very courteous and cheerful. Anytime I needed assistance, they were happy to help and even offered suggestions.
I’m so used to experiencing flight attendants being annoyed by the slightest requests or not wanting to be bothered. I didn’t witness any of this with Singapore Airlines flight attendants.
