Review: Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class from Singapore to Hong Kong

Review: Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class from Singapore to Hong Kong

Singapore Airlines operates more than half a dozen daily flights between its base, Changi airport, and Hong Kong. These are operated using a mix of aircraft including the A350-900, A380, 777-200ER, and 787-10.

Some time ago, Hirofumi reviewed the airline’s new A380 business class seat on the route. Last month, I flew on the not-nearly-as-luxurious Singapore Airlines 777-200ER in business class on the same flight.

Continue reading this review to see what the flight was like.

Transfer at Singapore Changi Airport

After spending the night at the SilverKris Lounge in terminal 2, I briefly visited Thai Airways’ Royal Orchid Lounge. I left the latter shortly after 6AM and made my way to gate A19 where the flight, SQ890, was departing from at 7:30AM.

As the gate itself was in terminal 3, it took about 20 minutes and a combination of two Skytrain (automated trains connecting various parts of Changi airport) rides and walking.

I also had to clear security as, rather than having a central checkpoint, Changi airport has security check at each gate separately. Or, in this case, a joint checkpoint for a group of gates (A16-A21).

Skytrain Station at Changi Airport
Skytrain station.
Gate A19 at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3
Gate area.
Singapore Airlines Flight 890 to Hong Kong
Passengers waiting for the early morning flight.

Boarding Singapore Airlines Flight 890

Boarding started at 6:55AM with business class passengers and PPS Club members, and I was among the first people to get onboard. Before heading down the jetway, the gate agent handed me a Hong Kong immigration form.

At the end of the jetway, there was a rack with a selection of English and Chinese newspapers and magazines.

SQ890 from Singapore to Hong Kong
Flight SQ890.
Singapore Airport Boarding Lanes
Boarding lanes.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER
The 777-200ER waiting for its flight to Hong Kong.
Newspapers Offered on Singapore Airlines
Newspapers.

Onboard, I was welcomed by one of the flight attendants who kindly showed me to my seat, 1K. On the seat, there were a large pillow and a blanket. And, in the seat pocket, there were – among the usual in-flight magazine, safety card, and so on – the menu and a noise-cancelling headset.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Pillow and Blanket
Pillow and blanket.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Menu
Menu.
Singapore Airlines Noise-Cancelling Headset
Headset.

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Seat

Singapore Airlines operates ten 777-200ERs half of which is equipped with full-flat seats in a “1-2-1” configuration. The other half, including the one I flew on, is equipped with older generation seats in a “2-2-2” configuration.

You would want to avoid the latter as much as possible on longer – and especially overnight – flights. The seat was, however, alright for the 3-hour daytime flight from Singapore to Hong Kong.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Business Class Cabin
Business class cabin.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Business Class Cabin
Looking towards the front.

Between each pair of seats, there was a small divider. And, next to it, there were a reading light (that I couldn’t figure out how to turn on) and the audio output.

The tray table could be found in the center armrest, and so could a universal power outlet. Besides that, the armrest also housed a bottle (or cup) holder and a number of storage compartments.

Reading Light and Audio Output
Reading light and audio output.
Privacy Partition Extended
Privacy partition extended.
Storage Space on Singapore Airlines 777-200ER
Storage spaces and drink holders.
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Power Outlet
Laptop storage space and power outlet.

The seat controls and the IFE controller were in the other armrest.

There were no overhead air vents.

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Seat Controls
Seat controls and IFE controller.
Overhead Panel
Overhead panel.

While each of the seats had more than enough legroom, 1K (and the rest of the first row) had even more space as it was a bulkhead seat.

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Legroom
Bulkhead seat legroom.

Singapore Airlines Short-Haul Business Class

Pre-Departure Service

Not long after I got settled in my seat, I was offered a welcome drink. The selection included apple, orange, and tomato juices, as well as water. I went with a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Welcome Drink Selection
Welcome drink selection.

Some minutes after that, another flight attendant came to offer newspapers, the purser came to greet me, and warm towels were distributed. Around the same time, the captain welcomed us onboard and mentioned that we would be in the air for about 3 hours and 30 minutes before landing in Hong Kong.

Finally, one of the cabin crew members came by to take my breakfast order. I went with roti prata – but more about the meal service later on.

Sunrise
Sunrise in Singapore.

Departing Singapore Bound for Hong Kong

The cabin crew closed the aircraft’s doors at 7:37AM – with about a 50% load factor in business class – and right after that, the safety video was screened.

While the video did a good job of showcasing the sights worth seeing in Singapore, I am not sure how well it conveyed the actual information related to safety. (I find that to be the case with quite a few safety videos these days.)

On a positive note, I found it commendable that the video featured a sign language interpreter in the bottom left corner.

Singapore Airlines A330
Singapore Airlines A330.
Singapore Airlines Safety Video
Safety video.

We were pushed back a few minutes behind the schedule, at 7:44AM, and not long after that, we started taxiing towards the departure runway. While doing so, I had a chance to spot plenty of Singapore Airlines aircraft being prepared for – or already in the middle of – their early morning flights.

Singapore Airlines 787-10
Singapore Airlines 787-10.
Singapore Airlines A350
Singapore Airlines A350-900.
Singapore Changi Airport
Morning traffic at Singapore airport.

We took off from runway 02L at 8:03AM.

Take-Off from Singapore Airport
Seconds after take-off.

Singapore Airlines Regional Business Class Meal

The breakfast service started less than twenty minutes after take-off. As mentioned earlier, I opted for the Singaporean choice – roti prata. Other choices included dim sum and omelette. Below is the full breakfast menu.

Breakfast menu.

Right after my table was set, the flight attendant brought me a fruits plate, as well cups of orange juice and water. A selection of bread – from which I chose a croissant – followed.

Once I was done with the fruits, I was offered a yogurt which was very good.

Soon after that, I was offered more bread, however, I politely declined.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Breakfast
Fruits and croissant.
Fruits
Fruits.
Croissant
Croissant.
Butter and Jam
Butter and jam.
Yogurt
Yogurt.

At 8:43AM, the seatbelt signs were finally switched off, and three or four minutes later, I was served the main. The curry with fish and eggplant was excellent.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Roti Prata
Roti prata.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Roti Prata
Curry.

The meal service concluded with a cup of tea and a warm towel.

When clearing my table, the friendly flight attendant asked whether the curry was too spicy – and seemed pleased when I said that it wasn’t and that I really enjoyed it. I should also mention here that throughout the flight I was addressed by my name.

Tea
Tea.
Warm Towel
Warm towel.

While I only drunk orange juice, water, and tea during the flight, below is the complete drink menu to give you a better idea of what was on offer.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Champagne
Champagne and wine menu.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Wine
Wine.
Singapore Airlines Alcoholic Drinks
Cocktails, liquor, and beer.
Singapore Airlines Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Mocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks.
Singapore Airlines Business Class Coffee
Coffee.
Singapore Airlines Tea
Tea.

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER In-Flight Entertainment

With the meal done, I decided to take a look at the in-flight entertainment system. The seat was equipped with a fairly small and low-resolution screen (no surprise considering the aircraft’s age).

KrisWorld – Singapore Airline’s name for its IFE system – offered a decent selection of both newer and classic Hollywood movies.

While there were some TV shows as well, there were only “random” episodes rather than whole sets. As such, there was not much value in that – that is unless you just finished watching Game of Thrones season 7 and wanted to watch the first episode of season 8.

Singapore Airlines KrisWorld In-Flight Entertainment System
KrisWorld.
KrisWorld Main Menu
Main menu.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Movies
Movies.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld TV Shows
TV shows.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld TV Shows
America Dad!

Besides that, there were also some music albums as well as simple games to choose from if that’s your preferred form of entertainment.

Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Music
Music.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Games
Games.

Finally, there was a simple, “old school” flight map and information screen.

Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Flight Map
Flight map.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Flight Information
Flight information.

The selection wasn’t amazing, but it was more than enough for a short flight. Similarly, the screen was not great, but it was OK. The one thing that actually annoyed me about the IFE were ads.

There was an ad almost every time you navigated around the system. While it was easy to skip it (you could press any button), it left a bad impression with me – especially considering the fact that Singapore Airlines is a “premium” airline.

KrisWorld Ad
Ad.

Cruising Onboard a Singapore Airlines 777-200ER

Once I was done with looking around the in-flight entertainment system, I decided to try to convert the seat into a “bed.” Considering that the aircraft was equipped with Singapore Airline’s old seats, it was nothing to write home about.

And, as mentioned earlier, I would try to avoid this aircraft on an overnight flight (unless the alternative was flying in economy, of course.)

Singapore Airlines Angle-Flat Seat 777-200ER
Seat in the “bed” mode.

I also paid a visit to one of the lavatories. It was simple but clean.

While waiting for the person ahead of me to get out, I was approached by one of the flight attendants: “Mr. Nukina, if you don’t mind walking, there is another lavatory at the front.” Once again, I appreciated the crew remembering my name – even outside the meal service.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Lavatory Amenities
Amenities.

For the rest of the flight, I just worked a bit, relaxed, and spent a minute or two filling out the Hong Kong immigration form.

Singapore Airlines Business Class Mineral Water
Mineral water.
Cruising Towards Hong Kong
Cruising towards Hong Kong.

Arrival at Hong Kong International Airport

The seatbelt signs went back on at 11:03AM, just as we started our descent. About ten minutes later, the cabin crew was instructed to take their seats for landing.

Getting Close to Hong Kong
Nearing the end of the flight.
Seatbelt Sign
Seatbelt signs on.
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Wing
Starting our descent.
Descending Towards Hong Kong Airport
Almost there.

Another ten minutes or so later, a part of Hong Kong peeked through the clouds, and at 11:31AM, we touched down at Hong Kong International Airport.

Hong Kong
First glance of Hong Kong.
Approaching Hong Kong Airport
A couple of minutes to go.
Vacating the Runway at HKIA
Vacating the runway.

We reached our parking spot six minutes later (or seventeen minutes behind schedule) at 11:37AM. Not long after that, I got my belongings, bade the crew a farewell, and stepped into the terminal wondering when my next time flying Singapore Airlines’ business class would be.

Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong airport – the home of Cathay Pacific…
Hong Kong Airlines
…and Hong Kong Airlines.
Singapore Airlines Flight to Hong Kong
Approaching our parking spot.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER at Hong Kong Airport
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER.

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Summary

While it was only a short regional flight, I really enjoyed Singapore Airlines business class. The meal – in spite of being breakfast which is generally not as impressive as meals during other times of the day – was great, and the crew was very attentive.

The seat was nothing to write home about, but at the same time it was more than good enough for a three-hour long daytime flight. That said, if I had the choice (i.e. if there was award availability when I was booking) I would have gone with one of the other aircraft types offered on the route.

Overall, though, I can’t wait to fly in Singapore Airlines business class again – hopefully on a much longer flight and on one of its aircraft equipped with its newer seats.

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