Review: Singapore Airlines 787-10 Business Class Singapore-Denpasar (Bali)
Intro
Hello from the Singapore Airlines lounge in Taipei. After spending the last 4 nights straight on a plane and doing little writing, I figured it was time to publish the next report in the Asia Trip Report series, as I am 70 behind 😒.
Following a fantastic flight onboard the 737 Max 9 from Da Nang to Singapore, I spent the night at the Yotel in Changi.
This next leg would take me onboard the 787-10 in Business Class from Singapore to Denpasar in Business Class. Now I can say I have flown every aircraft in the Singapore fleet!
Overall, the flight was very good. The only drawback I had was that the service was not up to SQ standards, in my opinion, and the hour and 20-minute wait for bags in Bali. Perhaps that is on me as I think they are the best in the world and see them in that light.
Let's jump in!
Route-Singapore-Denpasar
Seat- 19A
Flight Number- SQ936
Aircraft- Boeing 787-10
Date- January 5th 2024
Flight Time: 2 Hour 33 Minutes
Price Paid- 665$ (2 Legs)
How I Booked
Seeing as I had to get from Da Nang to Bali, there were no nonstop flights. About 3 months away from departure, I snagged a ticket in Business (fare class U) to fly from Da Nang to Singapore and then onto Bali for 665 USD.
Singapore Airlines seems to be one of the most expensive carriers in Asia, if not the most expensive. When I saw this fare pop up, I knew I had to book it. Typically, non-stop flights from Singapore to Denpasar in Business hover around 700$ for that ticket alone.
Boarding
Upon a virtually sleepless night coming to an end, it was to run over to Terminal 2 due to a last-minute aircraft swap (originally supposed to depart from T3). Thankfully, even with this weird routing, Singapore Airlines was able to check my bag directly from Da Nang to Bali, even with an overnight layover. SQ also had my boarding pass printed, meaning it was straight through from the hotel to the gate.
This meant not being able to use the Singapore Airlines Business Class lounge this time around.
Boarding commenced at 7:55 am, and business class customers were called just after those needing extra assistance.
The Seat/Cabin
A friendly purser (great service here) welcomed be onboard and offered to show me to my seat 19K for this flight to Bali today. Odd rows on the window in the Singapore Airlines 787-10 cabin are the hot spots for solo travelers as they are closer to the window, providing more privacy.
Regarding the middle seats, these feature two seats per row with even rows being closer together and better for couples.
Heading back to my seat, 19 Alpha, I found a variety of fun stuff in the little cubby behind my right shoulder. There is storage space suitable for smaller items such as a passport, as well as charging ports and USB plugs.
Just underneath lay the headphone jack and remote for the IFE.
On my left shoulder was a modern light. During this flight, it wasn't needed, but seeing as this regional configuration is operated on a few red-eyes, this is a useful feature of the seat.
There are a series of seat controls just above the remote, allowing you to put your seat into bed mode, turn on DND, and call the flight attendant for another glass of Piper Heidisck.
I found the bed to be comfortable and pleasant to lie down in. I didn't manage to get some sleep on this leg, but I did manage to watch a movie lying down.
The footwells are sufficient enough and are right in line with the competition in Southeast Asia. Big enough for my size, 10.5 feet. Possibly 10.6 if we are stretching it😂.
Amenities/IFE
In regards to the amenities aspect, passengers are offered the same blanket across all short-haul-medium haul routes. SQ does a great job with this blanket, as it is perfect for sleeping. A plush Singapore Airlines branded pillow completes the bedding.
Traditional noise-cancelling headphones were offered as well.
Thankfully the IFE is touchscreen on the Singapore Airlines 787-10 (looking at you Mr 777). There are plenty of options, and if that isn’t enough, Singapore Airlines offers free wifi to business-class passengers.
Departure
The cabin crew came around about 10 minutes after boarding to offer a pre-departure beverage service. I decided on a glass of water because I needed to be hydrated for the day ahead. As well as a hot towel.
The captain came on to announce our flight time of 2 hours and 15 minutes over to Denpasar and our immediate pushback.
Sure enough, we pushed back moments later at 8:25 am.
It was a very light load in Business Class, I was the only person in the last four rows of the cabin, and I think there was a total of about 10 people (max 13) if I recall correctly. For Bali at the beginning of January… I was a little shocked.
The cabin crew came around to verify that the shoulder harness was buckled, and we were airborne out of a beautiful Singapore 15 minutes later.
Meal Service
While I was waiting upon my seat during boarding, I saw a beautiful-looking menu. I have to say, SQ really goes over the top on short routes in regards to food. Here is the menu for the morning:
I am a picky eater, if you haven’t gathered yet (an issue that I am trying to work on), and unfortunately, none of the options appealed to me.
Well, with such a light cabin load, I think Singapore Airlines forgot about me😂. No one took my order or offered me any food until 50 minutes after takeoff once I pressed the call button. Everyone else was in the front half of the cabin, and I saw them getting their food. I’ll have to give the benefit of the doubt to Singapore Airlines on this one since it’s very unlike SQ and probably just a one-off.
Anyways, they apologized once I pressed the call button and brought over the croissant and Yoghurt I asked for. Additionally, my sparkling water and mimosa were provided. My definite go-to on morning flights.
Everything was delicious as usual, and the pastries were warm.
Rest Of The Flight
The meal was wrapped up, and about an hour was left for Denpasar. I switched on a movie but ended up being too excited that I couldn’t actually focus, so I decided to listen to some music while lying flat. It’s interesting. I found a family in Bali and love the island, but I also hate the tourists on the island and the nightclubs, etc. ugh. I know… it’s rich coming from a tourist; I guess I only like it since my family is there, and the healing energy.
The bed is comfortable for a short hop and certainly made for a nice hour. The product works well for medium hauls and certainly is better than a lot of airlines long haul business classes (looking at the 2-2-2 gang).
A couple more Mimosas were had, guilty as charged.
I checked out the lavatories, and once again, SQ was shining bright like a diamond (cue Rihanna). The restrooms were kept constantly clean, and combining that with the good amenities and hand towels… it was very pleasant.
Arrival
At 10:30 am local time (Singapore and Bali are the same time), we began our descent into Denpasar. This morning would consist of the East to West landing with a right bank just before Nusa Penida Island.
A touch of turbulence was encountered on the final, but we ended up touching down a couple of minutes early on Runway 27.
On our taxi to the gate, we spotted a couple of beautiful-looking aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 livery and a retro Garuda livery. Fancy, I’m writing the rest of this review on the way to Bali, on Garuda (when I started this review, I was in the SQ lounge, lol).
We pulled into our gate 6 minutes ahead of schedule at 10:59 am Bali time.
The crew bid me farewell, and I was met planeside by my fast-track assistant. We skipped the immigration queues and made our way to baggage claim. Well, we got off the plane at 10:59 am and got our bags at 12:25. Unacceptable, sorry to say, and this is the reason I will never check a bag ever again. The reason I’ll dock SQ on this is that my bag was the last bag to come out, yet it had the priority tag on it. So yes, it is partially Bali, and in Bali, “few minutes” means 30, but it is also partially SQ. Considering I had to leave the next morning, I was not happy to waste an hour and a half.
Anyway, my driver Pak was waiting outside to take me home. It’s about a 30-minute drive with no traffic, and luckily, until we get to Batu Belong, there is no traffic.
Welcome home!
Final Thoughts
I'd be lying if I said this flight was another perfect SQ flight. However, I would also be lying if I said that this was a bad flight as well. The downsides just consisted of not SQ forgetting about my meal and, of course, waiting for my bags for almost the same time as the flight itself😒.
Now, to the good parts: SQ really shines on their hard product for such a short route. The seats are spacious and comfortable, and combined with an empty cabin, it has a private feel to it. The IFE is fantastic; free wifi and everything felt very good for the short flight over to Bali. I wouldn't hesitate to fly this product on some of the longer routes that it is served on.
JETTOAJET SCALE
Meal Service | 8/10 |
Seat (19A) | 8/10 |
IFE/Amenities | 9/10 |
Lounge | 8/10 |
Overall Service | 7/10 |
Total | 40/50 |
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