Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Business Class Sleeper Service

Many Australians grew up traveling to London Heathrow via Singapore, and it is still a popular route for those who shun the long nonstop flight from Perth to London. Singapore Airlines is flying four flights daily from Singapore to Melbourne and Sydney using an Airbus A380 on one flight per day.

Photo: Normand Fernandez | Shutterstock

After attending the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines President’s Assembly in Singapore, I returned to Melbourne on Singapore Airlines SQ237, the overnight sleeper service operated with an Airbus A380. The services between Singapore and Melbourne provide a variety of choices for both scheduled times and the type of aircraft.

Four flights to choose from

The four flights depart Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) at 00:25, 07:45, 11:00 and 21:50 to arrive in Melbourne at 10:50, 18:10, 21:25 and 08:15, respectively. Currently, the Airbus A380 operates the 00:25 service, but that will change in November when the mega jumbo is repositioned in New Zealand for the summer. The other services utilize the A350-900 and the Boeing 777-300ERs.

Photo: Nordroden | Shutterstock

The online check-in and dedicated business class bag drop were a delight, and while the passport biometric automation took time to recognize me, there were no queues, and it was all done in a few minutes. As a business class passenger, I had access to the SilverKris Lounge at Changi Airport, which is a serious benefit when the flight leaves just after midnight and some sleep on the Airbus A380’s fully lie-flat bed beckons.

The lounge was somewhat crowded but started to thin out as the evening progressed, so with some hopping around, a comfortable spot with laptop power was eventually available. The food and drink choices were excellent, and the cleaning staff continually roamed the large lounge to keep everything in order. A meal in the lounge seemed logical, and with fresh food from all parts of the globe, it proved to be an excellent choice.

Boarding through Gate A6 in Terminal 3 started badly with a snaking queue to the security screening area and utter chaos as passengers on soon-to-depart flights (understandably) tried to push their way through the sea of people. It took more than 40 minutes to get through security in the premium lane, and the airport staff were simply overwhelmed by the situation and hampered by the older security screening technology that required laptops, belts etc, to be removed.

Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

The Singapore Airlines A380 is special

Once through security boarding was a quick and smooth process with a dedicated airbridge to the A380’s upper deck, where I was seated at the back of the business class cabin in seat 96K, a window seat on the right side of the cabin. The crew soon offered the welcome drinks and took orders for a main meal to be served at the passenger’s request.

Photo: Singapore Airlines

Flight SQ237, operated by a 2012 build A380 carrying registration 9V-SKT and MSN 092, was pushed back on schedule from the gate at 00:22 and was in the air at 00:40. With a flight of around seven hours ahead, my choice was to have the bed made up and catch some sleep, so there was little interaction with the crew or much to write about during the flight. The A380 lie-flat was comfortable, as was the bedding and pillow, so sleeping was no problem in the quiet cabin.

About 90 minutes before landing, the lighting was very gently turned on, and the cabin brought to life for the meal, which in my case was a typical serving of omelet, chicken sausages, sweet potato and vegetables. It was a tasty meal served with the typical Singapore Airlines’ panache, but this flight was more about sleeping than anything else, particularly as for many passengers it was a continuation of their journey from London Heathrow.

Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

After a 6:46-hour flight, the A380 arrived around 20 minutes early, and after a short wait for the gate to be cleared, it ended at 10:30 on Sunday. Deplaning was another quick and easy process, and as this was the peak time for international arrivals, the terminal was teeming with passengers. The biometric immigration procedures were painless and effective, and it took just minutes for both returning and visiting passengers to enter the country and with equal efficiency, bags were soon arriving on the carousel.

For me, the A380 is always exciting to travel on and an ideal choice for this overnight flight, although traveling in business class on Singapore Airlines is a pleasurable experience at any time of the day. With a choice of four daily flights, passengers to Melbourne can match their flight to their own schedules or onward connections to all parts of Australia. This was another excellent flight and a testament to the consistency of the Singapore Airlines product and people.

Have you traveled on a Singapore Airlines A380 recently/? Let us know in the comments.