- 2 months ago
I flew 40 hours from NYC to Singapore and back to see which cabin on Singapore Airlines was best. The first-class suite alone is one of the most expensive plane tickets in the world and can cost $23,000 round-trip. I even met YouTuber MrBeast on that flight. After reviewing the food, service, and seats, I had one favorite that might surprise you.
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00:01Singapore Airlines' first-class suite can cost $23,000 round trip.
00:06I feel like a James Bond villain.
00:08It's one of the most expensive plane tickets in the world.
00:11Oh yeah, top me off. Thank you.
00:14I spent 40 hours flying from New York City to Singapore and back in three different cabins.
00:20Premium economy,
00:23business,
00:26and first.
00:28And then here you've got a little vanity mirror.
00:32To compare the seats, service, food, and bathrooms.
00:38Come on in!
00:40I mean, literally, this is like bigger than my first apartment in New York.
00:46I even met some YouTube celebrities on the way.
00:49And we've got some pretty awesome neighbors.
00:52How's it going? Hey.
00:54All to see if the more premium seats are really worth the bigger bucks.
01:00First up, we'll start with premium economy.
01:02I flew this cabin from Singapore to Frankfurt on the A380.
01:06Round trip costs about $3,500, while one-way comes in around $2,000.
01:12This line tells me usually premium economy passengers trade up from regular economy,
01:16which can be $800 cheaper for a one-way.
01:18I got to Changi Airport super early to enjoy some of its famous amenities.
01:22Security was really fast because it's right at your gate.
01:26With my ticket, I also got priority boarding over regular economy.
01:30Economy takes up the entire lower level of this double-decker plane.
01:34And premium is in the front, with two seats on either side and four in the middle.
01:38I luckily got bumped up to the first row, so I got a bit more leg room.
01:42But I had to put all my stuff in the overhead bin and, well, it barely fit.
01:48But the seats were big, an inch bigger than in regular economy,
01:52and with six extra inches of pitch,
01:54or the distance between the back of your seat and the seat in front of you.
01:58There was a blanket and pillow waiting for me,
02:00and thank God, some water, because I am perpetually dehydrated.
02:04Each seat comes with a 13.3-inch TV with a remote and control on the armrest.
02:10Just like in first and business class,
02:12you get noise-canceling headphones that plug into your seat.
02:15There are cup holders and a couple of chargers, one universal and two USB.
02:20About an hour into our flight, we got served our first meal.
02:24I chose the spicy fish with blue rice called nasi karabu.
02:28I loved that this dish came with lots of sides like cheese and crackers.
02:32But to be honest, I didn't like this side.
02:34The fish was actually really good.
02:36It felt like a really creative meal compared to anything I'd ever eaten in economy.
02:41And I'm a sucker for ice cream.
02:43So when they came around with this little Haagen-Dazs cup, I was pumped.
02:46The service is something I noticed across the cabins.
02:49The flight attendants were constantly checking in and eager to help,
02:52even in the cheaper seats.
02:54But the thing I was most worried about was being able to sleep in economy.
02:58And while the headrest didn't fully hold my head,
03:00the footrest was a game-changer.
03:02It flipped out from the bottom of my seat,
03:04and there was even a leg rest.
03:06Plus, the seat reclined a lot.
03:08I did, however, notice there was a pretty big gap between the window seat and the fuselage,
03:12so it wouldn't have been easy to sleep against the wall either.
03:15Our second meal came about an hour before landing.
03:18I got the omelette with some sausages.
03:21I did like that the meal was more breakfast-y, because we landed in Germany at about 6am,
03:26so it helped me adjust to the time zone.
03:28I had a nice experience in premium economy, and the 13 hours flew by pretty quickly.
03:33Pun intended.
03:34I only had one complaint.
03:36While the bathrooms were big for economy, I felt like there was always a long line.
03:40Which I do kinda understand.
03:42With space constraints, you can only have a certain amount of toilets 30,000 feet in the air.
03:47Next up, business class.
03:50I flew this from New York, New Jersey to Singapore.
03:53So we just went through security, and we are about to board a flight to Singapore.
03:59This is non-stop, the second longest flight in the world.
04:02Alright, you'll seat here, Mr. Arish, just you're right here.
04:05Thank you so much.
04:06You're welcome.
04:07Cheers.
04:08The flight's just shy of 19 hours.
04:11And despite the mammoth amount of time, I thought this ride was awesome.
04:16We flew on the A350-900 ULR, or ultra-long range, because it covers over 9,500 miles.
04:23A one-way ticket usually costs around $5,500.
04:27And round-trip, they can reach over $12,000 on weekends.
04:32We were the first group to board because there's no first class on the A350.
04:37And even at 9, 30 in the morning, you brought your welcome champagne.
04:43The seat was huge.
04:4528-inch width, 60-inch pitch.
04:48It felt like a space capsule.
04:50I especially loved all the storage, because I am incapable of packing light.
04:55Of course, you had the overhead bin, but there were all these nooks and crannies for the rest of your stuff.
05:00And then there's some storage down here for your small carry-on.
05:05This door led to a toiletries cubby, with a mirror right next to it.
05:09Your books could go here.
05:11And there are different lights scattered around the seat.
05:14And this is your table.
05:16Just need a little power.
05:18Pops out like that.
05:20Buttons on the armrest control your seat recline and lights, and call the flight attendant.
05:25While you're essentially moving in for a day, feeling like I was able to unpack a bit strangely made it feel a bit homier.
05:32So we just took off about 10 a.m. New York time, 11 p.m. Singapore time, and we have just under 18 hours left to go.
05:4145 minutes into the flight, they came by to take orders for the first of two meals.
05:46The flight attendants like to stick to the set mealtime for everyone so the food is fresh.
05:50But there is some flexibility.
05:52Say you want to get on a flight and go straight to sleep, you can just tell the flight attendants like,
05:57OK, let me hold my new service, I'll take it later, and I'll let you do that.
06:01Here you get a whole menu booklet.
06:04Then they come around to set the table with linens, real silverware, and a butter plate.
06:09And of course, wine.
06:11This is when it set in just how fancy this was.
06:15It served on actual china.
06:17Can I get some rolls?
06:19Garlic bread.
06:20Garlic bread.
06:21Oh, garlic bread please, thank you.
06:23Everyone got the same first appetizer, a salad with smoked trout.
06:26But you can order vegetarian and halal options online before your flight.
06:30And I'm not usually a fan of smoked, well, anything, except barbecue.
06:35And this smoked trout is actually really good.
06:38It just tastes super fresh.
06:40Then I ordered the Chinese pork rib noodle soup with wheat noodles and veggies.
06:44So when you're flying, all the noise, the air pressure, and the altitude tend to make your taste buds not work as well.
06:52So you just simply can't taste as much.
06:54And surprisingly, this is really flavorful.
06:56I think the use of these chilies probably helps a lot in pumping up flavor without needing to add extra salt that would bloat you.
07:02And then you get to choose a dessert.
07:05Honey cheese crackle, fresh berries, salt and caramel ice cream.
07:11I ordered the honey salted caramel almond ice cream.
07:14And I was able to snag some cheese.
07:17I scored two desserts.
07:21I hated blue cheese growing up because it was just like a punch in the face.
07:24And this is really good.
07:27And I like to think ice cream is entirely its own food group.
07:31I love it that much.
07:32So if I say it's pretty good, it's pretty good.
07:35I mean, I'm getting full, but not stuffed.
07:38So I think that they've done a really good job portioning these out and also balancing of the flavors,
07:43considering you can't taste a lot when you're in a plane.
07:46After my first meal, I settled in to watch a movie.
07:49The TV is supposed to be 15.4 inches wide, and I'm a dork, so I measured it.
07:55It actually looks like it's a little longer than that, so kudos to Singapore.
08:00Then the flight attendant came by to turn the seat into my bed for the next eight hours.
08:04Before 2004, business class on this airline didn't have a lie-flat bed.
08:09But now the carrier knows sleep is the number one concern for passengers.
08:13So the big investment in lie-flat tech makes sense and follows a trend across the entire industry.
08:18It's not actually the seat that you're lying on, it's the back of it.
08:22So they flip the seat down and there's this probably two-inch mattress pad on the back of the seat.
08:29I measured the bed later in the flight and it came to about 75 inches.
08:33And if you're a little taller like me, about 5'9", your feet actually have to go at the diagonal.
08:40Off to the right here, so if you want to sleep completely flat, you have to put your feet in this little cubby here.
08:46I definitely wished that I was shorter, so I could have stretched out completely.
08:51There's also a divider here, so if you're traveling with someone, you can keep it open.
08:55But if it's time to go to bed and you want to say goodbye, you can just close it.
08:58The TV screen pops out so you can watch it laying down, but it doesn't come out very far.
09:05So these are the provided noise-canceling headphones, and this, off to your right, is the remote.
09:12So you can control everything on the TV. Pick your movie, look at in-flight menus.
09:19The lights are also designed to help you get on Singapore time by the end of your 18-hour flight.
09:24There are 16,000 different light settings, so when you first take off...
09:28Right now, the lights are set as daytime lights, since we just left New York.
09:32About four hours into the flight, the lights changed again.
09:35The lights have gone down, so a couple people are watching movies.
09:39I'm probably just going to take a look now. See you in a bit.
09:43I had a good nap, and we are now in single minutes. Nine hours and 59 minutes left.
09:49I woke up super hungry, and I was able to request a light snack.
09:53And as those lights slowly came back on, the smell of food started filling the cabin.
09:58Not too long after, they came by to take our order for the second meal.
10:02And of course, this came with some more wine.
10:05First up, the appetizer everyone gets.
10:08This is the citrus grilled shrimp salad, and it has honey glazed walnuts, blackberries, croutons, mixed greens, and balsamic ginger dressing.
10:18So this time I got a pretzel bun. Very excited for that.
10:21And honestly, the greens in the salad look a little wilted.
10:27And I stood corrected. It was yummy.
10:30Although, I still think the smoked trout won out.
10:33Thank you so much. Wow. It's so big.
10:38For my main course, I got salmon over couscous and sautéed veggies.
10:42The pearl couscous I could do without. And the salmon, pretty standard.
10:46It's kind of nice to have a healthy piece of fish that size on a plane.
10:50But honestly, you could just give me a whole plate of that vegetable goodness and I would have been happy.
10:56And for dessert, I got an apple cake with berry sauce.
10:59It's like pretty grainy texture. And it sort of just like disappears in your mouth.
11:05I definitely think the ice cream was probably double as good as this one is.
11:10But maybe I can flag down another scoop of ice cream because that was my favorite.
11:15I did want to show you all the bathroom because it was big and fully stocked.
11:19I think this is some kind of cologne or perfume.
11:23Got some hand lotion and a facial mist.
11:26Toothbrush and a toothpaste.
11:28So in this compartment, we have some air sickness bags.
11:34Better safe than sorry.
11:35Hairbrush and a comb.
11:37Some shaving cream.
11:39And a razor.
11:42I headed back to my seat and watched a few more movies.
11:45Then, before I knew it...
11:47So we were about 30 minutes from landing.
11:49We made it.
11:50Over 18 hours.
11:51Honestly, it really wasn't that bad in business class at all.
11:54We just arrived in Singapore.
11:55We're waiting for our bags.
11:57And honestly, all things considered, I'm feeling pretty energized.
12:00So I think everything from the food to the service to the bed in the seat,
12:06it all made it a really enjoyable flight for how long it was.
12:10And finally, the big ticket item.
12:12The first class suite.
12:14This can be one of the most expensive airline tickets on the planet.
12:19Round trip from New York City to Singapore with a layover can cost over $23,000.
12:24The airline says most passengers are CEOs or execs and special occasion travelers for birthdays, honeymoons, anniversaries.
12:32I flew only half the journey, from Frankfurt to New York City, a flight that usually costs about $6,000.
12:39This nine-hour route is what's called a fifth freedom flight.
12:42It means an airline from one nation, Singapore in this case, is allowed to move passengers between two other countries, the U.S. and Germany.
12:50There aren't a lot of these routes because they require approval from three countries instead of two.
12:56But they're a cool way to fly some of the world's best airlines without having to go all the way to their home country.
13:01And like my premium economy flight, this was also on the massive two-level A380.
13:06Most first-class passengers board on the second level with a whole separate jetway.
13:11But I wanted to see the famous A380 stairs, so I boarded on the first level.
13:15Hello.
13:16Is that you both on the board?
13:18Thank you so much.
13:19Morning, Miss Harry.
13:20Hello.
13:21Pleasure to have you on board.
13:22Perfect.
13:23Good.
13:24I'm very excited.
13:27And I found my seat in 3A.
13:30The suite was huge.
13:32It legitimately did not feel like I was on a plane.
13:35It was more like a mini hotel room.
13:37Like many other Asian and Middle Eastern airlines, Singapore has really ramped up its luxury offerings
13:42in the last decade, with a focus on design.
13:45This suite is 50 square feet and can be fully enclosed.
13:50On one side of the suite sits the large lounge chair, 35 inches wide with a whopping 81 inches of pitch.
13:57The chair swivels around to three positions.
14:00First is for takeoff.
14:02The second chair position.
14:05Like if I want to go towards the TV.
14:09Or that's really good for eating.
14:12And the table pops out from the compartment on the wall.
14:15And then this one is so I can utilize the workstation and look out the window.
14:24And honestly, I think this might be my favorite part.
14:27This little shade.
14:29It's so cute.
14:32Night night.
14:34You can also put this chair in a deep recline.
14:37So this is your remote control for the seat.
14:40Window, plane, TV positions.
14:43And this is your remote control for the TV.
14:45The 32 inch TV flips out so I could watch it from my seat.
14:49I controlled the TV from the remote in the armrest.
14:52Actually turning on the TV, toggling through your movies.
14:56It's for gaming because there's lots of loaded games on the TV.
15:00And then this is the search function.
15:03All those controls are also on this tablet.
15:07And this dock here, there's also another one on the other side of the room.
15:14In this control panel, pretty similar.
15:16You got your attendant call button.
15:19Do not disturb.
15:20Moving the seats and moving the TV.
15:23And right next to your seat to the left, you have all of your plugs.
15:28And your headphones can go in here while you're sleeping.
15:32Or right here on the armrest while you're watching TV in the scene.
15:39If I thought business class had a bunch of storage, this one blew me away.
15:43There was an actual closet.
15:46Like, it's a pretty deep closet.
15:48That's the craziest part.
15:50Don't even come at me that my first apartment didn't even have a closet.
15:54There are compartments inside the desk.
15:57With this beautiful quilting.
16:00So you can put some eyeglasses in here and they won't get scratched,
16:04even if there's a little turbulence.
16:06And then here you've got a little vanity mirror that pops out.
16:12So this countertop here is obviously not real marble because that would be really heavy for a plane.
16:19But it's the same coldness that real stone would give you.
16:23And they created that effect because they used resin and real stone.
16:28And then you have this extra storage down here, which I've utilized for other stuff.
16:33The VP of In-Flight Services told me she designed this space for a Birkin bag.
16:37Which clearly I do not have, but that's what it can be for.
16:41The suite came with an amenities kit as well.
16:44Room spray, soap, body lotion, and lip balm.
16:48A little nicer than the Burt's Bees I'm used to.
16:52There were some noise-canceling headphones, just like in business and premium economy.
16:56But these ones were fancier.
16:58Don't at me for my fingernails.
17:01Nervous habit.
17:03Our first meal service happened about a half hour after takeoff.
17:07Just like in business class, I got a menu of dishes to choose from.
17:10And the drinks and courses just kept coming.
17:13Can you wait a little bit more?
17:15Oh yeah. Top me off. Thank you.
17:18First up, the signature chicken satay with peanut sauce.
17:22One thing I do want to note about this table is a lot of first class and business class tables,
17:27they fold out in panels.
17:29And this one is one giant slab of probably fake wood, but nonetheless, giant slab.
17:36And I think that's really cool that it centers on the chair as opposed to being off to one side.
17:41Okay, let's dig in.
17:44So, it's not quite as crispy as some other chicken satays I've had,
17:48but I'm going to give them some slack because we are 40,000 feet in the air.
17:53And this was probably made yesterday.
17:56A little bit of champagne or a glass of wine, too?
17:59Um, maybe some wine, yeah.
18:02I'll leave it up to you, what you suggest.
18:05Next up, caviar.
18:06I mean, could we get any more fancy?
18:09Cheers.
18:10Cheers.
18:15Then I got some scallops for an appetizer.
18:17So, these scallops with, uh, carrot tea, ruffini, radish, and curry nuts.
18:24Oh, you're killing me. I love scallops.
18:27The question is, what utensils do I use for this?
18:30Can you tell I'm excited?
18:32The scallops were divine.
18:34Next up, the beef cheek.
18:36But first, some more wine.
18:38Which one do you recommend?
18:39I would recommend to start off, go for the Albert Bishop.
18:42This is the grape of 100% Pinot Noir.
18:45Ooh, it's so tender.
18:48Wow, that is some super tender meat.
18:51Like, melt-in-your-mouth kind of tender.
18:54That is so impressive.
18:56Like, we're literally eating this on an airplane.
18:59And because somehow there was still more food to come, dessert.
19:03Oh, and you thought I was done eating?
19:05And these are the accompaniments to go with the cheeses, the grapes, the fig paste, as well as the walnuts and the water crackers.
19:13You have high expectations for how much food I can eat.
19:17It's reported that food for first class can be 20 times more expensive than economy.
19:21So, is the hefty price tag for food, amenities, and building out this fancy suite worth it to the airline?
19:27Singapore says unequivocally yes.
19:29And across the industry, airlines tend to see higher yields the more premium the cabin.
19:34After my first meal, it was time to change into my pajamas.
19:38That is big.
19:40I love an oversized sleeper.
19:43Then I checked out the bigger of the two first class bathrooms.
19:47Probably one of the most expensive bathrooms in the world.
19:51And the largest airplane bathroom I've ever seen.
19:54Come on in.
19:56I mean, literally, this is like bigger than my first apartment in New York.
20:02This bathroom alone.
20:04One thing I was curious about was why Singapore Airlines hadn't invested in a shower like Emirates and its first class bathroom.
20:10And the answer?
20:11Wait.
20:12All the shower water weighs a lot.
20:15Which would require the airplane to carry more fuel.
20:18So instead, this bathroom has three stations.
20:21The toilet section, the vanity, and then the hand washing section.
20:26But this room also comes with a ton of amenities.
20:29It's very aggressive.
20:32So you've got some bathroom perfume.
20:36Facial mist.
20:38And some body lotion.
20:41And then you've got another tiny little amenity drawer here.
20:44With the hairbrush and a comb.
20:48A toothbrush.
20:50And I do think that there's toothpaste already in here.
20:53Shaving cream and a razor.
20:57So you never have to touch the trash can.
21:00You have this little flap here you can push down on to open the waste bin.
21:05And I've already laid out all of my nice amenities like the moisturizing kit and my pajamas.
21:11So I'm going to get changed.
21:14Well, if I didn't feel like an international assassin already, now I got the fit to match.
21:20I stowed my stuff and grabbed some of the sleeping amenities provided in the closet.
21:25Like these little socks.
21:27Some slippers.
21:29Like high-end spa.
21:32And I think this is an eye cover.
21:34Oh my god.
21:38It's like velvet.
21:39Then it was time for the thing I was most excited about.
21:42The bed.
21:43But unlike in business class, your bed is not your seat.
21:47There's an entire separate panel that flips down from the wall into a twin mattress.
21:55And if you buy two suites, you can lower the divider, push the two beds together, and enjoy a double bed in the sky.
22:01While the mattress was obviously thinner than a hotel one, it somehow was still comfy.
22:06And the fact that I could lie completely flat as a five-foot-nine human felt surreal.
22:11Plus, after days of traveling at this point, the fluffy pillows and sheets felt luxurious.
22:16Because I got to bed so late, I only had a little over one hour to sleep before the flight attendants woke me up for the next meal.
22:23We have dinner breakfast now.
22:25I'm so tired.
22:31Even luxury doesn't offer them sleep.
22:34Back to the fancy bathroom I went to get changed into my first set of real pants in like two days.
22:40Then I was getting a little lonely, so I went to make some friends.
22:44So there are six first-class suites on this flight, and we've got some pretty awesome neighbors.
22:49How's it going? Hey.
22:51Did you have fun in the suite?
22:53Yeah, it was great. Although I slept the whole time.
22:55Was it great or sweet?
22:58No?
23:00YouTuber MrBeast and his crew happened to be on our flight.
23:04Hey Carl.
23:06I love this James Bond moment.
23:08Oh, hello there, Business Insider.
23:11What's up?
23:12How did you like the flight?
23:14It was great. I slept most of it, which was my favorite part.
23:16Me and my friend Nolan, we just pulled out, they were like queen-sized beds.
23:20But then we ended up using like half of it because we just cuddled a little bit.
23:24You cuddled? Aww.
23:26The bromance is strong.
23:28Yeah.
23:29Okay, so I heard that you guys have been traveling in a bunch of different first-class suites.
23:33How does this one compare?
23:34This is easily the best one ever.
23:35Yeah?
23:36This is ridiculous.
23:37The food was amazing.
23:38The size was awesome.
23:40There's like 15 TVs right here.
23:42And I just get to be for the ride.
23:44I didn't even pay for this.
23:45Isn't that awesome?
23:46That's a liar like that.
23:48See you later, Business Insider.
23:50I'm Business Hour.
23:52Cider.
23:53Who knew so many giggles could happen in a first-class?
23:58Just open the barriers and you have no idea what's on the other side.
24:03Finally, it was time for our last meal service.
24:06This one wasn't quite as extensive.
24:08A simple shrimp and rice soup because I still was feeling really full.
24:11The flight attendant put the bed back up and set my chair in takeoff position.
24:15And before I knew it, we were landing in JFK.
24:18Thank you for flying Singapore Airlines, a member of Star Alliance.
24:22So, after 40 hours in the sky with Singapore Airlines, was it worth the hype?
24:28Actually, yeah.
24:29The service and the food were the biggest standouts, even in premium economy.
24:33It's not easy making food taste good from tiny reheating kitchens at 30,000 feet.
24:38But the flight attendants were truly my favorite part.
24:41No matter the cabin, they made the experience feel classy.
24:45Shout out to Ruby.
24:46They were sweet, attentive, and brilliant.
24:49We are bilingual.
24:52We speak English and Malay.
24:55Then depending on where your ethnic group is, you do that in Chinese or Tamil.
25:01Which leads us to the big question.
25:04Were the cabins worth the dough?
25:06Look, of course first class was unmatched.
25:08But to be honest, my favorite of the three flights was business class.
25:11I get that a huge point of first class is privacy.
25:14But I'm personally way too extroverted to be in a box alone for nine hours.
25:18That's why I had to make some friends.
25:20So for me, business class was where it was at.
25:23It had the best of both worlds.
25:24Enough space to stretch out while still feeling fancy.
25:27All in all, it felt like the most bang for your buck.
25:30And I'm not alone in thinking that.
25:32More and more US-based carriers like American Airlines are pulling first class cabins
25:36in favor investing in more luxurious business classes.
25:39So I say, if you have the means, first class is a fun once in a lifetime experience.
25:44And if you're from the US and you want to try it, I suggest booking it quickly.
25:48In May 2023, Singapore Airlines is set to pull its A380s with these first class suites from the US market.
25:55The airline is moving these planes to the Australian market to address the post-COVID demand surge there.
26:01But don't worry, US-based travelers can still fly the smaller Singapore Airlines first class seats on the 777s.
26:07So if you have to do a super long-haul flight, business class would be your best bet.
26:12But even if you land in premium economy, you won't be disappointed.
26:18What's the best joke that you told this whole flight?
26:22I said, this takes layovers to the next level.
26:25And if you guys don't see that in the video, wasn't that funny?
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