Singapore Airlines SilverKris first class lounge, T3 Changi Airport
- Bartender service with vintage Champagne
- Cooked-to-order dishes brought to your seat
- Private shower suites
- Service at counters only, not tables
- No USB power outlets
- A very private lounge, second only to 'The Private Room'
Introduction
Exclusively for Star Alliance first class passengers and Singapore Airlines' top-level Solitaire PPS Club flyers, the Singapore Airlines SilverKris first class lounge at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 can be an incredibly quiet and private space to await your flight.
With bartender service, vintage Champagne and a selection of cooked-to-order meals, it's a significant step above the neighbouring SilverKris business class lounge used by most other SQ passengers, as Australian Business Traveller observes in this review.
Location & Impressions
You'll find this lounge in Terminal 3's main departures zone, being after outbound passport control for passengers beginning their journey in Singapore.
Head towards the 'A' gates and keep your eyes peeled for an escalator up to the Singapore Airlines lounges. If you take the wrong escalator and see the 'KrisFlyer Gold' lounge on your right, continue walking along the corridor until spotting the 'SilverKris' lounge straight ahead.
Once there, eligible passengers are personally escorted from the business class reception desk through to the first class zone...
... which you'll find divided into various nooks, providing added privacy.
We visited this lounge twice on a return trip between Australia and Europe, and on both occasions found it particularly quiet with only a handful of passengers inside, including before the overnight flights departing for both destinations.
Access
- First class and Suites Class passengers of Singapore Airlines
- First class passengers of other Star Alliance airlines including ANA, Lufthansa, SWISS and United Airlines
- Singapore Airlines Solitaire PPS Club members both before and after Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights
However, SQ's own first class and Suites Class travellers will see the 'first class lounge' only briefly while being escorted through to The Private Room.
That leaves the 'first class lounge' only for first class passengers of other Star Alliance airlines, plus Solitaire PPS Club members flying with Singapore Airlines or SilkAir in business class, premium economy and economy.
Dining
Once settled in, you'll find a staffed bar serving up beer, wine, spirits and selected cocktails, plus barista-made coffee for a caffeinated kick:
Being a notch above a regular business class lounge, premium selections here include Hennessy XO Cognac, Royal Salute 21y.o. Scotch Whisky and The Singleton of Glendullan 18y.o. Single Malt Scotch Whisky...
... plus, of course, top-shelf Champagne – in this case, the Piper-Heidsieck Rare Millesime '02 which typically sells for ~$275/bottle in Australia.
However, the dining options here aren't quite as 'first class' with most items self-served from the marble-clad buffet...
... plus a few select dishes which can be ordered at the counter and delivered to your seat:
We went for the marinated chicken with spicy garlic sauce and chicken rice, and while particularly tasty and just what we'd hoped for, the presentation of the dish could benefit from a dash more finesse:
Other made-to-order options include roti prata, tomato pilaff with rice in a lamb shank stew and a simple garden salad.
For more variety, you'll also find hot items at the buffet stations including fish noodles, tender braised pork ribs, chicken biryani, Indian curry, Indian mixed vegetable fritters and aloo bonda...
... along with sushi, yoghurts, fresh fruits and comfort foods like party pies...
... complemented by a range of tasty bite-sized desserts and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
Beverages here are also self-service with a wider range of non-alcoholic drinks than you'll find over behind the manned bar, plus machine-made coffee for a quick espresso:
However, the dining area doesn't have a particularly 'premium' atmosphere with some tables rather close together...
... and others positioned directly adjacent to buffer serveries:
With Singapore Airlines planning a complete overhaul and redesign of its home hub lounges in the coming years, we'd love to see a better-planned dining area form part of those plans.
Being a first class lounge accessible only to first class passengers and the airline's highest-tier flyers – who must spend SGD$250,000+ on SQ business and first class flights in a five-year period to mint their Solitaire status – table service wouldn't go astray here, either.
Work
The atmosphere here definitely leans more toward relaxing than working, but if you must remain productive there's a business zone near the entrance with office tables and privacy wraps to keep any distractions at bay...
... plus a few computers for travellers lacking their own tech:
Most seats throughout the lounge also provide access to AC power, found either beside or behind seats...
... which clearly proves to be a popular amenity judging by the lounge's well-used power points, making it odd that USB power is absent which is also well-received in other lounges.
However, the WiFi met our expectations with download speeds ranging between 8.63Mbps and 10.76Mbps, complemented by uploads of 7.35-8.54Mbps during our connection tests: more than adequate for web browsing and sending and receiving larger email attachments.
Relax
There are no shortage of places to unwind here, although your seating choice may be influenced by how you plan to achieve that.
You could pull up a chair and catch the day's news in one of many TV nooks...
... head to the opposite end of the lounge for a little more quiet...
... or socialise with fellow travellers in more communal areas:
Some seats also line the walkways...
... but we prefer to avoid them when other choices are available, as you feel somewhat 'in the way' when sitting here:
Wherever you decide upon, a selection of magazines and newspapers are at your disposal...
... as are private shower suites with all amenities provided:
Overall, a very restrictive guest list keeps this lounge quiet and enjoyable for those on the inside, and serves as good motivation for seriously high flyers to reach SQ's elusive Solitaire PPS Club tier.
In saying that, we'd still love to see an improved dining experience with proper table service and less reliance on buffet fare, to keep this first class lounge in-line with its name.
Also read: Singapore Airlines SilverKris business class lounge review, Singapore Changi T3
Chris Chamberlin travelled to Singapore as a guest of Singapore Airlines.
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