Review sequence:

• Krisflyer Elite Gold Lounge
• SQ494 Singapore – Dubai (Economy) 15:05 – 18:45 (flight time 7hrs 40mins) / SQ495 Dubai – Singapore (Economy) 20:00 – 07:15 (flight time 7hr 15min)
• Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport (layover 15hrs 05mins)
• FZ1209 Dubai – Tel Aviv 09:50 – 11:40 (flight time 3hr 50min) / FZ1550 Tel Aviv – Dubai 09:55 – 15:00 (flight time 3hr 05mins)
• Sheraton Tel Aviv

SQ494 Singapore – Dubai (Economy) 15:05 – 18:45 (flight time 7hrs 40mins)

• SIN 15:05 – DXB 18.45 / DXB 20:00 – SIN 07:15
• Flight time: 7hr 40min / 7 hr 15mins)
• Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
• Seat – 45G

I suppose economy flights are hardly the most exciting to review but here goes for the sake of entirety.

Seat & Cabin

Boarding was called for on time and I managed to get in slightly early as a Krisflyer Elite Gold which meant successful shots of the cabin space without much obstruction. I recall being on this same aircraft type in 2019 and I still like very much the blue / grey tones used. The cabin was configured in a 2-3-2 style and I was lucky enough to have an empty seat beside me this flight. This exact type of seat will always be my preferred went flying Y – middle section (I don’t need the window), aisle seat (so there is a 50% chance the middle pax heads out the other way when needed), away from lavatories (no smells), away from galley (where possible).

My aisle seat, 45G, was all as expected – neatly compact with just enough space for an average built person. The seat was clean upon arrival (very important!), and a little pillow was placed on the seat as well. The adjustable headrest was a cool function thought I never had to use it.

Everything else is then in front of you – your personal touchscreen IFE, your meal table, cup holder, and seat pocket containing the usual collaterals. I’m 160cm and managed to find the leg space okay as well.

I like very much these days that every seat comes with a USB charging port which is super useful to keep your devices juiced up. In between the seats, there is even a 3-pin socket available.

The tray table opens up to have 2 options: a half fold for just drinks and snacks, and then a full tray for meal service. The tray is also slidable in both positions to create just that little bit more space for you to wriggle in and out when need be, especially when you need the lavatories when your tray is not cleared yet.

Just realized I didn’t take pics of the lavatories but ah wells, no loss. They were expectedly cosy and decently clean most times of my visits except for the perennial problem of wet floors.

Wi-Fi

SQ has rolled out complimentary wifi to all passengers but economy cabin only get2-3hr surf time, depending on what you use the wifi for. To log in, you have to connect to the “Krisworld” wifi and your device will get a pop up prompting you to enter your particulars for verification before you are connected (and the countdown starts). On my depart, it was impossible to get a seamless connection, but better on my return. But once the device has been idle for a while, you will get logged out and you need to repeat the above steps to be connected again. For some reason, I don’t have screenshots of the process but it’s quite intuitive so nothing much to worry.

Packaged nuts were distributed after take off – but no hot towel service this time – sure if this applies to all SQ flights?

Meals – Dinner & Refreshments (SIN-DXB)

I made special requests for both my flights as I’d be served first and get to the washing up stage before everyone else in the cabin but otherwise, you may view your in-flight menus in the Singapore Airlines app which was really convenient if you are the type who needs to know your options prior to boarding.

For my departure, I ordered the Seafood Meal which turned out to be the same Crusted Baked Fish option in the main menu, served alongside a (cold) bun and a pinkish mousse cake of sorts for dessert. I found the fish quite tasty, but the rest were no good. The main menu had ice cream too which I would have preferred and wondered why choosing a Seafood Meal meant no ice cream (boo).

About 2.5 hours prior to landing, the crew came around offering the Old Chang Kee Puffs for refreshments. Because I had the special meal preference tagged to my seat, I was instead given a salmon sandwich of sorts – I only ate the sliver of salmon inside and it was at least warm. Then because I obviously was not full, I sheepishly asked for the puffs as well – it was actually really tasty and comforting! I also tried to be as decent as I can trying to eat those things kosong without cutleries.

Meals – Dinner & Refreshments (DXB-SIN)

I didn’t manage to take pics of the in-flight menu on my return flight, sorry! My choice of special meal was Gluten Free and this time as served a grilled chicken with brown rice and veg. There was also a cold gluten free bread and a puff of sorts as dessert. Chicken was okay, with the rest a little sad.

Similarly, about 2.5 hours prior to landing, the crew came around with refreshments: a muffin, a bread roll, a juice pack, and a yoghurt – I believe this was tagged with the Gluten Free meal label. Can’t remember what the rest got.

In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)

SQ’s IFE has never been a cause for complaint for me, and I find that stands even with the prevalence of Netlix and fellow streaming platforms nowadays (re-watching Avengers anyone?). Plenty of choices for a 5-hour flight, and actually the proximity of the touchscreen makes it super easy to toggle selections and between that with other screen functions. Headphones wise, there is of course the typical Y product but it serves its purpose.

Sorry no pics as well but you may refer here for SQ’s official site.

Service

The service was a mixed bag of hurried brusque responses on my depart, and fortunately decent SQ politeness on my way back. On economy, service tends to be functional given the size of the cabin, and that’s all I need actually.

In summary,

Is SQ still a great way to fly? It sure if for this Singaporean, no matter what others say.