Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Terminal 3, a Day at Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines Business Class Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Terminal 3, a Day at Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines Business Class Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

More From This Trip
22
Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks
More from this series:

There’s something remarkably relaxing about Singapore Changi airport, which makes it my favorite airport to transit, even at 3AM after a 20 hour flight.


Terminal upon arrival

Rather dreary eyed I headed to the terminal 3 Silver Kris Lounge. It’s technically open 24 hours a day, though when I arrived I was the only customer in the lounge for about an hour or two. Instead, the lounge was populated by a cleaning crew of probably 15-20 people. That worked out great, since it was a fairly peaceful environment to get a few hours of work done after being disconnected for so long.


Silver Kris lounge entrance


Silver Kris lounge


Silver Kris lounge


Silver Kris lounge


Silver Kris lounge

I just took a seat and worked for about three hours straight.

At that point, the lounge started filling up and I was getting exhausted, which meant it was time for a shower. So at around 6AM, I headed to the bathroom to get a shower. Singapore’s shower facilities are actually subpar in this lounge since the showers are in the bathroom. So the bathroom has urinals, stalls, and showers. That means the shower rooms don’t have individual toilets.


Shower room


Shower

My biggest problem was that there’s no barrier on the floor between the shower area and the rest of the room (there’s a door, but it doesn’t go all the way to the bottom), so I damn near flooded the place. I was enjoying a warm shower so much that I didn’t realize the lounge attendant was probably building Noah’s Ark based on the amount of water coming out of my room. Whoops!

At that point it was nearing 7AM so I had a peak at the extensive breakfast buffet. They had everything from pastries to yogurt to fruit to hot options.


Fresh fruit

I decided on a small omelet, orange juice, and two other hot items.


Breakfast

I then moved over to the area of the lounge with cubicles, which had a great view of the tarmac. I asked for an international adapter, which I was loaned in exchange for my boarding pass, and got working. As I’ve mentioned many times before, my usual “office” is Starbucks or Panera (I need a change of scenery from my desk at home sometimes), so it was just another day at the office, except it had a nice view and featured a great buffet.

After a couple more hours I was starting to feel sleepy once again, so decided to go for a walk in an effort to stay awake.

I’ve not explored Singapore Changi Airport in the past as much as I should have given that I’m usually in the lounge catching up on emails during layovers. I knew it was one of the world’s best airports, but I didn’t realize just how much it had to offer.

First of all, terminal 3 has to be one of the most impressive buildings out there. It’s stunning. The shopping and dining selection is quite literally endless. Some locals even go to the airport on the weekends to eat and shop!


Terminal 3


A few of the amenities

But it’s the other features that really set them apart. For one, they have a massive, well maintained butterfly garden, which is great for catching some fresh air (even if it’s oven temperature).


Butterfly garden


Butterfly garden

Not far from there was the free movie theater, which was totally empty and playing the new “Wall Street” movie. Seriously, a decent movie playing in a “real” movie theater at an airport for free? Amazing.


Movie theater


Movie theater

The rest of the terminal is equally impressive. Like I said, think unlimited shopping, dining, endless gardens, free wireless internet, and even free use of PCs if you don’t have your laptop. Does it get any better than that?


Comfortable lounging areas


Free internet

When I got back to the lounge it was around noon, so I had easily survived a majority of my layover. It was back to work for me.

After a couple more hours I checked out the lunch buffet, which looked quite good. It had all kinds of dishes – western meals, meals from all parts of Asia, etc. I wasn’t hungry, though it was a nice spread nonetheless.


Buffet


Buffet

At shortly before 4PM I headed to terminal 2, where my flight to Kuala Lumpur was to depart from. It was about a five minute tram ride, so since I had some time to kill, I figured I’d pay the Silver Kris Lounge there a quick visit. Terminal 2 is much older than terminal 3, so the lounge isn’t nearly as nice.


Skytrain to Terminal 2


Terminal 2

As I entered the lounge I was invited to the first class lounge, as the business class lounge was closed due to renovation. While the first class lounge is usually incredibly tranquil, it was so packed that I could hardly find a seat. The wireless internet was also so slow that it was basically useless. Fortunately I just had a couple of minutes there before I headed to the gate.


Terminal 2 Silver Kris lounge

At Changi Airport, security is at the individual gates. They always have a priority lane and an economy lane, so the wait time is fairly predictable (besides, they’re not going to leave without you if you’re in line to get into the gate area). Security was quick, and I was handed a landing card for Malaysia, which I filled out immediately.


Departure gate


Airbus 330 bound for Kuala Lumpur

After about 15 minutes boarding began. The issue with boarding from these gate lounges is that your boarding pass is already scanned as soon as you get into the gate lounge, which means they don’t do a good job of controlling the boarding process. So while they say they’re only boarding business class, everyone makes a run for it.

Singapore Airlines 116
Singapore (SIN) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Tuesday, May 17
Depart: 5:00PM
Arrive: 5:55PM
Duration: 55min
Aircraft: Airbus 330-300
Seat: 12C (Business Class)

Once aboard I was pleasantly surprised by the A330-300. The plane is a new addition to Singapore’s fleet, and features a new type of business class seat, which is a bit of a hybrid between their longhaul and short-haul seat. The plane still had the new car smell, even though it wasn’t that new. The cabin was also in immaculate condition and I really liked the look of the cabin (including colors).


Business class cabin


Business class cabin


My seat


Legroom


Business class seat console


Looking forward in the cabin


More seats

As far as I could tell the seats seem to be angled flat (the flight was too short to really try it), feature a large TV, and lots of personal space.

The friendly flight attendants seemed to have a hard time working this flight, due to the constant stream of passengers boarding. They started by offering pre-departure beverages, and I went with some pineapple juice. Newspapers, magazines, and hot towels quickly followed.


Pre-departure beverage

The captain made a quick walk through the cabin, and he was surprisingly young. He could easily have been a first officer for Mesa based on how old he looked (and if you’ve flown Mesa before, you know exactly what I’m talking about… I’m pretty sure the drink of choice for pilots at Mesa is Juicy Juice with a straw, and that they enjoy a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich minus the crust). 😉

He made a welcome aboard announcement once boarding was complete, informing us of our flight time of 37 minutes.

As we pushed back the safety video began to play and we started our taxi to the runway, where we were number five or so for takeoff.

As we were waiting for takeoff the flight attendants took “refreshment” orders. They started by asking each passenger if they wanted a “refreshment.” If they said yes, they offered them a chicken or vegetable panini. If they answered no, they offered them a beverage.

Within about 10 minutes of being airborne the cart was in the aisle. While the flight attendants tried to be graceful and smile, it was clear that they were flustered and rushed. Almost as soon as the cart was in the aisle the captain announced “flight attendants, prepare for landing.”

I was served a cold chicken panini, though wasn’t offered a beverage. Those that ordered beverages were served a bag of nuts with their drinks.


Chicken panini


Chicken panini

Look, it’s a short flight so there’s no need for any service, but it just seems odd to fly Singapore Airlines in business class and not even get a beverage of choice. Having to choose between a cold sandwich and a drink in business class just seems silly. And before anyone calls me crazy, stay tuned for my installment about Sri Lankan business class, which I flew from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, to see how they do it.

I talked to my seatmate, who was from Melbourne, for most of the rest of the flight, who was in Kuala Lumpur for business for a few days.

Upon arrival we had a quick taxi to the gate where the crew seemed to be too traumatized from the service they had to provide on that short of a flight to say goodbye.

This was my first time in Kuala Lumpur, so I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the airport was. I took the tram to the main terminal, where I cleared immigration fairly quickly. Interestingly, the flight that landed just before mine was from Pakistan, and I overheard as just about everyone from the flight was asked how much cash they had on them, along with a bunch of other questions, only to be sent to a special room for “secondary.”


Kuala Lumpur terminal

Once in the arrivals hall I was happy to see my checked bag had made it, given that it sat in Singapore all day.

I left immigration to try and exchange money, though as it turned out they only had currency exchange in the departure hall, so I had to go up a level. I found that rather odd.

Then I tried to get into a cab, and I had one of those moments where you feel like you’re the only person in the entire city not “with the program.” I went outside to try and find a taxi queue, though the guy informed me that I needed to go inside the terminal to get a taxi ticket. Okay, fine, I went inside, though I didn’t see a desk for taxis.

I asked another guy, who pointed into the arrivals hall. There were police officers guarding the arrivals hall since it’s “one way,” though when I explained the situation they let me back in to go to the taxi desk.

I bought a taxi ticket, which was about 75 Ringgit, or $25USD. That seemed awfully high to me for a country like Malaysia, though it seems cabs from the airport are regulated. It is a long ride, but in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, etc., I’ve found cabs are dirt cheap, and $25USD isn’t “dirt cheap.”

With my ticket in hand I got into the queue to get in a cab for the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, where I would be spending my first night.

Conversations (22)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. ML Guest

    Nice review. Question though, why did you not take an earlier flight from SG to KL?

  2. Thomas Guest

    Hey may I ask if they provide towels and shower gel/soap, shampoo in the lounge?

  3. CanuckinCT Guest

    KL taxis are a shambles compared to everywhere - but they are cheap. I hope for RM75 you at least had an aiport "limo" (or what passes for such in KL. Someone should have advised you to take the KLIA express from the airport to Sentral, which is the direct train from KLIA to KL Sentral station (not in the centre of town) but actually beneath the KL Hilton + Le Meridien which would have...

    KL taxis are a shambles compared to everywhere - but they are cheap. I hope for RM75 you at least had an aiport "limo" (or what passes for such in KL. Someone should have advised you to take the KLIA express from the airport to Sentral, which is the direct train from KLIA to KL Sentral station (not in the centre of town) but actually beneath the KL Hilton + Le Meridien which would have worked out well had you been checking in there on night 1. The newly branded IC is like a whole new hotel compared to the Nikko - thanks for sharing that and I agree with the other comment that the full restaurant breakfast is a "feast".

  4. Sunny Guest

    seems like a great vaca - how many miles did you use for the total trip between the various programs?

  5. Saracen Guest

    KL Taxis are a shambles compared to Singapore. On my various visits there, I always find them annoying to use as opposed to the efficient system we have in SG. Few drivers follow the meters, and often they like to haggle on fixed prices before you get in, even for short hops. I had someone try and charge me RM15 from KLCC to the Doubletree just down the road.

    Though on the other hand, KUL...

    KL Taxis are a shambles compared to Singapore. On my various visits there, I always find them annoying to use as opposed to the efficient system we have in SG. Few drivers follow the meters, and often they like to haggle on fixed prices before you get in, even for short hops. I had someone try and charge me RM15 from KLCC to the Doubletree just down the road.

    Though on the other hand, KUL is really a fair way away from the city (60km), so that sort of fair is perhaps reasonable. It's a shame the airport is so far. It means I prefer to drive up than fly.

    And yes, Changi is just so so good. We go there to eat and shop once in a while.

  6. Carl Guest

    If only Wall Street 2 was a decent movie :-) 2 hours of my life I will never get back.

  7. M Guest

    Ahhh...another lovely read! I was starting to go through withdrawal waiting for this next chapter!

  8. Chuchairen Guest

    Actually the *A lounge at SIN Terminal 2 has fried rice noodle and Hainan chicken rice which are Singapore signature dishes but missing in Silver Kris lounge. The Silver Kris lounge is more tuned to the Westerners.

  9. Andy Ng Guest

    Actually the airport express rail link terminates at KL Sentral, the main railway hub in the city, and where Meridien is!
    Its a short taxi ride to IC, which is near the twin towers.

  10. GoAmtrak Gold

    Thanks, that makes a lot of sense! I probably would have gotten a room immediately upon landing and attempted to sleep the morning away. But I know that doesn't always work, especially with the dreaded exhaustion without sleepiness.

  11. lucky Guest

    @ GoAmtrak -- Hah, it's definitely not easy in theory, though in practice it's the lesser of two evils. I usually never have an issue with jetlag when traveling to Asia, with the exception of when I have a very late night/early morning arrival in Singapore. Last time I took SQ11 I arrived around the same time and had booked the Crowne Plaza at the airport. I figured it was a great idea, since the...

    @ GoAmtrak -- Hah, it's definitely not easy in theory, though in practice it's the lesser of two evils. I usually never have an issue with jetlag when traveling to Asia, with the exception of when I have a very late night/early morning arrival in Singapore. Last time I took SQ11 I arrived around the same time and had booked the Crowne Plaza at the airport. I figured it was a great idea, since the flight arrives very late at night (around 2AM at the time) and I'd be dead tired. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I was exhausted though not tired. I ended up sitting on the floor at Changi Airport until 6AM because the wifi was free there, as opposed to the exorbitant prices they were charging at the Crowne Plaza.

    In this case my exhaustion kicked in around 7AM or so, and I wasn't *really* tired until noon (which makes sense, since it's late night back home). I could have gotten a transit room then, though it would have meant I wouldn't be tired when I got to Kuala Lumpur, which is when I needed to sleep.

    So in the end not getting a day room helped me get over jetlag somewhat (because I slept like a baby when I arrived in Kuala Lumpur), and more importantly get a TON of work done thanks to the powers of coffee.

    I was apprehensive about the whole thing as well, though I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

  12. GoAmtrak Gold

    At that point the lounge started filling up and I was getting exhausted, which meant it was time for a shower.

    [...]

    After a couple more hours I was starting to feel sleepy once again, so decided to go for a walk in an effort to stay awake.

    Thanks for the answer from the previous installment. This doesn't sound easy at all; in fact, it sounds painful! Were you not interested in the transit hotel,...

    At that point the lounge started filling up and I was getting exhausted, which meant it was time for a shower.

    [...]

    After a couple more hours I was starting to feel sleepy once again, so decided to go for a walk in an effort to stay awake.

    Thanks for the answer from the previous installment. This doesn't sound easy at all; in fact, it sounds painful! Were you not interested in the transit hotel, or does SQ not have snoozing rooms like LH does, or was this an extreme strategy to get on local time? Sleep: You're doing it wrong. ;-)

  13. lucky Guest

    @ Jack -- Whoops, thanks for the heads up. All fixed.

  14. Jack Guest

    Just want to point this out...the currency in Malaysia is Ringgit (RM), not Rupiah.

  15. lucky Guest

    @ John -- I've stayed at the CP in the past and it's definitely a great hotel.

    @ Michael -- It was my first time to KL. I had no clue about the distance from the airport to the city, and I believe it arrives in the opposite end of town than the IC.

    @ SCL -- I didn't say I wasn't served a beverage, I said I wasn't offered a beverage. There's a difference,...

    @ John -- I've stayed at the CP in the past and it's definitely a great hotel.

    @ Michael -- It was my first time to KL. I had no clue about the distance from the airport to the city, and I believe it arrives in the opposite end of town than the IC.

    @ SCL -- I didn't say I wasn't served a beverage, I said I wasn't offered a beverage. There's a difference, in my book. "What would you like to drink?" would be offered a beverage, while plopping one of those containers of water or orange juice (or even a glass) is being served a beverage. Regardless, I'm sure you know what I meant.

    @ Dan -- First time reader? ;)

  16. Dan Guest

    "Upon arrival we had a quick taxi to the gate where the crew seemed to be too traumatized from the service they had to provide on that short of a flight to say goodbye."

    Is this a serious comment? If that was a US carrier you would have ripped them... but sounds like you a making an excuse bc of their reputation

  17. chitownflyer Guest

    I visited the Silver Kris lounge during my return from SIN, and I consider it be one of th best lounges in the world. The NRT ANA lounge is also quite nice for the Udon noodles and liquor spread.

  18. SCL Guest

    I guess water is too pedestrian to count as a beverage.

  19. Andy Ng Guest

    Shame to hear bout your poor experience in KL airport.
    There are at least 2currency exchange counters in arrivals, located just after clearing immigration, prior to the baggage area. The prepaid taxi counter are located just after clearing customs, on both sides of the exit corridor, and usually has a long queue!
    Yes the airport is a fair distance from the city,about 40 miles through toll roads. Hence while it is not cheap,...

    Shame to hear bout your poor experience in KL airport.
    There are at least 2currency exchange counters in arrivals, located just after clearing immigration, prior to the baggage area. The prepaid taxi counter are located just after clearing customs, on both sides of the exit corridor, and usually has a long queue!
    Yes the airport is a fair distance from the city,about 40 miles through toll roads. Hence while it is not cheap, I dont think it is much more expensive than other asian countries. The rail link is a good option for single travellers as it is half the price of the taxi.
    Hope you had a better time in downtown KL!

  20. Michael Guest

    How come you didn't take the AIrport train into town istead of a taxi, given the distance?

  21. John from Australian Business Traveller Guest

    At Changi Airport, security is at the individual gates. They always have a priority lane and an economy lane, so the wait time is fairly predictable

    Not always -- not sure if it was the renovations, but my BA flight last week didn't have priority security. (Given that I was nursing a stonking tropical cold, I was less than amused in my British sort of way.)

    (I did spend two days at the Crowne Plaza...

    At Changi Airport, security is at the individual gates. They always have a priority lane and an economy lane, so the wait time is fairly predictable

    Not always -- not sure if it was the renovations, but my BA flight last week didn't have priority security. (Given that I was nursing a stonking tropical cold, I was less than amused in my British sort of way.)

    (I did spend two days at the Crowne Plaza at the airport, with an amazing view over the runway broken only by frequent dips in the landscaped pool. Next time you're in SIN, you should see if you can burn some points or get a cheap deal -- awesome, and a great Cantonese restaurant too.)

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

ML Guest

Nice review. Question though, why did you not take an earlier flight from SG to KL?

0
Thomas Guest

Hey may I ask if they provide towels and shower gel/soap, shampoo in the lounge?

0
Singapore Airlines Slideshow Guest

[...] Review of Sin­ga­pore Air­lines Busi­ness Class Sin­ga­pore to Kuala Lumpur [...]

0
More From This Trip
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published