Inflight Experiences - 'J' Class on SQ from SIN to DPS (Dec 2023)

It has been a while since I last wrote a review of my inflight experiences. In hindsight, "inflight" is actually a rather incorrect term for this series of reviews because the experiences include pre-boarding and at times, disembarking from the plane. So, the reviews do not exclusively focus on just experiences that occur inflight. 

In-between my last inflight review posted in this blog sometime in 2020, I had flown on a small number of flights, both for work and for vacations. However, during the period from Feb 2020 to May 2022, I stayed totally grounded because of worldwide travel restrictions due to the COVID pandemic. Thankfully, for everyone and especially for the industry, those days are over.

This is a review of my experiences when I flew on Business Class (i.e. 'J' Class) on Singapore Airlines (SIA) from Singapore's Changi International Airport to Bali's Denpasar Airport in December 2023. 

The flight tickets were redeemed using my expiring frequent flyer miles. Because I had not been flying often, I only had enough frequent flyer miles to redeem my return Business Class tickets for a regional flight.

Inflight meal via SIA's Book the Cook service for the short regional flight, SQ944, Singapore to Denpasar (2023)

Check-in

As was the case for most of my flights, I check-in at the check-in counters at the airport in person. Because I collect my Boarding Passes as mementos of my trips, I rather not check-in online and print my boarding pass on a flimsy piece of paper that got crumpled the moment it emerged from the printer onto my eager hands. But this was just a personal preference. For those who prefer the more hassle-free way to check-in, Singapore Airlines do offer a seamless check-in experience both online and via its SingaporeAir app.

Separate check-in counters for Business Class are typically allocated at airports by all airlines, Singapore Airlines included. Checking-in was seamless and the counter staff was extremely polite and service oriented. 

Lounge

My flight was on SQ944 which was scheduled to depart Singapore's Changi International Airport (IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS) Terminal 2 for Bali's Denpasar International Airport a.k.a. I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS, ICAO: WADD) in the late afternoon of 7 December 2023 at about 4.20pm local time.  

As a Business Class passenger, I was invited to the Silverkris Lounge. Being at Changi Airport's smaller Terminal 2, the lounge here was relatively smaller and less "exclusive" than its counterpart in the newer and larger Terminal 3. Nevertheless, it was still spacious and the food was good as usual. A wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages was available here and passengers can pick and choose whatever beverage catches his or her fancy.

My pre-flight meal at Singapore Airline's Silverkris Lounge, Changi International Airport Terminal 2, Singapore (2023)

Another of my pre-flight meal at Singapore Airline's Silverkris Lounge, Changi International Airport Terminal 2, Singapore (2023)

I assumed the warm lighting was probably designed to meet the need for a cozy feel throughout the lounge area. I may be wrong though but being in the lounge, one was supposed to spend time enjoying the service, food and ambience. Overall, a pleasant and enjoyable pre-flight experience.

Boarding and Seating Arrangement

At boarding time, premium class passengers got to board at the head of the queue. SQ944 was serviced with a Boeing 787-10 aircraft at the time of the publishing of this article. The aircraft seats a total of 36 Business class and 301 Economy class seats. 

The Business class seating arrangement is a 1-2-1 layout while the Economy class is in a 3-3-3 configuration. For a short 2.5 hour flight between Singapore and Bali, the seats in Business Class was extremely comfortable.

Inflight Entertainment System on Business Class Seat 15A onboard the Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10, SQ944, Singapore to Denpasar (2023)

Size comparison of my Traveler's Notebook and the Inflight Entertainment System on Business Class seats onboard the Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10, SQ944, Singapore to Denpasar (2023)

Food and In-flight Service

Food service onboard SIA's J-Class (as well as all other SIA Flight Classes) has always been great and the in-flight service by the cabin crew almost flawless. This is the norm for all flights and one of the reasons why SIA almost always comes out tops in Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

My pre-ordered inflight meal via SIA's Book the Cook service for the short regional flight, SQ944, Singapore to Denpasar (2023)

I pre-ordered my inflight meal online via Singapore Airline's "Book the Cook" service and everything was meticulously prepared and delivered. 

After the meal service, I sat back, relaxed and watched part of a movie on the well-designed inflight entertainment system. I didn't have time to finish the whole movie due to the short flight time. But if I had entered my Krisflyer membership credentials into the inflight entertainment system, I could actually resume watching the same movie (on my next flight) from the point where I had stopped watching that movie on this flight. How nice! Again, SIA edged out its competitors when it comes to the soft touches of its services. I tried this out on my return flight from Denpasar tio Singapore on SQ945 and it worked.

Arrival

After a short 2 hours plus flight, we arrived at Denpasar. Disembarkation starts with the Business Class passengers (there were no First Class Seats on this flight), followed by the rest of the passengers.

Overall, an extremely comfortable and enjoyable flight. To borrow a line from SIA's media campaigns; always a great way to fly! ✈