Join me as I travel in style to Bangkok and back.
I arrived home this morning. My return flight from Bangkok began with a short trip to Hong Kong on Thai Airways, followed by an amazing flight on Singapore Airlines in their Suites class from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Then, like a slap in the face, I took a red-eye flight on Delta, in coach, back to Detroit.
I loved everything about the Singapore Airlines flight. The suite and the service were awesome. The food was good, but not great. I hardly noticed that, though, because I was too busy savoring the overall experience.
The flight attendant, who introduced herself as Ivy Lee, was simply amazing. She seemed to anticipate every need before I asked. And, anytime she wasn’t there, others were readily filling in. None of my earlier experiences on this trip came close to the level of service I experienced on this flight.
Then there was the suite… Wow. Suite walls rose almost to the ceiling to create a truly private room. The room looked great and was well designed with controls, storage cubbies, etc. wherever you needed them. The entertainment system featured a huge, bright screen, a good selection of movies, and comfortable Bose headphones. My only quibble was that the seat itself was uncomfortable when in the upright position. There was something hard under the cushion. It was so prominent that when I first sat down I actually thought I had sat on the seatbelt. When reclined, though, the seat was great.
And, it gets better… There were so many empty suites that every Suites Class passenger was given two rooms: in one, the seat was turned into a bed; and in the other the seat remained a seat. I started thinking of the two rooms as my bedroom and my living room. My living room was for watching movies and dining, and my bedroom was where I read and slept. And, I slept well because the bed was incredibly comfortable. That is, I would have slept well if I wasn’t so darned excited about how great everything was…
My bedroom. I opened the doors and the privacy shades to take this photo.
My living room, as viewed from my seat. Note that the TV looks a bit warped in this picture due to the iPhone panorama feature I used. It’s quite straight in real life.
Why you shouldn’t fly Singapore Suites Class
Now that I’ve flown Singapore Suites, I never want to fly any other way! Had I flown this leg at the beginning of the trip rather than at the end, my First Class flights on Lufthansa and Thai would have been huge let-downs. Don’t let this happen to you. And, more importantly, don’t take away award space that I might need!

[…] Bangkok Bound: Don’t Fly Singapore Suites […]
[…] Singapore Airlines flights: Singapore has a separate award chart for its own flights. One great feature is that if you book online, you get an automatic 15% discount on these award prices. Another awesome feature is that when you use Singapore’s own miles to book their flights, it is possible to book their top-of-the-line Singapore Suites. Singapore Suites cannot be booked with partner airline miles. A few years ago, I flew Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class and absolutely loved it. […]
[…] couple of years ago, I flew Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class and absolutely loved it. The combination of fully enclosed suites, extremely comfortable bedding, and psychic flight […]
hmm they no longer offer the suite class with 777-300er flight from hk to sfo / sfo -hk rotue isnt it ?
[…] Fly in a fully enclosed suite […]
[…] seats were prepared with comfortable bedding when we were ready to sleep. It wasn’t Singapore Suites nice, but still it was very nice. With Lufthansa, flying international 1st class entitles you to […]
[…] points to book Singapore first class or even Singapore Suites. When booking online, get an automatic 15% discount. Singapore does include fuel […]
[…] to get outsized value from your rewards. For an extreme example, consider that last year I flew Singapore Airlines Suites class in exchange for about 71,000 miles (transferred from Membership Rewards points) and less than $300 […]
Waterman: 71000 MR points for that flight. unfortunately, I believe they have stopped running that flight with Suites class. There is another option LA – Singapore for 91K
Hi FM,
What kind of membership rewards you used to transfer to KrisFlyer?
I’ve never quite understood the amount of fawning that accompanies staying in a “room” that, other than the attendant, is little better than a dorm room.
It just needs a microwave oven and a bong to complete the tiny college dorm room experience.
I guess I better cancel my flight next month from SIN-NRT in the suites!
(Can’t wait to try it out)
Hahahah Funniest Post!!! Your the best!!! Im so glad you tried First Class, you deserved it. Keep traveling, keep traveling…
FM, how did you book first class on Singgapore airlines with miles? Did you use united miles or Kris?
Kyle: I transferred points from Membership Rewards to Singapore KrisFlyer miles. The flight required 70,125 miles and $175.68
Sounds like your seat was happy to see you.
Just booked SIN-FRA-JFK on the A380 suite for later in the year. Looking forward to spending all of that time on this product. Thanks new Amex Plat 100k bonus! My fuel surcharge was a whopping US$411. Plus 93500 KF miles. Seems like it’s worth it to me. Also will fly another CX F on this trip. The impeccable service really does spoil you.
This is the kind of TR we need from you. Great job and glad you enjoyed yourself. Keep up the good work with the blog!
I feel like an upcoming series on how to rack up MR points cheaply is on the cards
I too was going to ask about the fuel surcharge. If you can figure it out, what what tot total out-of-pocket for Hong Kong to SFO? Sounds like fun. Yup, others have noted that the meals on Trans-Pacific legs has suffered. (Note to Singapore: Service and food budget are based on the ‘retail’ price of a suites ticket. With that much pocket money at hand, the vittles should never be compromised and a Suites-Class PAX should *never* hear the too familiar line, “I’m so sorry Mr./Ms. X, but we’ve run out of that…”
Sounds like you had fun.
I’m always curious, but most trip reviewers never seem to address this: Was your personal space (your Suite) CLEAN?
Cook: Yes, the Suite was spotless.
Vik: I certainly have more desire now than ever to build up MR points!
its like $340 right?
What was the fuel surcharge on that flight? Was it worth it, sound like it was.
The fuel surcharge (+ small amount of taxes) came to $175.68. It’s a bit less taking the same flight in the other direction (SFO to HKG). More like $110 in that direction. The trip required 70,125 miles when booked online (it would be more if booked over the phone. When booked online they give a 15% discount).
@Mike, you really got a happy ending from a Flight attendant? or your BS?..
Glad you enjoyed it. Next time get a happy ending from the attendant like i have. Lol