The Details

• Flight: SQ26
• Aircraft: A380-800
• Class: Business
• Seats: 91D and 91F
• Route: Frankfurt (FRA)-New York John F. Kennedy (JFK)
• Distance: 4,062miles
• Duration: 8hrs 8min
• Departure: 8:28AM
• Arrival: 10:36AM

The Preflight

After spending a night in downtown Frankfurt at the JW Marriott, my fiance and I took the early morning rail ride to Frankfurt Terminal 1. We arrived at the check-in counters at 6:30AM about 80 minutes prior to our scheduled boarding time of 7:50AM. Check-in was fast and efficient with two dedicated business class counters.

While Singapore Airlines does not have a dedicated SilverKris lounge in Frankfurt, they direct business class passengers to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge located on the second floor of the terminal near gate B43.

Upon entering the lounge there were two high-top tables with bar stools and individual power ports.

Arrayed behind the high-top tables were the drinks along the wall. Options included the usual coffee machine, water, juice, two on-tap beers, soda, as well as alcohol.

Immediately to the right upon entering the lounge was a small dining area.

In the center of the lounge was a large square sofa room.

The hot and cold buffet were located further into the lounge along the windows.

Breakfast choices included croissants, pretzels, bread, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausages. Cold choices included sliced cheese, ham, yogurt, and fresh fruit.

We made our way to the gate to find that boarding had already commenced at 7:40AM. First class (Suites) as well as Business class passengers ascended the escalator to board directly onto the second floor of the A380.

Our A380-800, registration 9V-SKR, was one of 10 active A380s that Singapore was operating. She was delivered brand new in February 2012.

The Flight

Singapore Airlines has a total of 78 business class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration on the upper deck of their A380s. We were seated in 91D and F which were the bulkhead center seats in the cabin behind the second set of boarding doors.

The JAMCO-designed seats offered 25″ of width with a reported pitch of 50″. All of the center seats were arranged to be closer to one another rather than the aisle while all window seats were arranged closer to the aisle than the window.

The benefit of the bulkhead seat was the absolutely massive footwell available. Other bulkhead seats on the A380 included row 11 D/F and row 96 D/F. Of note, the window bulkhead seats do not offer large footwells.

At the front of the seat was a large 18″ high-definition touchscreen. Next to it was a small coat hook as well as a 110V outlet and USB port.

I found the seat design to be very modern and elegant.

Each seat had a dedicated reading light as well as a bi-fold mirror. In addition, there was a modern touchscreen IFE remote which could double as another screen for streaming entertainment. A second USB port was located next to the three-pronged headphone jack.

Below the tabletop were the seat controls. There was an extensive selection of ways to recline the seat which I appreciated.

Adjacent to the seat controls was the sturdy bi-fold tray table.

Underneath the seat controls was an armrest that could be folded up.

On the other side of the seat beneath the seat divider was another small armrest. Along the floor was a literature pocket.

Awaiting at seat was a packaged pair of good quality noise-cancelling headphones and a bottle of water.

The bedding onboard Singapore Airlines is some of the best in the industry for trans-Atlantic business class. There was a soft throw pillow as well as a very comfortable full-sized pillow. Each passenger had a thin mattress pad as well as a cozy comforter.

Upon taking our seats, the cabin crew came by immediately to offer us a pre-departure beverage. Options included either orange juice or water.

The beverage and food menus were also provided. Singapore offers the ability to pre-order meals online for business and first-class passengers through the “Book the Cook” program. There were two additional options online (Thai noodles as well as Viennese Spring chicken) that were not listed on the lunch menu.

The load factor on this flight was incredibly light with roughly 40% of the rear business class cabin being full. Boarding was completed at 8:03AM and we pushed back four minutes later. We took off at 8:11AM after a brief four-minute taxi to the runway.

Service began 35 minutes after take-off with the traditional delicious Singapore chicken satay with peanut sauce. I had a glass of the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve despite the early morning hour.

Next, I had a classic Singapore Sling which was very tasty with just the right amount of sweetness. Singapore Airlines offers a fairly extensive cocktail menu with 10 specific drinks that could be crafted.

Lunch was served at a leisurely pace with the appetizer plated an hour after the chicken satay. The dining table was individually set up and a warmed bread basket was offered. I had two pieces of delicious garlic bread. The single appetizer choice of smoked eel and trout terrine was fresh.

For my main, I went with the incredibly salty Bavarian-style pork belly with beer sauce, cabbage, potato, and carrots.

My fiance went with the pre-ordered Viennese spring chicken. Unfortunately, it was not the crispiest with a very soggy breaded outer layer.

Next up was the cheese course with three delicious slices.

Finally, for dessert, we went with the nut cake with apple ragout as well as the hazelnut ice cream. Both dessert options were excellent.

The entire meal service took about two hours which left us just over six hours until landing in New York. Singapore does a fantastic job with their bedding as they even offer business class passengers turn-down service. The three center pairs 11D/F, 91D/F, and 96D/F can be fully converted into double beds for couples. As we changed into pajamas, the cabin crew prepared a very welcoming double bed.

Amenity kits are also offered on request to call business class passengers. Contents included Penhaligon lip balm, hand lotion, and facial mist. We also requested slippers and socks.

There were a total of four lavatories located in the middle of the business-class cabin and one in the rear of the aircraft. Throughout the flight, each lavatory was kept very clean.

Amenities in each lavatory included dental kits, razors, Penhaligon branded hand lotion, facial mist, and eau de toilette.

I had difficulty falling asleep despite the comfortable bedding as this was a daytime flight. Instead, I browsed the inflight entertainment and watched a few movies.

Two hours prior to landing, the cabin crew started the second meal service. I had a cup of black coffee to start.

I did try the SilverKris Sling which was as good as the Singapore Sling I had earlier.

I chose the Chinese-style braised egg noodles with prawns for the meal which was very good. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the noodles had just the right texture for fried noodles.

The rest of the flight was smooth with an on-time arrival into New York JFK.

We landed at 10:36AM local time and arrived at the gate 14 minutes later at 10:50AM. Thanks for the ride!

I felt that Singapore Airlines offers one of the best, if not the best, business class product across the Atlantic Ocean on their fifth freedom route from Frankfurt to New York JFK. I would happily choose to fly them again.