Review: Singapore Airlines temporary SilverKris Lounge Changi T3

General details

Opening Times: 5.00am to 2.30am
Capacity: 124 (non-transit)
Opened: 31st March 2021
Showers: Yes
Spa: No
Bar: No
Wi-Fi: Yes
Multi-standard Power Sockets: Yes
USB Charging Sockets: Yes
Wireless Charging: Yes
Dress Code: None

Lounge access

The following passengers are eligible to access the Singapore Airlines temporary SilverKris Lounge:

Flying on a Singapore Airlines flight, or on a Star Alliance member operated flight:

• in First Class or Business Class; or
• in Premium Economy or Economy Class and holding Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold, PPS Club or Solitaire PPS Club status, or Star Alliance Gold status.

Additionally, only when flying on a Singapore Airlines flight:

• Virgin Australia Velocity Platinum and Gold status members, in any cabin class (+1 guest)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold status members, in any cabin class (passenger only)

Due to COVID-19, the temporary SilverKris Lounge in Singapore is designated as a departure-only facility, and is temporarily unavailable if you are arriving in Singapore, regardless of travel class.

Access for transit passengers is restricted to those originating in countries or regions from which Singapore has unilaterally lifted border restrictions.

At the time of writing, these comprise:

• Hong Kong
• Macau
• China (excluding Jiangsu province)
• Taiwan

Guest policy

KrisFlyer Elite Gold, PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club members can bring one guest into the lounge with them, provided their guest is departing on a Singapore Airlines flight on the same day.

If your guest is travelling on a Star Alliance flight on the same day, you must be traveling on the same flight as them in order to bring them into the lounge.

Virgin Australia Velocity Platinum and Gold status members can bring one guest into the lounge with them. The guest must be flying on a Singapore Airlines flight, but it does not have to be the same one as the member.

Location

The Singapore Airlines temporary SilverKris Singapore is located on Level 3 of Changi Terminal 3’s transit area, one level above the departure concourse.

Take the first escalator to the left of the Cosmetics & Perfumes duty free store.

There’s a sign at the top of the escalator pointing left to the lounge, but it’s basically right in front of you already.

Lounge renovation project

Why is this the temporary SilverKris lounge, you might ask?

Well Singapore Airlines is in the midst of a much-anticipated revamp of its flagship Terminal 3 lounges at Changi, which will eventually see brand new versions of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, SilverKris First and Business Class Lounges, and The Private Room.

The first lounge to reopen is set to be the SilverKris Business Class lounge in late 2021, while the SilverKris First Class lounge and The Private Room will follow in 2022.

These three facilities will take up their former footprint, plus will acquire the space of the former KrisFlyer Gold lounge.

Singapore Airlines is currently operating solely from Terminal 3 at Changi, while a renovation of Terminal 2 is ongoing.

Our visit

We accessed the temporary SilverKris Lounge for this review before departing on a Singapore Airlines flight to Frankfurt in Business Class.

This was our first overseas trip in 18 months due to quarantine restrictions, but vaccinated travellers can now travel between Singapore and Germany without serving a Stay-Home Notice on their return, thanks to the Vaccinated Travel Lane, which begins on 8th September 2021.

First impressions

No expense has been spared at the entrance of the temporary SilverKris lounge, which is great given that it’s destined to be the future KrisFlyer Gold lounge on completion of the renovation project next year.

You’ll spot the smart metal lounge sign against a tan marble wall, and Changi’s ‘casino carpet’ immediately makes way for smart tiled flooring, leading to two welcome podiums with a brass surround.

A halo light fitting hangs below recessed ceiling lighting in a series of oval shapes.

It’s a smart, modern welcome into the lounge, giving us high hopes for the latest SilverKris lounges joining the fold at Changi in the months ahead.

The curved marble wall on the left side also features the SilverKris logo, and directs you along a short corridor into the main lounge space itself, with an attractive row of brass copper slats on the right side.

On the immediate left side as you enter there’s a small section comprising a series of five dining tables along the back wall and some armchairs, plus a TV.

Walk through and the lounge opens out to a bright airy terrace with views over the runway.

Marble floor tiles lead between the sections, with textured grey carpet by the windows and blue carpet at the high tables.

At the far end of the lounge (right turn after entry) is the food and beverage section, while around halfway down on the right is where you can access the restrooms and showers.

It’s not really the former dnata lounge

One thing that becomes immediately apparent here if you’ve ever visited the former dnata lounge, which occupied approximately the same location until mid-2019, is that this is a much expanded lounge in comparison.

Dnata was only occupying a small portion of the terrace space, while Singapore Airlines has taken the entire section, as you can see from the comparison photos below (swipe to compare).

Even the entrance is in a completely different location, with the dnata lounge requiring a right turn and short walk after reaching the top of the same escalator.

Too many comparisons with the dnata lounge would therefore be a slightly ‘apples vs. oranges’ scenario, so we’ve avoided them in this review.

Seating options

Numerous seating options are available to cater for a variety of preferences.

The first main row of seats comprises low leather armchairs, with fabric seat cushions and seat backs for added comfort.

The tables, which came from the old KrisFlyer Gold lounge, look a little out of place given the more modern furniture and finish elsewhere.

Running down the centre of the lounge are four rows of banquette seating, with the option of looking out towards the windows or looking back into the lounge on the opposite side in each case.

Singapore Airlines opted for a mid-blue tone for these seats to offset the maroon and cream leather alternatives for the other seats.

Along the window side there are all-leather red armchairs, again with those old tables in use.

There are also high bar stool seats along two black marble tables near the lounge entrance, on the right side as you enter the lounge.

We opted for the low armchair seating near the windows, which were quiet and reasonably private.

The view from the window itself, however, is somewhat restricted by the tiny dots, and large flap-like structures, probably designed to reduce direct sunlight and help keep the terminal cool.

While you can obviously dine anywhere in the lounge, a section with 10 tables designed specifically for this purpose is located near the F&B section.

Notice how the LG Styler steam machine has also been relocated from the SKL Business Class lounge and placed on the back wall here, in case you need to de-crease any clothing items.

There’s also a potentially quieter dining section near the lounge entrance, which also benefits from device charging points.

The quietest seating area is probably the furthest from the F&B section, on the far left side as you enter the lounge.

Transit passengers section

At the far corner of the lounge terrace there is a dedicated seating area for transit passengers, behind full-height screen dividers.

This section runs around the beverage area in an L-shape, and as mentioned earlier it is only applicable for those originating in countries or regions from which Singapore has unilaterally lifted border restrictions, who are then transiting at Changi before flying on to their final destination.

That means it’s open to a relatively small group at the time of writing, with other connecting passengers at Changi segregated in the dedicated ‘Transit Holding Areas’ elsewhere in the terminal between their flights.

Was this designed to be the First Class section?

We had a small peek into the transit section and the interesting thing we noted is that the furniture from the former SilverKris First Class lounge and The Private Room has been used there, so we get the impression the original intention may have been to accomodate First Class passengers and Solitaire PPS Club members in this area.

There’s even a dedicated welcome podium, unnecessary for transit passengers since the lounge staff escort them to this section personally when they arrive.

Unfortunately there is currently no dedicated section for First Class guests, so nothing particularly special awaits you when departing Changi in this cabin until later this year, which is a shame now the option to fly at ‘the pointy end’ on SIA has been back since June 2021.

Wi-Fi

We recorded a Wi-Fi speed using the SilverKris lounge network of around 11 Mbps download and 7 Mbps upload during our visit.

While good enough for most tasks, these speeds are starting to fall behind the norm these days. The Qantas Singapore Business Lounge in T1 was pumping out 62 Mbps, for example, when we visited in September 2019.

In our experience one of the issues with ‘open-air’ lounges like this with a large terrace exposed to the main terminal area is that the Wi-Fi signal can be patchy or slow the further you get from the main section where the routers are typically located.

We therefore tested the Wi-Fi speed right at the far extremities of the SilverKris lounge, as well as at the seats near the entrance area, but our theory was wrong – the speeds were more or less identical wherever you’re sat.

Power outlets

At first glance this lounge appears to have an abundance of power outlets for keeping your devices charged during your journey, but on closer inspection it’s a little more limited than it looks.

USB and UNI socket power outlets are only available at the high tables and banquette seating.

The armchairs and dining section, which make up the majority (56%) of the lounge’s 124 seats, have no charging facilities. That’s a shame because the armchairs are probably the comfiest option.

Where power outlets are available, you should have no issue with compatibility regardless of which plug type you’re carrying.

Another advance for SilverKris lounges, to our knowledge, is the addition of table top wireless charging points. We first saw these in the Qatar Airways Singapore Premium Lounge when it opened in early 2020 and thought it was a great idea.

Unfortunately these are only available at the long high tables with bar stool seating, near the entrance, where 16 seats are available in total.

Each long table (8 seats) has five wireless charging points running down the middle, so you may have to fight the other guests for them if it’s busy!

I tried one with my iPhone and it worked immediately. If you have a thicker case on your device you may need to remove it first for the wireless charging to work.

Reading materials

A small library section is installed near the entrance to the restrooms and the showers, however due to COVID-19 restrictions there are currently no reading materials offered.

Given the increasing propensity of digital newspapers and magazines even before the pandemic, one wonders whether newspapers and magazines will ever make their way back into airport lounges.

Singapore Airlines has probably been quite sensible in dedicating only a small amount of real estate to this section!

Showers

With its future as a KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, catering predominantly to Elite Gold members taking shorter flights, only three shower suites have been installed here.

That’s good news for KrisFlyer Elite Gold members though – with their previous lounges not even featuring restrooms inside, let alone showers!

Obviously the future SilverKris Business Class lounge will boast a far greater number of showers to accommodate the usual nightly Business Class transit rush each evening, but thankfully for now due to COVID-19, three showers appears to be sufficient.

With a long 13-hour flight to Europe ahead, I decided to take advantage. There was no need to book a shower slot, but there are portable pagers they can assign to you if all three showers are occupied, to let you know when one is ready for you.

The finish is high-end, with quality sanitaryware by TOTO.

Unfortunately the shower suites do not have their own dedicated toilet inside, as with the former SKL Business Class lounge at Changi.

Hopefully this will be a feature across at the newly revamped SilverKris Business Class and First Class lounges.

A regular shower head is installed rather than the more common rain shower options usually seen in new facilities these days.

A small changing stool and three wall hooks for your belongings are installed.

Generic body wash and shampoo are provided in the shower cubicle itself, on wall-mounted dispensers.

At the shower sink there are some amenities provided to help you freshen up, plus shaver sockets and a shaving mirror with in-built lighting (two settings). A hairdryer is also available.

Amenities alongside the sink include Penhaligon’s Quercus hand lotion and eau de toilette, in common with the new Business Class amenity kits being provided on SIA’s longer flights.

There’s also a disposable razor, hairbrush, comb, dental kit and shaving cream provided.

As for the shower itself – both the water pressure and temperature control were excellent, so I left nicely refreshed for the long flight ahead.

Restrooms

As with the shower suites, the restrooms have received a high-end finish with the same marble walls and tiled floors.

There’s also a hairdryer, shaving sockets and a backlit shaving mirror alongside one of the sinks.

In common with the shower suites, Penhaligon’s Quercus eau de toilette, mouthwash and shaving cream are provided, alongside disposable razors, dental kits and combs.

Baby care room

After the last shower suite along the corridor is a baby care room, including a baby changing table and feeding area with an armchair and a privacy curtain, for those travelling with infants.

There is also a sink and the same selection of toiletries available in the shower suites.

Beverages

One of the most common questions we’ve been asked by the few readers still travelling over the last few months is whether the temporary SilverKris lounge is serving Champagne or not.

We’re sorry to report it isn’t.

In the past Champagne had occasionally been hidden away and available only on request in the SilverKris Business Class lounges, but we confirmed with the servers that’s not the case here and it’s simply not part of the temporary lounge offering.

Bubbles will no doubt make a comeback when the fully-fledged and revamped SilverKris Business Class lounge along the corridor opens later this year.

Despite the lack of Champagne, a self-serve wine dispenser machine will pour you a small or large glass of the two wines on offer.

Here’s how the wine and Champagne score on our favourite ratings site Vivino.

We tried both wines, and the Heirloom Riesling is certainly quite a pleasant drop. The French Syrah was also good, if a little sweet for our taste.

The self pour spirits selection included:

• Bacardi
• Bombay Sapphire Gin
• Absolut Vodka
• Courvoisier XO Cognac

• Johnny Walker Black Label Whiskey
• Jack Daniels Whiskey
• Chivas Regal Whisky

A variety of still and sparking water, juices, sodas, tonics and Heineken beer were also available to pick up in the adjacent fridge and open shelving unit.

Interestingly on the open shelves we noticed how each beverage type is physically separated from the adjacent ones, reducing the need to touch or move drinks you’re not taking from the fridge, for hygiene reasons during this period.

Fridges are stocked directly from the kitchen behind, ensuring the selection closest to the lounge guests when they open the door is the coldest available, and also minimising staff interaction and customer disruption during refills.

The fridge doors feature the same quality brass copper finish used elsewhere in the lounge, for a nice high-end consistency.

There’s also an automatic beer vending machine, like the ones you see in Japan Airlines and ANA lounges, but unfortunately this is not currently operational, presumably due to COVID-19.

For those (like me) who need their Heineken served as cold as possible for as long as possible, there are also chilled beer glasses in the fridge. These glasses are Tiger-branded and therefore were probably designed to be used with the beer vending machine, since only Heineken is available in the fridge.

Lemons and limes are available for a bit of zest with your G&T, while those mixing a Bloody Mary have Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce at their disposal!

Alcohol Restrictions Don’t worry about alcohol serving hours if you have a late departure time. Singapore’s current COVID-19 restrictions on alcohol consumption in bars and restaurants (10.30pm limit) does not apply at the airport.

Two bean-to-cup coffee machines will deliver you anything from a small decaf to a large mocha.

Finally a selection of TWG teas is placed alongside a hot water dispenser tap.

There are also Oreo cookie packs alongside and Digestive biscuits are available on request.

Interestingly, we noticed that some of the glassware in the lounge was high-end Lalique crystalware.

Dining

While there is a buffet station built in to this lounge for future use, due to COVID-19 restrictions it is not currently operational and you must instead place your food orders via a digital menu system.

You must be logged on to the lounge Wi-Fi to access the e-Menu. If you don’t have a compatible device, the lounge staff will provide a laminated menu for you and assist with your order.

Small photos of each dish are provided alongside, but if you want a closer look sample dishes are presented at the buffet station.

While these selections won’t be delivered to your seat, you can simply place your order by scanning a QR code to access the menu via your mobile device, or by selecting the menu from the lounge Wi-Fi post-login page.

You will receive a notification once your food is ready for collection at the buffet station.

Here’s what’s on the menu, depending on the timing of your lounge visit.

Asian
Dish	Description	Availability
		5am – 10.59am	11am – 2.30am
Chicken Porridge	Savoury congee with chicken chunks.
Chwee Kueh	Steamed rice cakes served with savoury preserved radish.
Dim Sum	A trio of char siew pau (BBQ pork bun), siew mai (Seafood chicken dumpling) and har gow (Shrimp dumpling).
Laksa	Rice vermicelli in a rich coconut curry broth, with prawns, quail eggs, fish cakes and beancurd puffs.

Western
Dish	Description	Availability
		5am – 10.59am	11am – 2.30am
Baked Mushroom with Cheese	Fresh white button mushrooms stuffed with tomato concasse and mozzarella cheese.
Beef Lasagne	Layered pasta sheets with beef bolognese.
Breakfast Set	A platter of chicken bacon, crispy hashbrown sticks, croissant and scrambled eggs.
Grilled Chicken Steak with Potato Puffs	Chicken steak with brown sauce, served with sautéed greens and potato puffs.
Grilled Chicken Steak with Spaghetti Aglio Olio	Chicken steak with brown sauce, served with spaghetti tossed with garlic and chilli, and sautéed greens.

Vegetarian
Dish	Description	Availability
		5am – 10.59am	11am – 2.30am
Beehoon with Vegetarian Dumplings	Vegetarian mock meat dumplings served with rice vermicelli.
Vegetarian Biryani	Basmati rice cooked with potatoes, onions, green peas and tomatoes.
Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala	Grilled cottage cheese cubes cooked in a rich red spice and yoghurt sauce. Served with fragrant jasmine rice.

Salad & Soup
Dish	Description	Availability
		5am – 10.59am	11am – 2.30am
Garden Salad	Mesclun greens with cherry tomatoes and carrot strips. Served with roasted Sesame dressing on the side.
Salad with Grilled Chicken Strips	Fresh greens with grilled Chicken breast strips. Served with roasted Sesame dressing on the side
Cream of Mushroom Soup	Grilled cottage cheese cubes cooked in a rich red spice and yoghurt sauce. Served with fragrant jasmine rice.

Kids
Dish	Description	Availability
		5am – 10.59am	11am – 2.30am
Chicken Nuggets with French Fries	Crispy Chicken nuggets served with french fries.

I started with the Dim Sum trio, which was nicely presented in a bamboo steamer and very tasty.

Food is served on the traditional Singapore Airlines Business Class plating for now, presumably moved across from the old lounge. Let’s see if new a range of tableware is a feature of the future lounge revamp.

Later I tried the Laksa, which was a real standout.

Excellent flavours and well spiced, though the prawns tasted as though they were previously frozen, which is a shame.

I also tried a western option – the Chicken Steak with Potato Puffs.

The sautéed greens were very good, but the rest of the dish was quite forgettable.

A selection of snacks and cereals is also available on request.

A daily special also seems to feature, which isn’t included on the e-Menu, so do take a walk over to the dining counter to check what it is. During our visit, Roasted Hot Wings were available on request.

Sneak peek at the new SKL

If you walk to the far corner of this temporary lounge on the left side (furthest from the food and beverages section) and have a peek between the dividers, you get a decent view of what used to be the KrisFlyer Gold lounge.

This is located after the SATS Premier Lounge and will become part of the SKL once it reopens later this year.

Remember that artists impression of the future SKL Business Class bar we shared earlier in the review?

Well you don’t have to squint too hard to see that this is its location, with the vertical lighting behind the bar curving into the ceiling and the hexagonal wall lighting opposite.

Interestingly there were some people (who didn’t look like construction workers) dining in there during our visit to the temporary lounge.

Concluding thoughts

It’s great to see Singapore Airlines put a significant amount of effort into its future KrisFlyer Gold lounge, currently serving here as the temporary SilverKris facility for all lounge-eligible guests until the revamped lounges start to open their doors later this year.

There’s a good variety of seating options, high-end shower suites and a decent selection of food throughout the day.

Negative aspects include a lack of Champagne or sparkling wine (just one white and one red), no device charging at most seats, and no special section or privileges for First Class passengers and top-tier PPS Club members.

However, while passenger numbers remain low the lounge never gets particularly busy and many of these issues will be rectified once the newly revamped SilverKris Business Class lounge opens its doors just months from now.

As the future KrisFlyer Gold lounge in Terminal 3, this will be a very welcome improvement on what have frankly been substandard facilities in years gone by for Elite Gold members.

Not only will the future KrisFlyer Gold facility feature restrooms and showers, the quality of the fixtures and fittings is excellent and finally on a par with a decent airline-operated Business Class lounge.

The future Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold lounge at Changi T3 is a fantastic upgrade on the previous drab versions, gaining a fresh, modern design, restrooms and showers.

As a Business Class facility, temporarily replacing the soon-to-be-unveiled revamped SilverKris Business Class lounge later this year, it’s… ‘decent enough’.

Of course, this lounge is nowhere near on par for Singapore Airlines’ First Class passengers, who will almost certainly be immediately upgraded to the future SilverKris Business Class lounge later this year.

SIA may even give First Class passengers a designated section of their own over there, but they’ll ultimately be waiting until 2022 for a pre-flight pad befitting the excellent on-board product.

Review Summary

3.5 / 5 among airline-operated Business Class lounges

Singapore Airlines temporary SilverKris Lounge A variety of seating options, good food selection, and great showers were pleasant surprises from the temporary SIA SilverKris Lounge (and future KrisFlyer Gold lounge) at Changi, but there is no Champagne available and no dedicated First Class section for now.

Visited: September 2021

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)