Last month we reported how Singapore Airlines was returning to course-by-course service in First Class and Business Class on its Frankfurt and Munich routes from 7th September 2021, just in time for the new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) services.
The rollout included both VTL and non-VTL flights in both directions on these routes.
That meant it was SQ328 from Singapore to Munich at 12.30am on 7th September 2021 that first saw the move away from single tray service in its Business Class cabin, followed by SQ326 from Singapore to Frankfurt at 1.55pm the same afternoon, with course-by-course dining in both First Class and Business Class sections.

What’s happened since?
We checked with Singapore Airlines on the subsequent rollout of course-by-course dining in these cabins, and they kindly confirmed to us that all other European routes (non-Germany) followed suit from 14th September 2021, covering flights to and from:
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Copenhagen
- London Heathrow
- Manchester
- Milan
- Moscow
- Paris
- Rome
- Zurich

The latest additions
Effective from 1st October 2021, course-by-course service has been expanded to:
- North America
- North Asia
- Australia & New Zealand

That means those flying on services including New York – Singapore (the longest passenger flight in the world) and also on routes such as Singapore – Sydney will have a course-by-course presentation in First Class and Business Class, at least for the most substantial meal served during the journey.
By mid-October, it’s a wrap
Finally from 15th October 2021, SIA confirmed to us that the remainder of the network will also shift across for a consistent course-by-course service on all routes, meaning the following regions will be included:
- Africa (e.g. Johannesburg)
- Middle East (Dubai)
- South Asia (e.g. Colombo)
- Turkey (Istanbul)
Single-tray service on regional flights
Regional flights (typically up to four hours, though there are exceptions, like Hong Kong) will continue to have single-tray service in these cabins.

This was already the normal service presentation pre-COVID on these shorter flights.
Inflight menu
Printed menus are now a thing of the past on Singapore Airlines flights, even in First Class, as the airline adopted a digital drive to reduce waste in 2020.
On the plus side, you’ll be able to view a digital menu on board via the in-flight entertainment system or your mobile device, but also online eight days before departure via the airline’s Digital Menu System.
This will allow you to see what’s on the menu with plenty of notice, and you can even pre-select your main course through Manage Booking in advance.
Book the Cook
Singapore Airlines currently has four cities on its network offering ‘Book the Cook’, where you can make a selection to replace the main course of your inflight menu up to 24 hours prior to departure time.
Exact selections available on your flight may differ from the full lists shown above, based on time of day and sector length.
With upcoming “fifth freedom” flights between Frankfurt and New York JFK, a route that will be open to fully vaccinated travellers from early November 2021, we also expect to see ‘Book the Cook’ reinstated for those departing New York JFK.

This would benefit not only those flying to (or via) Frankfurt on the reinstated SQ25 each evening, but presumably those on the SQ23 non-stop service, which departs only 2 hours later.
Summary
It’s great to see more normality progressively returning to travel on Singapore Airlines, with course-by-course dining in First and Business Class effective across the airline’s long-haul network from mid-October 2021.
Regional flights will still see single-tray service, but that was the case pre-COVID anyway and is unlikely to change, given the time constraints on these shorter services.
‘Book the Cook’ is now available for flights departing from four cities, and will include the Frankfurt – New York sector once it restarts in November. Hopefully the return portion of that journey departing from New York will also join the list in due course, with further progressive reintroductions.
(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)
Fantastic news. Thanks for updating us….
Just flew SQ24 to JFK on 2 Oct, with course-by-course restored, including satay and cheese! Business class was apparently 80% full, which is good news for SQ.
Nice to have course-by-course back on that long flight!
Hopefully the additional SHN relaxations will mean even better loads for SQ on USA flights.
Have you seen any trip reports of First Class meals since course-by-course dining was reintroduced? It used to be the case that Appetiser, Salad and Soup were listed as separate courses (2 choices in each category). Now, if you look at the online menu (e.g. SQ222 SYD-SIN) they appear to be listed as three choices within one course. Does this mean two fewer courses?
Hi. Thanks for all the great updates on this site. I’m travelling SIN-AMS soon in J, and wondering if it is possible to request the Dinner/Supper to be served closer to landing / after breakfast (as the flight leaves at midnight) – or are meal times set in Business Class on SQ? Thanks,