After three years working with Canyon Ranch for its wellness cuisine and in-flight well being programmes on ultra-long-haul services, last year Singapore Airlines announced a new partnership with high-end U.S. spa retreat Golden Door.
While a one-week stay at the Golden Door resort near San Marcos in California will currently set you back US$10,450 plus tax, SIA passengers will now get a taste of the spa’s wellness menus included in the price of their Business Class or Premium Economy ticket on selected routes.
This sees a new range of catering offered in premium cabins on the airline’s non-stop flights between the USA and Singapore, as part of a “farm-to-plane” initiative, plus a range of hydration, exercise and sleep tips, all designed to make flights of up to 19 hours long spanning 12 time zones more bearable.
Rest assured that if wellness cuisine doesn’t particularly excite you, regular in-flight menu and ‘Book the Cook’ options are still available alongside these new options.
Which flights?
The first Golden Door menus were originally scheduled to be introduced from January 2022 on Los Angeles to Singapore flights (SQ37), however the launch was postponed and it’s the daily non-stops from New York (JFK) and Newark that have become the first to experience the new selections, since 1st April 2022.
These two flights are currently the longest non-stop passenger services in the world, with JFK – Singapore just pipping the Newark route to the accolade at 5km further, with 5 minutes extra flight time built in to accommodate.
Non-stop flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to Singapore will progressively be added to the list of services featuring these Golden Door options, as outlined below.
| Singapore Airlines Current or Confirmed Golden Door Wellness Menu Routes |
||
| Route | Flight Numbers | Aircraft Type |
| Newark – Singapore 18 hours 45 minutes |
SQ21 | A350 ULR |
| New York (JFK) – Singapore 18 hours 50 minutes |
SQ23 | A350 ULR |
| Los Angeles – Singapore 17 hours 10 minutes |
SQ37^ | A350 Long Haul |
^ Golden Door menu commences 1st May 2022
| Singapore Airlines Future Golden Door Wellness Menu Routes (Dates TBC) |
||
| Route | Flight Numbers | Aircraft Type |
| Los Angeles – Singapore 17 hours 10 minutes |
SQ35 |
A350 Long Haul |
| San Francisco – Singapore 16 hours 40 minutes |
SQ31 SQ33 |
A350 Long Haul A350 ULR |
| Seattle – Singapore* 16 hours 10 minutes |
SQ27 | A350 Long Haul |
* Non-stop Seattle – Singapore services resume on 2nd June 2022
Even though many of Singapore Airlines’ non-stop flights from the USA to Singapore use three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft, including all services from Los Angeles, the new Golden Door meal options will only be available to passengers travelling in Business Class and Premium Economy.
The Golden Door menu items are exclusive to non-stop services, and therefore won’t be offered on the following Singapore Airlines flights from the USA:
- Houston – Manchester – Singapore
- Los Angeles – Tokyo – Singapore
- New York (JFK) – Frankfurt – Singapore
Remember these Golden Door wellness options are only available in the USA to Singapore direction, with only regular menus alongside SIA’s ‘Book the Cook’ service offered for those departing from Changi.
‘Book the Cook’ is also now available for Business Class passengers departing from Los Angeles, New York (JFK) and Seattle, and for Premium Economy Class passengers departing from Los Angeles and Seattle, but has not yet been restored for flights departing from other U.S. airports.
Current offerings
On both the SQ21 Newark – Singapore and SQ23 New York (JFK) – Singapore flights, each of which departs daily, the Golden Door wellness menu options are now featured in Business Class on the in-flight menu at the second meal service, called “Midflight Onwards”.
This is designed to be consumed any time from midway through the flight through to two hours before landing in Singapore, and follows the initial “Lunch” service from Newark at 10.25am (SQ21) or the “After Take Off” service from JFK at 10.30pm (SQ23).
The “Midflight Onwards” offering is currently identical on both flights.
In Premium Economy Class, passengers can also make a Golden Door selection.
This time the two New York – Singapore flights are slightly different, with passengers departing from JFK on SQ23 seeing their option at the after take-off “Supper” service.
Premium Economy passengers departing from Newark on the daytime SQ21 service will see the Golden Door wellness option on their “Dinner” menu, served prior to landing in Singapore.
You can view the in-flight menu for any Singapore Airlines flight in any class of service for departures over the next eight days at the In-flight Menu portal (printed menus are no longer provided on board).
Los Angeles joins from 1st May
SQ37 flights from Los Angeles to Singapore, originally slated to be the first to receive Golden Door menu options earlier this year, will start to see these dishes in Business Class from 1st May 2022.
Here’s how the initial menu looks, once again at the second meal service, called “Midflight Onwards”.
There are no Golden Door dishes listed for Premium Economy travellers on SQ37, nor any passengers on SQ35 Los Angeles – Singapore flights, at the time of writing.
Full Golden Door selection
Here’s a selection of further planned Golden Door wellness menu items, which will appear on non-stop USA to Singapore menus listed above in rotation, so hopefully regular travellers on these routes will see a good variety offered through the year.
Main Courses
- Portobello meatballs, risotto heirloom tomato sauce with wilted greens
- Lemon-roasted Cornish hen, farm verde, asparagus, roasted eggplant fricassee
- Scallops or tofu with cauliflower sauce, wild rice and beurre noisette
- Citrus salmon over pumpkin dal, basmati rice and cilantro ghee
Salads and Soups
- Citrus grilled shrimp salad with honey glazed mushrooms, blackberries, sourdough croutons, balsamic ginger dressing
- Hearty vegetable black bean chilli with cornbread croutons, avocado cream and cilantro
- Cauliflower chowder with cheddar cheese and chilli oil
- Orange-braised baby beet salad with endive, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts
Breakfast
- Power-packed oatmeal with goji berries, blueberries, quinoa, almonds and honey drizzle
- Sourdough French toast with ginger maple syrup and vanilla berries
- Smoked salmon with crisp Lavash and lemon crema
- Cocoa granola with cinnamon hazelnut milk
Desserts
- Vegan coconut ice cream with mango
- Avocado chocolate ganache
- Persimmon pudding cake
- Spiced apple cake
- Baked seasonal fruit crumble
