How to sit in Premium Economy on SIA’s Bangkok, KL and Jakarta flights

If you thought Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy cabin was the reserve of the carrier’s long-haul flights you’d certainly be forgiven, since that’s almost the correct assumption. There are a few regional routes, however, that regularly benefit from these seats, and the airline doesn’t even sell the cabin as Premium Economy.

Instead on these shorter flights they are sold as Economy Class seats, and rather than being offered on a first-come-first-served basis, or being exclusive to status holders, Singapore Airlines began charging a fee for them in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

That means you can opt to pay extra to sit in this cabin when flying shorter routes it’s not actually sold on, for an additional fee, or take your chances at online check-in 48 hours before departure and potentially pay no extra charge for the privilege of a little more space and legroom.

Traditionally restricted to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur flights, currently there’s the widest range of options ever to take advantage of this benefit, with routes including Bangkok, Colombo and Hanoi also on the list.

There is no service differentiation

The important to thing to note about SIA’s operation of aircraft with a Premium Economy cabin on these shorter regional routes is that there is no service differentiation from Economy Class, whether you have paid extra to sit in this section, or you have been allocated a seat there.

Passengers who choose this option [on selected flights] will be seated on a more comfortable Premium Economy Seat, while their class of service remains Economy and all fare conditions will remain the same as their originally-booked Economy Class fare.

Singapore Airlines

That’s because no one gets the Premium Economy service or benefits on these flights, since the cabin class is simply not sold on these routes.

Instead you’ll benefit only from a separate cabin, with wider seats and additional legroom. There are also ‘couple pairs’ by the window, a nicer experience for two passengers travelling together than the 3-3-3 configuration in Economy Class on these aircraft.

Which aircraft?

To be able to pay extra to sit in a Premium Economy seat on shorter regional ‘non-PY’ flights to and from Singapore, even though you’re booked in Economy Class, you’ll need to pick a service operated by one of the following aircraft:

• Airbus A350 Long Haul (3-class)
• Boeing 777-300ER (4-class)

Other aircraft types, like the Airbus A350 Medium Haul, don’t feature a Premium Economy Class cabin, while the airline’s Airbus A380s do not operate any shorter flights where the Premium Economy Class cabin is not sold as such.

Here’s how the Premium Economy seat maps look on these two aircraft.

While there is no priority service on the ground, enhanced miles earning or upgraded F&B on board when sitting in this cabin on these short flights, here’s what SIA’s Premium Economy seat offers:

• 38″ seat pitch (6″ more than Economy Class)
• 19″ seat width (0.5″ more than Economy Class)
• 8″ seat recline (2″ more than Economy Class)
• 13.3″ HD touchscreen monitor (2.1″ bigger than Economy Class)
• In-built calf rest and footrest
• 2 USB ports and AC power supply
• Adjustable reading light

Those travelling in the Premium Economy cabin on Boeing 777-300ERs (and A380s for that matter, though they don’t fly these short routes) benefit from a slightly wider 19.5″ seat.

How much does it cost?

Seat selection fees on Singapore Airlines flights are all quoted in US Dollars, then converted to the currency of your departure city when you make your booking or pay for seat selection later.

Here’s a table showing the current rates for selecting a seat in the Premium Economy cabin on regional flights not offering a differentiated Premium Economy service, including approximate SGD rates.

There are discounts applied, based on you KrisFlyer status.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Seat Selection (on non-PY routes)
Singapore to/from	Status	PY Standard	PY Extra Legroom
Band 1 Bangkok Ho Chi Minh Hanoi Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Yangon	Non-KF	US$35.00 (~S$48)	US$50.00 (~S$69)
	KF Basic	US$33.25 (~S$46)	US$47.50 (~S$65)
	KFES	US$31.50 (~S$43)	US$45.00 (~S$62)
	KFEG	US$29.75 (~S$41)	US$42.50 (~S$59)
Band 2 Colombo Dhaka	Non-KF	US$75.00 (~S$103)	US$90.00 (~S$124)
	KF Basic	US$71.25 (~S$98)	US$85.50 (~S$118)
	KFES	US$67.50 (~S$93)	US$81.00 (~S$112)
	KFEG	US$63.75 (~S$88)	US$76.50 (~S$105)

These seat selection fees do not vary based on your Economy Class fare type (e.g. Lite, Standard, Flexi). They also apply to those booked on any award redemption in the Economy Class cabin (i.e. Saver or Advantage).

Here’s an example for a KrisFlyer Gold member reserving a Premium Economy seat (but remember, not a PY service standard) from Singapore to Bangkok.

It’s free for PPS Club members

Good news if you are a PPS Club member, with all seat selection fees waived, including these seats in the Premium Economy cabin on these non-PY routes.

Right from the booking stage you can therefore select any seat you like in this cabin at no additional charge, when travelling on an Economy Class ticket or redemption, so don’t forget to pick a seat in row 31-34!

Which flights?

During the northern summer 2022 schedule from now until 29th October 2022, you can pay extra to sit in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and the following eight cities:

• Bangkok
• Colombo
• Dhaka
• Hanoi
• Ho Chi Minh
• Jakarta
• Kuala Lumpur
• Yangon

SIA Premium Economy
‘Seat Selection’ Routes

Here are the specific flights you’ll have to be traveling on for each route to be able to utilise this option in the A350 Long Haul (359 LH) or Boeing 777-300ER (77W).

Note that with the exception of Jakarta, Singapore Airlines also operates other flights on these routes that don’t have a Premium Economy cabin installed. Only those which do are listed here.

Bangkok

Singapore to Bangkok
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ708 359 LH	09:30-11:00	Daily	—
SQ710 359 LH	12:50-14:20	Daily	—

Bangkok to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ707 359 LH	12:15-15:40	Daily	—
SQ709 359 LH	15:30-18:55	Daily	—

Colombo

Singapore to Colombo
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ464 359 LH	11:00-12:15	Fri	Until 20 May

Colombo to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ465 359 LH	13:45-20:15	Fri	Until 20 May

Dhaka

Singapore to Dhaka
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ448 359 LH	11:00-13:05	Mon^ Tue* Thu* Sun	—

Dhaka to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ449 359 LH	14:20-20:30	Mon^ Tue* Thu* Sun	—

^ From 6 June
* Until 30 June

Hanoi

Singapore to Hanoi
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ194 359 LH	15:15-17:35	Sun	From 7 Aug

Hanoi to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ193 359 LH	18:30-23:00	Sun	From 7 Aug

Ho Chi Minh

Singapore to Ho Chi Minh
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ184 359 LH	13:30-14:40	Daily	—

Ho Chi Minh to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ183 359 LH	15:55-18:55	Daily	—

Jakarta

Singapore to Jakarta
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ950 77W	06:20-07:05	Daily	—
SQ956 359 LH	09:25-10:10	Daily	—
SQ958 359 LH	12:30-13:15	Daily	—
SQ964 77W	17:20-18:05	Daily	—
SQ968 77W	21:55-22:40	Daily	—

Jakarta to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ951 77W	05:25-08:10	Daily	—
SQ953 77W	07:55-10:45	Daily	—
SQ957 359 LH	11:15-14:05	Daily	—
SQ959 359 LH	14:10-17:00	Daily	—
SQ965 77W	19:00-21:50	Daily	—

Pro Tip: All SIA Singapore – Jakarta – Singapore flights between now and 29th October 2022 feature a Premium Economy Class cabin.

Kuala Lumpur

Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ106 359 LH	08:30-09:30	Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri	—
SQ108 359 LH	09:20-10:20	Daily	Until 3 May
SQ108 359 LH	09:20-10:20	Sat Sun	From 7 May
SQ122 359 LH	16:40-17:40	Thu Fri Sun	Until 1 May
SQ122 359 LH	16:40-17:40	Fri Sun	From 6 May
SQ122 359 LH	16:40-17:40	Thu Fri Sun	2 Jun to 30 Jun
SQ126 359 LH	18:45-19:45	Wed Fri Sat Sun	—

Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ105 359 LH	10:25-11:35	Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri	—
SQ107 359 LH	11:10-12:10	Daily	Until 3 May
SQ107 359 LH	11:10-12:10	Sat Sun	From 7 May
SQ121 359 LH	18:40-19:50	Thu Fri Sun	Until 1 May
SQ121 359 LH	18:40-19:50	Fri Sun	6 May – 29 May
SQ121 359 LH	18:40-19:50	Thu Fri Sun	2 Jun to 30 Jun
SQ125 359 LH	20:40-21:50	Wed Fri Sat Sun	—

Yangon

Singapore to Yangon
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ762 359 LH	07:55-09:20	Sun	—

Yangon to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ761 359 LH	10:35-15:10	Sun	—

It probably goes without saying that on all these flights the Business Class cabin is better too – with the 2013 Long Haul product installed. Check our continually updated list of Business Class seats by route on the SIA network for details.

Singapore Airlines also operates a Premium Economy cabin on some other short routes it operates:

• Copenhagen to/from Rome (2.5 hours)
• Milan to/from Barcelona (1.5 hours)

Since these “fifth freedom” routes are extensions of long-haul services linking these cities to Singapore, the Premium Economy cabin is actually sold as a separate class, including the appropriate service differentiation, even on these shorter flights.

You’ll therefore have to search for Premium Economy itself if you want to sit in this cabin on these intra-Europe routes, there is no opportunity to ‘upgrade’ via the seat selection tool for a fee when booked in Economy Class.

Note that SIA flights between Copenhagen and Rome will end on 1st June 2022, with both cities returning to dedicated non-stop services from Singapore.

Even ‘Premium Economy passengers’ have to pay

One strange aspect of SIA using aircraft with a Premium Economy cabin on regional routes is that even those booked in Premium Economy to or from a long-haul SIA service still have to pay the seat selection fee to sit in the Premium Economy cabin for the shorter part of their trip.

For example flying in Premium Economy from London to Jakarta via Singapore, you can book a standard seat on the LHR-SIN sector for no fee, but to sit anywhere other than Economy on the SIN-CGK sector will attract a fee, even though all CGK-SIN flights have a Premium Economy cabin.

All the airline will offer a non-status holder in this case when connecting to or from a long-haul flight in Premium Economy is a complimentary Forward Zone seat, which seems super stingy when PY seats actually exist.

It’s free when online check-in opens

While it might be worth forking out ~S$50 to secure a Premium Economy seat on a longer flight like Singapore – Bangkok (2 hours 20 minutes) or Singapore – Hanoi (3 hours 10 minutes), for most of our readers it’s too expensive to justify on shorter hops like KL and Jakarta.

Those going to or from Colombo or Dhaka, which are only around 4 hours flight time, will almost certainly be put off by the steep ‘Band 2’ fees of S$100+ per person per sector.

There’s an alternative tactic though.

When online check-in opens at exactly 48 hours prior to your flight’s departure time, all seat selection fees are cancelled and any passenger can select any available seat for free within their cabin class.

In this case, that includes the Premium Economy section, for those booked in Economy on these regional flights, where the aircraft is equipped.

That means even for a short KL or Jakarta trip, we strongly recommend checking the Manage Booking portal as soon as the clock hits 48 hours prior to your departure time, at which point you should then see the same Premium Economy seat selection that existed for a fee just a few minutes before, all available to select for free.

Free example

Here’s the Premium Economy section seat map for a dummy booking made as a non-KrisFlyer member for an Economy Class ticket from Singapore to Jakarta, departing in 49 hours’ time (online check-in not yet open).

As you can see there’s quite an open selection of options in the PY cabin, but the steep seat selection fee still applies.

I would really want to sit in 31K with extra legroom on this flight if possible, and of course hope that 31H remains vacant too, but this will set me back S$69 – hardly worth it for a 1-hour flight!

However, if I return to make the seat selection at 12:30 local time, exactly 48 hours prior to the departure of my flight SQ958, all the seat selection costs have now been set to zero, even in the Premium Economy cabin.

This strategy won’t always work, but it’s definitely worth a try.

If there are still seats available to select in this cabin on your flight for a fee just prior to 48 hours before departure time, log on again at exactly 48 hours before and you should be able to secure one for nothing.

Other seat selection costs

Singapore Airlines sneakily increased a raft of its seat selection costs during the pandemic, which we reported back in November 2021.

Most of the increases were achieved by moving countries into different region ‘bandings’, rather than increase the fee schedule itself, but luckily for our readers (and unfortunately for SIA), not much gets past us!

Economy Class passengers flying between Singapore and Australia bore the brunt of the increases – SIA moved the country from seat selection ‘Band 2’ to ‘Band 3’, with fees increasing by 67% in some cases.

Between now and the end of October 2022 you can select a seat in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and eight cities, as the airline deploys its long-haul jets on several regional routes.

Regular twice-daily Bangkok flights are perhaps the highlight, with Premium Economy seats available at an additional S$41-48 each way, depending on your KrisFlyer status.

PPS Club members can of course benefit from cost-free selection in this cabin, while the same benefit extends to everyone at 48 hours before departure – the perfect time to jump online and secure a comfier seat with more width and legroom, even for a short hop, without paying a cent.

(Cover Photo: Zac George / Points from the Pacific)