Singapore Airlines has announced it will reopen its KrisFlyer Gold (KFG) lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3 later this month, which is welcome news mostly because it will relieve the current temporary lounge’s chronic overcrowding issues during peak periods, following Singapore’s border reopening.
From 5am on Friday 20th May 2022, KrisFlyer Gold and Star Alliance Gold passengers flying on Singapore Airlines or a Star Alliance carrier in Economy Class or Premium Economy Class will be directed to use this new lounge, which also acted as a temporary facility for all eligible lounge guests between March and November 2021.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will reopen its all-new and expanded KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3 from Friday, 20 May 2022 at 0500hrs (GMT+8). The lounge will operate 24 hours daily.
Singapore Airlines
This means many passengers will lose their (temporary) access to SIA’s home base SilverKris Business Class facility, when holding status but not flying in an eligible cabin.
However, they are unlikely to be too dismayed, given the chaotic overcrowding there at peak times, with a new dedicated lounge offering more than double its pre-COVID capacity, plus its own restrooms and shower facilities.
Food is also woeful at the current temporary SilverKris lounge, in our opinion. Can the new KFG offer any worse?!
Location
The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold lounge is located on Level 3 of Changi Terminal 3’s transit area.
(click to enlarge)
Take a left after immigration and the lounge entrance is located at the top of the first escalator, one level above the main departure concourse.
The facility took over the entire former dnata lounge, which occupied approximately the same location until mid-2019, though this is a much expanded lounge in comparison, as you can see in the following photos (swipe to compare).
(Photos: MainlyMiles)
Eligibility & access
The lounge access policy will remain unchanged from that in force when the T2 and T3 KFG lounges were operating, pre-COVID.
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That means the following passengers will be able to access the Changi T3 KrisFlyer Gold lounge from 20th May 2022, when departing on a Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance member operated flight:
- in Premium Economy or Economy class and holding KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Star Alliance Gold status
KrisFlyer Elite Gold members can bring one guest into the lounge with them, provided their guest is departing on a Singapore Airlines flight on the same day, while those holding Star Alliance Gold status can also invite a guest to join them, provided they are departing on the same flight as the member.
These passengers will no longer be eligible to access the temporary SilverKris lounge at Changi T3, which will be reserved for those flying in Business Class or First Class on Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance carriers, regardless of status level, and for PPS Club members travelling in any cabin class.
This should significantly ease the strain on the existing temporary lounge, which will become the future SilverKris Business Class lounge, ahead of the First Class lounge and The Private Room unveiling in the weeks ahead.
What the new KFG lounge offers
Very few SIA regulars will disagree that the KrisFlyer Gold lounge at Changi Airport was the airline’s most underwhelming facility in T3 by quite a long way, lacking even the most basic amenities like toilets and showers.
It was certainly nothing to rush to the airport early for, though many KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold passengers in transit with long connections didn’t have much choice but to endure it, potentially for several hours, between flights.
As promised when the lounge revamp project was first revealed back in July 2019, the all-new KFG will offer a number of enhancements over its previous drab existence, to catch up with third-party lounge standards:
- Double its original seating capacity
- Dedicated working spaces
- Al fresco* seating and dining areas
- Restrooms and showers within the lounge
* Meaning ‘open-air’, rather than ‘outdoors’
The new KFG lounge will be open 24 hours a day, in common with the current temporary SilverKris facility.
Unfortunately there will be neither Champagne nor a manned bar offered in the KFG lounge.
Our review
We reviewed the KrisFlyer Gold lounge in September 2021, when it was operating as the temporary SilverKris facility, so check out our overview to see what you can expect when the space opens its doors again later this month.
In particular, while it didn’t stand up as an airline-operated Business Class lounge at home base (despite doing so at the time!), we found that the new lounge boasted many advantages over the old KFG:
- A fresh, modern design
- A variety of seating options
- A good food selection
- Great restrooms and shower suites
There may have been some changes in the five months since the facility was used as a temporary SilverKris lounge, so we look forward to getting some reader reports and paying another visit later in the year to see what’s changed.
Sadly over half of all seats in the lounge had no charging facilities whatsoever when it was acting as the temporary SKL, including old furniture ‘ported’ across from previous lounges, so let’s hope both of those issues have been addressed during the closure.
New First Class and The Private Room in ‘weeks’
What most of our readers are more eagerly awaiting is the big reveal of SIA’s brand new SilverKris First Class lounge and The Private Room, which will make up the remainder of the airline’s SKL complex in Terminal 3.
The airline has confirmed that these lounges will finally open their doors “in the coming weeks”, which hopefully means a late May or (more likely) June 2022 timeframe.
“SIA will also open the all-new The Private Room and First Class SilverKris Lounge in the coming weeks, once the renovations have been completed.”
Singapore Airlines
There’s stiff competition for SIA here at Changi, with the Qantas First Lounge in Terminal 1 likely to reopen in in June 2022 to coincide with the oneworld carrier’s four-class A380 service reinstatement to both Sydney and London.
That brand new lounge only had a brief opening before COVID-19, but it easily eclipsed even The Private Room (at the time) in terms of its high-end elegant finish and a restaurant-quality à la carte food.
Overseas SKLs are reopening
Singapore Airlines continues to progressively reopen its overseas SilverKris lounges (SKLs), as you can see below:
- SKL London (since 1st September 2021)
- SKL Melbourne (since 1st November 2021)
- SKL Sydney (since 1st November 2021)
- SKL Brisbane (since 11th March 2022)
- SKL Perth (since 30th March 2022)
This leaves only five overseas SKLs left to reopen, which the airline told us was set to happen “progressively” as network demand increases, as shown below (no particular order):
- SKL Bangkok
- SKL Hong Kong
- SKL Manila
- SKL Seoul
- SKL Taipei
Unfortunately the airline confirmed to us in September 2020 that its SKLs in Adelaide, Delhi and Kuala Lumpur have been permanently axed, and will not rejoin the network.
Summary
Singapore Airlines will reopen its KrisFlyer Gold lounge at Changi Terminal 3 on 20th May 2022.
While this will result in KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members being diverted away from the Business Class lounge, very few are likely to shed any tears given the chronic overcrowding situation at that facility since Singapore removed its border restrictions and reopened to the world.
It’s perhaps confirmation that the SilverKris First Class lounge and The Private Room will finally be revealed in just weeks from now that’s the bigger news here.
That suggests a June 2022 reopening, in our view, and will finally complete the lounge revamp project initially slated for mid-2021 but derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing the KFG opening should represent is the first stage in reliving crowds at the SilverKris Business Class lounge, currently hosting all lounge-eligible guests, especially in the peak morning and evening departure periods, which is welcome news for those travelling from late May onwards.
(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)
What’s the child policy in SQ lounges? Are they considered +1 from 2 years old and above?
Visited the new Gold lounge two days ago in the evening, and it was great. Not very busy, plenty of comfortable seating. Nice showers. No champagne of course, and the wine was ordinary.
What disappointed the most was the poor food selection at peak dinner time: mainly carbs, nothing that appealed other than the har gow. Very very carby: white rice, fried rice, noodles, pasta, bread, sandwiches. Boring old pumpkin soup. Processed cheese packet wedges. Just one dish of meat: chicken drumlets, and no stir fried or steamed vegetables.
So a big upgrade for those with a bit of status but travelling in Y, so can’t complain too much. But they could really do better with the food.