Singapore Airlines has a small fleet of seven ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s in its fleet, still fitted with the former regional subsidiary’s recliner Business Class seats. We headed to Phuket and back in what’s now the carrier’s worst Business Class, to test the experience.
Flight details
- Flight: SQ740 Singapore Changi T2 to Phuket International
- Class: Business
- Seats: 14H & 14K
- Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-800
- Aircraft Registration: 9V-MGN
- Aircraft Age: 7.4 years
- Date: December 2022
- Departure / Arrival: 18:25 / 19:15
- Flight Time: 1h 50m
- Cost: 24,000 KrisFlyer miles + S$61.20
SIA’s worst Business Class seat
Back in 2020, Singapore Airlines merged the fleet and operations of its full-service regional carrier SilkAir into its mainline division.
In the process, the airline inherited nine of SilkAir’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft, a fleet that was quickly whittled down to seven jets.
This wasn’t ‘Plan A’ for the carrier.
SilkAir’s 737-800s were originally destined for low-cost subsidiary Scoot, while SIA would only take the regional subsidiary’s Boeing 737-8 MAX jets and refit them with new Business Class seats.
That proposal ensured a more seamless cabin standard across the board, with brand new flat-bed seats in Business Class, Wi-Fi connectivity, and seat-back in-flight entertainment from tip-to-tail, and indeed the carrier promised fleet-wide flat-beds in this cabin from early 2020.
The plan was sadly