If you thought Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy seats were only an option on long-haul flights, you’d be almost right – but not quite. A few lucky regional routes also feature these wider, more spacious seats, even though the cabin isn’t officially sold as Premium Economy at all.

Instead, they appear as part of the Economy Class cabin, hidden in plain sight. Since early 2020, Singapore Airlines has been charging an extra fee for these seats, allowing those in the know to enjoy a little more comfort – extra width, better recline and a noticeable boost in legroom – without paying for a higher cabin class.

In more good news, the airline has now reinstated the option for regular Economy passengers to select these seats for free at online check-in, within 48 hours of departure, provided any are still available. The same applies to new bookings made within that two-day window, effectively reverting to the policy last seen in 2023.

That’s a small win for savvy travellers looking to stretch out on shorter SIA flights, and a welcome reversal from last year’s stricter approach, when these seats were held exclusively for PPS Club members and unavailable to anyone else – even for a fee.

No service differentiation

The important 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 simply been allocated a seat there.

Passengers who choose this option [on selected flights] will be seated [in] 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 found in Economy Class on these aircraft.

During the COVID-19 recovery period there was a higher than usual range of routes benefitting from this “PY Upgrade” option, including Bangkok, Colombo, Guangzhou and Surabaya, but it is now available on a more traditional list of cities – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Malé.

Which aircraft?

In order to pay extra to sit in a Premium Economy seat on shorter regional ‘non-PY’ flights to and from Singapore, even though you’re actually 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 and Boeing 787-10, 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 Class 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 (see the latest PY improvements for long-haul flights here), this is what SIA’s Premium Economy seat does offer in terms of hard product:

• 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 your KrisFlyer status (Silver or Gold, if applicable).

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Seat Selection (on non-PY routes)
Singapore to/from	Status	PY Standard	PY Extra Legroom
Band 1 e.g. Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Bangkok* Surabaya*	Non-KF	US$30.00 (~S$39)	US$50.00 (~S$65)
	KF Basic	US$28.50 (~S$37)	US$47.50 (~S$62)
	KFES	US$27.00 (~S$35)	US$45.00 (~S$58)
	KFEG	US$25.50 (~S$33)	US$42.50 (~S$55)
Band 2 e.g. Malé  Colombo* Dhaka* Guangzhou*	Non-KF	US$55.00 (~S$71)	US$90.00 (~S$117)
	KF Basic	US$52.25 (~S$68)	US$85.50 (~S$111)
	KFES	US$49.50 (~S$64)	US$81.00 (~S$105)
	KFEG	US$46.75 (~S$61)	US$76.50 (~S$99)

* No current PY option on these non-PY routes, but there have been in the past, so the appropriate rates are quoted for possible future reference

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. Promo, 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 Hanoi.

These are the same rates you’ll see on SIA’s selected Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur flights, but remember the longer Malé route does cost more.

It’s free for PPS Club members

Good news if you are a PPS Club or Solitaire 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 rows 31-34 for extra comfort.

Which flights?

During the upcoming northern winter 2025 / 26 schedule, you can pay extra to sit in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and the following cities:

• Hanoi
• Ho Chi Minh
• Jakarta
• Kuala Lumpur
• Malé

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

Note that in the case of all these routes (except Jakarta), Singapore Airlines also operates other flights that don’t have a Premium Economy cabin installed. Only those which do have PY are listed here.

Hanoi
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Hanoi
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ194 359 LH	14:55-17:20	Mon, Wed, Fri	Till 31 Dec 2025

Hanoi to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ193 359 LH	18:30-23:05	Mon, Wed, Fri	Till 31 Dec 2025

Ho Chi Minh
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Ho Chi Minh
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ178 359 LH	09:50-11:00	Daily	Till 30 Nov 2025
SQ184 359 LH	13:50-15:00	Daily	—

Ho Chi Minh to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ177 359 LH	12:15-15:20	Daily	Till 30 Nov 2025
SQ183 359 LH	16:15-19:30	Daily	—

Jakarta
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Jakarta
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ950 77W	06:50-07:35	Daily	—
SQ952 359 LH	07:40-08:30	Daily	—
SQ956 359 LH	09:20-10:15	Daily	—
SQ958 359 LH	12:30-13:20	Daily	—
SQ960 359 LH	15:15-16:05	Daily	—
SQ962 77W	16:10-17:05	Daily	—
SQ964 77W	17:20-18:05	Daily	—
SQ966 359 LH	18:40-19:25	Daily	—
SQ968 77W	22:40-23:25	Daily	—

Jakarta to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ951 77W	05:25-08:05	Daily	—
SQ953 77W	08:40-11:20	Daily	—
SQ955 359 LH	09:30-12:15	Daily	—
SQ957 359 LH	11:10-14:00	Daily	—
SQ959 359 LH	14:15-17:10	Daily	—
SQ961 359 LH	17:00-19:45	Daily	—
SQ963 77W	18:10-20:55	Daily	—
SQ965 77W	19:00-22:05	Daily	—
SQ967 359 LH	20:20-23:05	Daily	—

Pro Tip: All SIA Singapore – Jakarta – Singapore flights in the published winter schedule through to March 2026 feature a Premium Economy Class cabin at the time of writing.

Kuala Lumpur
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ106 359 LH	08:30-09:30	Daily	From 1 Dec 2025

Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ105 359 LH	10:25-11:35	Daily	From 1 Dec 2025

Malé
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Malé
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ432 359 LH	10:05-11:40	Daily	—

Malé to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ431 359 LH	12:55-20:45	Daily	—

It probably goes without saying that on all these flights the Business Class cabin is arguably better too – with the 2013 Long Haul product installed, rather than the 2018 Regional Business Class or the MAX Regional Business Class.

Check our continually updated list of Business Class seats by route across the entire SIA network for full details.

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

• Milan to / from Barcelona (1.5 hours)
• Johannesburg to / from Cape Town (2 hours)

In the case of Milan – Barcelona, this “fifth freedom” route is an extension of a long-haul service linking these cities to Singapore. That means 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 that intra-Europe route, either for cash or award redemption, and pay the PY fare accordingly. There is no opportunity to ‘upgrade’ via the seat selection tool for a fee when you’re booked to fly in Economy Class.

Singapore Airlines does not have permission to carry passengers solely between Johannesburg and Cape Town, which would require “eighth freedom” traffic rights – very rarely approved outside Europe.

All passengers on these flights are therefore always travelling to or from Singapore, and full Premium Economy service is offered in the PY cabin on this shorter leg of the journey.

Even ‘Premium Economy passengers’ have to pay

One odd 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 connecting 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 in this cabin 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 Standard Zone seat in the Economy Class cabin, which feels stingy when both Forward Zone Economy and all types of PY seat are available.

Free again at online check-in

While some travellers may still consider paying around S$50 to guarantee a Premium Economy seat in advance, most will agree it’s hard to justify on short hops to and from Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta.

Back in 2023, there was a neat workaround: all seat selection fees were waived when online check-in opened exactly 48 hours before departure, allowing any passenger to select any available seat within their cabin class for free.

Happily, this option has now returned for Economy Class passengers on regional flights with Premium Economy-equipped aircraft. If you’re quick and seats are available, you can snag one of these wider, more comfortable seats at no extra cost – either through online check-in or with a new booking made within 48 hours of departure.

That’s a reversal from last year’s stricter policy, when only PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club members could access these seats in the final 48 hours. Now, last-minute Economy bookings or late attempts to pay for Premium Economy can once again take advantage of the free selection window – no fees required.

If you are unable to choose or modify your seat selection online at the online check-in stage, you can still switch your seats by calling SIA or using Kris the Chatbot (click “Chat with a live agent”). They will happily assist to move you to an unoccupied seat, like one of the Premium Economy ones – if available.

Other seat selection costs

Singapore Airlines sneakily increased a raft of its seat selection costs during the pandemic, by up to a whopping 88%, which we reported back in November 2021, then again by up to 75% in July 2024.

You can check out our comprehensive guide to seat selection fees on Singapore Airlines flights for a full overview of the charges applied in all cabins and on all routes by fare type, so you know what charges to expect in advance.

Our guide also outlines when you’ll need to get online to secure preferred seats for no additional charge, if they remain available in the days leading up to departure.

You can currently select a seat in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Malé, thanks to the airline’s regular deployment of long-haul jets on these regional routes.

Premium Economy seats are available starting at an additional S$33-39 each way, depending on your KrisFlyer status, or S$55-65 each way for an extra legroom seat in this cabin, though it’s a bit pricier for the longer Malé route.

PPS Club members continue to benefit from fee-free seat selection in Premium Economy on these routes, but the good news is that the same benefit has once again been restored to all passengers at 48 hours before departure, allowing you to jump on these seats for free if they are still unoccupied.

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