Singapore Airlines flying long-haul A350s to Cebu in December and January

Hot on the heels of upgrading its Maldives route to include three-class long-haul Airbus A350s last month, Singapore Airlines has picked another destination on the regional network worthy of a short-term upgrade to this aircraft type, this time in the Philippines.

The carrier’s daily service to Cebu, the second busiest airport in the country, will be upgauged from the Boeing 737-8 MAX to the Airbus A350 Long Haul variant for eight weeks, from 8th December 2023 to 31st January 2024.

This will see 42 of the carrier’s long-haul Business Class seats take wing on the 3 hour 55 minute flight, a quadrupling of capacity in this cabin.

That’s now all though, there are also 24 Premium Economy Class seats on board each flight that will be sold as Economy Class, with the option to pay S$45 extra for this wider seat, with additional legroom and a bigger IFE screen.

The schedule

From 8th December 2023 until 31st January 2024, Singapore Airlines will be replacing its Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft operating SQ900/901 services to and from Cebu with an Airbus A350 Long Haul, on a daily basis.

Singapore ⇄ Cebu
8th December 2023 – 31st January 2024

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ900 A350 LH
SIN 09:25		CEB 13:20
Duration: 03:55
	SQ901 A350 LH
CEB 14:25		SIN 18:15
Duration: 03:45

As you can see the Airbus A350 Long Haul will operate daily on this route for well over a month, including 42 of the popular 2013 Business Class seats, which will be the widest the airline offers to and from the Philippines, all with direct aisle access.

Crucially, this will offer higher capacity with an additional 32 (arguably much better) Business Class seats compared to the Boeing 737-8 MAX on these flights to Cebu.

Even Manila flights don’t get these seats – with the airline’s principal four times daily service to the Philippines capital all sporting the narrower 2018 Regional Business Class product.

Award rates

Here are the redemption rates you’ll pay when flying on an SIA flight between Singapore and Cebu, which are the same as for the carrier’s Manila flights.

Remember these rates apply regardless of the aircraft type used, so you’re paying the same mileage rate to fly on the Airbus A350 Long Haul during this period as you are to fly on the Boeing 737-8 MAX on other dates.

Cebu actually scores as the most valuable regional KrisFlyer Business Class Saver redemption in miles per minute terms, with our analysis showing that it’s only costing you 103 miles per minute, 27% less than the network average in this cabin.

Award space

As you might expect, a quadrupling of Business Class cabin capacity on a route just one month before the upgauge takes effect means there is stacks of award space on these Airbus A350 flights to and from Cebu in December and January.

On almost all dates, at least six immediately-confirmable Saver Business Class awards can be redeemed.

Here’s how it looks, as of 8th November 2023.

Singapore  ⇄  Cebu
A350 LH Business Class
Saver Award Availability
(December 2023)

Singapore  ⇄  Cebu
A350 LH Business Class
Saver Award Availability
(January 2024)

This gives you the opportunity to redeem Business Class for the whole family on the route, if you have enough miles.

Premium Economy will be sold as Economy Class

SIA’s Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft are all three-class models with Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins installed.

On these shorter routes, Singapore Airlines sells Premium Economy seats as Economy Class, and allows customers to pay an additional fee for the larger seat in this cabin with additional legroom, but with no service differentiation offered.

This is already the case on the airline’s regular Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta flights, and now on selected Male flights too, using aircraft equipped with Premium Economy Class cabins.

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 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)
• 2-4-2 seating layout (3-3-3 in 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

Here’s how the cash rates look for selecting a seat in this section on these Cebu flights with a Premium Economy cabin, but not offering a differentiated Premium Economy service.

There are discounts applied, based on you KrisFlyer status, while for PPS Club members advance seat selection in the Premium Economy section is free of charge.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Seat Selection (on Cebu flights)
Status	PY Standard	PY Extra Legroom
Non-KF	US$35.00 (~S$47)	US$50.00 (~S$68)
KF Basic	US$33.25 (~S$45)	US$47.50 (~S$64)
KF Elite Silver (full details)	US$31.50 (~S$43)	US$45.00 (~S$61)
KF Elite Gold (full details)	US$29.75 (~S$40)	US$42.50 (~S$58)
PPS Club (full details)	Free	Free

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 member reserving a Premium Economy seat (but remember, not a PY service standard) from Singapore to Cebu on an Airbus A350 Long Haul flight.

There’s an alternative tactic though, if you don’t wish to pay extra to sit in this cabin.

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 Cebu flights.

We therefore 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.

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

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Singapore Airlines is upgrading its daily Cebu flights to three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul operation between 8th December 2023 and 31st January 2024.

That means a stack of Saver awards has been loaded for the Business Class cabin, which will boast the widest seat the airline currently flies to and from the Philippines in the form of the 2013 J product.

There’s good news for Economy Class passengers too, who can pay a fee for a bigger seat in the Premium Economy cabin, or for no charge if they are PPS Club members, or are lucky enough to score one at online check-in within 48 hours of departure.

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)