How to sit in Premium Economy on SIA’s Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta flights

If you thought Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy cabin was exclusive to the carrier’s long-haul flights you’d certainly be forgiven, since that’s almost the correct assumption. However, there are a few regional routes that regularly benefit from these seats, and the airline doesn’t even market 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.

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, giving you a little more seat width and extra legroom.

Unfortunately though, there’s no longer the option to snag one of these seats for free at online check-in 48 hours before departure, with Singapore Airlines now holding them back exclusively for PPS Club members within that “two days to departure” window.

Unfortunately that also means there’s no option to select this cabin as a non-PPS member for short-notice bookings or at the last minute, even if you were willing to pay.

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.

Over the last couple of years there have been a wider than usual range of routes benefitting from this “PY Upgrade” option, including Bangkok, Colombo, Hanoi and Male, but it has now returned to the traditional pair – Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

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, 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 you KrisFlyer status.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Seat Selection (on non-PY routes)
Singapore to/from	Status	PY Standard	PY Extra Legroom
Band 1 e.g. Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Bangkok* Ho Chi Minh* Hanoi* Surabaya*	Non-KF	US$35.00 (~S$47)	US$50.00 (~S$68)
	KF Basic	US$33.25 (~S$45)	US$47.50 (~S$64)
	KFES	US$31.50 (~S$43)	US$45.00 (~S$61)
	KFEG	US$29.75 (~S$40)	US$42.50 (~S$58)
Band 2* e.g. Colombo* Dhaka* Guangzhou* Male*	Non-KF	US$75.00 (~S$102)	US$90.00 (~S$122)
	KF Basic	US$71.25 (~S$96)	US$85.50 (~S$116)
	KFES	US$67.50 (~S$91)	US$81.00 (~S$111)
	KFEG	US$63.75 (~S$86)	US$76.50 (~S$104)

* No current PY option on these non-PY routes, but there have been previously, so these 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. 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.

Though this particular route doesn’t offer the PY seat selection option in the current schedule through to late October 2024, these are the same rates you’ll see on SIA’s selected Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur flights.

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 row 31-34!

Which flights?

During the current northern summer 2024 schedule and the upcoming winter 2024/25 schedule, you can pay extra to sit in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and the following cities:

• Jakarta
• Kuala Lumpur

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 Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Airlines also operates other flights that don’t have a Premium Economy cabin installed. Only those which do have PY are listed here.

Jakarta
PY Upgrade Flights

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	—
SQ962 359 LH	16:25-17:10	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	14:10-17:10	Daily	—
SQ963 359 LH	18:05-20:55	Daily	—
SQ965 77W	19:00-21:50	Daily	—

Note: Some minor timing adjustments in the NW24/25 season

Pro Tip: All SIA Singapore – Jakarta – Singapore flights in the published schedule through to May 2025 at the time of writing feature a Premium Economy Class cabin.

Kuala Lumpur
PY Upgrade Flights

Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ106 359 LH	08:30-09:30	Daily	Mon-Fri only (Fm. 27OCT24)
SQ108 359 LH	09:20-10:20	Sat Sun	Fm. 27OCT24
SQ126 359 LH	18:45-19:45	Daily	—

Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
Flight & Aircraft	Time	Days	Notes
SQ105 359 LH	10:25-11:35	Daily	Mon-Fri only (Fm. 27OCT24)
SQ107 359 LH	11:05-12:15	Sat Sun	Fm. 27OCT24
SQ125 359 LH	20:40-21:50	Daily	—

Note: Some minor timing adjustments in the NW24/25 season

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:

• 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. 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.

ll 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 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 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 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 in the Economy Class cabin, which seems super stingy when PY seats actually exist!

It’s no longer free when online check-in opens

While some might find it worthwhile to fork out ~S$50 to secure a Premium Economy seat, most of our readers think it’s too expensive to justify on these shorter hops to and from KL and Jakarta.

Back in 2023, there was an alternative tactic – with all seat selection fees cancelled when online check-in opened exactly 48 hours prior to your flight departure time – meaning any passenger could select any available seat for free within their cabin class.

While this remains the case for Economy Class and Business Class passengers, Singapore Airlines has decided to block this option for the Premium Economy section, for those booked in Economy Class on regional flights where the aircraft is PY-equipped.

These seats therefore remain selectable only by PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club members within 48 hours of departure, and that means they cannot then be selected by other Economy Class passengers anymore, even those willing to pay the fee (it’s no longer an option).

If you make a last-minute Economy Class booking or a late decision to pay for a Premium Economy seat on these routes, do bear in mind that will not be possible within 48 hours of departure, so plan ahead if possible.

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 exclusively reported back in November 2021.

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.

From now until at least the end of October 2024, and likely until mid-2025, you can select a seat in the Premium Economy cabin on selected flights between Singapore and both Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, due to the airline’s regular deployment of long-haul jets on these regional routes.

Premium Economy seats are available at an additional S$41-47 each way, depending on your KrisFlyer status, or S$58-68 each way for an extra legroom seat in this cabin.

PPS Club members continue to benefit from fee-free seat selection in Premium Economy on these routes, but sadly the same benefit no longer extends to all passengers at 48 hours before departure, like it used to.

That’s sadly removed the option to sit in this section for free as a non-PPS member, and it also means that within 48 hours of departure you can’t select a seat there even if you were willing to pay, so be sure to do so before that cutoff if you want the additional comfort and space.

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