Singapore Airlines is upgrading one of its five daily Manila services to feature its long-haul cabin products later this month, courtesy of the Airbus A350 Long Haul, which will bring the carrier’s spacious 2013 Business Class seats to the route on a regular basis for the first time.

The aircraft switch on SQ912/919 services will also offer a Premium Economy section for PPS Club members travelling ‘down the back’, or those willing to pay a little extra for more room to stretch out – despite no service differentiation being offered.

The shift comes less than a year after Singapore Airlines hiked its Manila schedule to a record five times daily, shortly after the loss of 18-times-weekly Jetstar services on the busy city pair.

The aircraft change

From the start of the northern summer season on 29th March 2026, the SQ912/919 flight pairing will transition from an Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft to the Airbus A350 Long Haul variant, which features the airline’s 2013 Business Class seats and Premium Economy cabin.

This will see a slight uptick in Business Class seat capacity on the route, with 14 additional seats per week in each direction thanks to the A350 Long Haul’s more premium cabin configuration.

While the 2018 Regional Business Class, which is found on all other Manila flights, is technically newer, many passengers find it narrower and less comfortable compared to these older 2013 long-haul seats.

Many passengers find the 2018 Regional Business Class product a little ‘cosy’ for their liking, so having the long-haul option on this route is good news, provided the timing and days of operation fit in with your plans.

The schedule

Singapore Airlines operates five flights per day on the Manila route, with the SQ912/919 rotation upgrading to the Airbus A350 Long Haul from 29th March 2026.

Initially, the type will only operate on this rotation five days per week – skipping Wednesdays and Sundays when the usual A350 Medium Haul takes its place, but from May 2026 it’s a daily affair.

Here’s how the schedule looks for the first month.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore Manila
29 Mar – 30 Apr 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ914 A350 MH
SIN 07:50		MNL 11:35
Duration: 03:45
	SQ910 A350 MH
SIN 08:50		MNL 12:45
Duration: 03:55
	SQ912 A350 LH
SIN 11:55		MNL 15:40
Duration: 03:45
	SQ912 A350 MH
SIN 11:55		MNL 15:40
Duration: 03:45
	SQ916 787-10
SIN 13:30		MNL 17:25
Duration: 03:55
	SQ918 787-10
SIN 19:35		MNL 23:20
Duration: 03:45

Singapore Airlines
Manila Singapore
29 Mar – 30 Apr 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ915 787-10
MNL 07:40		SIN 11:10
Duration: 03:30
	SQ913 A350 MH
MNL 13:05		SIN 16:50
Duration: 03:45
	SQ917 A350 MH
MNL 14:00		SIN 17:50
Duration: 03:50
	SQ919 A350 LH
MNL 16:55		SIN 20:30
Duration: 03:35
	SQ919 A350 MH
MNL 16:55		SIN 20:30
Duration: 03:35
	SQ921 787-10
MNL 18:35		SIN 22:20
Duration: 03:45

From May 2026 through to the end of the northern summer season, SQ912/919 sees daily Airbus A350 Long Haul service, as outlined below.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore Manila
1 May – 24 Oct 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ914 A350 MH
SIN 07:50		MNL 11:35
Duration: 03:45
	SQ910 A350 MH
SIN 08:50		MNL 12:45
Duration: 03:55
	SQ912 A350 LH
SIN 11:55		MNL 15:40
Duration: 03:45
	SQ916 787-10
SIN 13:30		MNL 17:25
Duration: 03:55
	SQ918 787-10
SIN 19:35		MNL 23:20
Duration: 03:45

Singapore Airlines
Manila Singapore
1 May – 24 Oct 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ915 787-10
MNL 07:40		SIN 11:10
Duration: 03:30
	SQ913 A350 MH
MNL 13:05		SIN 16:50
Duration: 03:45
	SQ917 A350 MH
MNL 14:00		SIN 17:50
Duration: 03:50
	SQ919 A350 LH
MNL 16:55		SIN 20:30
Duration: 03:35
	SQ921 787-10
MNL 18:35		SIN 22:20
Duration: 03:45

The flight offers a lunchtime / early afternoon service to Manila, with evening return to Changi at 8.30pm.

From the start of the northern winter 2026/27 season on 25th October 2026, SIA is provisionally planning a return to regional products on all Manila flights, with a mixture of A350 MH and 787-10 aircraft, though this is subject to change closer to the time.

Premium Economy is sold as Economy Class

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

As expected, the carrier has instead decided to sell Premium Economy seats as Economy Class on these short flights, and allow customers to pay an additional fee for the wider seat in this cabin with additional legroom, but with no service differentiation offered – like champagne and upgraded meals.

This is already the case on the airline’s regular flights to the likes of KL, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh, using aircraft equipped with Premium Economy Class cabins, while Bangkok will also soon join that list.

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 (1″ 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

One of the major benefits is the couple seating option by the window in Premium Economy, thanks to the 2-4-2 layout.

Here’s how the seat selection fees look for choosing a spot in the Premium Economy cabin as an Economy Class passenger on these Manila flights.

There are discounts applied, based on your KrisFlyer status, but remember for PPS Club members advance seat selection in the Premium Economy section is free of charge, which is a nice perk.

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Seat Selection (on Manila flights)
Status	PY Standard	PY Extra Legroom
Non-KF	US$30.00 (~S$38)	US$55.00 (~S$70)
KF Basic	US$28.50 (~S$36)	US$52.25 (~S$67)
KF Elite Silver (full details)	US$27.00 (~S$35)	US$49.50 (~S$63)
KF Elite Gold (full details)	US$25.50 (~S$33)	US$46.75 (~S$60)
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, Advantage or Access).

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 specific A350 Long Haul Manila 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.

One slightly frustrating “feature” of the Singapore Airlines website and app is that since COVID-19, once online check-in opens 48 hours before departure it often no longer allows you to modify your seat selection, making it impossible to move into an empty seat.

In this case, 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 in our experience.

New long-haul Business Class?

Singapore Airlines will introduce its long-awaited closed-door suite-style Business Class on the Airbus A350 Long Haul from the second quarter of 2026, as part of an overhaul programme that will finally see the product adorn these jets for the second half of their service life.

The airline plans to retrofit all of these aircraft by the end of 2030, though take it with a pinch of salt – if history is any guide, these programmes always take longer than promised!

That said, we’re not predicting Manila as an early priority route for this new product, unless it slips in nicely between a long-haul service like London (one refitted A350 LH can do London and Manila on alternate days, for example).

This aircraft change does put Manila on the “possible” list for the new seats this year – but with 20+ other options for the carrier to choose from – London being a prime early candidate – it would probably be a bit far-fetched to suggest that it is a likely pick at this early stage!

That means we do expect at least some regional cities to pick up the new seats relatively early in the refit game – but we certainly wouldn’t recommend booking or redeeming SQ912/919 purely with this possibility in mind.

Hopefully we will have more news on this exciting new product’s deployment on the network following the launch event, which is scheduled for the first half of this year.

KrisFlyer awards

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members can redeem miles for flights between Singapore and Manila at the following award rates per person, one-way, including on these Airbus A350 Long Haul flights.

KrisFlyer Redemption Rates One-Way Singapore ⇄ Manila
Airline / Cabin		Saver	Advantage	Access
	Economy	13,000	27,500	36,000
	Business	25,000	46,000	57,500 to 92,000
	Economy	6,000	12,000	n/a

Taxes and fees apply in addition to miles and typically total around S$65 from Singapore to Manila and S$20 in the return direction.

Note that redemptions made on or after 1st April 2026, for travel on or after 1st October 2026, will also be hit with Singapore’s new SAF tax on this route, so try to redeem future-dated flights before then.

Manila also regularly appears on SIA’s list of discounted Spontaneous Escapes offers for short-term travel in the following month, and April 2026’s offer is no exception, with the Manila – Singapore A350 Long Haul (SQ919) included in the deal.

SIA’s recent addition of a fifth daily Singapore – Manila flight will soon be followed by an aircraft upgrade to the Airbus A350 Long Haul on one of those services.

The major highlight here is the introduction of the 2013 Business Class product on the route.

That offers a more spacious alternative to the 2018 Regional seats that currently dominate Manila flights, so it may be worth specifically targeting this SQ912/919 service to experience the wider seats in this cabin.

Those who want a bit more space can also opt for the Premium Economy cabin, particularly PPS Club members who can select these seats for free, adding the rare option to secure paired window seats on these flights.

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)