The Definitive Guide to Singapore Airlines Direct Routes From The U.S. [Plane Types & Seat Options]

BY 

Stephen Au

- UPDATED: March 20, 2020

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Here at Upgraded Points, we often get questions about the best routes to fly on a particular airline. Singapore Airlines is definitely an aspirational airline with fantastic service, great business/first class seats, and solid award availability.

In addition, Singapore Airlines is known best for their First Class Suites complete with impeccable dining, which just makes for a phenomenal experience.

In this guide, you’ll find an exhaustive repository of Singapore Airlines routes that are flown to/from the U.S. We are also going to show which planes are flown on the various routes and the different seat types for each plane.

Singapore Seat Options by Aircraft Type

Singapore Airlines chiefly operates 4 planes on flights to/from the United States:

• 777
• A350-900
• A350-900ULR
• A380

The A350 has some variability, but for the purposes of this guide, the seats are identical. Below is a table that summarizes the routes from U.S., planes flown, cabin classes, and frequency:

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Using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles is pretty much your only option when it comes to booking premium economy, business, or first class.

Although Singapore Airlines premium cabin awards will cost you a lot of miles, it’s also your only option.

The good news is that they won’t levy any fuel surcharges on their own metal, so your out-of-pocket payments will be minimized.

There’s tons of ways to earn a boatload of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles, so it’s a little easier on that front.

Now that we’ve illustrated the route options and their associated aircraft, let’s see what our options are for each seat!

Singapore First Class Suite Options

Ah, the Singapore Airlines First Class Suite. This beauty is one of the best ways to fly anywhere in the sky. The fact that this flight is even offered to/from the United States is already a blessing.

The strange thing is that the only A380 First Class Suite option from the U.S. is on a 5th freedom flight between New York and Frankfurt.

This flight continues on from Frankfurt to Singapore, which you can also book!

Regardless, if you want to fly Singapore Airlines First Class Suites from the U.S., you have no choice but to fly from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York to FRA in Frankfurt.

This flight continues on to Singapore from Frankfurt, so you can still reach Singapore if it’s your desired destination.

Additionally, once you get to Singapore, you can continue onto essentially any destination, such as Sydney (SYD)!

To get an idea on what the experience is like, check out our review of the Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suites and the newer Singapore Suites which features just 8 seats!

Hot Tip: The Singapore Airlines First Class Suites operated on this route are the “old” A380 First Class Suites. Singapore Airlines doesn’t operate their new product on flights to America.

Singapore First Class Seat Options

The other first class product you can fly with Singapore Airlines is the 777 first class. Though not as glamorous as the A380 First Class Suites, it is still tremendously private and luxurious.

Your 2 first class seat route options, ironically enough, are also not nonstops directly to Singapore. They are actually 1-stop flights!

These 2 routes are:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Singapore (SIN)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Singapore (SIN)

Both of these flights operate an identical first class seat on the 777. This seating arrangement consists only of 1 row of 4 seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement! Talk about privacy!

These seats are also gigantic, with a width of 35 inches and pitch of 81 inches! 

Hot Tip: Looking to fly one of these Singapore Airlines products on points? Read about the many ways to earn Singapore KrisFlyer miles to book your next award flight.

Singapore Business Class Seat Options

Buckle up, because this is where it gets crazy! There are a lot of different business class seats flown by Singapore Airlines.

You can sit in business class on all the planes we mentioned above — but they’re not all the same. So we’re going to pass on a few nuggets about each product.

The 777 business class seat is wide at 28″ (particularly for the upper body). The seat itself is retrofitted, which means that it’s a relatively new seat.

However, the main problem is that the 777 has a restrictive footwell (more-so than the A380). This means it might be difficult to move your feet in the 777 compared to the A380.

Hot Tip: Pick bulkhead seats to have the biggest footwell and most freedom to move!

For more foot space, we recommend choosing the bulkhead seats on each aircraft:

• A380: Rows 11, 17, 91, and 96
• 777: Rows 11 and 15 (Pick row 11 when you can! It’s extremely private)
• A350-900: Rows 11 and 19 (Pick row 19 if possible; it’s very private)
• A350-900ULR: Rows 11 and 19 (Row 11 is more private than row 19)

The A380 business class seat is much wider at 30″ — but it has less storage, features an older seat, and is less technologically-advanced.

On the A350, your business class seat is the same width as the 777 at 28″. The main difference is that you have less overall space on the A350. Depending on what you make of it, the screen is much closer, and the footwell is smaller than the 777’s.

The 777 was retrofitted in 2013 — which means the seats are still very spacious — but it also features a crisp entertainment screen, tons of storage space, and modern finishes.

Basically, the A350 business class seat is a more compact version of the 777, which is disappointing.

In my opinion, to fly Singapore’s best business class product on the 777, you will need to search out these routes:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Singapore (SIN)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Singapore (SIN)

Bottom Line: In summary, the A380 is the most spacious but most dated, with an entertainment system and seat from 2006. If it were up to me, I’d fly the 777 in a bulkhead seat in business class every time.

Singapore Premium Economy Seat Options

You can fly on premium economy aboard all the planes and all the routes mentioned in the table at the beginning of this guide.

On the 777-300ER, there are 28 premium economy seats spread out across 3 rows in a 2-4-2 arrangement, followed by a middle row of 4 seats in the back of the cabin.

On the A350-900, there are 24 premium economy seats spread out across 3 rows in a 2-4-2 arrangement.

On the A350-900ULR, there are 94 premium economy seats spread out across 9 rows in a 2-4-2 arrangement, plus 3 rows in a 1-4-1 arrangement, and 1 row of 4 seats in the center back of the aircraft.

If you sit on the sides of rows 40-42, you’ll also get your own overhead bin!

The A380 has 36 premium economy seats spread out across 4 rows in a 2-4-2 arrangement, and 2 pairs of 2 seats at the back of the premium economy cabin on each side of the plane.

Ultimately, each plane’s premium economy cabin has its own strengths and weaknesses. The seats on the A350-900ULR are the absolute newest, so you’ll enjoy cutting-edge technology when flying on one of these.

Size-wise, the premium economy seats on the 777, A380 and A350-900ULR are the same: 18.5″ wide and 38″ in pitch.

Premium economy seats on the A350-900 are slightly more cramped, sitting a half-inch narrower at 18″ wide. However, the big benefit of the A350-900 premium economy cabin is that there are only 3 rows of 8 seats each in a 2-4-2 configuration — it’s more intimate!

Bottom Line: Personally, I would always pick the premium economy seats in rows 40-42 on the A350-900ULR, because you essentially get your own side of the plane to sprawl out in. It’s very private, features the best technology, and has the newest seats.

You can find the A350-900ULR premium economy seats on these routes:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Singapore (SIN)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Singapore (SIN) (only on SQ 33)
• Newark (EWR) – Singapore (SIN)

Singapore Economy Seat Options

Last but certainly not least, we’ve got economy seats!

Interestingly, the A350-900ULR doesn’t actually have economy seats.

These planes were designed for ultra-long-haul flights, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t sell tickets allowing anybody to subject themselves to that level of discomfort.

As far as seat size goes, the A350-900 loses without a doubt. It has a seat that measures 18″ wide and 32″ in pitch.

The seats on the 777 and A380 are the same size, measuring wider than the A350 at 19″ wide and 32″ in pitch. For this reason, you will always want to fly on either the 777 or A380 in Singapore Airlines economy!

Economy seats on the 777 are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration, while seats on the A380 are arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration.

I would always lean toward flying on the A380 over the 777 if the seats are the same. This is because the A380 is a much more thrilling ride due to its sheer size and novelty. There’s just something about the ridiculous noise isolation in the A380 that makes for a pleasant experience.

I also personally think the A380 is more aerodynamically stable, but that’s from my own experience flying on both the A380 and 777. Some people believe that the 777 is better — it’s ultimately up to you to decide that.

Here’s the Singapore Airlines route from the U.S. where you can fly the A380:

• New York City (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA) 

And the 777 routes you can fly for Singapore Airlines are:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Singapore (SIN)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Singapore (SIN)

Final Thoughts

Now that we have discussed all the route options and described the seating arrangement and experience for Singapore Airlines flights departing the U.S., it’s time to wrap up!

As far as the best first class route options go, there’s simply no better way to fly from the U.S. on Singapore Airlines than on the First Class Suites! Unfortunately, this route is only available on the 7.5-hour flight from New York City to Frankfurt.

If this route isn’t close to anything on your agenda, you can also fly the ridiculously wide first class seats (more like private thrones) on the 777 from Los Angeles to Tokyo or San Francisco to Hong Kong!

Among business class route options, we believe the best business class is on the 777, due to its updated 2013 product, cutting-edge technology, tons of space (especially for your feet in the bulkhead seats!), and plenty of storage compartments.

Premium economy is without a doubt a worthwhile consideration. You can easily upgrade, and depending on where you sit on each plane, it can make for a solid experience. We would always fly on the A350-900ULR and sit in rows 40-42 on the sides of the plane, due to the fact that you get your own private seat and row!

Lastly, economy is a bit difficult to differentiate between Singapore’s routes and flights. We find the A380 superb because of its inflight comfort and noise cancellation. Avoid the A350-900 if you can because the seats are (slightly) narrower.

No matter what class you fly, you’ll ultimately be satisfied by the stellar Singapore Airlines service on every flight!

Featured Image: Courtesy of Greg Stone