Singapore Airlines 777-300ER business class hits a little different

Just when I thought I knew everything there is to know about long haul premium flying, I went and tried Singapore Airlines 777-300ER business class from Los Angeles to Tokyo (NRT).

It felt weird at first. Almost awkward.

However, by the end of the 10 hour flight, I had been converted into a believer. And a staunch supporter.

To those of you who just can’t find anything good to say about it: Come at me bro!

SQ11
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Tokyo, Narita (NRT)
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Aircraft: 777-312ER
Registration: 9V-SWP
Duration: 10 hours 5 minutes
Seat: 22A (Business Class)

My full review of Singapore Airlines 777-300ER business class from Los Angeles to Tokyo (Narita)

SQ11 from LAX to NRT is a fifth freedom flight. It originates and ends in Singapore (with a stopover at Narita), but they are legally allowed to sell tickets on the segments between Japan and Los Angeles. Did you ever think that I would be able to resist something like that?

Arrival at LAX

For me, an international departure out of LAX means another flight up from San Diego in United Express Embraer 175 first class. I arrived on the 7:15 AM flight, which gave me almost 5 hours before the scheduled departure time to Tokyo.

The departure gate for this flight to Tokyo was scheduled to be 156. It’s a bit of a trek from the central portion of the terminal – just far enough that I’d be totally pissed off if they changed it by the time I got there.

The boarding process for SQ11 to Tokyo Narita

Boarding was delayed about 45 minutes due to late arrival of the aircraft from Tokyo. Making matters worse was the fact that there were a handful of other flights boarding at adjacent gates. It was chaos – but of the semi-controlled variety.

They got boarding started at 2:30pm – while nonchalantly blaming “late arrival of the aircraft” as the culprit. It was a masterclass in deflecting blame unto others.

Seat overview

Those of you familiar with Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class will likely consider the seats on the 777-300ER to be a massive upgrade (both figuratively and literally). 

Honestly? I didn’t like how the seat felt more like a sofa at first (a really hard one – the kind you find in hospital waiting rooms). Being ultra wide does feel luxurious though. 

There are nooks and crannies everywhere. Opening the lid to the one next to my left elbow revealed a full bottle of water and noise canceling headphones. The one over my left shoulder revealed electrical and USB power outlets. The rest were just empty voids ready to swallow whatever crap you could stuff in them.

Other things you’re very likely to use throughout the flight: all the buttons for your seat, and handy reading lights just over your right shoulder. Check it out:

Amenities

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the boarding process was the fact that they didn’t hand out amenity kits. They did the usual champagne, fruit juice, and water thing though – So that’s good I guess. But let’s be real here. That’s technically half-assing it.

The departure

It was 3:12 PM by the time we pushed off the gate. So much for the 95% on-time predictability rating I was seeing in the Flighty App. Oh well. The weather was perfect though, and there was lots of interesting things to see as we taxied to the south complex and runway 25R.

I also managed to record a full video of the taxi and takeoff (because AvGeek):

The first meal service

The cabin crew didn’t waste any time getting dinner served on this flight. Considering that printed menus were at every seat upon boarding, and that they took meal orders prior to takeoff, it didn’t surprise me. Here’s the menu (click on the images to see larger versions):

There was also fluid to go with those nuts. I went with water to combat the effects of the sugar-induced crash that I was experiencing from the apple juice earlier.

It was a decently delicious meal IMHO. Certainly not the best food I’ve ever eaten in international business class, but satisfying nonetheless.

In-flight entertainment

The video screens in business class on the 777-300ER are huge. Unfortunately, that’s the nicest thing I have to say about them.

They are not touchscreens. Interacting with the screen and all the menus is done via the wired remote control (which just so happens to be the same one you’ll get in my Singapore Airlines 737 MAX 8 business class review). It’s as awkward as it sounds, and completely non-intuitive considering how large and in your face that screen is. 

The catalog of content was so so. It might take you a while to find something interesting to watch, so patience may be required as you’re scrolling through the options. 

Seat comfort

Putting the seat into a lie flat position requires the assistance of a flight attendant. It’s a complicated process – I didn’t see anyone being able to figure it out on their own.

Once in a fully flat position, it’s a fairly comfortable place to stretch out and relax. I had no problem sleeping in this seat, even though it required angling myself in an awkward way to get my feet to go into the footwell.

Perhaps the biggest downside to these seats is the fact that once it’s in a lie flat position, it requires a lot of work (and help from the flight attendant) to bring it back upright. Don’t go all the way unless you’re fully committed to sleep!

The lavatory

I don’t normally dedicate an entire section of the review to the lavatory, but I’m making an exception in this case. The business class loo on this aircraft was (unexpectedly) every bit as fancy as what you saw in my review of Emirates A380 business class.

The second meal service

The cabin lights came on a whopping 3 hours prior to arrival. Normally I would scoff at such a thing, but it turns out that it was necessary due to the complexity of the pre-landing meal service. I enjoyed this meal more than the first one.

The descent and landing into NRT

The headwinds we were flying into all the way across Pacific ended up being not as strong as they predicted. We were running about 15 minutes ahead of schedule as we began the descent.

We touched down on runway 16L 13 minutes ahead of schedule. Even at 5:23 PM, it was still incredibly hot and humid. That’s summertime in Japan for ya.

Pros and cons

The best way to summarize this is to say that it was almost like meeting my hero and being slightly disappointed by the experience. It was good though. Just a little different, that’s all.

Pros

• The seats are incredibly wide. One of the widest business class I’ve ever sat in.
• Ginormous video screens are a good thing.
• Food quality is excellent. Though, as you just saw, it depends on the dish.
• Sleeping is easy in these seats. They’re a little firm, but overall very comfortable.

Cons

• The seats are incredibly tall, which made me feel somewhat claustrophobic (because I couldn’t see over top of them).
• I don’t like the fact that putting the seat into a lie flat position (and then returning it to an upright position) requires assistance from the flight attendant.
• I also don’t like the fact that interacting with the video screen requires the use of the remote control.
• There are no center overhead bins on these 777-300ERs. Pack lightly!