Passengers travelling in Suites and First Class on all Singapore Airlines flights departing out of Singapore Changi Airport are able to use the exclusive First Class check in facility at Terminal 3.
When heading up the ramp to Departures, be sure to inform your driver to take the first left before the first door in order to access the First Class check in area.
When my car pulled into the driveway, I was promptly received by no fewer than two Singapore Airlines representatives and a porter, who proceeded to offload my bags onto the trolley.
I was then ushered to one of the available counters to proceed with the check in.
The entire process took fewer than a couple of minutes, before I was handed my boarding pass and an exclusive invitation card to the Private Room.
As it was still early, I decided to tour the premises of the First Class check in area. There was ample seating available, and if you so choose to linger for awhile, the staff may come around to distribute a refreshing cold towel to perk you up.
Alas it was time to clear immigration. Another excellent benefit of flying in Suites and First Class on Singapore Airlines is a dedicated immigration channel for expedited clearance. As expected, there was no queue at all, and after a quick scan of my passport and a verification of my boarding pass, I was in the transit area.
The expedited immigration channel is positioned directly in front of the escalators that will take you to the SilverKris Lounge.
The entrance of the SilverKris Lounge was manned by quite a number of staff, who took turns to receive passengers. After a quick look at my boarding pass and invitation to The Private Room, the member of staff personally ushered me through the First Class section to The Private Room.
The Private Room is only accessible to Suites and First Class passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines, and this does not include similar passengers travelling on Star Alliance partners. These passengers can choose to use the First Class section instead.
The member of staff asked if I would like to dine first, a request I accepted without hesitation. I was then brought to the dining area for a full restaurant style dinner service.
Here’s a look at the menu offerings for the evening.
Throughout the dinner service, the staff were always attentive to the passengers’ needs. Champagne was always topped up, and meal requests were taken promptly.
I adjourned to the seating area of The Private Room once I was done with my dinner. I find the arm chairs along the windows the best for some quiet time to read or to finish up some work.
The staff always came around to replenish food and beverage throughout my stay at the lounge.
The Private Room is pretty huge, with lots of seating options available.
You can choose to watch some television with access to a wide range of reading material.
Alternatively, choose the Business corner to complete some urgent work before your flight, or one of the call rooms if you’ve got some calls to make.
Shower rooms are also available for use.
I absolutely loved The Private Room, and being exclusive to Singapore Airlines Suites and First Class passengers, the lounge hardly gets crowded.
If your gate is some distance away from the lounge, you can request for a buggy to take you there. Simply make your request known to any member of staff, who will make the necessary arrangements.
The First Class lounge located just outside The Private Room is available for all other First Class passengers travelling with Star Alliance carriers, and given the number of such carriers operating out of Changi Airport, the lounge can get a little crowded. But of course there’s enough seating to accommodate most guests.
Do check out the bar for some cool drinks too.
There are actually better lounges worldwide that rival The Private Room, and with the Qantas First Class Lounge opening in Terminal 1 soon, Singapore Airlines should begin to think of ways to upgrade the existing SilverKris Lounge, and The Private Room too. When it opened, The Private Room was definitely the lounge to beat for First Class travel. But in order to stay ahead of the competition, more can be done to elevate the exclusivity offered to the airline’s most premium passengers.