Silk Air Business Class Review B737-800 Singapore to Kathmandu
Silk Air is the regional arm of Singapore Airlines. The airline utilizes a fleet of narrow body aircraft (mainly B737-800 & A320-200) to fly from Singapore to nearby destinations in places like China, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Indonesia. All told they fly to over 50 destinations from their hub in Changi Airport.
Through July 11, 2017 Singapore KrisFlyer is offering 50% off SilkAir award redemptions, so I thought now would be a good time to review their Business Class product.
Flight Review
On a recent trip I had the opportunity to fly in Silk Air’s business class on a B737-800 from Singapore to Kathmandu. At 5 hours, this is one of Silk Air’s longest flights. I arrived in Singapore on Singapore Airlines from Manila and had almost 24 hours to layover before my flight to Kathmandu. Upon arriving back at the airport, I was able to use the SilverKris lounge in Terminal 3 which was crowded as usual.
At Singapore’s Changi Airport security is done at the gate, so I left the lounge a bit early so I could board the flight early. Unfortunately I arrived to find that the aircraft was already boarding. Thankfully I skipped the line of waiting people and was the first (of two) business class customers on board.
Silk Air’s Business Class cabin is comprised of 3 rows of 4 seats. It is setup much like a domestic first class cabin in the United States, although the seats are a bit nicer with a few more controls and a foot rest. Pillows and blankets are provided as well.
With a 34″ pitch in Business Class, I found the legroom to be somewhat lacking for my 6’2″ legs, although it wasn’t terrible and certainly was better than the 30″ pitch in economy!
Once everyone was on board the safety video played on overhead monitors and then we took off quickly over the water. The area around Changi is growing with the addition of reclaimed land from the sea. Singapore can use all the land that it can get.
On this flight there were two flight attendants working the Business Class cabin. That means there was a 1:1 flight attendant to passenger ratio for the flight! Given that Silk Air is owned by Singapore Airlines I had high hopes for the service level and I wasn’t disappointed.
Shortly after takeoff I was given a Lenovo tablet with IFE software installed for the flight. My menu was also presented and I was brought a GIANT tray of warm nuts along with some champagne.
I ended up ordering the Indian Choice of Chicken Tikka Masala. The meal was served on a tray and accompanied by a choice of bread. Thankfully Silk Air has the same delicious garlic bread that I love on their sister airline!
Overall the food was average but not great and I ate about half of it. The Chicken Tikka Masala was actually alright, but the rest of the food was lacking in flavor and the textures weren’t the best either. Thankfully the giant tray of nuts filled me up.
Following the meal the rest of the flight was pretty routine. I alternated between watching shows on the tablet and working on my laptop. The two flight attendants were very good at ensuring my diet coke was always refilled when it ran low.
About 30 minutes before landing we started to make our descent into Kathmandu. This is where I got my first glance of the Himalayas in the distance!
Then as we began to descend, we flew right beside mountains as we journeyed into the Kathmandu Valley. It was breathtaking. Before long Nepal’s capital city and its unique looking sprawl took over the view. I was mesmerized.
Kathmandu’s Airport doesn’t have jetways, so after arrival we exited via stairs and the other passenger and myself were escorted to a “VIP” Bus to be driven to the terminal. This bus had seen better days, but it was better than the single bus they crammed the other 150 passengers into! 🙂
At last I was in Kathmandu, Nepal. Little did I know that the immigration experience would be as chaotic as I have ever seen, but I’ll leave that story for another time.
Conclusion
I am a big fan of Singapore Airlines and flying Silk Air feels a lot like flying her big sister. Yes, the seats are a bit of a let down, but they are comfortable enough and certainly on par with what we experience in Domestic First Class in the United States. Silk Air’s real standout though is the friendly service and for that reason I wouldn’t hesitate to fly this airline again!
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Singapore to Luang Prabang return in April, with a stopover in Vientiane on the outgoing leg to Laos. Second time on SilkAir this year and I was very pleased with the service to Luang Prabang. Check-in went without a hitch and boarding for the flight was quick as it was a low load on the Singapore to Vientiene sector. I was served a total of six times on my flight to Luang Prabang by a very cheerful bunch of cabin attendants
silk air flying experience is great,especially business class and its friendly service