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More of SIA’s better narrow-body cabin products, including flat beds in Business Class, are coming to the popular Singapore – Phuket route this winter, with 4 daily options in each direction.
Singapore Airlines has made some last minute tweaks to the schedule on its Phuket route for the upcoming northern winter season, which kicks off on 29th October 2023 and runs through until 30th March 2024, and it’s good news for the passenger experience.
That’s because two more flights each day have been switched across from the older ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s to the newer Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, which will mean two-thirds of services on this route will boast the latter type during the next five months.
While a flat-bed seat in Business Class may not be an essential feature on a two-hour flight, that’s not the only benefit the MAX brings – with tip-to-tail seat-back in-flight entertainment and free unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity at the disposal of all passengers on board.
What’s changing?
As we reported only a couple of months ago, Singapore Airlines revealed that its Boeing 737-8 MAX jets would be making a comeback to the Phuket route from 29th October 2023, for the first time in over a year, in the form of two out of six daily flights.
This latest short notice change now means that instead of only two flights per day on this route featuring the MAX, four out of six will in fact see the MAX operating this upcoming northern winter season, twice as many as previously proposed.
That leaves only two daily services operated by the Boeing 737-800s, which suffer from an inferior passenger experience in both Business Class and Economy, and will likely be the pair you want to avoid.
The schedule
The additional flights swapped to the MAX compared to the last update are the mid-morning SQ728/727 and the afternoon SQ736/735.
Here’s how the latest schedule looks for the route from 29th October 2023.
Singapore Phuket
29th October 2023
to
30th March 2024
Phuket Singapore
29th October 2023
to
30th March 2024
Unfortunately as you can see there are still two Boeing 737-800 services in the mix each day. These aircraft aren’t due to leave the fleet until late 2025, when the final lease expires.
Do note that during December 2023 there are some tweaks to the schedule shown above, as outlined below:
- Boeing 737-800 services SQ724/723 and SQ732/731 will be suspended between 3rd December 2023 and 30th December 2023 inclusive (total four daily operation instead of six daily).
- Boeing 737-8 MAX services SQ728/727 and SQ736/735 will be operated by the Boeing 737-800 for one week – from 22nd December 2023 to 28th December 2023 inclusive.
Where else are SIA’s Boeing 737 MAXs flying?
We have updated our full route guide for Boeing 737-8 MAX operation on the Singapore Airlines network between now and the end of March 2024, outlining the schedules for these aircraft on all 22 destinations it is flying to on the network.
Check out our updated article for full details.
New cabin products
This big advantage when you fly on SIA’s 737 MAX rather than the 737-800 is the latest cabin products, including a flat-bed seat in Business Class, two “throne” seat options, and an upgraded experience in Economy Class including seat-back in-flight entertainment.
As a comparison, ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s (without the MAX designator) are a different story, with recliner Business Class seats providing a pretty mediocre hard product experience, highlighted by our recent review.
Although service was good and we were well fed and watered, it’s safe to say this is a waste of miles with clunky manual seat controls, no privacy, no Wi-Fi connectivity and in-flight entertainment via an iPad that didn’t work on either sector of our journey!
The very minor refresh Singapore Airlines made to this cabin on the 737-800s is apparent in the ‘before and after’ shot below – we actually prefer the warmer tones used in the SilkAir fit, compared to the ‘Premium Economy grey’ SIA has opted for.
As you can see, apart from new upholstery and cushions there’s no major change to the hard product, with little privacy and no flat-bed function, both features of the airline’s other Business Class products including those fitted to the newer Boeing 737-8 MAX.
Wi-Fi is also available in both cabins on the MAX (and remember, it’s now an ‘all-you-can-eat’ allowance in Business Class, or as a KrisFlyer member in Economy Class).
Here’s a to-scale representation of SIA’s MAX Business Class cabin layout from the excellent aeroLOPA site, clearly showing the extended consoles at the two “throne” seats.
(Image: aeroLOPA)
In fact, if you have an upcoming reservation in Business Class on any of these Phuket services, now’s the time to log on to Manage Booking and see if you can score one (or both) of the ‘throne seats’ at 12B and 12J.
Here are our dedicated articles covering the MAX cabins, to help you know what to expect on board.
KrisFlyer redemptions
Here are the latest one-way KrisFlyer award rates you’ll pay for the Singapore – Phuket route.
| KrisFlyer Redemption Singapore ⇄ Phuket |
||
| Saver | Advantage | |
| Economy | 13,500 | 25,000 |
| Business | 24,000 | 40,000 |
In both cabins, but especially in Business Class, it’s obviously the 737-8 MAX flights you’ll want to be focusing on for a redemption, for the significantly superior hard product on offer.
Sadly the Singapore – Phuket route scores quite poorly in our recently updated analysis of how many KrisFlyer miles per minute you’re burning through on a Saver award redemption, but if you are determined to part with your stash on this route anyway – do make sure its the 737-8 MAX and not the 737-800 NG you’re picking!
SIA’s Phuket route has been stuck with recliner seats in Business Class and a lack of Wi-Fi connectivity in both cabins since September 2022, so it was great to report in August that two out of six daily services would be flown by the MAX aircraft once again from late October 2023.
Singapore Airlines has now doubled down on that plan, substituting the 737-800s for the MAX on two more flights during the upcoming winter season, for a total of four daily services with the type.
These will offer a far better passenger experience compared to the dated cabins installed on the airline’s ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s, which will now only make an appearance on two of the six daily flights.
If you have a booking already on one of the flights that’s been switched to a MAX, be sure to check your seat selection and amend it accordingly, especially in Business Class where you may see a solo ‘mini-suite’ throne option available – if you’re lucky.
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)
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