Review: Singapore Airlines Changi T3 SilverKris business lounge
This swish pre-flight hangout has all the bells, whistles and dining choices you’ll possibly need.
By Staff Writers, December 4 2024
Country
Singapore
City
Singapore
Airport
Singapore - Changi
Alliance
Star Alliance
Airline
Singapore Airlines
Cabin-class
Business
Notes
The Good
- Modern, contemporary design
- AC, USB and wireless charging points
X-Factor
- Singapore Airlines' flagship business class lounge
Introduction
Given its flagship status in Singapore Airlines’ global network, it comes as little surprise to discover the Changi T3 SilverKris business lounge is a modern and well-appointed sanctuary.
Having spent much time in this lounge since its 2022 glow-up and expansion, the Executive Traveller team rates it as easily one of the best in business class: warm, inviting and an excellent base for starting or continuing your journey.
In many ways, it’s also the blueprint for the Star Alliance carrier’s lounge refurbishment efforts, with echoes of its distinct style now found in Perth, Sydney and as far off as London-Heathrow.
Location & Impressions
Getting to the lounge is easy. You’ll find it perched on the upper level of Changi Terminal 3: follow the signage towards the ‘A’ gates and look for a clearly-marked escalator up to the SilverKris lounges.
Stepping through the batik print-adorned entry, you’re first hit by the scale – the lounge is vast and flooded with natural light, thanks to walls of glass in the lounge and dining spaces.
The primary lounge area.
Seating up to 570 guests, it features high ceilings and a striking lighting plan, plus intelligent use of furnishings and dividers to define its four zones for work, rest, sleep and dine.
Across the lounge is a scattering of burnished orange and blue lounges, upright marble-top tables and productivity pods, plus a dedicated sleep zone featuring chaise lounges.
A secondary lounge is tucked just off the main dining zone.
Marble remains a signature element throughout – as seen on tables, benches and sections of flooring and walls, though it’s softened by natural materials and a bold colour scheme which sidesteps ‘50 shades of beige’ in favour of something more exciting.
Access
The SilverKris business class lounge rolls out its broad welcome mat to:
- Business class passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines
- KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Star Alliance Gold members travelling in business class on Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance airlines
- PPS Club members travelling in business class, premium economy class, economy class on Singapore Airlines
- Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club members flying in business class on Star Alliance airlines
Dining
Singapore Airlines has never skimped on the food front, with its SilverKris lounges serving an array of dishes to reflect not only their 24-hour operation but the different tastes of passengers from around the world.
The main dining area.
Automated coffee and a selection of teas.
The northern self-serve bar.
Visitors facing a short transit between flights can easily pop in for a light snack, while longer layovers warrant a deeper exploration of the lounge’s selection in the main dining room, which includes cook to order options including pasta and noodle dishes.
On the northern end is an extensive buffet with Indian western and Asian options, as well as a self-serve bar.
Bite-size snacks aplenty at the buffet counter.
Sweet treats and fresh fruit to finish the meal.
On the southern end of the lounge, a fully tended bar which whips up all the classics, as well as its own signature drinks. We enjoyed the French 65 cocktail made with Taittinger Champagne.
The bar is also your go-to for barista coffee.
Non-alcoholic options are readily available.
The wines on offer are definitely a step up from your usual airport lounge wines, with Craggy Range sauvignon blanc a personal highlight.
Self-serve wines.
Work
This is a lounge for the modern traveller, featuring AC and USB outlets almost everywhere – or at least most places you’d expect to find them – from near individual chairs, along dining room walls, tucked away in front of banquettes and sofas.
There's ample room to spread out and recharge.
The AC sockets have the same universal design seen on aircraft and in the best hotel rooms, which can accept different types of AC plug so you won’t have to fish around in your bag for an adapter.
Next to each of these are USB-A sockets rated for high power output so they can provide juice for tablets and larger smartphones.
There are also wireless charging points to round out the power-on-tap approach, most commonly seen on the lounge’s most work-friendly pieces of furniture.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
First up: these paired seats with a centre table that’s large enough resting a drink or snack and perching a tablet or a small laptop at an angle, while you settle back in a wide comfortable chair.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
Below the LED lamp are two sets of conveniently-located AC and USB power outlets, with a pair of wireless charging points on the desk itself.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
These seats are intended more for relaxing while causally tapping away on your favourite piece of tech – even if it’s just a smartphone in your hand – and strike us as an interesting compromise between a standard armchair and the lounge’s more business-focussed ‘productivity pods’.
Meanwhile, those pods are where you can really get down to work.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
This is a measured evolution of the first-ten pods which debuted in Singapore Airlines’ new-look lounge concept several years ago.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
The high wrap-around walls offer privacy so you can focus, with an adjustable LED reading lap plus the welcome trio of AC, USB and wireless charging points.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
There’s also room under the padded bench seat to stow small carry-on bags.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
Relax
To freshen up before or between flights, the SilverKris business lounge contains 15 of spacious unisex shower suites.
Each suite includes its own toilet plus a raised bench where you can plonk your cabin bag or sit while changing.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
As with the washrooms, amenities are supplied by luxury perfume house Penhaligon’s, which is also behind the Singapore Airlines business class amenity kit.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
Singapore Airlines' SilverKris Business Lounge at Changi T3.
Complementing these is a sound-proofed rest area fitted with chaise lounges, which allows travellers to fit in a brief power nap before their flight. Power outlets are included here too.
Having tried this area out, it’s as quiet and relaxing as passengers would expect.
Verdict
This is the flagship Singapore Airlines lounge experience which business travellers expect and indeed deserve, resulting in what we’d rate as the Changi Airport’s best business class lounge.
It’s a huge improvement on that which came before it, featuring plenty of seating options for solos, couples or families, together with an extensive mix of dining and drinking choices for just about every palate.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
It's always very crowded when I'm there, hard to find a seat for 2 and I normally only have a soda water. But on the other hand, The Private Room is amazing, private bedrooms, good food and not over crowded.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Feb 2011
Total posts 13
I think the lounge is a huge let down, generally very crowded, with a very poor selection of food. No food is labeled for allergens and the only Gluten Free option is a GF pasta the chef needs to boil. For the flagship lounge its terrible
25 Jan 2022
Total posts 4
Clarity about if this was an SQ payed for flight would be interesting
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 773
Admittedly I'm usually transiting between flights, and typically between 11pm and 7am, but I've never found it crowded nor been disappointed by the FB& offering. Here's a pic of breakfast when I was there in early October:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tey8955r99isywvfqd88l/20241005_060322.jpg?rlkey=xjdci9v9q661pdczfn7i63wfa&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1dizbae9jklu5owr9qjww/20241005_060406.jpg?rlkey=io4hq7zicep6j6js1thk15j8v&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/t71byxphfxquo656qcwkj/20241005_060452.jpg?rlkey=gxnixr9s23hzk9bs7ubc5c13v&dl=0
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
27 Jul 2019
Total posts 1
15 showers, but I was told to take a buzzer, the wait would be over an hour.
26 Sep 2019
Total posts 2
Normally flying out on a Friday mid evening and the lounge is normally standing room only until around 9pm SGT. Always found it to be clean and at non-peak periods can be very quiet. Would like a Barista over the existing coffee machines put space is at a premium, think our domestic loungers in Australia do that very well.
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