Which airline has the best business class for Perth-Singapore flights?
Singapore is one of Perth’s busiest international destinations, being an easy 5½ hour dash away and opening up the WA city to many others worldwide through the hub that is Changi Airport.
There are three competitors on this route, including the stalwart Singapore Airlines, its budget offshoot Scoot, and our flag carrier Qantas.
The Perth-Singapore route used to be the domain of business class recliners, but that trend is slowly turning with both major airlines starting to introduce their newer seats and suites.
Australian Business Traveller looks at the ground experience, the lounges and inflight service to see how the business class offering compares between each airline.
Perth-Singapore business class: the best schedules
It’s no surprise that Singapore Airlines offers the most flights from Perth – four per day. There are departures in the early morning (6:25am), early afternoon (2:05pm), early evening (5:10pm), and one overnight (1:10am).
Qantas is next with a daily 11:50am departure from Perth, reaching Singapore in the evening, then returning back to Perth just before midnight.
Starting from June 2019, Scoot will have eight flights a week. There's a 9:20pm departure daily which gets into Singapore at 2:30am, while Saturdays will see extra 9:00pm service which also lands in Singapore at 2:30am. This additional flight is operated by an Airbus A320 without ScootBiz seats.
These schedules may fluctuate slightly during different parts of the year but are otherwise fairly steady.
Perth-Singapore business class: the best lounges
Since Qantas moved all its Perth international flights to its domestic terminals T3 and T4, business class guests are directed to the Domestic Business Lounge instead, which functions as its quasi-international lounge.
Qantas Club members and Gold frequent flyers are welcome here as well, instead of the Qantas Club where they would normally head to if travelling domestically.
While this lounge features freshly-cooked pizza, it’s located before international security and immigration clearance, and the bar isn’t open prior to the departure to Singapore.
AusBT Review: Qantas domestic business lounge, Perth Airport
Despite these shortcomings, it’s still a decent place to relax before the flight.
Singapore Airlines passengers have access to a small SilverKris lounge in Perth International T1, which is open three hours prior to each flight.
For something a little less lacklustre, lounge lizards can also roost in the nearby Air New Zealand lounge, if it’s open.
Singapore Airlines’ business class guests plus Star Alliance Gold members travelling in economy will find it to be a far more vibrant space, offering a decent buffet spread and shower suites as well.
From The Lion City itself, Qantas has its own dedicated Singapore Lounge, including a new separate first class lounge opening in late 2019, while Singapore Airlines has its large SilverKris Lounges in Terminal 3.
Scoot doesn’t offer lounge access in Perth, but a ‘Scoot-in-Style’ package can be purchased for flights departing Singapore, which offers three hours access to the SATS Premier Lounge in Changi T2.
Perth-Singapore business class: the best seats
Both Qantas and Singapore Airlines have gradually swapped in their newer business class products.
At the time of writing, Qantas now has the Airbus A330 permanently rostered on the QF71/72 daily trek to Singapore.
These feature lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement, affording everyone some space, privacy and easy aisle access.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines’ newest regional business class seats will soon be found on two of the four daily flights – operated by a Boeing 787-10 and factory-fresh Airbus A350s.
While a bit narrower than their Qantas counterparts, these seats are a big improvement over the older variants still flying.
Singapore Airlines’ remaining two flights will usually have the ‘sloping sleepers’ of the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777-200…
… although sometimes these wider fully-flat seats will also make an appearance on the Boeing 777-200ERs.
Lastly, ScootBiz offers recliners in a 2-3-2 layout. While it doesn’t compare to Qantas or Singapore Airlines at all, it’s still more comfortable than economy and is priced reasonably.
Perth to Singapore business class: the best inflight experience
While these factors are unlikely to make a huge difference in choosing an airline, it’s good to know what each one is offering.
Singapore Airlines’s ‘Book the Cook’ service gives you 15 choices out of Perth and more than 50 options when flying back from Singapore, making it easier for you to order what you want.
However, the airline does not offer amenity kits or pyjamas for overnight flights. Instead, it stocks essential items in the lavatories.
Although Qantas previously offered pyjamas on the evening Singapore-Perth leg when it re-started the route in 2015 with a Boeing 737, it appears that this is no longer the case either.
Here’s a summary of the different services offered by each airline.
Singapore Airlines | Qantas | Scoot | |
Pre-book dining | Yes - ‘Book the Cook’ from Perth has fifteen dishes to choose from | Yes - Menu Select allows you to pre-book your choice off the inflight menu or an online exclusive | Yes – one meal of your choice included with ScootBiz |
Amenity kits | No - but essentials are stocked in the lavatories | Yes | No |
Pyjamas | No | Previously yes, but not anymore | No |
Inflight WiFi | Yes, on Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350. 30MB free for business class. | No - not yet on the Airbus A330s. | Yes - US$29.99 for 20MB |
What’s your favourite way to travel between Perth and Singapore?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 May 2011
Total posts 233
Love the table at the end - it summaries the article in a really easy to understand and compare way.
If you just added in the seat type (flat, recliner, etc) then it would be perfect
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Oct 2017
Total posts 97
SQ four times a day, QF once a day I think says it all.!!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 Aug 2017
Total posts 116
Great update thanks with the newer products from QF/SQ on the route. The SQ 4 daily flights as you say are interestingly on 4 different aircraft types! I don't think PJ's / seat matress are offered on the QF return flight though as technically its not a overnight service arriving around midnight back to Perth after the 5 hour hop. (Well I didn't get any recently on QF72 anyhow).
10 Jul 2018
Total posts 104
Hi PERflyer, I've been given PJs on QF72 before even when it was a 737 recliner!
I also note in Qantas' 2015 press release about the route, they mention 'ThepopularQantaspyjamaswillalsobeprovided ontheeveningservicefromSingaporetoPerthintheBusinessClasscabin.'
However, I can also see recent posts on other forums that these haven't been offered lately, so I'll try follow this up to see if it's been permanently changed.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 Aug 2017
Total posts 116
Great if so Brandon! Hopefully my recent journey was just a one off!.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
27 Nov 2017
Total posts 25
Another feature of the QF flight is landing at T3. Due to it being the only international flight landing at that time, as a business class passenger (i.e. first out of the plane) you can be in a taxi/Uber within 5 mins of arriving if travelling only with hand luggage - this is definitely not possible at T1. And for me the journey home is 10 mins quicker too from that side of the airfield, so do like the Qantas domestic terminal arrangement.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2017
Total posts 76
SQ of course. Perhaps QF EXECS could fly SQ J to see how it should be done. Even on a bad day SQ far exceeds QF
Turkish Airlines - Miles & Smiles
08 Jun 2014
Total posts 261
And on a 5 hour flight!
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 469
SQ generally ticks the boxes in business class but for Singapore-Perth you really have to choose your flights strategically so you get the best seat, which works against the 'frequency' argument. I'm very glad to see Qantas bedding down the A330 on this route and the use of PER T3 is a time-saver. Qantas also has the best lounge by far. So this really comes down to SQ vs QF, each airline has its loyalists often based on personal preference and status.
07 May 2015
Total posts 40
I'm going to be very contrary here and vote for Scoot. Why? Start with Scoot Biz being less than $500 each way, so for under $1,000 I can do 'business class' return. Now PER-SIN isn't a long flight, around five hours, and most of the Scoot flights there and back are daytime or evening but not an overnight 'red-eye'. I can easily enjoy the Scoot Biz seat without it being lie-flat or not having direct aisle access. The inflight meals are okay, I'm just having one meal. All that I really miss out on is lounge access, as there's no AMEX Priority Pass access at Perth, although I can use the card for this at Singapore. For $1,000 return I reckon this overall is very good value.
12 Feb 2014
Total posts 228
I really enjoy your reviews Brandon. You focus on the practical aspects of flying business class in an honest and insightful way. Keep up the good work mate.
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1242
Agreed. I like his writing style the most. So refreshing to read his articles without the annoying use of italics.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 782
For a 5.5 hour J flight, frequency wins. SQ all the way.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 May 2012
Total posts 119
Thanks Brandon - Not sure we should have to use Domestic Business Lounge for an International flight. If I'm not wrong QF only has two international flights daily PER-LHR and PER-SIN? So why doesnt QF open up the QF Int'l lounge after immigration? (as I understand it is currently used for only the PER-LHR flight) - is there a capacity issue?
08 Jul 2015
Total posts 26
When travelling to London Bus Class a few weeks ago, we used the QF Bus Class Lounge which, as article says, is located before Border Force etc. When we got to International Bus Class it was quite crowded especially when transit pax arrived. My advise, based on this, would be to linger in Dom Bus Class Lounge for as long as possible. For the lucky few there is also Chairman’s Lounge.
19 Aug 2011
Total posts 55
11 Mar 2012
Total posts 314
Great article. The only addition to the comparison could be cost and points/status credits earned.
07 May 2015
Total posts 40
19 Aug 2011
Total posts 55
07 Dec 2016
Total posts 37
Thank you Brandon Loo for a factual article. Please would you clarify which SQ flight or aircraft have the 1-2-1 configuration which I really prefer (don't we all!) SQ is definitely my preference. One flight a day from QF ia pathetic given that Changi is now QF's hub (thanks be!).
07 May 2015
Total posts 40
Changi is only Qantas' hub for flights to London and the daily SIN-PER service fits into that QF1/QF2 schedule, so I don't see why you feel there need to be more flights a day. Don't forget that QF pulled out of PER, then came back with a 737 and has now moved to a larger A330 , which shows the airline keeps its eye on demand. If there's more demand than the A330 can cope for then maybe we will see a second service but probably only on a 737. By comparison, SQ has flights from Singapore to all over the world, leaving at all sorts of times, so it makes sense for SQ to have multiple daily flights.
Turkish Airlines - Miles & Smiles
08 Jun 2014
Total posts 261
Now SQ need to update/upgrade their PER Lounge... perhaps 2x or 3x the size would be ideal!
04 Jun 2018
Total posts 19
Be wary that Scoot has begun to occasionally swap PER-SIN services to their ex-Tiger A320s with no business class during off peak periods. Recently this has happened with TR16 on Saturdays and TR8 on Tuesdays, but could occur more often in the future.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
09 May 2019
Total posts 2
In 2015, trying to find a flight to London via Singapore was limited to a single airline, Singapore International. Now Qantas sees fit to join in, with a non-stop offering......still too late. I will continue with Singapore International....happy with their offering.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2011
Total posts 77
I’ve always held that the most appropriate comparison for ScootBiz is SQ or QF Premium Economy on the basis of no free lounge access except maybe at Changi
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
On Qantas WiFi I'd just say No.. They haven't announced anything for the international 330s and the ViaSat3 solution is still years away
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