I flew business-class on Singapore Airlines to the other side of the globe. Here's what impressed me the most.
As I meander through my retirement, I’m lucky enough to be in a position to be able to pick off a few places on my travel bucket list. That includes Vietnam and Cambodia, where, for many years, I dreamed of seeing the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Often considered the “8th Wonder of the World,” Angkor Wat was constructed between 1113 and 1150AD and is the largest religious complex ever built in the history of the world.
However, before I could experience this marvel, I had to fly to Southeast Asia from New York City. The most direct way to get to Cambodia is through Singapore, which meant I had the opportunity to fly on Singapore Airlines (SIA), frequently rated the best airline in the world—in 2025, it was ranked second by Skytrax and No. 1 by Travel and Leisure.
But, even on a highly rated airline, the idea of a long-haul flight is daunting—JFK to Singapore is currently the longest nonstop flight in the world at 9,500-plus miles and nearly 20 hours. With the help of some frequent-flyer points, I managed to secure a round-trip business-class ticket on SIA for my early-spring trip to Southeast Asia. It turned out to be a high point of my two-week adventure, which was packed with an amazing number of memorable moments.
Keep reading to learn what Singapore Airlines got really right and the few things that could be improved upon.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more travel news, humor, tech and fun facts all week long.
The journey begins
Check-in at SIA’s counter at JFK began a truly painless and luxurious way to fly to Singapore. My round-trip ticket included access to the airline’s business-class lounges along the way. Because SIA doesn’t have its own lounge at JFK, travelers have the option to visit other lounges, including Capital One, Air India and Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse—I chose Virgin Atlantic, and I’m glad I did. The space is truly marvelous. It’s beautifully designed with whimsical touches such as an art installation on one of the walls using vintage suitcases to set the tone of “going somewhere.”
After dinner in the lounge—the best food I’d had in weeks—brought to me by a fun server, my flight was announced, and I boarded the wonderful world of business-class travel. Boarding is not available directly from the lounge, so I had to wind my way down to the boarding gate.
On the plane
My flight was on an A350-900 aircraft, which has two identical sections of business-class seating, with about 40 passengers in each. SIA’s legendary first class with private suites is not available on 350-900s from JFK to Singapore, so I didn’t feel depressed that I was “only” in business-class.
My comfy seat
My window seat was its own private “cocoon,” with privacy screens on the aisle side and ample cubbies for storage. Everything I needed was within easy reach: a video screen and controls, noise-cancelling headphones for listening to videos or music, charging ports for my electronic devices, and controls for raising and lowering the seat and foot rest. You can tell instantly that a lot of thought has gone into making these cocoons a major part of the world’s best airline.
When I got to my seat, I found a cute little kit with luxury amenities from Le Labo. I was also provided with slippers and sleep masks, which I could take from the plane to keep. The soaps and lotions in the bathrooms were by Penhaligon’s of London.
The gourmet food
A spectacular selection of food and beverages also adds zest to your flight. On SIA, everything you want to drink and eat—a Diet Coke, a glass of 2018 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, a full meal from an actual printed menu, ice cream—is brought to you by a flight attendant, quietly and almost immediately, at any time during the 20-hour flight. Since I was going to spend nearly two weeks in Southeast Asia, I decided I should order something from that part of the world, settling on a delish version of Wanton Mee composed of noodles, pork dumplings and leafy greens jazzed up with chili sauce and pickled green chili. But if you’d rather have a nice soothing roast chicken, that’s available too.
Meals are served on real Narumi china with a quietly elegant pattern, beverages are enjoyed in actual glasses and the silverware is stainless steel, none of that plastic stuff.
The attentive service
Among the many reasons travelers rate SIA the world’s No. 1 airline is its legendary service. One of the things that really impressed me on SIA was its food and beverage service. I’d flown business-class on another airline a few months before from New York to Cairo. It was wonderful, but the appetizers and desserts were served from carts rolling up and down the aisles, in typical economy-class style. If you’ve finally dozed off and a cart bumps into your seat and wakes you up, you might not be the happiest camper in the skies at that moment. That was not an issue on SIA, where flight attendants served my order from the plane’s galley directly to my seat.
Top-notch entertainment
So, what to do for nearly 20 hours besides eating, drinking and hopefully sleeping? The movie awards season had recently ended, and SIA’s list of in-flight movies was impressive. I watched two movies that had won or been nominated for at least one major award. There were also plenty of video games to play, so that whittled away some of the 20 hours. (I’m a big fan of Spider Solitaire.)
Comfy lie-flat seats
When it came time to catch some zzz’s, I asked for a flight attendant’s help in turning my seat into a lie-flat bed. I didn’t want to press the wrong button and wind up like Odd Job in Goldfinger. Each seat is furnished with blankets, a Swiss comforter and a pillow.
Though it’s hard for me to sleep on planes in general, I did manage to doze off from time to time. The cabin was kept very quiet: Call buttons are silent, there are no carts rolling up and down the aisles and video screens aren’t visible except for the one in your lovely cocoon. Total serenity in the sky!
Arrival on the other side of the world
Twenty hours later, I arrived to the Singapore airport in fine shape and switched to the SIA flight to Siem Reap. The flight is less than two hours, so I flew economy, and it beat most business-class flights I’d recently taken in the States. Somehow, they managed to serve everyone drinks and a delicious hot meal—all with SIA’s impeccable style. I don’t know how they can do all that in under two hours, on a full flight, no less.
After two weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, where I’d finally be at Angkor Wat to witness a flawless sunrise under a clear sky, meet amazing people along the way, shop in markets offering some of the most beautiful silk fabrics in the world, and zip around Phnom Phen and Saigon, shopping and seeing the sights and even attending the opera, I hopped back down to Singapore for the flight back to New York.
The flight home
Somewhere along the way I realized I’d be flying back into Newark instead of JFK. Drat!
After an amazing and very satisfying two hours in the SIA business-class lounge at the Singapore Airport (I could live there forever …), I boarded my flight, settled into my cocoon and noticed on the map on my screen that we were flying over Tokyo, then the Pacific Ocean, the good ole USA and finally into Newark.
Going over, I’d flown over the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, India and into Singapore. This was a total surprise—one of the most amazing in my entire travel career. I would be circumnavigating the globe in two legs in just under 38 hours combined!
I was born and raised just 70 miles south of where the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails began in Missouri. After more than 70 years of travel, I’m still not so jaded that I can’t be blown away by being able to fly around the world in 38 hours—in a comfy cocoon on Singapore Airlines.
Remaining on my travel bucket list are India and Japan, and I can definitely foresee SIA in my future.
What I liked best about Singapore Airlines business-class
- Fabulous service
- Quiet and serenity—a virtually soundless experience
- Gourmet food featuring a variety of Asian and Western selections
- Current movie selections
- No food carts rumbling up and down the aisles
What I thought could be improved upon
- Twenty hours in the air, but Singapore Airlines business-class made my flight enjoyable, with plenty of room not to feel cramped
- Business-class passengers have to board from the regular gate and not directly from the lounges in JFK and Singapore
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
