Fifth-freedom flights are usually remarkable since they allow you to fly on international carriers without having to travel to their home nations.
For travellers based in North America, this usually implies the opportunity to fly on great planes with good service at a lesser cost than travelling on carriers based in their own nations.
Singapore Airlines operates one of the most famous fifth-freedom flights from the United States, connecting New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with Frankfurt Airport in Germany (FRA).
The service was renovated earlier this year to be operated by an Airbus A380 with the carrier's newest first-class Suites and business-class seats, making it even more appealing.
After a recent vacation to Germany, I wanted to travel back to New York as soon as possible (read: nonstop flights only), so Singapore Airlines looked like a no-brainer.
After all, Lufthansa's current business class is configured in a dense 2-2-2 format, Delta doesn't offer its top-of-the-line Delta One Suites on this route, and I've flown United Polaris numerous times.
So I made a reservation with Singapore Airlines and prepared to have a great time.
Here's how it went down.
Booking
We paid cash for this ticket, paying $1,875 for one-way business class and a premium economy return flight at a later date.
This was less expensive than purchasing a one-way business-class ticket.
purchased the trip through American Express Travel and paid with the American Express Centurion Business Card, earning a total of 9,375 Membership Rewards points, which are worth $188 according estimates.
If you don't have the Centurion Card, you can get the same deal with American Express's Platinum Card® (on purchases up to $500,000 per calendar year).
For attributing the flight to Mileage Plan, I additionally received 7,712 Alaska miles, valued $139.
The Points Guy independently gathered information regarding the American Express Centurion card and the Centurion Business Card.
The card issuer has not reviewed or provided the information on this page.
It's very simple to book this flight using points.
Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer programme offers saver-level business-class awards on this flight for 72,000 miles each way (though this will go up to 81,000 miles starting July 5, due to the recent KrisFlyer programme changes).
All transferable points programmes, including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Chase Ultimate Rewards, can be transferred to KrisFlyer.
Experience on the ground
Singapore Airlines is based at Frankfurt Airport's Terminal 1, Area C.
For business-class travellers, there were two check-in counters, and the wait was fairly short when I arrived a couple hours before my departure.
Passengers with Star Alliance Gold status can use this line as well.
The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is open to Singapore Airlines business class travellers.
It is currently open from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily on the top level, near gate B43.
The lounge was modern and clean, and it was rather vacant when I visited in the morning.
There were numerous tables, couches, and seats, many of which were equipped with power outlets.
There were some semi-private relaxation rooms with daybeds and televisions as well.
There was also a shower room, which I didn't use because I had a long layover.
The food choices was minimal but passable for an international business-class lounge.
Scrambled eggs, cherry tomato confit, frikadellen (German sausage patties), cold meats, fresh fruit, pastries, and yoghurt were among the items on the menu.
Water, juice, coffee, tea, sodas, beer, and several wines were available for self-service at the walk-up bar.
Despite the fact that the lounge was not as opulent as a United Polaris or American Flagship Lounge, I thought it was a step up from the Lufthansa business lounges, which I could have accessed with my ticket but were frequently more congested.
After a little period, it was time to proceed downstairs to my flight's gate.
We were meant to board 60 minutes before departure, but there was a one-hour delay.
It's not easy to board an A380, but the gate agents performed an excellent job of keeping the boarding area quiet and calm.
Each of the flight's four classes — suites, business, premium economy, and economy — had their own queues.
Passengers in suites and business class boarded directly on the upper deck, while passengers in economy and premium economy boarded through two bridges on the main level.
A four-and-a-half-year-old Airbus A380 with the registration 9V-SKU was in charge of our flight.
Seats and cabin
The business-class part of the A380's upper deck made up the majority of the space, with the first-class Suites taking up the whole front cabin.
A 1-2-1 configuration was used in business class, with 50 seats in the main cabin and another 28 seats in a smaller cabin in the back.
This was a genuinely stunning cabin, with purple-hued Poltrona Frau leather seats with orange piping, stylish mood lighting, and no overhead bins over the middle seats.
Because of the side wings on their shells, the seats didn't have doors yet still felt private.
Couples will appreciate the seats in the centre area, which can be changed into a sort of double bed.
However, if you're seated next to a stranger, you can lift the middle wall for privacy.
I sat in 11K, which was a window seat in the first row of the business-class cabin on the right side of the plane.
It was similar to any other seat in the cabin, but it was a little noisy due to its proximity to the galley.
The seats were 25 inches wide, narrower than Singapore's previous A380 business class seats.
However, I preferred these chairs because the previous ones were almost too wide and didn't provide adequate support, in my opinion.
Unlike the previous seats, these could be reclined to a fully flat bed without requiring the assistance of a flight attendant.
Each bed measured 78 inches, or 6 feet, 6 inches, when fully reclined.
Despite the fact that the footwell was at an angle and was on the tiny side, I was able to sleep comfortably.
Taller passengers, on the other hand, may choose the centre seats in the bulkhead row, which feature substantially larger footrests.
Storage was not an issue, despite the lack of overhead bins over the centre seats.
For starters, a carry-on-sized bag will fit under the footwell.
A little compartment to the side of the seat can hold some reading material, a water bottle, and a laptop computer.
There was also some storage space next to the seatback screen in non-bulkhead seats.
The seat controls were on the right and were very self-explanatory, with preset configurations such as upright, relaxing with the leg rest up, and completely flat accessible.
There was also a "Do Not Disturb" light that I could turn on if I needed to sleep.
Multiple universal power outlets, USB connections, and a lit mirror compartment were among the seat's other features.
A reading light was incorporated into the seat, and there were two above lights.
Although no individual air nozzles were available, the cabin was kept at a pleasant temperature throughout the voyage.
In the business-class section, there were seven lavatories that were regularly cleaned by the crew and kept very clean – the toilet paper was folded every time I went to the lavatory.
Inflight entertainment and amenities
The entertainment screen, which measured 18 inches across diagonally, was sharp and huge.
It may be controlled either from the primary touchscreen display or through a wired touchscreen remote.
There were hundreds of films and television episodes to pick from, including some that were just released.
The only drawback was that the screen did not tilt, making watching movies from the lie-flat position a little challenging.
During boarding, a pair of noise-canceling headphones appeared at my seat, which I thought were adequate but not quite as good as the Bang & Olufsen headphones offered in the very front of the plane.
A "care kit" (which included a mask, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipe), a bottle of water, two pillows, a duvet, and a mattress cushion) were also included.
Although the mattress pad was a little thin, I found the bedding to be really comfy.
The amenity kits were not handed out until much later in the flight, when the majority of the passengers were sleeping.
Penhaligon's, a British perfume manufacturer, created them with only lip balm, hand lotion, and facial spray.
Other luxuries, such as slippers, stockings, earplugs, eyeshades, and hairbrushes, were only given upon request to reduce waste.
In the lavatories, there were additional luxuries like as dental kits, shaving kits, eau du toilette, hand lotion, and facial spray.
Panasonic's Wi-Fi was available in a few different packages.
You could buy data based on how much you used it or how long it took you to use it, but there was no bundle that covered the entire flight.
The best deal was definitely the $15.99 three-hour unlimited package, but purchasing numerous packages on longer flights may be costly.
I received 100 MB of free Wi-Fi as a business-class passenger.
Although the speeds were enough for sending emails and SMS, the data cap was extremely restrictive.
I did, however, like the flexibility to pause my session.
Beverages and foods
Despite the fact that the flight left early in the morning, lunch was served.
Because of COVID-19, there were no printed menus, only digital menus that could be accessed via a QR code.
While meal orders were handled on the ground, no pre-departure beverages were available.
A roasted chicken breast with black truffle jus, steamed halibut fillet, panang nuer (Thai beef curry), or braised pork cheek with carraway jus were among the lunch options.
There were also six off-menu options.
Pre-order dinners like Bavarian-style pork belly and honey-glazed ducks from Book the Cook.
Then, for a pre-arrival snack, there was an option of braised egg noodles with prawns or ham and cheese toasties later in the trip.
For lunch, I pre-ordered the halibut from the in-flight menu, and for refreshment, I requested an Asian vegetarian meal because I don't like pork or shellfish.
Because airlines rarely allow you to reserve a special meal for just one meal, I enjoyed the flexibility.
The meal began with chicken satay with a spicy peanut sauce.
However, because I selected an Asian vegetarian dinner at the second supper, Singapore surprised me by providing Asian vegetarian appetisers.
My canape was made up of grilled vegetables and hummus bread.
After that, there was a lentil salad, which was light and refreshing but a little boring.
Marinated prawns with apple-celeriac remoulade would have been the usual starter.
I also had a pretzel roll from the bread basket, as well as Singapore's famous garlic bread.
My halibut fillet was steamed and served with vegetables, soy ginger garlic sauce, and steamed rice.
It's difficult to get fish cooked to perfection on an aeroplane, but I thought it was tasty and flaky.
A dessert cart was wheeled down the aisle after the main course was finished.
Of the four possibilities, I chose three — a black forest gateau, lemon-lime sorbet, and fresh fruit — for "research."
I didn't order the cheese plate, although it looked delicious.
It took little under two hours to finish the meal.
I asked if there were any refreshments available after waking up after a nap, and was offered Kit Kat bars, potato chips, quick noodles, and soft Japanese buns.
90 minutes prior to landing, a drink was offered.
Quesadillas packed with eggplant, tomatoes, and other veggies were my special dinner.
I'm not a huge lover of eggplant, so I didn't finish everything, but it was perfectly fine, and I loved the warm pre-arrival snack Singapore provided.
The vast drink menu, which featured 2012 Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne, an array of red and white wines, numerous cocktails and mocktails, top-shelf spirits, and even hot chocolate, surprised me as well.
A full range of Illy coffees and TWG teas were also available.
Service
In a 78-seat business class cabin, I'd expect service to be impersonal, but that was not the case on this flight.
Every business-class customer was greeted kindly and escorted to their seats upon boarding.
Throughout the journey, I was addressed by my last name, and the employees seemed genuinely concerned about my well-being.
My glass was never empty, and when I used the call button, the flight attendants were fast to reply.
Although it was less prevalent in business class, a turndown service was not available.
A general impression
Singapore Airlines is recognised for having one of the best business-class offerings in the world, and this flight was no exception.
Despite the lack of doors, the chairs were private and comfy for sleeping and relaxing.
The meal and beverages were great, as was the service.
I'd gladly fly this product again, especially on this route, where the competition is weak.
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