Singapore Airlines
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Low service standards and many delays
We travelled with Singapore Airlines on a round-trip from Copenhagen to Phuket with a short layover in Singapore for our holiday in January 2025. Thus, this review includes experiences from a total of four flights. We were six family members, including two children and one senior citizen (my mother). We purchased our tickets directly through Singapore Airlines. The short layover time (just 50 minutes on the way out, and 1 hour and 20 min. returning) had me concerned beforehand, but as the itinerary was suggested by Singapore and they ensured me on phone that it was standard and all fine, we agreed. I would NOT recommend this for anyone else. Of four flights, three were more than a little delayed. Already from Copenhagen, our flight was an hour delayed, and, of course, we didn't make the transfer to our flight to Thailand. This was stressful, and the cabin crew were not very helpful in informing us of next steps when arriving in Singapore. We had to be very persistent to get them to help us. They did, however, find us a new departure from Singapore with a decent amount of waiting time. This flight was, however, also seriously delayed. On the return trip, we only made our transfer in Singapore by storming, panting and panicking, through the airport - mind you, we were travelling with a senior citizen and children (one only four years of age) for whom this transfer proved very physically strenuous and mentally stressful. I had asked the airline for help with the transfer in advance, stressing that the travel party included young children and an elderly woman, but they didn't even send an airport buggy to help us out. As the poor planning was a fault of the airline, and as my mother was travelling on business class, I think transportation between gates in Singapore would have been in order. On the last flight (Singapore-Copenhagen), the airline had screwed up our meal orders, so my vegetarian sister had to eat a meat-based dish, and the children did not receive their kids' menus. I did pre-register for the special meals five days in advance (and could prove so, as the order was made simultaneously with the business class special menu which my mother DID receive during this flight). This would all have been OK, had the flight attendant not rudely suggested that the fault was mine and suspiciously questioned me about my order (and demanded that I proved to her that I had pre-registered for special meals). That was NOT a pleasant experience when you're already exhausted on a 15-hour travel plan. We never got the meals (except my mother), nor did we receive any kind of apology. Moreover, even with our best efforts at personal hygiene on board, we managed to become infected with a stomach bug on both trips. The timing lines up perfectly with our time spent on the SA flights (I caught some bug on the way out, and my daughter on the way home). This suggests that the cleaning standards are not as high as one may have hoped travelling with a large, international airline company. All in all, not the best experience in terms of itinerary or service level. It seems that SA have prioritized short-term income over long-term customer reputation. I won't be choosing Singapore Airlines again, and I strongly recommend others to find alternatives as well. SA receives two stars from me because the flight itself was, after all, safe (but this should be the expected minimum).