SINGAPORE - Travellers with lounge access can now enjoy a more comfortable journey when passing through Changi Airport, in another step towards normality for air travel.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it would fully reopen its two lounges at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 6pm on Tuesday (May 31), following a $50 million upgrading project that started in 2019.
British Airways had earlier reopened its lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at the end of last month, after a two-year closure.
SIA said on Monday (May 30) that the upgraded SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold lounges at T3 will improve customer experience in tandem with the recovery in air travel.
The carrier's chairman Peter Seah said at the lounges' opening ceremony on Monday that the upgrades will help SIA to continue establishing its leadership in the airline industry.
"We want our lounges to be a signal that not only do we want to maintain our premium brand position, but also to enhance it," said Mr Seah.
"We hope that the opening of these lounges will also buttress our position as the anchor airline for Changi Airport and help show that together.... we provide world-class services to all passengers who fly through Singapore."
SIA chief executive Goh Choon Phong said that the carrier is confident of growing demand for premium travel in the region.
"If you look at this part of the world, you actually see that economies (in the region) are expected to grow faster than most other economies around the word," he said.
"So with that, we expect that business travel and premium travel will also increase."
Transport Minister S. Iswaran said at the opening ceremony of the lounges that the occasion was a harbinger of a resilient SIA and an encouraging future for the aviation sector.
The number of passengers passing through Changi Airport is now at almost 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, up from under 20 per cent in mid-March.
The SIA Group network currently comprises 95 destinations, which is about 70 per cent of its pre-Covid-19 network.
Mr Goh, who spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the event, said that if the capacity increases faster than expected, a planned move to restore pilots' salaries to pre-pandemic levels will also take place earlier.
The upgraded lounges can collectively accommodate around 1,150 customers - a 30 per cent increase from previous capacities.
They will occupy a total area of 6,100 sq m, which is slightly smaller than the size of a football pitch.
The lounges will feature dedicated rooms for passengers to nap, more charging ports, and more seats, among other improvements.
All sections in the lounges will feature bars. They offer a range of food options, including local food such as laksa, chwee kueh and dim sum.
The SilverKris lounge is divided into three areas - the business-class section, first-class section, and the Private Room.
Access to each area is based on different tiers of frequent flyer membership.
The Private Room is the most exclusive option. It is open to suites and first-class passengers.
The SilverKris lounge's first-class section is open to suites and first-class passengers, as well as Solitaire PPS Club members. This is the highest membership tier that SIA customers can achieve.
Among offerings in both the Private Room and the first-class section are rest rooms equipped with beds that can massage travellers.
British Airways' reopened lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 can host up to 226 travellers. It acts as a rest area for customers transiting in Singapore on flights from London to Sydney, among other functions.
During a media preview of the lounge last week, British Airways head of sales for Asia-Pacific Noella Ferns said: "As entry restrictions continue to ease in the United Kingdom, we know that greater numbers of customers are now expected to travel.
"Hence, we feel it is the right time to open our flagship lounge in Singapore."
