This flight is part of my $16,000 three continent trip from Los Angeles to Sydney aboard Singapore’s first class suite. Learn how I paid only $480 here.
The day had finally arrived and brimming with excitement I showed
up at the Singapore Airlines counter three and half hours early. At the check in counter, ground attendants
were busy decorating the check in area with various Halloween props.
I asked one of the attendants if it was possible to check
in. She informed me that I was too early and would have to wait. However, after
meekly telling her that I was flying in Suites Class, she stopped what she was
doing and immediately checked me in.
I breezed through security and proceeded to star alliance
lounge. Upon heading up the escalators, I was redirected through a pair of
glazed doors and into the first class lounge.
The lounge attendant warmly welcomed me and handed me a
lunch menu to look over while I got settled in.
The first class lounge is a relatively small cozy room
separated into two areas: a small white tablecloth dining area and lounging
area with different types of leather ottomans and sofas.
Curiously, there appeared to separate hidden door near the
entrance of the lounge. I later learned this was the VVIP area where
celebrities and those with security needs stayed.
It was rumored that Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat, was
schedule to drop by. Alas, I never saw him, so I assumed he was quickly whisked
into the VVIP area. It seemed like even flying in a $10,000 seat won’t get you
access to the Hollywood A listers.
Compared to other first class lounges, the LAX lounge was
extremely small and cozy. However, with only a handful of flights with first
class leaving LAX, the lounge never felt too crowded. In fact, for a
significant portion of my stay, I had the entire lounge to myself.
After having a glass of champagne, I switched over to the
dining area and tried a few different entrees from the lunch menu.
The Salmon was a bit too dry for my taste, but the mussels
on the other hand were absolutely wonderful. The amount of butter was perfect
and the juice was oozing out of each bite. It honestly felt like I was eating a
fresh mussel straight out of San Francisco’s Pier 41.
I loved my mussels so much that I ended up ordering two more
rounds.
I was extremely impressed by the dining experience at the
first class lounge, which felt like eating a proper restaurant rather than a
airport waiting area. My waitress was incredibly bubbly and friendly throughout
my stay. She even noticed I was taking quite a few pictures and asked if I
wanted to be in a couple photos.
My best Juan Trippe
impression
If you’re short on time there is a small food spread laid
out, along with your standard selections of mid-tier alcohol.
The lounge does get a bit stifling if you’re here for more
than an hour, so I decided to explore the business class side of the lounge.
Compared to the relatively small first class lounge, the business class lounge
was huge, with plenty of seating and could easily sit more than 500 passengers
at one time.
I loved the open layout, with the sun light flooding the
entire area.
The highlight of the entire lounge was the outdoor patio complete
with a fireplace and an artificial waterfall. I ended up moving outside for a
bit and soaking in the sun and fresh air.
Time flew by and soon the lounge attendant informed me that
my flight was ready for boarding and I headed down to the awaiting A380 to try
the original suite in the sky.
Overall for US standards, the lounge is among the best and
I’d definitely recommend arriving at the airport early, to have a great
preflight meal.
However, after finishing your meal and I’d head outside to
the patio if the weather is good.
Up Next: Singapore Airlines First Class: Los Angeles to Tokyo
