I flew first class on the world’s best airline — it lacked in this one area

Singapore Airlines’ first-class Suites cabin was named World’s Best First Class, but is it really the best?

At the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards — dubbed the “Oscars of Aviation” — Singapore Airlines won the award for World’s Best First Class, also taking first-place awards for the Best First Class Airline Seat and the Best First Class Airline Amenities.

Flight expert Nonstop Dan decided he wanted to see for himself whether the airline’s first-class options lived up to the awards, so he booked a seat on a flight from Frankfurt to New York for $7,750.

He filmed his whole experience, starting with Departures at Frankfurt Airport, where he discovered first-class passengers don’t get any perks.

Dan, who is half Swedish and half American, soon discovered that all the special treatment would begin once on board.

The Suites cabin is located on the A380 plane and has just six seats, which the YouTuber described as “beyond incredible” and “unlike anything else in this category.”

However, trying to capture all the amazing features of the first-class experience proved “overwhelming.”

In the cabin, Dan is welcomed by Dom Pérignon — which is about $300 per bottle — Bang & Olufsen headphones that are “as good as it gets,” a swivel chair that can face the windows, a detachable tablet for the entertainment system, charging and HDMI ports, a full closet complete with hangers, a “massive” tray table and, last but certainly not least, a seat that turns into a bed.

The bed comes with two plush pillows, but he admits that the bed is “surprisingly hard … Southeast Asian style.”

Tables in the cabin also allowed travelers to eat in bed, something that came as a surprise to Dan.

“One of the highlights of my life had to be watching ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ in bed and the crew surprising us with lunch in bed. I had no idea they had tables allowing us to eat in bed — what an awesome surprise!” he told MailOnline.

Another convenient part of these Suites cabins is the option to lower the partition and turn the cabin into a giant double room, which Dan took advantage of so he could share the experience with his traveling companion, Oscar.

Passengers are able to get the “utmost privacy and a private-jet-like feeling that’s only rivaled by Emirates’ Boeing 777 ‘game-changer’ first-class cabin” thanks to the closing doors on each cabin — and those in first class even get their own “classy” hotel-style toilet.

“If I had to compare this with other first-class products, I’d describe Singapore Suites as the perfect balance between fun and luxury. Air France and Etihad have a stronger focus on luxury, while Emirates goes all out on the fun aspects of an experience like this,” he shared.

Dan’s favorite features of the first-class experience included the separate bed, of course, as well as the swivel seat and the extra space in the cabin when the bed was not yet made up.

“This is the only suite I’ve come across on an airplane where you have more than enough room to do yoga or stretching in the privacy of your seat,” he said.

Ultimately, he told MailOnline that he was “blown away” by the overall experience, but the food was “a disappointment.”

He noted that the drink options are “extraordinary” and his main course — which consisted of mushrooms, rice and tofu — was “perfectly cooked” and the service was “perfectly paced,” but otherwise he wasn’t so impressed.

The first course was simply “miscellaneous food items,” the “underwhelming” starter salad had just leaves, tomatoes, and lentils and dessert was “merely a fruit plate.”

Dan concluded that Singapore Airlines’ first-class Suites cabin truly did live up to the hype.

“It exceeded expectations, and that says a lot since I review airlines for a living. Every time I fly Singapore Airlines, I’m blown away by how well the crew manage to balance professionalism with showing personality and having fun,” he said.

“On Singapore Airlines, you are guaranteed exceptional service, which unfortunately most other airlines struggle to provide with the same consistency.”