Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Jakarta (Plaza Premium)
Intro
Christmas Day, and what an adventure this day would be. 3 meals, all in different countries. While I will touch on the full experience from the Four Seasons Jakarta to Singapore, I wanted to share first what the Singapore Airlines lounge was like in Jakarta. I was expecting it to be a lot worse than how it turned out to be. Let's get into the full review.
Location
Once I was through security, I was informed to make my way to the Plaza Premium lounge and show my boarding pass to the "First Class Counter".
The Plaza Premium Lounge is located near gate 5 in the Terminal 3 departures area. It's quite simple to find. Once you pass immigration, head down the escalator, do a 180, keep walking, and it will be on your left-hand side.
The first time visiting the First Class part with an eligible boarding pass!
When I walked in I showed my boarding pass and they saw I was in First Class for today. The entry requirements are strict, the only way you are eligible to enter the "First Class" section is with a Singapore Airlines First Class ticket to Singapore. Even when I had a same-day Thai First Class ticket I was not allowed to enter. Today, I had the red boarding pass!
They checked my boarding pass and began to escort me! Why do I not have the golden ticket? good question, find out later.
The First Class Room
While I visited the business class section when I flew on ANA, I didn't know there was a Singapore Airlines exclusive lounge... I first had to walk through the non-Singapore Airlines lounge with the escort. Surprisingly empty at this time of the morning.
There were a few cute Christmas decorations scattered around.
However, I finally arrived at the Singapore Airlines part of the lounge.
But.... I then had to be escorted through the business class lounge of Singapore Airlines...
This picture was taken on the way out, when I walked in there must have been 2 passengers.
Until I finally arrived at the exclusive First Class section!
The staff swiped their keycard and the door magically opened to reveal...
Well, I don't know what to think. Considering the Singapore planes feature 4 seats in First Class, this is awfully large.
The Seating
I took a seat in the back corner of the main room and was presented with a menu for breakfast.
I almost think the First Class lounge is bigger than the business class lounge..
Who uses all of these seats?
It was a struggle to find a place to sit. Not because of how many people there were but because I couldn't decide 😢.
After long deliberations, I found a 4 person table off to the side which felt perfect.
Wait, no no, there is more seating. Right behind my table laid a door that led to a room with more seating!
I only discovered this after I sat down and I was not moving 😂. It would have time to board by the time I decided to sit down.
There was a small coffee table off to the right-hand side.
Does anyone know what those two pillar tables are for?
Enough about seating, it's a large lounge considering Singapore Airlines offers 16 First Class seats a day on the route, maximum.
Food
As I mentioned earlier, when I originally sat down I was offered an a la carte menu featuring about 10 items. There was also a small snack station but that didn't look too appetizing.
Service started with my choice of coffee. I opted for a cappuccino.
After about 15 minutes, the pancakes that I ordered arrived. 🥰 I know I said I am not a fan of breakfast. However, pancakes are the exception. I was also presented with a fruit plate and pastry basket which I did not ask for, but I'm not complaining!
In all honesty, the pancakes were phenomenal. The pastries were alright and the fruit well, I didn't eat. It's Christmas Day, I am not being healthy!
This is all the food I had as I wanted to be hungry for the private room in Singapore!
Regarding the lavatories, I didn't see any showers offered in the First Class section. However, firstly, I don't think a shower is needed for such a short flight. Secondly, in the business class section of the lounge showers are offered.
Overall Service
The service here was decent at best. While I was escorted into the lounge I didn't see much of the staff during my time. I was checked in once every 30 minutes but other than that the only server would leave the First Class section.
The food came out at a standard pace as well as my coffee.
However, the one aspect that shined out to me was when the Singapore Airlines staff member who checked me in walked over to replace my boarding pass from red to gold for my suites leg to Delhi. However, that is more with the airline and not the lounge staff.
Leaving The Lounge
I left the lounge about 15 minutes before boarding (as SQ is notorious for boarding early) and headed to the gate. Don't fret, I did it by myself. See I can be independent 😂.
Final Thoughts
This is not a bad lounge at all. I didn't expect it to be this large and it does feel a little intimidating, especially being the only one there for an hour. However, it is nice to have a variety of options on where to sit. The service was standard for a business-class lounge, don't expect First Class service. The food was the highlight with some sublime pancakes and good coffee. Overall, for an outsourced lounge, it was pretty decent, but not worth coming hours early to spend some time in.
Overall Rating
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