We had decided on a short getaway to Bangkok and booked the return flight back in March 2026, but left the outbound leg open. The plan was to watch fares for a few months and pick something up when the price made sense.
That took longer than we expected. Scoot is usually what we would book on this route, but the fare stayed above S$200 one way for weeks, which is a lot to pay for a budget carrier on a 2.5-hour flight.
The KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes list that came out in June 2026 solved the problem. Bangkok was on it, so we booked for late July 2026 without much deliberation. Economy Saver on this route is normally 13,000 miles one way, and Spontaneous Escapes takes 30% off that, which brought it down to 9,100 miles each. Against a S$200 cash fare on a low-cost carrier, that is an easy decision.
The catch is in the fine print. Spontaneous Escapes tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, you cannot waitlist, and the list only appears around the middle of each month for travel in the month after. It works if your dates are flexible and you are prepared to commit on the spot.
We were on SQ714, the 5.30pm departure out of Changi, operated by the Boeing 787-10.
Check-in
Check-in at Terminal 2 was quick and unremarkable, which is exactly what you want. Star Alliance Gold gets you the priority counters, and we were through in a couple of minutes.
Boarding
Boarding itself was orderly, which is not always a given on a full evening flight to Bangkok. But the more interesting thing happened just before it, at the security screening outside the gate.
A Singapore Airlines branded buggy pulled up and dropped off a passenger along with a SATS staff member. The staff member then escorted the passenger, a lady who I would guess was either a PPS Solitaire member or a VVIP, straight past the queue and to the front of the security line.
This caught my attention because it looked very much like the personal concierge service that Singapore Airlines has been trialling for Suites and First Class passengers. Under that trial, a dedicated concierge is assigned when you arrive at The Private Room, and when it is time to board, you are driven to the gate by buggy and taken to the front of the security queue. Given that security screening at Terminals 2 and 3 happens at each individual gate rather than centrally, being walked past that queue is a genuine time saving.
What made this particular sighting odd is that the trial was only reported publicly in early August, a week or so after our flight, and it is described as starting at The Private Room, which sits in Terminal 3. We were in Terminal 2. On top of that, the Boeing 787-10 does not have a First Class cabin at all, so there was no First Class passenger on this aircraft for the service to apply to.
So either the trial was already running more broadly than reported, or this was a separate VVIP arrangement, or a Solitaire PPS member had simply been extended the courtesy.
The part that amused me most came later. The passenger was seated in the same row as us, in the front few rows of economy.
The seat
The Boeing 787-10 is one of the newer aircraft in the Singapore Airlines fleet. I went through this economy cabin in detail when I flew it to Ho Chi Minh City in May, so I won’t repeat all of it in a separate review. Nothing has changed since then, and legroom was the same as I remembered it, which is to say fine for a flight of this length.
Hot towels came round shortly after boarding, which is one of those small pieces of Singapore Airlines service that has survived on even the shortest sectors.
In-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi
I was seated in 42J, in the forward zone. KrisWorld and the free Wi-Fi for KrisFlyer members are unchanged from the last time I flew this cabin, and with block time of around 2.5 hours I didn’t get far into anything I started.
Food and drinks
Dinner was seafood vermicelli, served with a soft roll and coffee cake for dessert. It was simple and about what I would expect for a regional flight at this length. The fish held up better than most reheated seafood does at altitude, and the vermicelli had not turned to paste, which is more than I can say for some economy mains I have had.
I ordered a Singapore Sling to go with it. It arrived some time after the tray did, which is worth mentioning if you want your drink alongside your meal rather than after it.
Concluding thoughts
There is nothing here to get excited about, and equally nothing to complain about. This is the Singapore Airlines regional product doing what it reliably does, on a route where the flight is effectively over as soon as the trays are cleared.
Where it makes sense is the price. At 9,100 miles against the cash fares we had been watching all through June, the Spontaneous Escapes rate was comfortably the best value on the table. If your dates line up and you can live with a ticket you cannot change, it is worth keeping an eye on that list each month.
And if you happen to be at the gate at the right moment, you might catch a glimpse of how the other half boards.
