Singapore Airlines unveils improved Premium Economy Class dining options and amenity kits
To improve the in-flight experience for the Premium Economy Class, SIA has developed 200 new appetisers, main courses and desserts, as well as an eco-friendly amenity kit. Available from Mar 31.

A display of nine new dishes from the Book The Cook menu that Premium Economy class passengers may pre-order for SIA’s flights at the unveiling of the airline’s revamped Premium Economy in-flight experience on Mar 14, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Eugene Goh)
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Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be taking its Premium Economy Class in-flight experience to new heights. From Mar 31, passengers in the cabin class can indulge in larger portions, finer ingredients and a handful of new dishes, as well as enjoy new eco-friendly amenity kits.
This overhaul marks SIA’s first comprehensive revamp of the Premium Economy Class in-flight experience since the cabin class was launched in 2015, said the airline in a press release.


“At Singapore Airlines… our philosophy is to never stand still. We regularly gather customer feedback and conduct market research, learn more about the evolving value drivers for travellers, and find innovative ways to continue delivering a personalised and world-class in-flight experience,” said SIA’s Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Yeoh Phee Teik.
“Based on these insights, we have undertaken this comprehensive revamp of our Premium Economy Class in-flight offerings, which we believe will delight our customers. The result reflects Singapore Airlines’ dedication to enhancing the Premium Economy Class experience to a class of its own,” he added.
Over about two years, SIA has developed new recipes for 48 appetisers, 175 main courses and 34 desserts. While some are enhanced versions of existing meals, there are also some fresh dishes being introduced.
For instance, nine new dishes have been added to the menu of Book The Cook, a service that allows passengers to pre-order a dish, 24 hours before departure, in SIA’s featured rotating selection of up to 20 dishes.

These nine new dishes include beef bourguignon, roti jala with Malay-style lamb curry and plant-based options such as mushroom eggplant meatballs.
One notable dish is the local favourite minced pork noodles, bak chor mee.
Speaking to CNA Lifestyle, SIA’s Global Food and Beverage Director Antony McNeil shared that this dish was one of the hardest ones to perfect as the team took 10 to 12 months and tried 90 different recipes.

“Whilst (the bak chor mee) might seem to be a very simple hawker dish, it is actually complex in terms of layers and flavours, and trying to get the right balance for the customer experience,” he said in reference to the ratio of sauces, such as vinegar and sambal.
McNeil added that to ensure the dish was as authentic as possible, the team conducted market research by visiting hawker stalls renowned for bak chor mee.
As for the 11 other Book The Cook meals, changes have been made to the existing recipes. The nasi lemak, for example, will be served with rendang chicken instead of fried chicken.
Other than the Book The Cook menu, SIA also altered the menus of their regional dishes.
Indian main courses will have more variety as SIA has added one more side dish to accompany the rice. Also new to the tray is popular Indian snack papadum – a crispy cracker.

As for the Japanese meals, one new appetiser is the Japanese soba, which will change according to season. Green tea soba will be served in spring, followed by somen in summer, buckwheat soba in autumn and finally, udon in winter.

SIA has also enhanced their Special Meals – the menu for those with dietary restrictions, whether it’s for allergies or religious reasons.
This menu even provides choices for Child Meals, allowing parents – or children – to choose between Western, Asian and vegetarian dishes. More snacks have been added to the Child Meals as well.

Meanwhile, SIA’s panel of wine experts exclusively curated the 2023 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc and 2022 St Hallett Faith Shiraz for the alcoholic drinks menu.

There are new non-alcoholic drinks too, such as the peppermint and chamomile teas, as well as the hot chocolate from chocolate brand Cadbury.
To complement these upgraded menus, SIA has improved the presentation of their meals.
Accompanied by neatly tucked silverware, dishes will be served in contemporary, specially-designed porcelain with a stoneware finish on a linen-lined tray.

Aesthetics aside, there are also practical purposes behind the change in serviceware.
Porcelain, a lightweight and durable material, is a sustainable replacement for the single-use plastic serviceware currently used. Besides that, it also retains heat, allowing the food to remain at a desired temperature for longer periods of time.
The new serviceware leaves room for more food to be packed in as well.
McNeil shared that SIA wanted to maximise the space of their trays. “It just becomes a matter of process, to make sure we know what fits, what looks good, and how good it looks. We don’t look necessarily at weight first, we look at composition and we look at the visual,” he said.
When asked if SIA foresees an increase in food wastage, he said no as the meals are about the same as what people can get at standard restaurants, adding that the in-flight catering might be the passenger’s only meal for the whole day.

The amenity kit also received an extensive revamp.
Based on evolving customer preferences and a demand for more sustainable materials, SIA collaborated with Out Of The Woods, a US-based manufacturer of eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle products, to introduce a new amenity kit for the Premium Economy Class.

The pouch itself is made from eco-friendly Forest Steward Council (FSC)-certified kraft paper fabric, while the eyeshades and slippers that come with it are made from recycled PET material.
Another addition is a lip balm packaged in biodegradable material.

Unlike the current amenity kit, toiletries such as dental kits and moisturisers are not included, though they will be available in the lavatory on board the flight.
The new amenity kits are available only upon request on board flights that are seven hours and longer.