Back in December 2017, Singapore Airlines unveiled its new fare types, which saw the introduction of seat selection fees for certain Economy Class tickets.
Prior to this, passengers were only required to pay seat selection fees if they wanted an Extra Legroom Seat. Now, even a middle seat at the back of the plane could be chargeable, depending on your fare type!
Fortunately, these fees haven’t spread to the premium cabins just yet (British Airways charges its Business Class passengers for seat selection), and they can be waived for elite members, or those travelling with children.
In this post, we’ll explore how Singapore Airlines’ seat selection fees work, who qualifies for complimentary or discounted seat selection, and how you can avoid these fees altogether.
Which cabins have seat selection fees?
Below is a summary of which Singapore Airlines cabins have seat selection fees.
| ๐บ SQ Seat Selection Fees: Who Needs to Pay? | |
| Cabin | Seat Selection |
| Economy |
|
| Premium Economy |
|
| Business | Complimentary |
| First/Suites | Complimentary |
If you’re flying in First/Suites or Business, then this article holds no relevance for you. All seats can be selected free of charge, although certain seats are blocked for pre-selection by Solitaire PPS/PPS Club, such as Row 11 on the A350-900s.
If you’re flying in Premium Economy, you can select any seat for free, except the Extra Legroom Seats, or Solo Seats (only found on the A350-900ULRs).
If you’re flying in Economy, whether or not you enjoy complimentary seat selection depends on your fare type.
Economy Class
Seat types
Singapore Airlines divides its Economy Class seats into three types:
- Extra Legroom: Located in the emergency exit rows, where extra space is a mandatory safety requirement
- Forward Zone: Located at the front of the Economy Class section, which means earlier disembarkation and (hopefully) shorter lines at immigration
- Standard: All other seats
Here’s the breakdown of Economy Class seat types by aircraft.
| ๐บ Economy Class Seat Types by Aircraft |
|||
| ย | Standard | Forward | Extra Legroom |
| A350-900 Long Haul | 130 | 51 | 6 |
| A350-900 Regional | 194 | 63 | 6 |
| A380-800 (New) | 259 | 66 | 18 |
| A380-800 (Retrofit) | 250 | 74 | 19 |
| B737-8 MAX | 108 | 30 | 6 |
| B737-800 | 114 | 30 | 6 |
| B777-300ER | 124 | 50 | 10 |
| B787-10 | 232 | 63 | 6 |
Whether or not you need to pay a seat selection fee boils down to your fare type.
Commercial bookings
All Economy Lite fares will pay seat selection fees. Economy Value and Standard enjoy complimentary Standard seats, while Economy Flexi enjoys complimentary Standard & Forward Zone seats.
| ๐บ Economy Seat Selection Feesย (Commercial Tickets) |
||
| Fare Type | Fare Code | Seat Selection |
| Economy Lite | V, K | Chargeable |
| Economy Value | Q, N | Complimentary (Standard) |
| Economy Standard | M, H, W | Complimentary (Standard) |
| Economy Flexi | Y, B, E | Complimentary (Forward Zone & Standard) |
| โ What fare type did I book? |
||
|
If you’ve forgotten what fare type you booked, you can check it by retrieving your e-ticket and scrolling down to the line that says “Booking Class”.
|
Award bookings
Economy Promo and Saver awards enjoy complimentary Standard seat selection, while Economy Advantage awards enjoy complimentary Standard & Forward Zone seat selection.
| ๐บ Economy Seat Selection Feesย (Award Tickets) |
|
| Award Type | Seat Selection |
| Economy Promo | Complimentary (Standard) |
| Economy Saver | Complimentary (Standard) |
| Economy Advantage | Complimentary (Standard & Forward Zone) |
Seat selection fees
The cost of seat selection ranges from US$10 to US$130, depending on the type of seat and route. Discounts or complimentary seat selection may apply for elite members and their companions, which I’ll touch on later in this article.
| ๐บ Seat Selection Fees (Economy) | |||
| ย | Standard | Forward Zone | Extra Legroom |
| Band 1 | US$10 | US$20 | US$30 |
| Band 2 | US$15 | US$25 | US$60 |
| Band 3 | US$20 | US$35 | US$80 |
| Band 4 | US$30 | US$50 | US$110 |
| Band 5 | US$35 | US$60 | US$130 |
| Band 1: Singapore to/from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; between Denmark and Italy, between Spain and Italy Band 2: Singapore to/from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, India. Japan, Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and UAE Band 3: Singapore to/from Australia and New Zealand Band 4: Singapore to/from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom, Europe & Japan to/from USA Band 5: Singapore to/from USA |
|||
Singapore Airlines sometimes operates aircraft with Premium Economy cabins on regional routes like Bangkok, Colombo, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.ย
Premium Economy is not sold on these flights, but Economy passengers can select a Premium Economy seat for extra comfort (while still receiving Economy service, i.e. no Book the Cook or champagne). The cost ranges from US$30 to US$90.
| ๐บ Seat Selection Fees (Economy) | ||
| ย | Premium Economy (Standard) |
Premium Economy (Extra Legroom) |
| Band 1 | US$30 | US$55 |
| Band 2 | US$50 | US$90 |
| Band 1: Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Surabaya Band 2: Colombo, Dhaka, Maldives and Guangzhou (this band is currently not in use, as SIA does not deploy aircraft with Premium Economy cabins on these routes) |
||
Premium Economy Class
Seat types
Premium Economy passengers enjoy complimentary seat selection regardless of ticket type, but they’ll need to pay extra if they want either of these seats:
- Extra Legroom Seat
- Solo Seat (only found on the A350-900ULR)
Extra Legroom is rather self-explanatory. These seats are located in the exit rows, which need to be kept clear throughout the flight. Consequently, they have all the legroom you could possibly need.
Solo Seats refer to the single seats found on A350-900ULR aircraft that ply the non-stop routes between Singapore and the USA. A total of six such seats are available, each with their own storage locker.ย
The cost of seat selection ranges from US$60 to US$168, depending on the route. Again, discounts or complimentary seat selection may apply for elite members and their companions.ย
| ๐บ Seat Selection Fees (Premium Economy) | ||
| ย | Extra Legroom | Solo |
| Band 1 | – | – |
| Band 2 | US$60 | – |
| Band 3 | US$80 | – |
| Band 4 | US$110 | – |
| Band 5 | US$130 | US$168 |
| Band 1: Singapore to/from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; between Denmark and Italy, between Spain and Italy Band 2: Singapore to/from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, India. Japan, Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and UAE Band 3: Singapore to/from Australia and New Zealand Band 4: Singapore to/from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom, Europe & Japan to/from USA Band 5: Singapore to/from USA |
||
Complimentary/discounted seat selection for KrisFlyer & PPS Club members
PPS Club and KrisFlyer members, as well as their travel companions on the same booking, may be eligible for complimentary or discounted seat selection.ย
 Solitaire PPS & PPS Club |
||
| ย | Member | Companions |
| Standard | โ | โ |
| Forward Zone | โ | โ |
| “Premium Economy”* | โ | 15% off |
| Extra Legroom (Y & PY) |
โ | 15% off |
| Soloย | โ | 15% off |
| *On flights equipped with a Premium Economy cabin, where the cabin is not sold | ||
 KrisFlyer Elite Gold |
||
| ย | Member | Companions |
| Standard | โ | 10% off |
| Forward Zone | โ | 10% off |
| “Premium Economy”* | 15% off | 10% off |
| Extra Legroom (Y & PY) |
15% off | 10% off |
| Soloย | 15% off | 10% off |
| *On flights equipped with a Premium Economy cabin, where the cabin is not sold | ||
 KrisFlyer Elite Silver |
||
| ย | Member | Companions |
| Standard | โ | – |
| Forward Zone | 10% off | – |
| “Premium Economy”* | 10% off | – |
| Extra Legroom (Y & PY) |
10% off | – |
| Soloย | 10% off | – |
| *On flights equipped with a Premium Economy cabin, where the cabin is not sold | ||
 KrisFlyer |
||
| ย | Member | Companions |
| Standard | 5% off | – |
| Forward Zone | 5% off | – |
| “Premium Economy”* | 5% off | – |
| Extra Legroom (Y & PY) |
5% off | – |
| Soloย | 5% off | – |
| *On flights equipped with a Premium Economy cabin, where the cabin is not sold | ||
For the full benefits of Solitaire PPS Club, PPS Club, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and KrisFlyer Elite Silver membership, refer to my detailed guides below:
Travelling with infants
Passengers with infants (aged <2) in the same booking can enjoy complimentary seat selection per the rules below.
Number of infants = number of adults
You may select a Forward Zone seat at the bassinet position for free for each of the adults, regardless of fare class.ย
Number of infants < number of adults
The adult passenger with the infant attached to his/her booking will be able to select a Forward Zone seat at the bassinet position for free, regardless of fare class.
The adult passenger without the infant can select any Forward Zone or Standard Zone seat for free, regardless of fare class.ย
Travelling with children
Passengers with children (aged 2-11 years) in the same booking may select Standard Seats in advance for free.
It’s not mandatory for you to be seated next to your children, nor for your children to sit with each other.ย
All seats become available at check-in
If you don’t qualify for complimentary advance seat selection, there’s still hope.
All seats in your designated cabin become available for selection during online check-in, which opens 48 hours before departure. This includes Extra Legroom Seats and even Solo Seats, assuming there are any left.
At this point, you can pick any leftover seat you wish at no additional cost, regardless of status.
However, this does not apply to Premium Economy seats on short-haul flights, which are reserved for selection by Solitaire PPS and PPS Club members.
Conclusion
Singapore Airlines passengers flying in Premium Economy or Economy Class may be required to pay seat selection fees, which vary depending on route. These fees can be avoided or discounted if you haveย PPS Club or KrisFlyer Elite status, or if you’re travelling with an infant or child in the same booking.ย
Don’t forget that it’s a free-for-all once online check-in opens at the T-48 mark, so if you don’t fancy paying, be sure to check-in as soon as possible and pick your free seat!
I think this applies only to the bassinet seats. One has to pay for the other forward zone seats (at least that’s my experience anyway).
hmmmm. it’s a direct quote from SIA website: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/requests/seats/
All passengers travelling with infants in the same booking may select Forward Zone Seats or Standard Seats in advance for free.
I echo Chris’ experience, I am a KFEG member with infant and I can select Forward Zone seats for myself/infant-in-lap for free, but my partner in the same booking has to cough up a seat fee. This is in contradiction to the SQ website. Could be a system logic issue.
One workaround is to tag the infant to the non-KFEG pax.
On the other hand, I had no issues booking forward seats for free for all passengers travelling with the infant. Normal revenue tickets, plain vanilla Krisflyer member here. Happened for my 2 recent trips. My 2nd trip had 4 adults and 1 infant, and all could book forward seats for free.
Encountered the same issue. Only the bassinet seats (often middle) can be selected with an infant. Other seats are greyed out.
Guess itโs on purpose to avoid that people outsmart the system too easily. 10% of the basefare for an INF ticket is usually lower than the seat selection fee.
Itโs not likely theyโll kick someone out of the seat when the โinfantโ no-shows at the gate after all.
Question: does *G pax (non-SQ metal) get the same seat selection privileges as KFEGs?
In the case you brought up involving BA, the answer is yes. Does that apply to SQ?
Nope
I had an interesting contradiction that came up last week on SQ207. At T-48, there were 3 extra legroom seats still available (expertflyer showed as unassigned), but they were not available for me to select. First time Iโve seen that. Flying a Q fare as Silver SQ member.
Say it with me Greedy Greedy SIA pigs
I say โstupid commenterโ
Do you have to check in with Singapore Airlines to pick your seat? For example, if the first leg of your trip is with a star alliance partner and you have to check in with them, can you still use manage my booking within 48 hours of takeoff of the Singapore Airlines flight to pick a seat?
“All seats in your designated cabin become available for selection during online check-in, which opens 48 hours before departure. This includes Extra Legroom Seats and even Solo Seats, assuming there are any left.”
Thanks for this tip