Guide: How to do a oneworld lounge safari at Changi Airport

Changi Airport may be a Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance hub, but that doesn’t stop oneworld from making its presence felt. There are no fewer than five oneworld lounges across Terminals 1 and 4, all excellent facilities with a gamut of creature comforts including a la carte dining, tended bars and shower suites. 

This presents an opportunity to do a oneworld lounge safari, where you visit up to five airline lounges on a single ticket. Even if you’ve been to the SilverKris Lounges more times than you can count, I promise you a oneworld lounge safari will be eye-opening.

In this post, I’ll run through the logistics of booking a oneworld lounge safari, including access rules, opening hours, the cheapest way of getting through the door, and a recommended itinerary.

Which oneworld airlines operate from Changi?

At the risk of stating the obvious, to do a oneworld lounge safari, you need to be flying on a oneworld airline.

The following oneworld carriers currently operate from Changi Airport.

Airline	Terminal	ECI?
British Airways	T1	✅  T1*
Finnair	T1	✅ Jewel
Qatar Airways	T1	✅ Jewel
Qantas	T1	✅ Jewel
Japan Airlines	T1	✅ Jewel
Malaysia Airlines	T2	✅ Jewel
SriLankan Airlines	T3	❌
Cathay Pacific	T4	✅ T4*
*ECI arrangements for these carriers are not officially published online, and are based on real-world experiences. For British Airways, ECI can be done at Rows 4 or 9 at T1 from 2.30 p.m; for Cathay Pacific, ECI can be done at the CX counters at T4 whenever they are open. Counters open 3 hours before departure, so based on current schedules they should be in constant operation from 3.30 a.m till 1.05 a.m

Schedules for each of these airlines can be found below (keep in mind these are subject to change):

British Airways

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
BA15	SIN 1925	SYD 0510 (+1)	Daily
BA16	SIN 2235	LHR 0525 (+1)	Daily
BA12	SIN 2320	LHR 0630 (+1)	Daily

Cathay Pacific

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
CX714	SIN 0145	HKG 0550	Daily (ex-Sat)
CX692	SIN 0630	HKG 1045	Daily
CX710	SIN 0800	HKG 1220	Daily
CX658	SIN 0945	HKG 1405	Daily
CX690	SIN 1255	HKG 1715	Daily
CX712	SIN 1325	BKK 1515	Daily
CX734	SIN 1605	HKG 2020	Daily
CX716	SIN 1800	HKG 2210	Daily
CX636	SIN 2010	HKG 0025 (+1)	Daily

Finnair

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
AY132	SIN 2145	HEL 0615 (+1)	Daily

Japan Airlines

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
JL38	SIN 0150	HND 0950	Daily
JL712	SIN 0805	NRT 1610	Daily
JL36	SIN 2150	HND 0550 (+1)	Daily

Malaysia Airlines

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
MH602	SIN 0620	KUL 0740	Daily (ex-Fri, Sun)
MH604	SIN 0955	KUL 1110	Daily
MH614	SIN 1105	KUL 1225	Daily (ex-Tue)
MH628	SIN 1215	KUL 1325	Daily (ex-Wed)
MH606	SIN 1340	KUL 1500	Daily
MH624	SIN 1535	KUL 1655	Daily (ex-Wed)
MH608	SIN 1815	KUL 1925	Daily
MH616	SIN 1915	KUL 2025	Daily  (ex-Tue)
MH610	SIN 2115	KUL 2215	Daily

Qantas

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
QF2	SIN 1930	SYD 0510 (+1)	Daily
QF72	SIN 1935	PER 0045 (+1)	Daily
QF36	SIN 2015	MEL 0535 (+1)	Daily
QF52	SIN 2030	BNE 0605 (+1)	Daily
QF292	SIN 2100	SYD 0655 (+1)	Daily
QF1	SIN 2315	LHR 0635 (+1)	Daily
QF38	SIN 2330	MEL 0850 (+1)	Daily (ex-Wed)

Qatar Airways

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
QR945	SIN 0215	DOH 0525	Daily
QR943	SIN 1030	DOH 1340	Daily
QR947	SIN 1845	DOH 2155	Daily

SriLankan Airlines

Flight	Depart	Arrive	Remarks
UL309	SIN 2010	CMB 2130	Daily

What oneworld lounges are available at Changi?

oneworld carriers currently operate five lounges at Singapore Changi Airport, spread across Terminals 1 and 4.

Lounge	Opening Hours	Facilities
First Class Lounges
Qantas First Lounge T1	3.30 p.m to 11 p.m	☕🍽️🍸🍾🖥️🚿🚻
Business Class Lounges
British Airways Lounge T1	4 p.m to 11 p.m	🍽️🍸🍾🖥️🚿🚻
Qantas Business Lounge  T1	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat: 1.50 p.m to 12 a.m Tue & Sun: 7.40 a.m to 10 a.m, 1.50 p.m to 12 a.m Thu: 7.40am to 12 a.m	☕🍸🚿🚻
Qatar Premium Lounge* T1	7.45 a.m to 10.45 a.m 3.30 p.m to 2.30 a.m	🍽️🍸🍾🖥️🚿🚻
Cathay Pacific Lounge T4	5 a.m to 1.15 a.m	🖥️🍾🚻
*No access for oneworld elites in Premium Economy or Economy
🍽️ A la carte dining ■ ☕Barista service ■ 🍸 Tended bar ■ 🍾 Champagne ■ 🖥️ Workstations ■ 🚿 Showers ■ 🚻 Toilets

I’ve had the opportunity to visit all five, and you can find detailed reviews of each below:

• British Airways Lounge Singapore
• Cathay Pacific Lounge Singapore
• Qantas First Lounge Singapore
• Qantas Business Lounge Singapore
• Qatar Premium Lounge Singapore

Who gets access to the oneworld lounges?

Access to oneworld lounges is available to:

• Passengers departing on a oneworld-operated flight, in First or Business Class
• oneworld Emerald or Sapphire members departing on a oneworld-operated flight, in any cabin
• Passengers arriving on an international long-haul (>5 hours) oneworld flight in First or Business Class and connecting to another oneworld short-haul flight, in any cabin

It’s the third bullet point which is the least well-known, but it’s stated in black and white on the oneworld website. What this means is that a passenger who flies on British Airways Business Class from LHR-SIN, then connects to a SIN-KUL flight in Malaysia Airlines Economy Class, will be entitled to lounge access by virtue of his arriving boarding pass. 

The following passengers may bring one guest (who must be travelling on a oneworld flight, though not necessarily the same one as the eligible passenger):

• First Class
• oneworld Emerald
• oneworld Sapphire

In terms of which specific lounge you can visit, it boils down to your cabin class and/or oneworld status.

Lounge	F	J	In PY/Y, with…
			OWE	OWS
Qantas First Lounge T1	✅	❌	✅	❌
British Airways Lounge T1	✅	✅	✅	✅
Qantas Business Lounge  T1	✅	✅	✅	✅
Qatar Premium Lounge* T1	✅	✅	❌	❌
Cathay Pacific Lounge T4	✅	✅	✅	✅
F= First | J= Business | PY= Premium Economy | Y= Economy | OWE= oneworld Emerald | OWS= oneworld Sapphire

Do note that the Qatar Premium Lounge is a specially-designated “First or Business only” lounge, and will not accept oneworld Emerald or Sapphire members travelling in Premium Economy or Economy Class.

There are other ways of accessing some of the lounges here, such as having Cathay Silver status (for the Cathay Pacific Lounge) or flying in First Class with Air France (for the Qantas First Lounge), but I won’t list them here since it’s out of the scope of this post. 

What’s the cheapest way of redeeming a lounge safari?

If you have oneworld Emerald status, even an Economy Class ticket would let you do everything except the Qatar Premium Lounge. But given how hard that is to earn, most people will need to buy or redeem at least a Business Class ticket instead.

Here’s some ideas of low-cost redemptions that would get you through the door.

To Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines

To Bangkok on Cathay Pacific

To Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific

I’m sure there’s other possibilities too, so do sound off if there’s a cheaper programme I’ve missed.

Of course, a Business Class ticket will be insufficient to visit the Qantas First Lounge, but given how difficult it is to redeem oneworld First Class space out of Singapore (only British Airways and Qantas offer the cabin), there’s not a lot you can do, short of earning oneworld Emerald. 

Which lounge should I visit?

If this is your first time doing the oneworld lounge safari, I’d heartily recommend visiting them all.

Jaded cynics might tell you that airline lounges are all basically the same, but trust me- each of these have their own USP, and they’re so different in design, ambiance and catering that they  really warrant an individual visit:

• Qantas First Lounge: A dining and boozing experience that’s second to none, with the kind of food I’d happily pay money for outside an airport
• Qatar Premium Lounge: High quality la carte dining, and luxurious shower suites with Diptyque bath amenities
• British Airways Lounge: The only lounge with proper office chairs for those who want to do serious work, shower suites with Elemis bath amenities (though not nearly as nice as Qatar’s)
• Qantas Business Lounge: Barista-made coffee, bespoke cocktails, and the most shower suites among any oneworld lounge at Changi (20)
• Cathay Pacific Lounge: Noodle and dim sum bar, and surprisingly, the only oneworld lounge with runway views and natural light

Now, if you’ve already done everything once, then some will say that the Cathay Pacific Lounge in T4 isn’t worth the inconvenience involved in getting there. I’d tend to agree, though it’s hard to say no to a bowl of Hong Kong style noodles.

What’s the ideal game plan?

Passengers are allowed to enter the airside area within 24 hours of their flight’s departure. 

I know it’s tempting to come the day before, but remember: none of the oneworld lounges in Singapore have sleeping areas, and besides, none of them are open overnight. I suppose if you really wanted to, you could book an airside hotel for a proper rest, though I personally would advocate for arriving at the airport in the morning, and flying out in the late evening.

This means you’ll want to choose an airline that offers early check-in in the morning, which limits you to:

• Cathay Pacific (5 a.m)
• Japan Airlines (8 a.m)
• Malaysia Airlines (8 a.m)
• Qantas (8 a.m)
• Qatar Airways (8 a.m)

Finnair (12 p.m) and British Airways (2.30 p.m) only open for early check-in later in the day, while SriLankan Airlines does not offer it at all.

My recommended itinerary would be:

• A la carte breakfast at Qatar Premium Lounge (T1)
• Dim sum and noodles lunch at Cathay Pacific Lounge (T4)
• Afternoon tea and work session at British Airways Lounge (T1)
• Pre-dinner snacks and cocktails at Qantas Business Lounge (T1)
• Shower and a la carte dinner at Qatar Premium Lounge (T1)

Even if you don’t relish the bus journey to T4, you’ll need somewhere to go between 10.45 a.m and 1.50 p.m, when all the lounges in T1 are closed (unless you happen to fly on a Thursday when the Qantas Business Lounge is open all day).

That should be a pretty full schedule of wining and dining!

Conclusion

Changi Airport is blessed with five excellent oneworld lounges, and if your schedule permits, you should try and visit as many as you can. Just be sure to pace yourself, because you’ll ultimately still need to board your flight after everything’s done!

What’s your recommended oneworld lounge safari strategy?