The SATS Premier Lounge is Terminal 2’s chief contract lounge. It is operated by SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services), a ground handling with close relations to Singapore Airlines and Singapore Changi Airport. Like the Marhaba Lounges, SATS operates a network of contract lounges in Changi, and caters for Singapore Airlines flights.

Lounge Access Rules

Since the SATS Premier Lounge is a third-party lounge, it is no surprise that it is the dedicated contract lounge for the majority of airlines operating out of Terminal 2. Of those, this includes Air India, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Royal Brunei. On this occasion, I was granted access as I was travelling on Malaysia Airlines in Business Class. Business Class and oneworld elite members travelling on Malaysia Airlines may also access the other oneworld Lounges in Singapore, which I very much recommend.

In addition, Priority Pass, DragonPass, and LoungeKey members are also granted access to this lounge. At the time of publishing, access can also be bought through Plaza Premium for SGD 72 (~USD 53, GBP 41) for five hours.

Location

The SATS Premier Lounge is located in the main lounge cluster of Changi Airport Terminal 2. Head up the escalators between Lotte Duty Free Wine and Spirits and The Cocoa Trees to Level 3. At the escalator landing, you’ll find yourself by the entrance to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold Lounge. Follow the signs and head right, where you’ll find the entrance to the SATS Premier Lounge.

SATS Premier Lounge

While the rest of Terminal 2 has gotten a beautiful refresh during its three-year closure between 2020 and 2023, it was clear not much work has been done to the SATS Premier Lounge. Regardless, there wasn’t a line at the entrance so I was promptly invited in after the agent scanned my boarding pass and took my lounge invitation.

Inside, the SATS Premier Lounge T2 is divided into two areas — a lounge area and a dining area. I will explain in depth about both areas below.

Lounge Seating

As you enter, you’ll find yourself enveloped by the sitting area, which features rows of armchairs arranged facing each other. Nicely enough, each seat has a dedicated console table next to it, which makes it convenient to put your belongings or otherwise. While privacy isn’t a given, I appreciate that at least every other ‘row’ is separated by a layer of decorative plants. Regardless, I found the ambience of the sitting area to be bleak and depressing, which in no small part thanks to how dishevelled the place looked. The smell of stale food from the uncleared food on the tables were of no help either.

Furthermore, I’ll note that the lounge views the inside of the terminal, leaving barely any views or sunlight permeating the space during the day. Combined with the dim lighting, this leaves the lounge feeling stuffy and uninviting more than intimate. On the plus side, I was happy to see that both universal power outlets and USB charging ports are available by each seat in the sitting area.

Of all the seats, what’s most special are perhaps the eight semi-private cubicles arranged along the wall on one end. Equipped with a reading lamp and power outlets, these cubicles are fit for work, similar to those you’ll find at the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounges. That said, I didn’t find the flat leather seats in the cubicles to be particularly comfortable, perhaps intentionally so to discourage prolonged stays.

Dining

Behind the main sitting area is the dining area, which features two high-top stone communal tables, each seating 14 people, as well as four dining tables, each seating two. Unsurprisingly, the two large communal tables remain deserted even as the rest of the lounge crowded up. While they looked nice compared to the other furniture, the high sitting position and the cold table surface are not ideal for relaxing.

In addition to the dining tables, there are also groups of four armchairs set in cubicles occupying the perimeter. These seats are arranged in a similar manner to the lounge area and conveniently feature power outlets, unlike the dining tables.

Food

The lounge’s main food spread is located behind the dining tables. The spread features a handful of hot dishes alongside several cold pastries, bread, salads, fruit, cereal and vegetarian instant noodles. Regrettably, the food looked rather stale. I sampled bits of the hot dishes and found them to be rather bland and not great. Anyhow, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Drinks

The drink selection was similarly mediocre, featuring a selection of soft drinks and Tiger Beer in the chillers, alongside artificial orange juice, apple juice, infused water, and yoghurt. In terms of alcoholic drinks, also available were Smirnoff Vodka, Gordon’s Gin, and Johnny Walker Black Label, alongside sparkling wine, white wine, and red wine. Expectedly, a coffee machine, a water dispenser, and a selection of tea were also available.

Amenities

Private VIP area

Located behind the reception is a ‘Private VIP Area’, which is cordoned off with stanchions. It was not immediately clear who this area was reserved for. In any case, there wasn’t anything special apart from a handful of leather seats and a photocopy machine.

Massage chairs

Next to the Private VIP Area is an alcove featuring two massage chairs, an amenity you’ll often find in Asian airport lounges.

Reserved area

In addition to the Private VIP Area, a reserved seating area exists at the far back of the lounge. Separated from the rest of the lounge by sliding doors, the area features a nicer array of seating in an expectedly calmer setting. This area, I believe, is contracted for premium passengers travelling on Etihad Airways. As Malaysia Airlines passengers had no special entitlement to access this area, I was not able to check it out.

WiFi

While the lounge has a WiFi network, I wasn’t able to connect to it for much of my 30-minute visit. I assume this was due to a bandwidth limitation that couldn’t keep up with the number of people using it. When I managed to get connected, however, the network was too slow to be of any meaningful use.

Toilets

Located between the food spread and the seating area are the toilets, which you’ll find down a corridor. Much like the rest of the lounge, the toilet looked rather grim and uninviting. Given the dark lighting and tiles as well as its dishevelled and humid state, the toilet just felt disgusting for lack of a better word.

Used towels and tissue stacked and lined the surfaces of the toilet, which distinctly contributed to the off-putting feel. Ironically, the toilets in the terminal are in so much better shape, and I’d definitely recommend using those instead.

Showers

The lounge’s shower facilities are located within the toilets. In the men’s room, there are two shower booths, both of which had just been used when I visited. Given the lack of shower attendants, I had no idea if they got cleaned between use. However, much like the rest of the toilet, the showers looked more like the facility of a mid-end gymnasium than anything out of a ‘Premier Lounge’.

Overall

As you would have surmised from the above review, I’d avoid this lounge. Given the less-than-mediocre facilities and the dark, cluttered, and uninviting ambience, this lounge has no merits. Even if you had complimentary access, the excellent nature of Changi Airport’s public seating and toilet facilities should mean that there is no reason to spend much time (if at all) at the SATS Premier Lounge. If anything, it is interesting how a company so closely related to Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport could operate such a place.

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