Did you know that Singapore Airlines has a lounge in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport? Set within the confines of the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge, the Singapore Airlines Lounge is an exclusive facility open only to premium passengers flying on the airline. Curiously, however, the lounge is operated by the Plaza Premium Group and as such isn’t labelled as a SilverKris Lounge. As it is not officially listed on the Singapore Airlines website, I was very keen to explore this semi-secret lounge!

Lounge Access Requirements

At its most basic, the Singapore Airlines Lounge Jakarta welcomes the airline’s own First and Business Class customers. Furthermore, PPS Club and KrisFlyer Gold frequent flyers travelling before a Singapore Airlines flight are likewise welcomed at the lounge. However, as the Plaza Premium Group operates this lounge, Star Alliance’s standard lounge policy does not apply here. As such, non-Singapore Airlines Star Alliance passengers are not permitted entry. It is however unclear whether other Star Alliance Gold-tier passengers flying on Singapore Airlines are welcomed at the lounge.

Location

The Singapore Airlines Lounge is located in the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge near Gate 7. Present your boarding pass to the agents at the reception. They will grant you entry to the lounge and direct you to the special Singapore Airlines Lounge.

Turn left and head inside towards the Plaza Premium Lounge’s main section, which other airlines also use. Once inside turn right and walk towards the far end.

There you’ll find a door with the Singapore Airlines logo on a television screen and signs pointing to the Singapore Airlines Lounge.

Singapore Airlines Lounge

Right by the entrance, you’ll find yourself in front of another reception area, albeit a slightly more luxurious one. The reception staff will verify your boarding pass to keep the lounge exclusive to Singapore Airlines passengers. On this occasion, I was granted entry as I was flying Singapore Airlines in First Class.

The Singapore Airlines Lounge primarily serves the airline’s heavy traffic of Business Class passengers departing from Jakarta. As such, it is no surprise to see that the lounge is set within a relatively small space with a few dozen seats. This is apparent as you enter the lounge, in which you’ll see seating that alternates between a living room-style arrangement and a more traditional lounge set up of armchairs in rows facing each other.

Seating

You might notice that the space lacks the semi-private cubicles (or the productivity pods, as they’re called) you usually find at SilverKris Lounges. Again, this is no coincidence, as the space is merely leased by the airline through an agreement with the Plaza Premium group.

Hence, it only makes sense that the lounge’s design is more reminiscent of a generic Plaza Premium Lounge, complete with the same furniture. Correspondingly, you’ll find that the lounge is littered with drab grey leather sofas and armchairs and complemented by faux marble table tops – both signature features of Plaza Premium.

Despite that, the lounge is distinguished by its batik-patterned walls and prevalent use of carpeting; the latter is especially nice as it helps absorb background noise, thus allowing for a quieter atmosphere. I also appreciate that power outlets are available at most (non-dining area) seats, relatively more so than the main lounge.

Further seating is available towards the back and behind the dining area. Here, you’ll find two additional sets of leather armchairs arranged facing each other in a corner. While the furnishing remains the same, this is perhaps the least tranquil area owing to the surrounding foot traffic and the lack of carpeting to subdue it.

Dining

Unlike the counter service available at the main section of the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge, dining within the Singapore Airlines Lounge consists mainly of a buffet spread. While the presence of wireless pagers suggests that made-to-order dishes are available, this was not clearly shown during the breakfast service. Regardless of that, I’ll note that the dining area is complemented by a small cafeteria-style dining area set by the interior portion of the lounge.

In addition to the double handful of regular dining tables available, there are also a couple of small communal tables in the dining area, alongside several booth tables lined along the wall. Since the furniture is virtually identical to the main Plaza Premium section, this section does look a lot less premium than what you’d often find at a Singapore Airlines Lounge.

Food

Although I was the only one at the lounge during my early morning visit, the buffet spread was already completely set up for breakfast. Specifically, by the kitchen station, you’ll find ten hot choices set in chafing dishes. These include a variety of Singaporean and Western-style dishes, most of them breakfast-oriented.

Across from the kitchen station is a pastry section, featuring a selection of pastries, bread, alongside their accompaniments. On the opposite side, there is a choice of breakfast cereals and milk; next to this is a pot of chicken congee (bubur ayam), which is a classic Indonesian breakfast dish.

Finally, there is also a small fruit and salad bar set within a chiller next to the kitchen station; this includes a choice of cakes and yoghurt, in addition to the fresh fruits and vegetables, and salad dressing. Dry snacks, including coated peanuts and cassava crisps, are also available in the reception area.

I’ll also note that you’re free to use the dining facility at the main lounge for a wider choice of food. However, the food available there does look similar and I doubt that the food quality will be any different.

Drinks

Unlike the food spread, the selection of drinks is relatively more modest. Specifically, there is merely a choice of your run-of-the-mill soft drinks – including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Schweppes tonic water, club soda, ginger ale, and bottled water in the chiller – alongside a coffee machine and a choice of Twinings tea.

There are also two choices of juice, including orange and guava, both of which do not look fresh. In any case, the drink selection is a lot nicer in the main lounge – which includes barista-made coffee and a tended bar – so I suggest checking that out instead.

First Class Lounge

As if a lounge-within-a-lounge isn’t enough, Singapore Airlines has taken it further with an exclusive First Class facility within its Jakarta lounge. This exclusive area is denoted by a red ‘First Class’ sign beside a non-descript door at the far end of the lounge. While The Private Room it is not, its very short guest list puts it among the most exclusive lounges at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. I have expanded more on this in a separate instalment for the Singapore Airlines First Class lounge.

Toilets

Located just behind the dining spread kitchen are the toilets, which are gender-segregated. As you would expect, the toilets share the modest design of the mother facility, clad in matte textured tiles. While reasonably smaller, I appreciate that the toilets are regularly cleaned and very well-maintained. In addition, a showering facility is also available at the main portion of the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge.

WiFi

A password-protected WiFi network is available, shared with the rest of the Plaza Premium Lounge. While not especially fast, the network is good enough for day-to-day browsing.

Overall

While not itself an alternative to the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge, the Singapore Airlines Lounge provides a small pocket of solace compared to the busyness of the main facility. I’ll admit that the space is a lot less plush than a SilverKris Lounge and its mediocre food and beverage selection isn’t one to impress. However, to have access to what is essentially an exclusive sitting area within the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is always a plus. As such, despite its small size, I’m happy that the airline has invested in such a facility for its commercially important Jakarta outstation.

Read more from this trip here!