Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to book Singapore Airlines Suites and First Class awards
Singapore Airlines Suites and First Class awards are redemptions in the airline's top cabins, paid for with KrisFlyer miles, the currency the programme lets members redeem for flights and for cabin upgrades [5]. Not every Singapore Airlines layout carries a cabin above Business Class: the airline's published seat plan for its three-class long-haul Airbus A350-900 lists 42 Business Class, 24 Premium Economy and 187 Economy seats [3], while First Class travel is booked in classes F and A [4].
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- KrisFlyer miles can be redeemed for Singapore Airlines flights and for cabin upgrades [5].
- First Class flying on Singapore Airlines sits in booking classes F and A, which earn 200% of the miles flown as elite miles [4].
- The cabin at the top of the aircraft depends on the layout: the published three-class long-haul Airbus A350-900 plan lists Business, Premium Economy and Economy only [3].
- A fare paid entirely in KrisFlyer miles earns no elite miles, and a part-miles, part-cash fare earns elite miles on the cash portion alone, before taxes [4].
Which aircraft have a First Class cabin?
The cabins on offer follow the aircraft and its layout, and Singapore Airlines publishes a seat plan for each one. The plan for the three-class long-haul Airbus A350-900 shows a Business Class cabin of 42 seats, a Premium Economy cabin of 24 seats and an Economy cabin of 187 seats, with no cabin above Business Class [3]. On that aircraft, the front of the aircraft is Business Class rather than First Class [3].
Seat numbers within a layout are not fixed: the same plan warns that the number of extra-legroom seats in Economy can vary between flights and points readers to the seat map shown during booking for the current version, and it notes that the drawing is not to scale [3]. Checking the plan for the aircraft scheduled on a specific flight is therefore the way to confirm whether a separate premium cabin exists before choosing seats [3].
Which booking classes count as First Class?
KrisFlyer sorts every Singapore Airlines cabin into booking classes for the purpose of calculating elite miles, the counter used for Elite Silver and Elite Gold status [4]. First Class covers booking classes F and A [4].
| Cabin class | Booking classes | Elite-mile earning rate |
|---|---|---|
| First Class | F, A | 200% |
| Business Class | Z, C, J | 150% |
| Business Class | U, D | 125% |
| Premium Economy | S, T | 125% |
| Premium Economy | R, L, P | 100% |
| Economy | Y, B, E | 100% |
| Economy | M, H, W | 75% |
| Economy | Q, N, V, K, G | 50% |
The percentage is applied to the actual miles flown, plus any booking-class bonus that attaches to an eligible fare [4]. The rate follows the class in which the passenger is booked, so the same route can produce different elite-mile totals depending on which of the listed classes a ticket falls into [4].
Do award bookings earn elite miles?
Only the cash side of a booking counts. Where a booking is paid partly with KrisFlyer miles and partly with cash, elite miles are calculated on the cash amount paid, excluding taxes [4]. A fare settled in full with KrisFlyer miles earns no elite miles at all [4].
Several other amounts are excluded from the elite-mile total: tier bonus miles, promotional bonus miles, miles from flights that were never credited to a KrisFlyer account, and miles from fares that were not eligible to earn [4]. Elite miles can be earned on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and other designated airlines, and on qualifying spend with programme partners [4].
KrisFlyer miles vs elite miles
The two balances do different jobs. KrisFlyer miles are the spendable currency: members can redeem them for flights and cabin upgrades, or apply them to travel, shopping and dining [5]. Elite miles are a status counter only and cannot be redeemed for award flights or upgrade awards, or used to buy a ticket [4].
The tiers they unlock are fixed: 25,000 elite miles within 12 consecutive months for Elite Silver and 50,000 for Elite Gold, each carrying a 12-month membership term that renews automatically when the same total is earned again during the term [4]. Membership of KrisFlyer itself is free to join [5]. Redemptions in the premium cabins are made from the spendable balance, and the separate award pricing and search mechanics are set out in how to book KrisFlyer awards.
Exceptions and limits
- Elite miles earned without flying are capped at 20% of the total required for a tier: up to 5,000 towards Elite Silver and up to 10,000 towards Elite Gold [4].
- A tier upgrade can take up to one day to process, and elite miles earned before that upgrade do not count towards renewal of the next membership term [4].
- On a booking split between miles and cash, the cash portion alone is the basis for elite-mile earning, so the status credit from a heavily miles-funded premium-cabin fare is small relative to its cash cost [4].
- Cabin counts in a published seat plan describe one aircraft and layout: the three-class long-haul Airbus A350-900 plan covers 42 Business Class, 24 Premium Economy and 187 Economy seats and is not drawn to scale [3].
- Using miles for a cabin upgrade is a separate route to the front cabin from a full award seat; the mechanics are covered in KrisFlyer upgrade awards [5].
Frequently asked questions
Do all Singapore Airlines flights have a First Class cabin?
Not on every layout. The published plan for the three-class long-haul Airbus A350-900 lists 42 Business Class, 24 Premium Economy and 187 Economy seats and no higher cabin [3].
Which booking classes are First Class on Singapore Airlines?
F and A. In the KrisFlyer booking-class table they are grouped under First Class and earn 200% of the miles flown as elite miles [4].
Can KrisFlyer miles be used to upgrade to a premium cabin?
Yes. The programme allows members to redeem miles for flights and for cabin upgrades [5].
Do premium-cabin award bookings earn elite miles?
A fare paid entirely in KrisFlyer miles earns none, and on a booking split between miles and cash only the cash portion, excluding taxes, is counted [4].
Can elite miles pay for a First Class award?
No. Elite miles cannot be redeemed for award flights or upgrade awards, or used to buy tickets [4].
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Other programmes' premium-cabin awards are not covered here; the comparison sits on the first class award programmes compared page.
- Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 three-class long-haul seat plan, checked 18 October 2026
- KrisFlyer elite qualification: Elite Silver and Elite Gold (Chinese-language page), checked 18 October 2026
- KrisFlyer programme overview (Chinese-language page), checked 18 October 2026