Rarely is a completely full flight renowned for being synonymous with comfort, but this Singapore Airlines hack could get you extra legroom, more storage and only as much interaction with your seatmate as you desire.
After receiving my tickets from my agent, I jumped on Singapore Airlines’ website to select my seat.
I’m not going to lie, I had expectations. Singapore Airlines did just take the crown for the world’s best airline, after all. But it took me ages to find the Manage Booking tab on its website. And I forget every time. It’s a breeze via the phone, but from a laptop it’s not as clear. The problem is, I naturally looked to the top menu and as I brought the cursor down and it passed one of these sections, the menu for that section took over the whole screen. The option to manage your booking isn’t in any of these sections.
It’s lower down. And it’s in black against a dark blue background. I’m clearly a noob.
It’s all easy as pie once I find the tab. I choose seat 53H. I usually like an aisle seat towards the back if I’m not connecting. We of the short-legged persuasion cannot easily climb over someone without ending in their laps. So window seats are reserved for when I’m not travelling alone and don’t mind bothering my travelling partner incessantly.
48 hours before my flight, I received an email advising that I’d been checked in automatically. But as I had such a smooth run (and four seats to myself) on my way over, I thought I’d have a quick peek to see how full the flight was. It was already looking pretty full, but I took a gamble and went farther back to seat 61H. Here’s why.
The benefits of seat 61H
61H is a Standard Economy seat. You don’t have to pay extra to choose it. But it’s a two-seater in a 3-3-3 configured plane. That means you only have one person climbing over you rather than two.
There are other two-seater options on Singapore Airlines’ B777-300. Closer to the front, Row 48 is the same. And behind me is Row 62 (there is no 62A-G).
But 61H is special. Because there’s a three-seater in front, that means there’s a seat at your front left. That means that there’s extra under-seat storage.
I’d not checked in a bag as I was only in Singapore for a few days, so had both a carry-on and a personal item. I placed my personal bag under seat 60H which gave me clear space in front of me.
If you’re taller you could easily stretch out diagonally.
I used the space to work. It can be a little hard to open a laptop and work in the confines of a 38 inch seat pinch. The person in front need only recline a little and you’re suddenly unable to see your screen.
So I simply turned ninety degrees to my left, balanced my laptop on the left armrest and worked away.
Things did get a little tight when 60H reclined, but pressing the little button at the back of the left armrest meant I could slide out easily when my windowed seatmate needed to squeeze out.
Now some may complain that sitting at the back can be bothersome as you’re close to the lavatories and galley, but that seat in front directs much of that traffic away. Plus, easy access to the back of the plane always means I get up and about more often.
So there you have it: a free way to get extra legroom and under-seat storage! For more hacks (like how to get free Wi-Fi onboard and why you should join KrisFlyer), check out my review of Flight 232.
Karryon travelled on Singapore Airlines courtesy of Express Travel Group for ETGX 2023.
