On my trip to Kuala Lumpur today, I decided to check out the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 2 today as I was travelling with Malaysia Airlines. As a oneworld Sapphire member, I had the use of the lounge when I travel with oneworld airlines so I thought I’d drop in to see what the lounge offered.

Changi Airport Terminal 2 has probably the weakest lounge offering out of all the terminals at Changi Airport. While the other terminals had several lounges, Terminal 2 only offers three: the SilverKris lounge is only available for Star Alliance and Singapore Airlines business and first class passengers; the DBS Asia Treasures lounge which is only accessible by DBS Treasures customers; as well as the SATS lounge which effectively served every other airline.

Access

Being the only other lounge apart from the Singapore Airlines-operated lounge, you will most likely receive access to this lounge if you were flying in business or first class with any of the airlines operating out of Terminal 2, including Malaysia Airlines, Air India and United Airlines. If you are flying with Scoot and purchased the lounge add-on, this will also be the lounge you’ll use.

Priority Pass members can also access the lounge.

The space & facility

The lounge is not huge, with a capacity of about 120 passengers at best. The space that it occupies is nominal as well. There is a main seating area that provides armchairs with side tables, complete with electrical sockets as well as USB charging ports.

Along one side of the lounge was a row of single-person cubicles or ‘productivity pods’, which serves as a workstation. Closer to the dining area there are two long tables, as well as some dining tables for two, available for use.

When I stepped in at about 6pm in the evening, I was hard pressed for a seat. Almost all the armchairs were taken, and the only seating still available was at the long high tables. I took a seat at those, but it was neck-to-neck, I had complete strangers seated beside me on both sides.

In a small corner near the entrance, there was also a VIP seating area which was cordoned off. From the outside, it seemed like just a small lounge with armchair seating, with nothing special apart from its exclusivity.

There was also two massage chairs in another corner, both of them which were taken up when I saw them. As I was leaving the lounge later, only one was occupied. Apparently they are pretty popular.

The toilets were located within the lounge, and within each of the toilet were some shower cubicles. There was no towels available within the toilet cubicle itself, but if you needed one, they were available from the front desk.

Food & Beverage offerings

There was a buffet spread, offering a range of cold and hot items for the evening. The offering included:

• Tomato Soup
• Mee Goreng
• BBQ Chicken
• Mixed Vegetable
• A chef’s special, which looked like basmati rice with an indian dhal or curry

There was also a corner offering make-your-own mee soto, consisting of prepared bowls of noodles with shredded chicken and fishcakes. There was an instruction sheet on how to blanche the ingredients, and then a separate pot of broth.

On the cold end, there’s a very sad looking salad bar, along with some cold cuts. There’s also a basket of bread, with an equally sad looking tray of baked cakes. Right beside it was also a big pot of mixed nuts and crackers, which seemed to be pretty popular with guests.

The beverage offering was a mix of dispenser drinks, and some other local canned drinks in the fridge next to the dispenser. There was also an ice and water dispenser machine between the two. The drink dispenser served up your usual Coca Cola, Coke Zero and also Sprite, but what’s in the fridge was pretty questionable: there was pineapple juice available, along with 100 Plus and tomato juice.

If you are after something alcoholic, there was a choice of Asahi and Tiger beer, both in cans, as well as red and white wines. Spirits wise, there was Johnnie Walker Black Label, Gordon’s gin as well as Smirnoff vodka.

I went to try some of the food, including the mee goreng, BBQ chicken and the mee soto. The mee goreng and BBQ chicken was really sad, and in my honest opinion if you are after quality food, you are better off dining at the food court instead.

The mee soto was saved by the broth, which was pretty tasty.

While trying to get some dispenser drink, I realised that there was no ice. I went to ask a staff, who sheepishly apologised and said they were out of ice at the moment.

The wines, on the other hand, was pretty crappy. I tried one of the red wines on offer – the Ochagavia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend – which I immediately poured away after taking a sip.

Final thoughts

The lounge is a functional space, but definitely lacking a lot in quality in terms of its offering, from ambience, layout to the food and beverage options. My view is that the lounge is so busy and seemingly popular currently because it has no real competitor in the terminal, so many of the airlines are taking up only because there is no alternative.

What’s baffling is the fact that this particular lounge was awarded the Best Priority Pass Lounge in Asia Pacific in 2017. The actual experience is so far from its description, it’s really not worth mentioning.

If you are flying out of Terminal 2 and has access to this lounge, I’ll recommend that you use it only because you need a space to rest or to get some work done. For those flying with Star Alliance airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss, United, Air India, you should head to the Krisflyer lounges instead.

For those after some decent food before your flights, you are honestly better off eating within the terminal before heading off to your flight. And if you are flying with Scoot and contemplating buying the lounge add-on, DON’T.

If you hold a Priority Pass membership, do check out TGM instead, which offers higher quality food and beverage options as compared to the SATS lounge.

Location and operating details

Location: Changi Airport Terminal 2, Transit Area (after immigration), Level 2 (closer to E pier)
Hours: 24 hours
Food and beverage: Yes
Alcohol: Yes
Showers: Yes
Business Centre: No