This review was conducted before the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. The lounge may still be temporarily closed. Once reopened, lounge offerings may differ from what was experienced in the review.
Singapore Airlines is one of few airlines to have its own lounges at most Australian international airports, including Brisbane. The SilverKris lounge has a fresh ambience and all the amenities you’d expect, but it’s rather small and doesn’t have any features that really stand out.
Before an Airbus A350 Business Class flight from Brisbane to Singapore, I stopped by the SilverKris Lounge to check out the facilities.
Lounge Location and Details
The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge is located next to the Plaza Premium lounge in Brisbane International Airport. Turn right after immigration and security, and find the escalators going up opposite Gate 82.
Lounge layout and seating
At the top of the escalators, you’ll find the Air New Zealand Lounge on your left and the Plaza Premium Lounge on your right. Ignore those and walk straight forward into the hallway which leads to the SilverKris Lounge and Plaza Premium Wellness Spa.
The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge entrance is flanked by the beautiful Signature Screen artwork, which depicts the colours of the sarong kebaya that cabin crew wear.
Near the entrance is a small coffee station for the morning bank of flights, plus additional seating that wasn’t used during the evening service.
You’ll pass the bathrooms and main buffet area before entering into the lounge proper, which is essentially one single rectangular room.
The right side of the lounge is taken up by dining tables, designed for groups of two.
The rest of the lounge is taken up by Singapore Airlines’ latest line of seating, including solo working chairs and its centrepiece high-backed chairs that are found in its Sydney First Class Lounge.
Power ports are easily accessible between the consoles for the sofas, and underneath the benches. These are equipped with standard Australian plugs and dual USB outlets.
Food and Drink
The food options in the SilverKris Lounge aren’t as great as the neighbouring Plaza Premium Lounge, which offers an a-la-carte menu, but still quite good for an international-grade lounge.
The focus is on a variety of smaller finger-food-sized bites, and there are plenty of choices to tempt travellers. Here are snapshots of some of the choices:
There are still the traditional bain-maries with more filling dishes such as fried rice or stir-fried noodles (pictured), to go with yellow chicken curry. For something spicier, you could also make your own laksa noodles, which is quite fragrant.
The drinks were all self-serve in the evenings, including for coffee.
The usual assortment of mid-tier spirits and mixers are available. The wines are South Island Pinot Noir 2018, St Hallett Gamekeepers Shiraz 2018, Riley’s Shadow Chardonnay 2019, Marlborough Sounds Sauvignon Blanc and Saint-Hilaire Blanquette De Limoux Brut sparkling wine.
The beer and cider range was fairly comprehensive too — Asahi, Corona, 150 Lashes Pale Ale and Somersby apple cider.
The non-alcoholic drink selection is quite pedestrian, including Coca Cola varieties, Goulburn Valley juices, the Schweppes range of mixers, T2 teas and coffee from a machine.
Amenities
The shower rooms are equipped with everything a traveller needs. After getting a towel pack from reception, you’ll find communal pump dispensers of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
For light reading material, there is a selection of newspapers and magazines found on a table opposite the food buffet area.
The WiFi in this lounge is usable but not especially fast, clocking in at 10.0 Mbps download and 6.45 Mbps upload, roughly equivalent to the lowest-available NBN speed tier.
Lounge Access Options
- By class of travel: Business Class with Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance partner airlines
- By frequent flyer status: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Elite Gold, PPS Club or Star Alliance Gold members before a Star Alliance flight. Velocity Gold and Platinum members travelling in any class on Singapore Airlines flights only.
Our Take
The Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge in Brisbane is one of the better ones in its Australian network. I would rate it 2nd — under Sydney, but coming up on top of Melbourne.
As the default lounge for Singapore Airlines passengers, it doesn’t get too busy in the evenings because of the limited flights and strict entry requirements.
If you have complimentary access to the neighbouring Plaza Premium Lounge, I would recommend starting there for some freshly-made food off the menu, before coming to the Singapore Airlines lounge for a quieter atmosphere and easier access to showers.
What was great
- Variety of food at the buffet
- Modern seating with lots of power points
- Quieter ambience than other lounges
What was not great
- Average drinks selection, especially non-alcoholic
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