Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Tel: 6541 2107.
www.changiairport.com

Changi is located 20km (12.4 miles) from Singapore centre. It usually tops international polls as the world's best airport and is currently the 19th busiest. It also became home, in 2007, to the world's first in-service Airbus A380 aircraft, the world's largest passenger plane. A total of 81 scheduled airlines operate out of Changi, with almost 4,500 scheduled flights weekly to 188 cities in 60 countries worldwide, making it the airport with the most air links in the Asia Pacific region. To cater for continuing growth in passenger numbers, Budget Terminal (www.btsingapore.com), with low-cost airlines, became operational in 2006, in addition to Terminals 1, 2, and Terminal 3, which opened in 2008.

Approximate flight times to Singapore: From London is 13 hours; from New York and Los Angeles is now 18 hours non-stop (the world's longest flight), from Toronto is 20 hours and from Sydney is 8 hours.

Airport facilities: While Changi's legendary efficiency means travellers need spend the minimum amount of time in the airport, the facilities on offer mean that days could happily be spent there. In addition to a wealth of top shopping choices, there are showers, gym and sauna, rooftop pool and Jacuzzi (both at the airport's transit hotel), hairdressing salons, laundry service, karaoke lounge, movie theatre, TV lounges, children's play area, nursery, smoking room, medical centre and prayer room. To get back to nature there are even cactus, bamboo, sunflower and orchid gardens, and a Koi pond.

There are the usual banks, bureaux de change, ATMs, postal and telecommunications offices, shops, restaurants, car hire (Avis and Hertz), hotel reservation counters, tourist information, wheelchair rental services and baggage storage facilities. Transit and transfer passengers can also take advantage of a selection of free 2-hour themed guided coach tours of Singapore. At the small, new Budget Terminal (www.btsingapore.com), a short shuttle bus ride away, facilities are more basic with a few food kiosks and shops, but all the essentials including ATM, Internet and bureaux de change are there.

Business facilities: The comprehensive range of services includes transit hotels and business-class lounges. The JetQuay luxury business lounge can be used, for a fee, by passengers travelling on any class. Each transit hotel has a business centre, for typing and mailing of documents, plus a 24-hour service of photocopying and faxing (Terminal 1 tel: 6542 5538; Terminal 2 tel: 6542 8122). Free Internet corners are dotted around several locations in the Departure/Transit lounges in Terminals 1, 2 and 3, open 24 hours. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have Wi-Fi Internet access throughout and Budget Terminal has free Internet and laptop access.

Transport to the city: The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) has a station under Terminals 2 and 3, also accessible via the skytrain from Terminal 1 and shuttle bus from Budget Terminal. This is the quickest and cheapest way of getting into the city centre (changing at Tenah Merah station), with trains departing regularly throughout the day.

Singapore Bus Service (SBS Transit) (tel: 1 800 287 2727; www.sbstransit.com.sg) operates regular buses into the city, with terminals in the basement of Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Public buses (exact fare only) also depart regularly all day. Bus 36 goes along Orchard Road (journey time - 50 minutes).

Taxis are available 24 hours from the Arrivals Hall of all terminals, with journey time around 20-30 minutes between the airport and city centre. Taxi fares are between S$18-30 to the city, plus toll and luggage fees. The six-seater MaxiCab, the airport shuttle service run by CityCab (tel: 6552 2222 (cash payment) or 6553 8888 (credit/charge card payment); www.citycab.com.sg), will go to almost every major hotel in Singapore. Book at the counters in the Arrivals Hall and pay the driver. It leaves from Terminals 1, 2 and 3, 24 hours a day. For more than three passengers, it is cheaper by taxi.