SINGAPORE: National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Thursday (Nov 2) announced a facelift for its Airbus A380s involving revamped first-class suites, as well as new seats and other cabin products across other classes.
The US$850 million cabin overhaul comes as the airline marked a decade of flying the superjumbos and as the national carrier carries out a review of its business amid stiffening competition.
SIA’s chief executive Goh Choon Phong said at the launch: “The significant investment that we are making with the introduction of new cabin products demonstrates our commitment to continued investment in products and services, our long-term approach to ensure we retain our leadership position and our confidence in the future of premium full-service air travel.”
SIA’s new “bedroom” suite includes a Poltrona Frau leather chair. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
The new cabin products will be fitted on the five new A380s that SIA has on order with Airbus.
Changes include a reduction in the number of first-class suites from 12 to six and a shift of these suites from the lower deck to the upper deck.
Each suite is “significantly more spacious and offers more privacy”, said Mr Goh. It comes with sliding doors, electronically adjustable roller-blinds and a 21-inch wide leather chair upholstered by French designer Poltrona Frau. The suite also features a standalone full-flat bed measuring 27 inches by 76 inches.
The lavatory for suites class passengers. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
The suites are designed to feel like a bedroom, SIA’s divisional vice president of customer experience Betty Wong told Channel NewsAsia in an earlier interview ahead of the launch, with passengers having the option of both a bed and a seat. Currently, the seat shares the same position as the fold-down flat bed, and disappears once the bed is made.
Apart from demand-supply considerations, the changes to the first-class suites will allow more efficient use of space in the aircraft, Mr Goh said.
Other configuration changes include a change in the number of business class seats. There are now 78 business class seats in the upper deck, compared to previous configurations of 60 and 86.
SIA unveils its new A380 business class seats. (Photo: Tang See Kit)
Mr Goh said the airline tapped on new technology advancements such as having a carbon fibre composite shell structure for its business class seats, compared to conventional aircraft seats which use metal as the primary support structure.
The thinner base structure allows for better optimisation of the seat and creates more under-seat storage space to accommodate a standard-size trolley bag, which Mr Goh said is a “first in the world”.
NEW SEATS FOR PREMIUM ECONOMY, ECONOMY CLASSES
The premium economy class will also get its own exclusive cabin zone. With 44 seats, the premium economy section on board the new A380 will be SIA’s biggest thus far.
The new-look cabins are also decked with the latest in-flight entertainment system featuring varying sizes of touchscreen monitors and handsets.
Premium economy seats in the revamped Singapore Airlines Airbus 380. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
New seats in economy class will offer more legroom and back support, with a six-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings, SIA said. The seat will also have a “more contemporary” fabric seat cover design.
The seats will also come with an 11.1-inch touch-screen monitor, personal storage space for small personal items, a coat hook, in-seat power supply and a footrest with adjustable positions.
Premium economy class seats on the new A380 will be housed in their own cabin. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
The research and development of the cabin upgrades began in 2013 and involved extensive customer feedback.
She added: “Ten to 20 years ago, people may expect that when you get on board, you can get a bit less but somehow the expectations have changed. The gap between what you do on the ground and in the air has narrowed.
New economy class seats feature an 11-inch touchscreen monitor. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
“That’s difficult because your aircraft is a finite space so you get a lot more challenges in managing space and inventory,” she added.
The upgrade was a necessary move amid rising expectations from travellers, Ms Wong said.
More legroom and back support for economy class passengers on the revamped Singapore Airlines A380. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)
The first revamped A380, flight SQ221, will depart Singapore at 8.40pm on Dec 18 and arrive at 7.40am in Sydney the next day. Additional destinations will be revealed in the coming months.
Since entering into service with SIA in October 2007, the superjumbos have flown to airports including Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York and Paris.
