Singapore Airlines’ New Cabins Look Exactly Like 5-Star Hotel Rooms

For people who fly economy, plane rides consist of packaged peanuts, a crappy meal, and barely any legroom. On the other end of the spectrum, customers are kings, and airlines are getting more luxurious by the day. Case in point: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has just fitted its fleet of Airbus A380 Superjumbos with suites that look like they belong in a ritzy 5-star hotel.

The move comes amid increasing competition amongst airlines, with SIA hoping to separate itself from the rest of the pack with revamped cabins, reserving the biggest changes for its first and business classes.

Of course, the star of the show is the all-new first class section. Reduced from 12 units to six, everything is more Shangri-La over here, and less like an airplane. Now, there’s a huge emphasis on space. Each private suite has its own bed. Not only that, there’s also a Poltrona Fau upholstered leather swivel chair in each room, with a 32-inch entertainment display.


Instead of one bathroom, first-class suite passengers will share two units (this is a huge deal considering that in economy, more than 40 people have to jostle it out for limited bathrooms). There’s also a sit-down vanity area for customers to spruce themselves up, with facial moisturiser, hand cream, and body lotion provided.

And yep, you guessed it – the meals are classy too. Served on Wedgwood ware and in Lalique crystal glassware, customers can look forward to a mix of local and Western cuisines, including lobster thermidor, veal fillet, bak kut teh, and shrimp or chicken laksa.
As for business class, the number of seats has increased from 60 to 78. Each seat is enclosed with a cocoon-like shell for added privacy, and can be converted into a 78-inch long bed, with seats along the centre aisle able to form a single bed – ideal for families traveling together. There will be 44 premium economy seats.

All this has cost SIA the cool figure of $1.16 billion, so expect fare prices to increase slightly in the near future. If you’d like to have a “hotel in the sky” experience, however, the national carrier’s first Airbus A380 will be flying from Singapore to Sydney on December 8.
For more information, visit singaporeair.com.
Images: Singapore Airlines