This morning Singapore Airlines launched their latest generation of First Class Suites for the Airbus A380, as a key part of their international media event which also encompassed several other updated onboard cabin products soon to feature on the airline’s latest batch of A380 jets, which start being delivered next month. See here for our Business Class analysis.
We were invited to attend the event (click here for our as-it-happened updates from the day), and we got a good first-hand look at the new suites. We weren’t disappointed.
Changing Spaces
The first two major changes for Suites class were well-anticipated.
Firstly, the number of suites was cut from 12 to six. CEO Mr Goh Choon Phong told us it was a mixture of the desire to give more space, and also of the current demand levels for the suites product, which prompted the reduction.
Secondly the Suites have been moved from the Lower Deck to the Upper Deck of the aircraft, in a space well-suited for a smaller number of seats, separated by a single aisle, which also takes advantage of two large forward spaces either side of the A380 main staircase. This is where Emirates put shower suites on their A380s; for Singapore Airlines they have been designed as spacious washrooms with a large dressing and vanity area in the righthand washroom.
The Suites
As expected, there’s no format change from the high-walled, closing door privacy seen in the current generation Singapore Airlines A380 Suites class. Each of the six spacious ‘mini-apartments’ has it’s own entrance from a wide centre aisle.
What’s certainly changed is the size of each Suite – 30 to 50 square feet a piece, they are each 60% larger than the current offering, a massive space.
Every Suite has a fold-down bed – 76in x 27in (1.93m x 0.68m). Effectively that’s the length of a standard size single bed, but a little narrower. The beauty is that in two of these Suite pairs (1A/2A and 1F/2F) the partition wall between the beds can be lowered, creating a double suite if you are travelling with a partner, which also allows for the two ‘single’ beds to transform into a standard size double bed.