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The first SIA Boeing 737-800s won’t have flat-bed Business Class seats

A consistent flat-bed experience in Singapore Airlines Business Class gets put on hold, as the airline confirms its first Boeing 737 jets will retain their current SilkAir cabins

It’s no longer headline news that Singapore Airlines’ full-service regional division SilkAir is being dovetailed into the mainline carrier over the coming years. A merger we first rumoured in late 2017, the marriage was then confirmed by the group in May the following year, and will ultimately result in a disbanding of the 28-year old SilkAir brand.

Embracing SilkAir into Singapore Airlines wasn’t going to be an easy ride though. Repainting the planes was one thing, but the cabin crew wear different uniforms and service on board is not 100% consistent.

Perhaps most crucially though, the seats don’t have in-built entertainment systems, nor does SilkAir’s Business Class currently offer a flat-bed option.

SilkAir Boeing 737-800 Business Class. (Photo: MainlyMiles)

That was all about to change, but before we break the bad news, let’s take a look at how the merger between SilkAir and Singapore Airlines hasn’t exactly been “plane” sailing.

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The SilkAir merger: Plan A

You have to cast your mind back to May 2018 when it was announced that SilkAir would be merged into its parent company’s mainline carrier Singapore Airlines.

Happily for many, it was a process that included flat-bed Business Class seats and seat-back in flight entertainment across both cabins on the regional c