Singapore is adding a flyer-favorite feature to its premium business class

• The five-star carrier Singapore Airlines is investing $830 million in the modernization of 41 Airbus A350 aircraft.
• This includes new first and business class, which will also be on Singapore’s future Boeing 777X.
• Business class doors are becoming increasingly popular as flyers demand more privacy in expensive cabins.

Singapore Airlines plans to spend more than $800 million to upgrade its long-haul aircraft as customers demand more luxury at 35,000 feet.

A carrier that is regularly rated among the best airlines in the worldon Monday unveiled plans to upgrade 41 Airbus A350 aircraft. The first of 34 A350-900s and the first of seven A350-900ULRs will be delivered in the second quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, respectively.

The overhaul will include new business class seats and first class seats designed from the ground up. “updated” economy and premium economy cabins, the company said.

The new seats will also be shown at the much-anticipated Singapore The Boeing 777X, which will not enter service until at least 2026 against the backdrop of constant production delays.

Singapore has provided few specific details about the updated cabins, but one thing is clear: the airline is finally adding sliding doors in business class.

The door of privacy, a the card is a favoriteis becoming an increasingly popular bonus in business class.

This feature is missing from Singapore’s current business hub, but the new boogie feature could help a carrier elevate its business lounge in a highly competitive market — especially after its launch second only to Qatar for the world’s best business class in 2024.

Airlines around the world are jumping on the high demand trend. In recent years Air India, American AirlinesBritish Airways, Korean Air and Turkish Airlines, for example, have announced new business class cabins with doors to keep up with the competition.

“Over the past six years, we have actively engaged customers and stakeholders in the development of our next-generation long-haul products, anticipating their changing preferences and expectations down to the smallest detail,” Singapore CEO Goh Chun Fong said in a press release. release

Singapore relies on its award-winning first class

The addition of first class on Singapore’s A350-900ULR aircraft is a significant change. The existing layout of the aircraft offers only business and premium economy and is used for ultra-long-haul flights, including the world’s longest route between New York and Singapore.

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According to the airline’s vague rendering, the new first class appears to extend through at least three windows and retain a spacious capsule with doors.

Singapore already boasts first-class double-decker Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380 aircraft. The latter places the world’s best first-class rooms known as suites. A luxurious hotel-like cabin includes a single bed and armchair, and two pods can be combined into a double room with a double bed.

Suites don’t come cheap, with fares between London and Singapore ranging from $16,000 to $24,000 round-trip, according to December prices. The A380s do not fly to the USAbut Singapore’s upgraded A350s mean first class will likely be available again in the US.

The new cabin demonstrates the airline’s continued emphasis on the front of the aircraft. Singapore’s A350-900ULR will add three business class seats but lose 36 premium economy seats to make room for first class. This will not introduce a an ordinary bus cabin.

Many other airlines, including Air India, Qatar Airways and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, are also planning new international first class lounges, signaling that the lounge is not dead yet. despite the fact that US airlines have given up on the high dollar.