DECEMBER 2017 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION 37SIA SUITES
S
ingapore Airlines’ (SIA)
US$850 million investment to
upgrade its Airbus A380 on-
board products represents the
carrier’s latest salvo in the battle
for supremacy in the skies and
a timely improvement in the operating
economics of the world’s largest
passenger aircraft.
Unveiled in Singapore in early
November under the tagline “Space
made personal, experience the
difference”, the updated cabins are
aimed to reinforce SIA’s standing as
one of the world’s leading full-service
premium carriers.
The outcome of four years of
design work and many hours of
passenger feedback was highlighted
by an enlarged first class Suite and a
ground-up design new business class
seat that does away with the flip-over
bed, alongside improvements to the
passenger experience in both premium
economy and economy.
Beyond the headlines about leather
seats that swivel up to 270 degrees
in Suites, double beds in business
class and a more personalised inflight
entertainment system, the revamped
A380 is also another example of
SIA’s willingness to think differently
and embrace new ideas under chief
executive Goh Choon Phong.
First, let’s look at the details of
what will be flying on the Singapore-
Sydney route from the second half of
December.NEW CONCEPT FOR SUITES AND BUSINESS
The new fully-enclosed A380 Suites
feature a separate fully flat bed, a
leather seat that swivels up to 270
degrees, as well as adjustable mood
lighting, a credenza with plenty of
storage spaces, a 32in HD monitor and
companion tablet.
The number of suites, which were
designed by Pierrejean Design Studio
and manufactured by Zodiac Seats UK,
has been halved from 12 to six and the
cabin moved to the upper deck of the
A380.
Goh said the thinking behind the
reduction in number of suites was a
combination of wanting to give more
space to customers – each individual
suite has increased from about 2.8m^2
to about 4.6m^2 – and is based on “what
we see as the demand pattern for A380
suites”.
Just behind Suites on the upper
deck is business class, where SIA
has maintained its forward-facing
1-2-1 configuration for the 78-seatcabin which offers every passenger
unobstructed access to the aisle.
However, there have been some
new elements introduced in what is
a seat designed by JPA Design of the
UK and manufactured by Japanese
firm JAMCO Corporation, whose
relationship with SIA stretches back
close to four decades beginning with
the supply of galleys and expanding
into seats (including SIA’s current
Airbus A350-900 business class seat)
about 10 years ago.
The biggest change is instead of
passengers flipping over the seat to
sleep – as is now the case – it reclines
from an upright position to form the
bed. A mattress topper is supplied, as
well as a duvet. This design will offer
passengers more reclining options
when the seat is in upright mode. There
is also a small fold-down arm rest on
the inside of the seat.
Further, the use of carbon compositematerials has enabled the seat structure
to be thinner, which has created enough
space to store a roller bag in the seat
area rather than in an overhead locker.
And couples travelling together in
business class will be able to book a
pair of middle seats that convert to a
double bed. For solo travellers seated
side-by-side in the middle seats, SIA
has designed a new privacy screen
that is certified to be fully deployed, at
halfway, or completely retracted during
all phases of flight including taxi,
takeoff and landing.
“Many of our customers are telling
us that when they travel, especially on
business class, they would rather not
have to lift the bag up and put it on top.
They would rather have it close by,”
Goh explained.
Jamco Corporation chief technology
officer Toshihisa Kasuya said finding
a way to give passengers more space
despite having to fit more seats in
the available space was one of the
challenges of the project.
The new business class bed is one-
inch shorter at 78in, from 79in on the
current product, and narrower at 25in
compared with 28in. The seat pitch
– the industry measure from one point
on the seat to the same point in front –
has also been trimmed slightly to 50in,
from 51in.
“The seat pitch has been reduced but
the same space has been provided. That
was a challenge,” Kasuya said at the
official launch event.
Kasuya said there was also a lot of
testing to ensure the padding of the seatCarbon
composite
materials
has enabled
the seat
structure to
be thinner.
Of the six suites, 1A and 2A, as well
as 1F and 2F, can be converted
into a double bed for passengers
travelling together. Seats 3A and 3F
are single suites.ANDREW WEST/SIA