NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Companies / Airlines

Singapore Airlines' new cabins are going to make it hard to fly in economy again

news.com.au
20 Dec, 2017 01:28 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The new cabins on the Singapore Airlines A380s are incredible luxurious. Photo / Singapore Airlines

The new cabins on the Singapore Airlines A380s are incredible luxurious. Photo / Singapore Airlines

Have you ever been stuck in cattle class wondering how the other half are travelling?

Well it's even better than you imagined.

Singapore Airlines has launched its all-new cabins on board its A380 fleet, and at a cost of $1.2 billion, we're talking super luxury with all the space and privacy you could hope for.

Passengers will be able to experience the stylish new cabins on the first of Singapore Airlines' five new A380s in January. The airline will also retrofit the new cabins on its existing fleet of 14 A380s.

Here's what you should save up all your money to experience.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Singapore Airlines Suites

The most luxurious seats on the plane will be found in the Singapore Airline Suites.

There are six suites on the A380, in the front cabin of the upper deck, and each have fully-closing doors for privacy.

One of the six Singapore Airlines Suites A380. Photo / Singapore Airlines
One of the six Singapore Airlines Suites A380. Photo / Singapore Airlines

Each suite has a full-flat bed, which can be stowed to create extra space when not in use.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The first two suites are for couples, and those beds can be converted into double beds.

Perfect for lovebirds. Photo / Singapore Airlines
Perfect for lovebirds. Photo / Singapore Airlines

There's also a super comfy, reclining swivel chair in each suite, plus a 32-inch HD monitor that also swivels, a full-length wardrobe, bag stowage compartment, amenity box, mood lighting ... it's essentially the studio apartment of your dreams at 32,000 feet.

And the bathrooms available to passengers in the cabin suites are something else too — the larger of the two even has a vanity mirror and seat for the next level in mile-high freshening up.

Nicer than the bathroom most of us have at home. Photo / Singapore Airlines
Nicer than the bathroom most of us have at home. Photo / Singapore Airlines
Now it's just showing off. Photo / Singapore Airlines
Now it's just showing off. Photo / Singapore Airlines

Business class

If you can't quite afford the insane luxury of the cabins — and few among us can — you might be willing to splash out on a seat in the new business class on the A380.

Discover more

Airlines

Airlines have your personal data, and they're using it

20 Nov 07:12 PM
Airlines

Air NZ and Singapore Air's big play

06 Dec 11:00 PM
Airlines

Watch: Where the Qantas Dreamliner crew sleep

14 Dec 05:00 AM
Airlines

Watch: New directions for Air NZ - the long range options

19 Dec 02:43 AM

The seat itself is a very generous 25 inches and reclines fully into a full-flat bed that measures 78 inches. But if you want a better view of your 18-inch high-definition in-flight entertainment screen, you can set the seat to lie in "sundeck" position.

The middle seats in business class are the new place to be. Photo / Singapore Airlines
The middle seats in business class are the new place to be. Photo / Singapore Airlines

There's loads of privacy in each seat, thanks to the carbon fibre composite shell surrounding it, but in the middle rows, the centre divider can be dropped to create a double bed.

There's loads of room for stowing bags, and each passenger has access to the aisle, which makes getting in and out a breeze.

Premium economy

Ok, business class might still be out of reach for most of us, so it's good to know there is also a premium economy class on the A380s, in front of economy on the lower deck.

Premium economy: the love child of business and economy classes. Photo / Singapore Airlines
Premium economy: the love child of business and economy classes. Photo / Singapore Airlines

Think of this as somewhere in between business and economy. The seats are 19.5 inches and have an eight-inch recline. And there is a lot of legroom for you to really stretch out under the seat in front, made easier with the calf rests and foot bars.

There's a 13.3-inch HD screen for each passenger, plus noise-cancelling headphones, which is a bonus. Other perks include a personal reading light, cocktail table, and extra stowage space.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
So much legroom and lots of luxury, without the cost of business class. Photo / Supplied
So much legroom and lots of luxury, without the cost of business class. Photo / Supplied

Economy

The good news for the rest of us is economy seats have been given a makeover and they promise more legroom and back support, a six-way adjustable headrest and foldable wings, an 11.1-inch touch screen monitor, a "non-intrusive" reading light, personal storage space and coat hook, and an ergonomically designed, adjustable footrest.

The economy seats aren't too shabby themselves. Photo / Singapore Airlines
The economy seats aren't too shabby themselves. Photo / Singapore Airlines

The flashy new cabins were unveiled Sydney Airport on the first of Singapore Airlines' brand new A380s, which entered service as flight SQ221 and arrived in Sydney from Singapore on Monday.

The aircraft was due to return to Singapore on Tuesday afternoon.

The launch at Sydney Airport was especially significant, as that was the destination for the maiden flight of Singapore Airlines' first A380 — which was also the world's first commercial flight of an A380 — 10 years ago.

"In 2007 Sydney was the launch destination for the world's first ever commercial flight of the A380 when SQ380 made it's maiden journey from Singapore to Sydney," said Phillip Goh, Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President for South West Pacific.

"A decade on and we are once again pleased to host our brand new A380 with new cabin all new cabin products.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I am sure our customers will enjoy the increased space and privacy that these new cabin products deliver across all cabin classes."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Airlines

Airlines

Spain court suspends huge Ryanair 'abusive practices' fine

27 Jun 05:33 AM
Airlines

Tinder for airlines: 'Matchmaker’ service created for sustainable aviation fuel

27 Jun 05:12 AM
Airlines

Alaska Airlines 737 blowout: Probe points blame at Boeing, federal officials

25 Jun 06:32 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Airlines

Spain court suspends huge Ryanair 'abusive practices' fine

Spain court suspends huge Ryanair 'abusive practices' fine

27 Jun 05:33 AM

EasyJet, Volotea, and Vueling were also fined for similar 'abusive practices'.

Tinder for airlines: 'Matchmaker’ service created for sustainable aviation fuel

Tinder for airlines: 'Matchmaker’ service created for sustainable aviation fuel

27 Jun 05:12 AM
Alaska Airlines 737 blowout: Probe points blame at Boeing, federal officials

Alaska Airlines 737 blowout: Probe points blame at Boeing, federal officials

25 Jun 06:32 AM
Premium
Air NZ tech boss tipped for top job, Amazon’s huge Auckland construction site silent, Chorus’ multi-billion rural grab, more DIA cuts - Tech Insider

Air NZ tech boss tipped for top job, Amazon’s huge Auckland construction site silent, Chorus’ multi-billion rural grab, more DIA cuts - Tech Insider

24 Jun 10:22 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP