News
Singapore Airlines goes for technology-backed new travel experience with its cherished human touch
November 9th 2026
Last week brought us the long-anticipated full reveal of the New Singapore Airlines Travel Experience. Read More » After the recents announcements about upgrades and refreshes of KrisWorld inflight entertainment system, enhanced in-flight dining and beverage offerings, new amenities across all cabin classes, high-speed connectivity, upgraded lounges, and on-ground service enhancements, Singapore Airlines (SIA) unveiled the seats in four classes to be featured in its coming Boeing 777-9 fleet, and progressively introduced from second half of 2027 on SIA’s 41 retrofitted Airbus A350-900 long-haul and A350-900 ultra-long-range (ULR) aircraft.
For invited media, including Orient Aviation Daily Digest, SIA prepared the opportunity to learn about and try out the new product and amenities. It also opened its doors to show the comprehensive programs at SIA’s cabin crew and pilot training facilities, and to learn more about the work behind SIA’s reputation for safety and service excellence.
SIA says the newly revealed product was created after listening to feedback from more than 5,000 frequent travelers and customers. "The findings underscored the importance of comfort, privacy, intuitive functionality, and adaptable spaces for customers working, dining, or relaxing on board," the airline said.
Passenger feedback led to seats with innovations designed to please passengers across all travel classes. They also offer strong value. The biggest change in this respect is in premium classes.
Following customer feedback that passengers want to move away from angled seats, SIA chose a front-facing 1-2-1 seat layout in business class. SIA created the seats in collaboration with seat manufacturer Recaro and DesignWorks, a BMW company. DesignWorks CEO Julia de Bono said that the company’s automotive experience allowed it to create the travel space that will allow passengers to arrive refreshed and ready for the meeting right after arrival. Making side panels slimmer allowed the seat itself to be wider, wide enough to easily find a comfortable position during sleep. For the first time, SIA’s business class will feature privacy doors. The function buttons, arranged in a grid, are easy to find, creating a passenger-centered design. "Our task was to remove small points of friction", explained de Bono. A major advantage of the new generation of business class is improved storage, thanks to smart placement of elements such as the tray table behind the screen.
In the new business class, SIA chose mineral gray-toned leather with bright yellow trim. The colors have a cool and elegant tonality.
The first-class seats offer a feeling of luxury, harmony, and privacy, PriestmanGoode director Ben Rowan said. The starting point for designing the new first-class seats was passengers’ expectation of feeling like they are not even on a plane, but in their own little private world. The design incorporated this idea by creating a cocoon-like space with curved walls and doors. The curved walls also create space to stand up after leaving the bed without opening the door. The elegant space, premium materials, and countless design features result in a truly exceptional space.
For the first time, middle seats in business and first class will offer the option to lower the dividing wall, allowing passengers traveling with companions to enjoy the journey together. Additionally, the ottoman in first class provides an option to dine together.
The improvements are not reserved only for premium-class passengers. Passengers traveling in economy class will notice more legroom and a larger 13-inch 4K screen. The new premium economy seats, which will be installed in Boeing 777-9 aircraft, offer more legroom and feature a more structured backrest. They also include adjustable leg and footrests and a storage compartment for small items under the armrest. The side armrest can be lowered or adjusted to personal needs.
While the seats are the cornerstone of the new experience, the improvements extend beyond them. In recent weeks, the company announced new enhanced in-flight dining and beverage offerings, as well as new amenities across all cabin classes. During the launch event, guests had a chance to try new dishes prepared in person by SIA chefs and hear the story behind the featured dishes. The airline’s air sommeliers introduced the beverages that can be enjoyed on board the Star Alliance member carrier. The experience zone offered a chance to explore the amenities in detail.
The presentation’s main theme was end-to-end travel. Singapore Airlines recognizes that the journey doesn’t start and end on board the aircraft. The airline spent S$130 million to renovate its SilverKris lounges worldwide. An important element in making the journey seamless is the newly announced KrisFlyer in-flight entertainment. The new version will allow passengers to use the app to add preferred content even before the flight. KrisFlyer members traveling in premium classes can save their favorite seat and lighting settings during the flight and recreate them on future flights. The airline will also progressively roll out new Starlink Wi-Fi service starting in 2027 aboard its Airbus A380s, A350-900 long-haul fleet and its A350-900ULRs.
While all the upgrades represent a big change for the airline, one part of the experience will remain unchanged: the much-cherished by the passngers personal service from the staff. As much as the event showcased the new products, it also highlighted the dedication of the Singapore Airlines employees hosting it. The conversations with them showed their passion for their work and the new Singapore Airlines travel experience. They could talk at length about their choice of amenities and offer heartfelt advice, such as taking the First Class slippers with you, because they are much more comfortable than the ones you will find at most hotels.
On many occasions, Singapore Airlines highlighted the role of its cabin crew in providing its level of travel experience. "For us it is always the service in the first place, and then the product," one company representative told Orient Aviation Daily Digest. Commenting on the rollout of the new tableware and meals, Yeoh Phee Teik, Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Singapore Airlines, said: "Tableware provide setting, meals provide atmosphere, our cabin crew brings it all together."
On the day before the launch of the product, the company opened the doors to media to its Training Centre, to first hand see the training process. SIA’s mandatory cabin crew training takes twice as long as training at many other airlines. During the process, candidates not only need to master all procedures, but are also taught how to read passengers’ intentions or needs to better serve them.
In the business world, airlines are not considered tech companies but service providers. This means their value is not based purely on product innovation, but on how successfully they serve their target customers. The New Singapore Airlines Travel Experience Launch event showed that the airline listens to its customers; it is deliberate in using innovations, allowing it to elevate the end-to-end travel experience process. At the same time, it maintains its core value of providing service cherished by passengers and has gained wide recognition. "This launch marks another major milestone in Singapore Airlines’ unwavering commitment to elevating the end-to-end travel experience. Our customers experience Singapore Airlines as one seamless journey, and this significant investment is designed to deliver greater comfort, choice, and convenience at every stage," said Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines, at the launch event. The commitment comes at the price of more than S$2 billion (US$1.56 billion), and while, according to plan, the first aircraft equipped with new cabins will be accepted by SIA next year, the company right now declares that this is not the end of its pursuit to offer passengers a better way to fly. "This launch is not an endpoint, but another step in our continuous pursuit to earn and retain the trust and loyalty of our customers, and reinforce our leadership in the airline industry," Mr. Goh declared.
