Earlier, I explained how Singapore Airlines unveiled its new First Class and Business Class, which is expected to enter service in 2027 (hopefully). These products appear to be very nice improvements over existing cabins, even if they are not revolutionary.
That being said, I have to give Singapore Airlines some love for the new business class seats. Let me acknowledge that I am a huge fan of Singapore Airlines as a brand. Any list I keep of the best airlines in the world (whether it’s best airline brand, best first class, best business class, best in-flight service, best in-flight entertainment, etc.) has Singapore Airlines in it…that’s how highly I value the brand!
But I’m also honest, no matter how much it fits my preconceptions about a brand. I feel like I’m saying what everyone is thinking, apparently except for most of the influencers who are in Singapore for the launch event, who are just glossing over it… never mind the attention to detail!
The botched finishes of Singapore Airlines business class
When I think of Singapore Airlines, the first thing that comes to mind is how deliberate the airline is. I don’t think there is an airline more intentional in every aspect of the customer experience, from the tone of voice with which staff speak to the warm, elegant design.
I would say that Singapore Airlines’ new first class really looks on brand. It’s a nice evolution of what the carrier has historically offered: it’s warm and elegant without being old-fashioned.
And then you upgrade to business class, and it looks like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby. The gray and black are generic, the yellow accents look cheap, and then there’s so much going on with the blue and white partitions (if that’s actually what they’ll look like).
And the reference to Scoot isn’t even sarcastic. For those who don’t know it, Scoot is Singapore Airlines’ low-cost airline, and look at the seat finishes you’ll find there!
There is usually some consistency between the seat finish and the broader branding, including livery, flight attendant uniforms, etc. In this case, not only is it not aligned, but they seem at odds with each other. Furthermore, there is not the slightest trace of yellow (or neon green, or anything) in the Singapore Airlines branding.
What seems most bizarre to me is that the finishes of first class and business class do not match at all, and one would not assume that they are from the same airline. Indeed, Singapore Airlines worked with different design companies (different from the seat manufacturers themselves) for the two cabins.
BMW Designworks was behind the business class seats, while PriestmanGoode was behind the first class seats. I think it’s safe to say that there was no coordination between the two. I guess the executives’ argument is that they want the cabin to look more modern and high-tech, and to appeal to a younger audience, but I just don’t follow the logic.
It’s clear that Singapore Airlines has put many years of effort into this product, and frankly, I’m just surprised that Singapore Airlines executives have approved this project. Am I just a minority who thinks this is not a good idea for the airline? Did a marketer assure Singapore Airlines executives that this was great branding, and they were wrong? Or did everyone just independently decide that it looked great?
If they at least eliminated the yellow stripes, it would no longer look cheap, but rather generic. I’m just surprised that’s the conclusion they came to.
Many influencers ignore this subject.
Singapore Airlines of course organized a big media event in Singapore to celebrate the launch of this product. I generally don’t attend media events because I don’t find them very useful. But I certainly enjoy seeing other people’s coverage.
What I find fascinating is the inherent bias that exists when someone is invited to something. For example, if you look at the comments on my article about the new cabins, the thing most commented on by members of the OMAAT community is how bad the business class colors look.
If you’ve watched the videos on social media about this, oddly enough there are no comments about it. Granted, I haven’t seen all the coverage, but the worst coverage I’ve seen is from someone saying they don’t mind the colors and that it’s a “big change” from the old look. Okay, that’s not exactly an endorsement.
I also couldn’t find a single person who attended the event who said “I love the new colors,” which probably tells you all you need to know. Besides, it’s one thing if people recognize: “I realize the colors may not look good in photos, but in person it’s a different story.” » But I didn’t hear that either.
For me, this goes back to the rather complicated relationship between so many brands and influencer types. If you can say everything you like about the product, shouldn’t you also feel completely comfortable criticizing the parts of the experience you don’t like?
While we’re on this topic, let me add one more point. Being able to sit in at media events like this is cool of course, but it doesn’t really give you a feel for what it’s like to fly in a product, and that’s why it’s not something I particularly enjoy, as an experience.
Sure, a big business class seat is comfortable when you sit there for a minute and shoot content. But the real test of a product is when you spend hours in the seat, when you recline the seat in a bed, when you try to move your laptop while you are served a meal, etc.
I once had the opportunity to spend a night in an airplane seat on the ground (I can’t really say more, since I signed an NDA, but it was to provide feedback to a seat manufacturer). For me, that was fascinating because it really lets you understand what the experience is like. My feeling about the seat was very different after sitting for many hours than when I sat down.
Conclusion
Singapore Airlines has revealed its new cabins, and there’s reason to be excited, because the hard products look great. However, Singapore Airlines’ new business class cabin finishes are a real mystery to me, because the yellow stripe looks cheap (I mean, it seems to be inspired by the carrier’s low-cost subsidiary) and is completely out of line with first class.
The airline used different design companies for first class and business class. For an airline that is so detail-oriented and very thoughtful in terms of design, this seems like a misstep to me. Anyway, Singapore Airlines, I still love you and think you are one of the best airlines in the world…
What is your position on the finishing of Singapore Airlines’ new business class seats? Does anyone like them?
Gn bussni
