Tucked away in the north hall of Excel, and not even attached to the Singapore Tourism Board stand Singapore Airlines (SIA) unveiled for the first time in Europe its new first and business class products.
Clearly destined for the Airbus A380, when it finally arrives, the first class seat/lounger is truly enormous, nearly offering a bed 35" wide with 78" seat pitch. Singapore said it is designed to be the finest airline travelling experience in the world, and at first sight this is a difficult one to disprove. There is a 23" plasma TV screen too.
Launched in Singapore two weeks ago, on a date likely to have been set aside for the A380, the new product will be seen for the first time actually in operation in early December. This will be on a brand new Boeing 777-300ER serving the daily Singapore - Paris route. Over the next six months Hong Kong, Milan, Barcelona, Zurich, Seoul, San Francisco and finally Frankfurt will see the product as new aircraft arrive. Sadly those flying to and from London will have to wait. A380's and not 777s are planned for that route.
All three classes on the 777s benefit from upgrades including the KrisWorld next generation in-flight entertainment system which, besides over 1,000 on-demand video options has an external USB port on every seat. Ideal for regular travellers who do not wish to take a laptop into the cabin, by using a memory stick in conjunction with the screen and a keyboard provided, working on the aircraft becomes easy.
In first class the gourmet meals are served on the finest Givenchy bone china; business class customers gain a choice of coffee, not a major innovation but an attention to detail; whilst those in economy have much more of a meal choice plus a 10.1" monitor and new seats providing more personal space and legroom. Active noise reduction headsets in the premium classes will add to the pleasure of the flight.
Image source: Singapore Airlines' business class cabin