Singapore raises the stakes in entertainment and comfort

Singapore Airlines touts its in-flight product as so good that even other airlines talk about it. And, last month, the airline gave the industry a lot more to think about when it unveiled its latest $477 million cabin upgrade.

And what an upgrade it is, with in-seat power in economy, office computer software to every personal TV, the widest seats for first and business class and more than 1,000 entertainment options.

The airline had planned to launch the upgrade with the A380, but that aircraft’s production problems led to those plans – slated for April this year – being shelved. The first aircraft to get the makeover will be the airline’s latest models of the 777 – the 777-300ER, which will be handed over in December. Singapore Airlines has 19 of the 777-300ERs on order and will have six in service by the end of December, and 10 by mid year 2007.

The new product clearly positions the airline at the peak of the premium market. According to SIA senior vice-president, operations and services, Bey Soo Khiang, involvement of the airline’s customers was key to the entire process.

Those customers said they would be prepared to pay up to 20 per cent more for the new features. Mr Bey said surveyed passengers wanted forward-facing seats and aisle access. The result is an innovative use of space that will feature a one-two-one configuration in business class.

All seats are wider. Seats in first class are 90 centimetres wide while those in business are 76cm wide. In economy, SIA moved the in-seat video controller from the armrest to the seatback, narrowing the width of the armrests to provide a little more room.

The KrisWorld in-flight enter-tainment system has also come in for a radical upgrade. In first class, there is a 58cm LCD screen, while business class has a 39cm screen and economy a 25cm screen. Passengers will have access to more than 1,000 on-demand options and office software built in for passengers without laptops but armed with a USB.

Mr Bey told WA Business News the new product will be rolled out on the 300ERs and A380s, then retrofitted to other aircraft based on demand. He conceded that the configuration would mean a reduction in seats but said Singapore Airlines was positioning itself as the premium leader.

“This is by far our most important and comprehensive product and service development program,” he said, adding that travellers were becoming increasingly sophisticated and the airline would be hoping they would be willing to pay more for the frills.

The upgrade has been four years in the making and it will take a number of years before the long-haul fleet is upgraded. On the 777-300ER, Singapore Airlines will have eight first-class seats, which are 89cm wide, and the airline claims that the first class product is “the most spacious first class product ever to be introduced by a commercial airline”.

That extra wide seat translates into a very large bed that allows passengers the choice of resting in their natural sleeping position, Mr Bey said. However, the airline is coy on allowing two passengers to sleep together – rather a twist from its 49 per cent equity partner Virgin Atlantic, which promotes the concept.

Other new features include a built-in private vanity area, a sliding table that is also adjustable for height and large in-seat stowage space.

The push for wider seats flows into business class with a 76cm-wide seat which the airline claims is up to 50 per cent wider than some other business class offerings. The seat fully reclines into the largest true flat bed in business class, and through clever design, the widest part of the bed is in the waist area.

Singapore Airlines has not adopted the fixed back economy seats of Cathay Pacific, opting instead for the traditional layout but with a bit more legroom. An interesting innovation is the location of the reading light, which has been located underneath the seat back video screen. When not in use, the video screen can be tilted so that the reading light can illuminate a good book.

An even better addition is that of in-seat power for economy seats, with two power plugs for every three seats.

The latest generation KrisWorld gives passengers more than 1,000 on-demand options that include movies, TV programs, interactive games, audio CDs and programming, as well as a variety of learning applications  allowing customers to make the most of their time onboard the aircraft. 

In addition, it makes available a comprehensive suite of office tools that includes spreadsheet, presentation and word processing on each personal KrisWorld system. The system is powered by the latest Panasonic eX2™ inflight entertainment system.

The new offerings from Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific – revealed in the October Business Class liftout – are expected to put pressure on Qantas to roll out its A380 passenger upgrade on its 747s. Qantas will not receive its first A380 until mid 2008 at the earliest.

Singapore Airlines will launch its new product offering on its daily Singapore-Paris route from early December. Milan and Hong Kong will follow in mid December. In January, the 777-300ERs will be introduced on the daily Paris-Zurich service, and in March San Francisco will be added. Frankfurt will be added in May.