Singapore Airlines business class seat design backlash, Digi Mart USA News (Singapore): Singapore Airlines’ overhaul of its business class seats has triggered a social media backlash from potential travelers, who criticize the “progressive” look for not being in sync with the iconic brand.
Critics argue the carrier has abandoned its traditional deep blues, golds and oranges in its top-tier seating in favor of an off-brand mineral grey and bright yellow palette. While the seating itself appears slick and functional, the new colour scheme is drawing significant criticism across social media.
One user posted: “Last chance to fly Singapore Airlines before they make it ugly.” Another, in a jab at the global design group commissioned to upgrade the airline’s business livery, said: “It’s really European and does not align with Singapore values.” A third claimed: “A Singaporean designer would’ve done much better.”
Julia de Bono, CEO of BMW Designworks, the company hired by Singapore Airlines to design the seat, said “the palette was deliberate.” She said the “warmer” look had “served the airline for a long time, and many of the cabins are going warm and more traditional right now.”
“But we wanted this business class to stand on its own, with its own attitude modern, progressive, and refreshing,” de Bono said. Speaking to an audience of journalists, she added: “We wanted the cabin to feel high-tech, luxurious, and future-forward.
Mineral greys – you see them everywhere right now – they are really having this balance and stable feel to them.”
In the refresh, premium economy seats are a warm grey-blue with orange accents, while economy seats are blue with grey trim. In a separate interview, de Bono described the colour design as being “like a suit with a sneaker … modern and fresh.”
The public response was far less forgiving. Singapore-based Radha K, head of marketing for a tech company, said the “colours for the new business class seats doesn’t match Singapore Airline’s unique brand look and feel.” She added: “The new design doesn’t elevate the brand look … it makes Singapore Airlines look like they are having an identity crisis.”
The criticism also carries an undercurrent of national identity. One Singapore-based commenter wrote: “If you get a non-Singaporean who [does] not live the culture, the essence[,] and appreciate the legacy of [Singapore Airlines] this is what you get.
A downgrade.”
Malaysia-Australian author Kean Wong said Singapore Airlines is “one of the state’s key talismans,” alongside the nation’s extensive public housing system, schools and sovereign wealth funds. “So it’s no surprise that there’s objection to the striking yellow rather than a ‘native’ or a deeper tropical colour.”
Wong also said the yellow has a “budget streak” quality reminiscent of Scoot, the low-cost carrier owned by Singapore Airlines, a sentiment shared by people on social media.
Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, said: “I’ve been monitoring the reactions: it’s been mixed. Can’t please everyone!” He added: “The seats may be rather bland to some, but I suspect it won’t hurt the bottom line at all.”
Singapore Airlines VP of Product Experience Ong Wah Li said the business class seat “has been designed to offer a fresh and contemporary take on premium travel … that reflects a modern, progressive, and forward-looking design philosophy.” Ong said the airline’s “signature warm and classic aesthetic has served us well over the years, but we wanted this new product to have its own character, combining a refreshing aesthetic with a sense of sophistication and understated luxury.” Ong added: “We do not subscribe to a fixed colour palette across our cabins.”
The retrofit was announced in 2024, with expectations that the first of its A350-900 planes would be ready this year. Delays mean the first refitted planes will not enter service until the second half of 2027.
