Singapore Airlines new business class seats, Digi Mart USA News (Singapore): Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Wednesday (Nov 11) that the cabin colour palette for its newly unveiled business class seats was “carefully selected” after the reveal drew criticism from some content creators and travel writers, including those who likened them to dental chairs.
Much of the reaction has focused on the grey-and-yellow colour palette of the seats, which were developed by SIA in collaboration with seat manufacturer Recaro and creative design firm Designworks. In response to CNA’s queries, an SIA spokesperson said the new seats were “designed to enhance comfort, privacy, and functionality, while supporting a more seamless travel experience.”
“The colours, materials, and finishes were carefully selected to create a fresh, contemporary, and refined ambience, complemented by adjustable in-flight LED lighting throughout the journey,” SIA added. The spokesperson said the seats feature full-grain premium leather upholstery, sliding privacy doors, an electronically powered centre divider, enhanced ergonomics, a full-flat bed, and a spacious footwell.
“Frequent flyers who attended the launch praised its privacy, spaciousness, comfort, and thoughtful convenience features, including the larger display screen, enhanced charging options, intuitive physical seat controls, and companion-bed configuration,” SIA said. The airline said it appreciated the feedback on the cabin’s colour palette and is committed to offering a world-class end-to-end travel experience.
“As with all our products, we will continue to closely monitor feedback and draw on operational insights to refine and enhance elements of the customer experience,” SIA said. The national carrier unveiled its next-generation long-haul cabin products on Nov 6, which include new first class suites with double beds, redesigned business class seats with sliding doors, and upgraded premium economy and economy class cabins.
The backlash has largely focused on the seats’ aesthetics. Content creator and former Singapore Airlines cabin crew member Darshen Kuna said on Instagram that after seeing the new seats, “it’s very hard for me to be loyal,” asking: “Dental chairs?” While he welcomed the sliding doors for added privacy, he took issue with the colour scheme, particularly the “green line” on each seat.
SIA is investing more than S$2 billion (US$1.57 billion) in the new cabin products across all four cabin classes, which it has described as “a key part of SIA’s elevated end-to-end travel experience.” Aaron Wong, founder of travel website The MileLion, wrote that he was “still shaking (his) head at the business class colour scheme and aesthetics” and that the seats’ use of plastic did not feel very premium.
Ben Schlappig, founder of travel website One Mile at a Time, said SIA had “botched” its business class finishes, writing: “It looks like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby,” referring to the SIA subsidiary and the now-defunct US carrier. Max Do of Max Miles Points said the neon yellow colour “is not really part of the Singapore Airlines colour palette.”
Not all reactions were negative. Wong said he had “no complaints” about the functionality and that the seat fixes many long-standing issues with the current 2013 business class seat.
Singaporean singer-songwriter Tay Kewei, 43, told CNA that “the privacy doors are the best part of the upgrade,” though she questioned why the seats are not as wide as before. Content creator Edo Lio said he understood why some people were upset about the colour palette but praised the privacy doors and the seats’ ergonomics and space design.
The new cabin products will be progressively introduced from the second half of 2027 on the airline’s 41 retrofitted Airbus A350-900 long-haul and ultra-long-range (ULR) aircraft, as well as its new Boeing 777-9 fleet. The new first class cabins were designed by PriestmanGoode, while premium economy and economy cabins were designed by Factorydesign.
According to SIA, the designs were informed by research involving more than 5,000 frequent travellers, customers, staff and industry experts worldwide.
Designworks CEO Julia de Bono said Singapore Airlines “wanted to go with something more progressive and refreshing,” describing the design as “modern and fresh” with yellow accents that add to the freshness. Former radio DJ Rosalyn Lee, who attended the unveiling, voiced approval for the seats and described the reactions to their colour scheme as “wild.”
