First Look: Singapore Airlines' Great New Regional Business Class
This is a big day for Singapore Airlines. The carrier's brand-new Dreamliner just landed at Changi Airport (SIN) — it's the world's first extended-length 787-10, and it's the first plane to offer Singapore's new regional business-class product, which, by the way, looks pretty fantastic.
While SQ has offered lie-flat business-class seats for more than a decade, the carrier's older regional planes — namely its Boeing 777-200s and Airbus A330s — have dated angle-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. It's a far cry from Singapore's latest business seat, now flying on the Airbus A380:
And while I really do think that's a great seat, as I explained in my recent A380 review, I was surprised to discover that I like the airline's new regional business-class setup even more.
This seat, Stelia Aerospace's "Opal" model, will be offered exclusively on Singapore's 49 787-10 Dreamliners, which will be delivered by Boeing over the next few years.
Each 787-10 has a total of 301 economy seats and 36 business-class seats, arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration.
Window seats alternate between window- and aisle-facing — seats in rows 12, 15, 17 and 19 are the ones to pick, since they offer a bit more privacy.
All seats measure 20 inches wide when upright, or a total of 26 inches in lie-flat mode with the armrests down.
Unlike with Singapore's long-haul business-class products, all seats on the 787-10 offer large footwells, so you won't need to sleep at an angle.
While the seat might look a bit narrow, 6-foot-7-inch TPG managed to fit just fine.
Singapore plans to take delivery of 49 of these 787-10s, and the carrier has announced two routes so far. The new Dreamliner will launch with regular service to Osaka (KIX) and Perth (PER) in May, though you may see it pop up on staff familiarization flights to Bangkok (BKK) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) before then.
Stay tuned to @thepointsguy's Instagram and Twitter pages, along with TPG's own Instagram and my Instagram and Twitter for a closer look at the airline's brand-new 1-2-1 regional business-class product and our delivery flight to Singapore.
All photos by Zach Honig.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month