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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