Singapore Airlines is counting on the
willingness of well-heeled travelers to pay 20% to 25% more for the
"suites" on its new A380 aircraft than for first class on its 747s,
a fare premium it said it needs to offset the costs of its decision
to use the super-jumbo's size to offer premium travelers more
space, privacy and luxury instead of loading the aircraft with the
maximum number of seats.
Singapore unveiled
the interior of its first A380 Oct. 15 in a ceremony in Toulouse,
France, where Airbus delivered its first A380 after a nearly
two-year delay. The new "suites" were the biggest "wow" factor in
the unveiling -- for their space, level of privacy, separate
mattress and double-bed option -- for an aircraft that makes its
commercial service debut later this month on the airline's
Singapore-Sydney route.
Singapore has
committed to configuring its first 10 A380 aircraft with 12 suites,
60 business class seats and 399 economy seats, for 471 seats in
total.
The A380, according
to Airbus, can seat about 550 in a three-class configuration, but
Singapore opted for more space, privacy and luxury -- the things it
said its research showed its most frequent flyers prefer -- and is
counting on higher fares to make up for the higher unit cost that
it will entail compared to putting something closer to the maximum
number of seats on board.
The 12 suites
replace first class -- a term Singapore has refused to use for a
cabin it markets as a "class beyond first" -- and even has its own
booking code: "R" instead of "P." Each suite offers about 4 feet by
7 feet of space, and can be totally enclosed on 
the sides to offer
near-complete privacy by closing sliding doors and pulling down the
blinds. (It is not quite complete privacy, however, because for
safety reasons the very top and bottom of the blinds have a
mesh-like material that offers a slight amount of visibility inside
for someone who's trying to look).
But the biggest
innovation may be its separate mattress. The leather seat, 35
inches wide when the armrest is folded away) can manually be folded
forward to lie flat so the 78-inch-long, 27-inch-wide, 4-inch think
rectangular memory-foam mattress stored behind it can be pulled
down to lay on top as a separate bed. (A flight attendant can be
called to make the switch). Givenchy-designed duvets and cushions
complete the transition.
There are 12 suites
in the cabin, including two sets of two that are side by side. In
those, the passenger can pull down a full-length divider for
complete separation between the two, but there's also another
option: the lower part of the divider can be retracted to create a
double-bed when both mattresses are pulled down.
Each suite also
includes a 23-inch high resolution widescreen LCD TV mounted on the
wall and an entertainment system -- which already made its debut in
the new business class on Singapore's 777-300 aircraft. The system
features more than 1,000 music, movie, TV, educational programs and
game options. The in-flight entertainment system also includes word
processing, spreadsheet and presentation software and a USB port
for flash drives so customers can use their own portable files on
that software. That is, if they don't want to use the AC power
outlet to plug in their own laptops.
The A380 business
class is not as groundbreaking, essentially matching the new
business class Singapore put on its 777-300s, but the seat is even
a bit wider than those, at 34 inches. The seats recline to a flat
bed, are in a 1-2-1 configuration so everyone has direct aisle
access, and customers get the same entertainment system, USB and
power supply options -- albeit with a 15.4-inch screen.
Singapore is
expecting the business class pricing, relative to its 747 pricing,
to get a premium equal to that it said it has gotten from its new
777 business class: 15% to 20%.
Singapore
executives aren't making any pricing premium predictions for the
economy class, saying only that the level of fares will be
determined by demand. The economy section's 32-inch pitch isn't
breaking new ground, although Singapore said it has created more
knee room with a contoured seat and removal of an in-flight
entertainment system box that was cumbersome, all while adding a
footrest. There are 19 inches between armrests.
Economy class
customers also get the on-demand entertainment system with a
10.6-inch screen, the USB port, and AC power provided for two out
of every three seats.
Singapore,
scheduled to get its second and third A380s early next year, plans
to use those for daily service on its Singapore-London route. The
fourth A380 it is scheduled to receive, in April 2008, is set to be
used for Singapore-Tokyo (Narita).
Its fifth and sixth
A380s are to be used for Singapore-Hong Kong-San Francisco service,
but the airline is not yet sure when it is getting
those.
To
contact reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].