Singapore Airlines Launches The Most Deluxe Airplane To New York

Singapore Airlines has brought its most expensive aircraft to New York, which is a first for the airline. The airline’s redesigned Airbus A380, which it started operating on Monday for its JFK-Frankfurt-Singapore route, is distinguished by six ultra-spacious first-class suites, each of which has separate reclining chairs and beds as well as a sliding door for privacy.

Aside from that, travelers going together may book nearby rooms and combine them, thereby turning their single bed into a shared twin. Among the other premium amenities in the first-class suites are a wardrobe closet, a handbag storage compartment, a 32-inch entertainment screen, and automated window blinds that may be closed in a blackout mode or closed in an intermediate setting that allows some light to pass through.

The design of the suites, according to Singapore Airlines spokesperson James Boyd, was built to gradually unveil itself over the length of the journey, which he demonstrated during a tour of the aircraft when it arrived at JFK on Monday.

“We can take something as simple as a magazine rack and transform it into something that exudes richness and sophistication. If you take a close look at the stitching on the magazine rack, you will see that it was really inspired by a Hermes Berkin bag, for instance “Boyd shared his thoughts. “For example, making a cultured stone to be placed on top of the credenza — these are little moments of luxury and surprise that add up over time. Imagine opening a storage compartment and finding it lined with leather and quilted, or discovering a cove light within that gradually brightens as you open the door and gradually dims as you close it.”

Singapore Airlines, which now has a fleet of 12 Airbus A380s, was the first airline to fly this exact configuration in 2017, although not in the United States. Beyond the six suites, the aircraft is outfitted with 78 lie-flat business-class seats, 44 premium economy seats, and 343 economy seats, among other features.

The airline took advantage of the pandemic downtime to refit more A380 aircraft with the new arrangement, according to the company. From November, when the service was reinstated after a 20-month break due to the Covid-19 virus, Singapore Airlines has been operating an Airbus A350 or a Boeing 777 on the route from JFK to Frankfurt to Singapore until Sunday.

Previously, the airline offered 12 first-class seats on its A380 aircraft that flew from New York to Frankfurt and Singapore before the pandemic. The new first-class suites, which measure 50 square feet and can be combined to create a 100 square foot space, are more than double the size of the 12 first-class seats on the A380 that flew from New York to Frankfurt and Singapore before the pandemic. One-way tickets range in price from $8,000 to $12,000 depending on the route.

In addition to operating a bigger aircraft on its JFK-Frankfurt-Singapore route, the airline began operating a new daily nonstop trip to Singapore from Newark on Monday, effective immediately. In combination with Singapore Airlines’ daily nonstop Airbus A350 service from John F. Kennedy International Airport, the carrier is currently operating at levels much in excess of its pre-pandemic capacity from the New York region.