Singapore Airlines is well known by avid travelers for offering a great product. Did you know that the airline will be developing a new first-class offering in advance of receiving its new Boeing 777-9 aircraft? The aircraft are due for delivery in 2022 - pushed back a year later than originally planned.
'The next quantum leap of service and product'
According to the Straits Times, the new first-class offering was in the conceptualization stage roughly a year and a half ago. At the time, the airline's CEO was talking big and raising expectations:
“We believe when we launch it, we will set an industry standard...[Singapore Airlines will] be going out to our consumers and customers to get better ideas about what it is they really want in the next quantum leap of service and product.” -Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines
The new cabin is part of the airline’s strategy to lure customers away from the competition. With the offer of new seats and features, among other service and product enhancements, the airline is hoping travelers take notice.
Singapore Airlines recently launched new cabin products for the Airbus A380 including a First Class Double Suite which includes a 'luxurious' double bed. Furthermore, these suites offer a sliding door for privacy as well as window blinds that 'close at the tap of a button'.
A late delivery
Singapore Airlines has a firm order for 20 of the Boeing 777-9s with options for another six. Originally due in 2021, the delivery date has now been pushed back to 2022.
Most new commercial aircraft programs finish later than anticipated and the 777X program looks to be par for the course. In fact, the 787 was three years late while the A380 and A350 were both over a year late. The Mitsubishi SpaceJet is an outrageous eight years delayed with the possibility of further delays.
In September, Boeing hit a snag as a 777X fuselage failed during structural testing. Thankfully, it seems Boeing has made it past that hurdle as it has recently hit a key milestone, successfully completing its initial test flights.
The Boeing 777-9 will replace Singapore Airlines' 777-300ER planes, which are mostly 10-18 years old.
Conclusion
After looking at what the most recent Singapore Airlines A380 First Class suite looks like, it's hard to imagine an experience that will be even more impressive. So far, many of the world's 'premium airlines' have ordered the latest 777 variant. These include Emirates, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways. In fact, we already have an idea of what business class will look like for Lufthansa.
What kind of features do you think this new 777-9 First Class cabin will offer? Let us know in the comments!
We reached out to Singapore Airlines with a request for comment. However, no response was received at the time of publishing this article.