Singapore Airlines was the first to launch enclosed suites in First Class on their Airbus A380 10 years ago – and now is upping the game with even more spacious suites, new Business Class seats and changes to their premium economy and Economy Class on their flagship Airbus A380 planes! Read my review for photos and details of the new cabins!

Singapore Airlines (SQ) is my favorite carrier and they earned their 5-star rating with great premium cabins and outstanding in-flight service. But the competition is tough and the Middle Eastern carriers have made life tough for SQ with the introduction of onboard showers and bars or The Residence, private apartments in the air!

Now, SQ is striking back with an improved first class cabin on their Airbus A380, introducing a permanent bed with a separate, reclining and swiveling chair in a more spacious, enclosed suite. You’ll have plenty of space to work, eat lounge or take a nap in full privacy – or watch a movie on a massive 32inch screen – it also swivels so you can start your movie in your chair and finish it in bed. And if you are traveling as a couple, you can lower the separating wall between two suites to create a double bed and large room:

There will now be only 6 First Suites (instead of 12) and they will move to the upper level, creating a full premium level, similar to Lufthansa and others. And while you don’t get a shower onboard, you do get a much larger bathroom than usual, even with a vanity table:

An The business class cabin also gets new seats. And while they are not as wide as previously, I think they are an improvement over the old grandfather-chairs that didn’t recline much, where uncomfortable to lounge and had to be flipped down to sleep. The new chairs will recline from upright to lounging to fully flat bed and have a privacy shell around the head area. They are still arranged in a 1-2-1 layout for direct aisle access. This is very much in line with what other airlines offer and allows Singapore Airlines to fit more seats into the cabin than before.

An enhancement to the new Business Class is the possibility to turn the two middle seats also into a double bed, a first for SQ, although not as private as Qatar’s new Business Double Suites:

The Premium Economy cabin only gets some minor changes, as it was just recently rolled out. You still get plenty of seat width (19.5in) and pitch (38in) in a spacious 2-4-2 layout. You’ll also get plenty of recline (8in), a large video screen (13.3in) as well as a foot rest, two USB ports, power outlet and noise-cancelling headsets.

The Economy Class. SQ also only sees minor changes with new seats in a 3-4-3 layout, offering 18.5in width and a 6in recline. The seats also have individual 11in video touch screens.

Bottomline: Singapore Airlines is offering a much improved First Class cabin, with a focus on privacy over fancy features like a bar or shower. While the Business Class cabin is a tighter fit on paper, I’m looking forward to trying the new seats and expect them to be an improvement over the old ones. The Premium Eco and Economy cabins soldier on with small changes and overall, SQ managed to squeeze in more seats to compete in a tough market. The new planes will first fly to Australia (read a First class review from a lucky traveler here) and I’m looking forward to trying them out when they hit one of the routes I’ll be flying SQ!