One of the world's best airlines is adding a flyer-favorite feature to its business class as premium competition heats up

04.11.2024 - 20:29 / insider.com / Choon Phong

Singapore Airlines plans to spend more than $800 million to retrofit its long-haul planes as customers demand more luxury at 35,000 feet.

The carrier, which is regularly ranked among the world's best airlines, on Monday unveiled plans to retrofit 41 Airbus A350 aircraft. The first of 34 A350-900s and the first of seven A350-900ULRs will launch in the second quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, respectively.

The overhaul will include new business and first-class seats designed "from the ground up," and "refreshed" economy and premium economy cabins, the company said.

The new seats will also be featured on Singapore's highly anticipated Boeing 777X, which won't enter service until at least 2026 amid ongoing production delays.

Singapore gave few specific details about the upgraded cabins, but one thing is clear: the airline is finally adding a sliding door to business class.

The privacy door, a flyer favorite , is an increasingly popular perk in business class .

The feature is absent from Singapore's current business seat, but the bougie new feature could help the carrier level up its business cabin in the ultra-competitive market — especially after it came second to Qatar for the world's best business class in 2024.

Airlines worldwide are jumping on the high-demand trend. In recent years, Air India, American Airlines, British Airways, Korean Air, and Turkish Airlines, for example, have all announced new door-equipped business-class cabins to keep up with the competition.

"Over the past six years, we have extensively engaged customers and stakeholders in the design of our next-generation long-haul cabin products, anticipating their evolving preferences and expectations down to the finest details," Singapore CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a press release.

The addition of first-class on Singapore's A350-900ULR planes is a significant change. The jet's existing layout only offers business and premium economy and is used for ultra-long-haul flying, including on the world's longest route between New York City and Singapore.

According to the airline's vague rendering, the new first-class appears to stretch across at least three windows and maintain a spacious pod-like design with doors.

Singapore already boasts first-class on its Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A380 double-deckers. The latter hosts the world's best first-class, known as Suites. The posh hotel-like cabin includes a separate bed and chair, and two pods can combine into a two-person suite with a double bed.

The Suites are not cheap, costing between $16,000 and $24,000 round trip, according to December ticket prices between London and Singapore. The A380s do not fly to the US, but Singapore's retrofitted A350 jets mean first-class will