Review of Singapore Airlines flight Toulouse → Singapore in Business

Hello Flight-Report Community,

In 2007, Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the Airbus A380 and, despite mixed commercial success, the A380 quickly became the most recognizable and most desirable commercial aircraft among the flying public. Ten years later, the Singaporean carrier has confirmed its commitment to the Superjumbo by investing 850 million USD for research, design, development and installation of new cabins on its entire A380 fleet.

Singapore Airlines currently have a fleet of 19 A380s. The older five aircraft are gradually leaving the fleet to be replaced by five newly built A380s, the first of which was delivered in December 2017. It was aboard this special delivery flight of the first of the new generation of Singapore whale jets that Flight-Report was able to discover the brand-new flagship product.

We invite you to join us for this special flight experience.

1. Toulouse (TLS) – Singapore (SIN) | A380-800 | Business Class

The Delivery Ceremony

In December, the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse, France is in the spirit of the season, decorated with several Christmas trees.



The check-in for the delivery flight takes place that morning; about 70 people will be on board, all in Business class.



The face of the company, the famous Singapore Girls are present to welcome guests to the delivery ceremony.



An impressive presentation with visual and light effects



Video on a huge screen



And the traditional group photo with exchange of gifts



Then comes the unveiling of the star du jour



Some members of the crew pose proudly in front of the new bird.



Prior to departure, there is a superb cocktail reception with some high-end dishes and wines—the European aircraft manufacturer has gone all out!



Bollinger champagne



2010 Bordeaux Château la Louvière and 2015 Louis-Jadot Chablis



After the festivities, it is time to board the beast.

Boarding

One of the jetways is connected to the upper deck for easy access to the Business class cabin.



A very enthusiastic welcome aboard by the delivery flight crew!



The common areas are nicely decorated with tasteful light fixtures.



There are 78 seats in the re-designed Business class cabin.



The new Business class seat was conceived by U.K. firm JPA Design and constructed by Japanese aircraft seat manufacturer JAMCO.



Business class is in a 1-2-1 configuration, like the previous version, to ensure direct aisle-access for all passengers.



The new seat is 25 inches wide (63.5 cm)



The large side console is well designed with easy access to seat controls, IFE remote, and more.



New larger pillow



Headphone jack and USB port for charging electronic devices.



Mirror with built-in light.



One of two individual reading lights (one on each side of the seat).



Airbus and Singapore Airlines have optimized the available space in the cabin by removing the side bins typically seen on the upper deck of A380s. This move allows for more room for the seat and for storage space directly integrated into the seat.



AC outlet and NFC sensor (not currently used by the airline).



Seat control panel, light, and call button, which will prove a little too sensitive later in the flight.



Mini folding armrest, a very good idea



The new Business class seat is super comfortable, thanks in large part to these two side wings that offer great lumbar support.



The seat is upholstered with Poltrona Frau leather



The IFE screen is large at 18 inches (46 cm). The high-definition touch screen cannot be rotated.



Remote control



One nice new feature of the IFE is the "my Kris World" system that allows you to personalize your entertainment experience by creating bookmarks on a previous flight (in order to resume reading), get recommendations based on your past readings, and get exclusive programs for Kris World members.

Singapore Airlines is the first airline to offer a personalized entertainment experience; however this only applies to KrisFlyer members as it is tied to your membership number. If you are crediting the flight to another frequent flyer program, this feature will not be available.



Rather large tray table.



Welcome drinks are offered during boarding.

Note that as this is a delivery flight, all service items, including glasses (disposable), and catering is provided by Airbus and is therefore not representative of a commercial flight on Singapore Airlines.



Convenient drink holder.



Hot towel service during boarding.



And we’re ready for departure.



The new safety video is played, followed by a video introducing the new seats.



Short taxi and take-off



The airshow is beautiful and modern with a good representation of the A380



Airshow flight deck view option



This Airbus A380, is the first in the world to offer high-speed WiFi provided by Inmarsat GX Aviation broadband technology and offered by SITAONAIR.

On this flight, the WiFi was free and worked perfectly.



There are two Business class cabins occupying the entire upper deck from the doors U1R/L



The seat shell is made of carbon fiber.



Let’s go down to the main deck and check out the 343 seat economy cabin.

Economy Class

Seats in the Economy cabin are also a new design developed by RECARO.



The new seats feature large 11.1 inch (28 cm) IFE screens.



Good recline and adjustable headrests with 6 different positions.



Remote controls have been removed with improved touch-screen functionality.



Numerous connectivity options, call button and reading light control. The location of the headphone jack on the seatback isn’t great, however, as you automatically have to unplug to let seat neighbors out.



There are 2 power outlets per block of 3 seats.



Each seat in Economy also features a footrest.



The tray table conveniently folds in two…



…and even has a built-in mirror !



Moving up the main deck, we arrive in the Premium Economy cabin. In this new configuration, the Premium Economy cabin is located between doors 1 and 2, a space previously occupied by the First class Suites.

Premium Economy

Unlike the Business class and Economy class cabins we’ve seen, the seats in Premium Economy are not a new design. These are the same seats designed by JPA and manufactured by ZIM that were introduced a few years ago.



The IFE screens in the Premium Economy cabin are more than 2 inches larger than in Economy at 13.3 in (34cm).



Decent recline.



Unlike the Economy class IFE, the remote control has not been dropped.



USB ports and headphone jacks are located at the ends of the central armrests.



Lots of storage



Of course, we’ve saved the best for last… let’s head back upstairs!

Suites

Welcome aboard the new Singapore Airlines Suites cabin!

There are just 6 spacious Suites located at the front of the upper deck in a 1-1 configuration.



Four of the six Suites can be converted into a double Suite. The fabulous new Suites were conceived by Pierrejean Design and manufactured by Zodiac Seats UK.



The bedding, amenity kit, and pajamas are all by French luxury brand Lalique.



A side console offers plenty of storage. The we find the high-quality Bose headset and the wireless control tablet for the Suite



The IFE system can be controlled from this tablet.



There are also buttons directly on the console itself.



The soft lighting makes for a relaxing environment.



Under the armrest, is yet another remote control and the control panel for the seat and buttons for adjusting the large IFE screen’s position.



The high definition screen is 32 inches (81 cm).



The new Singapore Airlines Suite features a separate bed, rather than a convertible seat.



The individual bed can be adjusted to raise the head.



Though Singapore Airlines has not installed showers in Suites class, the two lavatories are very large, one of which is even equipped with a vanity, seating area, and ample counter space.



Now that we’ve had a good look around this new bird….



…it’s time to enjoy the service on board, which begins with an apéritif and amuse-bouches.



A toast to Singapore Airlines’ new A380!



The sun begins to set as the dinner service begins.

Dinner Service

The rather full trays provided by Airbus include the appetizer, a salad, cheese course, and dessert.



Warm breads are on offer as well.



Lobster for the appetizer.



Seasonal salad.



For the main course, there were three options, including salmon.



Cheese course: Comté, goat cheese, and camembert.



For dessert, it’s chocolate cake with a custard sauce.

In-Flight Entertainment System

The new Singapore A380 features Panasonic’s modern eX3 IFE system.



Singapore Airlines branded noise-cancelling headphones are available at every seat in Business class.



The A380 has the latest version of Singapore’s Kris World interface.



A lot of information is available on the system aside from flight information.



A wide selection of movies



And TV programming,



As well as music,



News and reading materials,



And games.



Perhaps the biggest improvement with the new Business class seat is that the seat no longer needs to be flipped forward to be converted into bed mode. The seat reclines into the full-flat position and has many intermediate relaxation modes, including one called "sun deck".



For couples, there are three pairs of center seats that can be converted into a double bed.



For all the other seats, the seats are angled to the side in bed position.


Singapore Airlines offers mattresses for additional comfort in Business class.



Somewhere over the Caspian Seat, it’s time for bed.



The Business class lavatories are a decent size with nice finishes.



Fresh Orchids add a touch of Southeast Asian class.



Several products are available for use.



Toothbrushes and shaving kits are provided in Business class passengers, which is nice since Singapore does not offer amenity kits in Business.



Throughout the flight, a nice selection of snacks and drinks are available in the aircrafts galleys.



View of the huge A380 wing in the morning light.



As the cabin awakens, the cabin crew begin breakfast service.

Breakfast Service

The Airbus-provided breakfast is distributed in one tray.



Fruit salad



Scrambled eggs and rösti potatoes make up the hot dish.



Less than 15 minutes to landing



We fly over the cargo-ship filled bay on landing



Welcome to Changi! Perhaps the best airport in the world.



Taxiing to Terminal 3



Thanks! Indeed we did



A few more shots of the new A380 on deplaning.



An arrival ceremony awaits, celebrating the new aircraft, and especially its cutting-edge new Premium cabins.

Video

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The new Singapore Airlines Airbus A380s are configured with 6 new Suites, 78 new Business Class seats, 44 Premium Economy seats and 343 Economy Class seats.

Singapore Airlines’ Superjumbos currently serve Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Shanghai, Sydney, Auckland, and Zurich.

The new Airbus A380 is currently deployed on flights SQ221 and SQ232 between Singapore and Sydney and from 17th February on flights SQ305 and SQ322 between Singapore and London Heathrow (3x weekly), and from 18th February on flights SQ863 and SQ860 between Singapore and Hong Kong (4x weekly).

Trip taken by Flavien for Flight-Report.com as a guest of Singapore Airlines and Airbus.