Singapore Airline's Newest Plane Is Coming to the U.S. & It's Like a Hotel in the Sky
The reconfigured A380 aircraft just made its US debut with a flight out of JFK.
Singapore Airlines isn't your typical coach fare Southwest experience. No shade to Southwest! We love your free bag policy! There's just simply no comparison to the carrier's double-decker aircraft with first-class suites that feel like the Four Seasons.
Following a two-year pandemic-related pause, Singapore Airlines' reconfigured A380 aircraft just took its first flight from JFK to Changi Airport via Frankfurt, marking its US debut, and the in-air experience is a vacation in its own right, Travel + Leisure reports.
The semi-private first-class cabins feature 50-square feet for each passenger (which, reading as a New Yorker, sounds like a lot), but you can also opt to merge suites with your travel companion for a shared 100-square foot space with a double bed, no less.
The suites boast a wardrobe closet, pajama and slipper sets, Bang & Olufsen noise-canceling headphones, an amenity kit courtesy of French luxury label Lalique, and a 32-inch HD touchscreen TV. There are even tablet controls that let you command the lights and in-flight entertainment from anywhere in the space.
"We took something that's basic, such as a magazine rack, and turned it into a luxury statement. If you look at the stitching on the rack, it was inspired by an Hermès Birkin bag," Vice President of Public Relations James Boyd said, according to the outlet. "Or the cultured stone over the credenza—it's little moments of luxury, of surprise, like when you open a stowage compartment, and it's lined with leather…or there's a cove light that slowly illuminates as you open the door."
Each passenger gets a choice of Dom Pérignon or Krug Champagne plus blackout shades for the impending headache that may or may not ensue. All meals are served on fine linen and china, and there's a three-position bathroom with a vanity, washbasin, and toilet. Personally, I might not get off the plane.