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SIA unveils new cabin products

9 Jul 2013

Singapore Airlines has today unveiled new cabin products including first, business and economy class seats, and a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE) system.

The carrier has invested nearly US$150 million in the cross-cabin refresh.

The new design will initially be on eight B777-300ERs and will debut on select flights between Singapore and London Heathrow from September.

It will also be installed on the fleet of A350 aircraft that SIA has on order.


SIA first class

The eight seats in first class are ensconced in a sizeable cabin, each with its own "vanity area".

The fully-flat seat - co-designed by BMW Group Designworks USA and manufactured by Jamco America - is 35-inches wide and, at 82-inches long, two inches longer than the former seat. It also features an "ergonomically sculpted" cushion, an adjustable headrest, a 24-inch LCD TV, video touch-screen handsets, a padded headboard and additional mattress layer.

Passengers receive a Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, as well as a Givenchy sleeper suit and slippers.

A passenger control features a switch that allows you to turn off the IFE with ease, and enables cabin crew to do so without disturbing the guest's rest. There are also HDMI and USB ports located in the leather-lined stowage compartment by the side of the seat.

In addition, there is a water bottle holder accessible in lie-flat position, a large table that is adjustable in height and stowage under the seat for a standard cabin bag.

SIA Business

The latest business class seat offers a recline of 132 degrees, more than the previous seat. There are two more positions to choose from – "Lazy Z" and "Sundeck".

When converted to a fully-flat position (which has to be done by cabin crew manually), it is 28-inches wide, two inches narrower than its A380 business class. When in the bed position the seat stretches to 78-inches in length.

It also features a padded headboard, a flood-lit reading light and a convenient monitor on/off switch. There is also an 18-inch LCD screen and video touch-screen handset, an amenity stowage area on the side console and a laptop stowage area.

And passengers can make use of the all-in-one "business panel" which consists of in-seat power supply, USB port, eXport and HDMi ports.

SIA economy

On the new economy seat, the 32-inch pitch remains but there is an additional inch of leg-room.

The seat itself has a new fabric design, backrest seat cushions with side bolsters and a headrest cushion, an 11.1-inch monitor with a touch-screen graphical user interface and video touch-screen handset.

SIA is also launching a revamped KrisWorld IFE system - based on a Panasonic Avionics hardware platform called eX3 - said to be the world's most advanced.

It will be introduced on eight B777-300ERs by September, with more to follow in the coming months. The carrier's new Airbus A350s, which are being delivered over the next few years, will also be fitted with this new system, and the rest of the fleet - including its A380s - will then gradually be retrofitted with it.

SIA is the launch customer of the eX3 system on the B777-300ER, and the airline will also be the first to offer it on the A350, alongside Panasonic's Global Communications Suite, which offers mobile services and broadband internet from the seat-back monitors or passengers' portable devices.

SIA IFE KrisWorld

The in-flight connectivity functionality currently available on the airline's 21 aircraft is by OnAir. Panasonic will now be the service provider for future deliveries.

The new system, which is across all classes, includes an enlarged LCD screen and video touch-screen handsets. The screens measure 24-inches in first class (versus the current 23), 18-inches in business class (increased from 15.4) and 11.1-inches in economy (compared to the previous 10.6).

The interface also allows passengers to multi-task. While watching a movie on the big monitor, the touchscreen on the handset can be set up to show news headlines or the flight path.

The touchscreen works as a trackpad for navigating the IFE KrisWorld and, at a flick, the handset can pull up a playlist.

The system can also give recommendations based on customer preferences and shows reviews and ratings by fellow passengers. It will likewise reduce the inconvenience of screen freeze for in-flight announcements, often repeated in several languages, with the Notification Centre on the system dashboard offering the information.

For an in-depth feature article on newly released business classes, click here.

singaporeair.com

Reggie Ho

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