[Anonymous]

[AMcWhirter]

It’s only been available for a few months and then only on a select number of aircraft and routes.

But Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) first proper premium economy cabin was well received with the seat itself receiving positive feedback and especially from those who sampled the product on its A380.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/asia-pacific/archive/2015/october-2015/tried-and-tested/singapore-airlines-a380-premium-economy-class

But the seat product differs on SIA’s B777-300ERs. Here SIA made the seating an inch narrower.

That’s not a big deal if you’re taking the B777-300ER from Singapore to, say, Hong Kong or Tokyo. But what if you’re flying this aircraft to London or a city in the USA ?

http://www.businesstraveller.com/asia-pacific/news/singapore-airlines-b777-300er-premium-economy

And now with the release of its A350 seating plan, it appears that this slimmer seating will appear on its new A350s and when disposed 2-4-2 then the space looks rather tight (in terms of Y+ standards).

http://www.singaporeair.com/pdf/seatmaps/A350-900-3classes-LongHaul.pdf

These A350s (which have a slightly narrower cabin than the B777s) will be operating long-haul flights. Singapore to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf are scheduled for 2016 and others will follow in due course.

[EU_Flyer]

As a bigger build tall person, premium economy is an attractive long haul option.

The extra legroom is the main reason I choose Y+ but were the seat to be so narrow that my hip presses hard against the arm rest (like in standard economy) I’d wonder whether I was getting value in terms of comfort.

This slimmer variant of SQ’s new Y+ seat runs the risk of this happening to bigger built travelers.

But not that many people are 6’4 and 120kgs!

I wonder whether most will notice the tighter configuration, or actually care. For most business and premium leisure travellers, Y+ is not just about space, but also the additional luggage, exclusivity, enhanced meal (how ‘enhanced’ depending on the airline) and the extra points. The ability to work on a larger than economy sturdy table is less likely to be impacted by a slightly narrower seat than it would if legroom was reduced should the person in front recline.

So looks like SQ may have made a calculated risk that the newer slimmer Y+ seat won’t offend enough of their customers to justify reducing the cabin from 8 to 7 abreast – safeguarding the economics of the product.

That said, as AMcWhirter alludes to above… will I still feel this positive after 12 hours from SIN to LHR?

Maybe not.

[AMcWhirter]

I should point out that the new A350 seating plan will apply only to SIA’s stanard A350s.

The ultra long-haul versions will seat fewer passengers and will operate non-stop from Singapore to the US East and West Coast.

SIA says it hasn’t yet finalised seating arrangements for these special aircraft.

But clearly, if premium economy is installed, one would expect more spacious and comfortable seating fornflights that could take as long as 19 hours.

[Author]

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