Singapore Announces First Route with New First Class Suites

I’ve been watching the new Singapore Suites developments over the past year like a hawk. I was originally worried we wouldn’t see them this year when Singapore failed to reveal anything about them before the end of Q2 (as they had said they would) but in September they stated that they would reveal the new suites on November 2, 2017.

Another important detail has emerged regarding the suites and we now know what route will be the first to be serviced by the new A380 that will have the new first class suites (and other new cabins in business class, premium economy, and economy). The route will be SQ 231/232 that serves Singapore (SIN) and Sydney (SYD) beginning December 18, 2017.

The announcement came via Singapore Airlines:

The first of the A380s with the new products will operate daily from 18 December as flight SQ221, departing Singapore at 2040hrs and arriving into Sydney at 0740hrs the following day. It will return as flight SQ232, departing Sydney at 1215hrs and arriving into Singapore at 1735hrs. Additional destinations for the new products will be revealed in the coming months.

There were signs pointing to this flight being the “chosen route” over the past few months and so for those of us who have followed things closely, this is not a surprise whatsoever. I’m not sure when the second route will be announced or when service will begin but it’s been speculated that the second route will serve London (LHR).

We won’t know exactly what these new suites and business class cabins will look like or what they will feature until November 2, which thankfully is now only one week away. However, we do have some ideas on what to expect.

• The first class suites will be moved from the lower deck to the upper deck of the A380 making the entire upper deck full of only business class and first class
• There will only be six or eight suites in first class (down from 12) but the suites will be bigger
• There’s a possibility of one oversized suite (like the Etihad Residence)
• There will not be a shower
• We’re not sure about a bar or lounge
• Some expect the flights to be in operation as early as the turn of the new year in 2018, though it could take longer.
• There will also be a new business class, premium economy, and economy and those will eventually be retrofitted to other A380s.

We did recently see some conceptual renderings from whom we believe is the designer of the new suites but nothing has been verified so far. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cabin looked similar to those illustrations, but I still don’t think those are the actual renderings for the cabins. I’m expecting some truly elegant, industry-leading suites and hopefully a complete overhaul on the business class seats that provide better leg room for all passengers (and not just the bulkhead seats). I also really hope to see some type of bar or lounge on board.

If you want to book these new cabins you need to get on it ASAP. Saver availability for the first class suites is going to be near impossible to find but Standard Awards at 150,000 will be much easier to find. It’s possible that the redemption price could shoot up (like what happened when Suites were first announced) so you might want to book now and ask questions later.

H/T: OMAAT