Five days after Singapore Airlines unveiled the cabins of its next generation of long-haul travel, the carrier found itself defending a single decision that many travellers could not stomach: the grey-and-yellow palette of its new Business Class seats. The airline holds that the colours were chosen with care, to produce a fresh and refined space lit by changing LED ambience, while its critics, many of them seasoned flyers, judged the result cheap and clinical, likening it to a dentist's chair. Behind the quarrel lies a familiar human tension between how a thing feels to the eye and how well it
SIA Defends New Business Class Seat Colours After Backlash Over 'Dental Chair' Comparisons
S$2 billion spent, and the debate is about grey and yellow
Mark
Why did a colour scheme become such a big story?
Mimi
Because of what's at stake. SIA is spending more than S$2 billion across four cabins, and Darshen Kuna's line about dental chairs landed precisely because of that figure.
Mark
So is the criticism only about looks?
Mimi
Mostly. Even critics like Aaron Wong said the seat works well. Several people who tried it praised the privacy doors and footwell.
Luke
Worth noting that Wong's comfort verdict came from a 10-minute on-ground tour. That's not the same as sleeping on a long-haul flight.
Mark
And SIA's claim that frequent flyers praised the seats?
Luke
That's SIA's own characterisation. The article doesn't name those flyers or give numbers, so treat it as the airline's account.
Mimi
There's also a real counterpoint on substance. Tay Kewei said the seats seem narrower than before, which is a functional comment, not a colour one.
Mark
Did SIA say it would change the colours?
Luke
No. It said it would monitor feedback and refine elements of the customer experience. That's not a commitment to change the palette.
Mimi
Kuna pointed out the cabins aren't installed yet, so there's time. The rollout starts in the second half of 2027.
Luke
Whether that time leads to changes is unknown. Nothing in the reporting says it will.
Der Puls
- A wave of online criticism erupted within days of the Nov 6 unveiling, with creators comparing the Business Class seats to dental chairs and questioning the S$2 billion investment.
- The grey-and-yellow palette has become the lightning rod, with reviewers calling the light grey cheap and the neon yellow foreign to SIA's traditional look.
- Yet praise for sliding privacy doors, a full-flat bed, a roomy footwell and better screens cuts across the outrage, leaving the reaction sharply divided.
- SIA is holding its ground, insisting the palette was carefully selected and promising to monitor feedback and refine customer experience elements before the cabins arrive from the second half of 2027.
Five days after Singapore Airlines unveiled the cabins of its next generation of long-haul travel, the carrier found itself defending a single decision that many travellers could not stomach: the grey-and-yellow palette of its new Business Class seats. The airline holds that the colours were chosen with care, to produce a fresh and refined space lit by changing LED ambience, while its critics, many of them seasoned flyers, judged the result cheap and clinical, likening it to a dentist's chair. Behind the quarrel lies a familiar human tension between how a thing feels to the eye and how well it serves the body in flight, and the answer will not be settled until these cabins are rolled out progressively from the second half of 2027.
On Wednesday, Nov 11, Singapore Airlines told CNA that the colours of its newly revealed Business Class cabin were "carefully selected", just five days after the carrier unveiled the seats. The reaction had been swift and pointed. Several content creators and travel writers compared the grey-and-yellow seats to dental chairs, and the criticism centred almost entirely on how the cabin looked and felt rather than how it worked.
The sharpest words came from Darshen Kuna, a former SIA cabin crew member and PPS Club member, who said on Instagram that it was now hard to stay loyal and asked whether S$2 billion had been spent to produce dental chairs. Others joined in. Ben Schlappig called the finishes "botched", and Max Do said the neon yellow was not part of SIA's palette. Yet not everyone agreed. Several reviewers praised the sliding privacy doors, the comfort, the footwell and the upgrade over the 2013 seat, and one singer and one creator said the reliability and safety record of the airline mattered too.
SIA explained that the seats were developed with Recaro and Designworks, shaped by research involving more than 5,000 travellers, customers, staff and experts. Designworks' Julia de Bono said the yellow accents were meant to feel progressive and fresh, and Mary Kirby described the grey tones as a blank canvas for LED lighting that shifts from boarding through to simulated sunrise. The airline says it will keep listening and refine parts of the experience, with the new cabins arriving progressively from the second half of 2027 on retrofitted A350-900s and the new Boeing 777-9 fleet.
On Wednesday, Nov 11, Singapore Airlines told CNA that the colours of its newly revealed Business Class cabin were "carefully selected", five days after the carrier unveiled the seats and drew a wave of criticism from content creators and travel writers. Several of them had compared the seats to dental chairs.
Most of the reaction centres on the grey-and-yellow palette. The seats were developed by SIA with seat manufacturer Recaro and design firm Designworks. An SIA spokesperson said they were designed to improve comfort, privacy and functionality, and that the colours, materials and finishes were chosen to create a fresh, contemporary and refined ambience, supported by adjustable in-flight LED lighting. The airline pointed to full-grain leather upholstery, sliding privacy doors, an electronically powered centre divider, a full-flat bed and a roomy footwell. It added that frequent flyers at the launch had praised the privacy, space, larger screen, charging options, physical seat controls and companion-bed configuration.
The Nov 6 unveiling covered SIA's next-generation long-haul cabins: First Class suites with double beds, Business Class seats with sliding doors, and upgraded Premium Economy and Economy. SIA is investing more than S$2 billion (US$1.57 billion) across all four classes.
The sharpest words came from Darshen Kuna, a content creator and former SIA cabin crew member. A PPS Club member, he said on Instagram that it was now hard to stay loyal, asked whether S$2 billion had been spent to produce dental chairs, and said the green line on each seat would make him think of his dentist. He welcomed the sliding doors but urged SIA to change the palette, noting the cabins had not yet been rolled out. Aaron Wong of The MileLion said he was still shaking his head at the colour scheme and that the plastic did not feel premium; a reader in his Telegram group compared the seats to Secretlab chairs. Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time said SIA had "botched" the finishes, joking that the result looked like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby, and called the First and Business finishes completely mismatched. Max Do of Max Miles Points said the neon yellow is not part of SIA's palette and the light grey felt cheap.
Not everyone agreed. Wong said he had no complaints about function, calling the seat comfortable for a 10-minute on-ground tour and a fix for many long-standing problems with the current 2013 Business Class seat. Singer-songwriter Tay Kewei, 43, called the privacy doors the best part of the upgrade, though she questioned why the seats are narrower than before even though the footwell has more room. Content creator Edo Lio, 29, said he could see why people were upset, since SIA had strayed from its warmer traditional colours, but praised the privacy, ergonomics and space design and said the brand's reliability and safety record matter too. Former radio DJ Rosalyn Lee, who now organises tours, called the backlash "wild", said the seat was very comfortable with a generous footwell and room for bags, and objected to what she saw as disrespect toward Scoot.
SIA says the designs draw on research involving more than 5,000 frequent travellers, customers, staff and industry experts. Designworks CEO Julia de Bono said in an Instagram video that the airline wanted something more progressive and refreshing, and that the yellow accents add to that freshness, though she noted the colour is not much seen in this way. Mary Kirby of Runway Girl Network wrote that the grey tones act as a blank canvas for cabin LED lighting, changing through boarding, meals, sleep, landing and simulated sunrises and sunsets. First Class was designed by PriestmanGoode, and Premium Economy and Economy by Factorydesign; Collins Aerospace manufactured those three cabins with SIA.
SIA says it appreciates the feedback and will keep monitoring it, drawing on operational insights to refine elements of the customer experience. The new cabins arrive progressively from the second half of 2027, on 41 retrofitted Airbus A350-900 long-haul and ultra-long-range aircraft and on the new Boeing 777-9 fleet.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The colours, materials, and finishes were carefully selected to create a fresh, contemporary, and refined ambience.— SIA spokesperson
Getting so worked up by a colour scheme is just wild.— Rosalyn Lee, former radio DJ and tour organiser
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