In early November, Singapore Airlines unveiled a cabin overhaul worth more than S$2 billion, a rare moment when an airline's ambitions for comfort were laid before the public all at once. What followed was less about engineering than about colour and material, as travellers who once trusted the calm of a premium cabin found themselves reminded of a dentist's waiting room. The airline stands by its choices as deliberate, while a smaller chorus has praised the privacy and space that the seats actually offer. Whether beauty or function will shape the verdict will only become clear once passengers
Singapore Airlines Defends S$2B Cabin Makeover After Critics Compare Business Seats to Dental Chairs
It looks like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby.
Mark
Why did a colour scheme become the story when the seats have flat beds and privacy doors?
Mimi
Because colour is what people can judge from photos. Nobody can test a sliding door or an ergonomic footwell from a press image, but everyone has an opinion on grey and yellow.
Mark
And the dental chair line came from someone who knows the airline.
Mimi
Darshen Kuna is a former SIA cabin crew member and a PPS Club member, so it stung more than a random post would.
Luke
Worth noting, though, that his S$2 billion jab was a bit misleading. That figure covers all four classes, not just Business seats.
Mark
Fair. What did the critics concede?
Mimi
Aaron Wong of The MileLion questioned the colours and the plastic but praised how the seats function. Others, like Tay Kewei and Edo Lio, liked the privacy doors and space.
Luke
Keep in mind that the critics are bloggers and creators reacting to the unveiling. We have no passenger data, and no one has flown in these seats.
Mark
So how big is the backlash really?
Luke
Unknown. The report cites a handful of named voices, not a survey.
Mimi
SIA says it will keep watching feedback, and the cabins don't enter service until the second half of 2027, so there is time.
Luke
Whether that means changes is not stated. Monitoring isn't a promise to redesign.
Der Puls
- A glossy S$2 billion cabin reveal turned within days into a public mockery of its grey-and-yellow Business Class seats.
- Influential critics like Ben Schlappig and Darshen Kuna compared the design to dental chairs and budget carriers, sparking a sharp online pile-on.
- Singapore Airlines is holding firm, insisting its colours, materials and LED lighting were chosen on purpose for a refined look.
- Defenders praise the sliding privacy doors and flat beds, but the verdict remains open until the first passengers sit in the seats in 2027.
In early November, Singapore Airlines unveiled a cabin overhaul worth more than S$2 billion, a rare moment when an airline's ambitions for comfort were laid before the public all at once. What followed was less about engineering than about colour and material, as travellers who once trusted the calm of a premium cabin found themselves reminded of a dentist's waiting room. The airline stands by its choices as deliberate, while a smaller chorus has praised the privacy and space that the seats actually offer. Whether beauty or function will shape the verdict will only become clear once passengers climb aboard from the second half of 2027.
On November 6, Singapore Airlines revealed a redesign of all four of its cabin classes, a project costing more than S$2 billion. Within days, though, the talk had shifted from engineering to colour. Many travellers said the new Business Class seats, with their grey-and-yellow scheme and yellow-green accents, looked more like a dentist's surgery than a premium cabin.
The loudest early criticism came from Darshen Kuna, a former SIA cabin crew member and PPS Club member, who asked on Instagram whether the airline had spent that sum so its seats would resemble dental chairs. It is worth remembering that the S$2 billion covers the whole cabin programme, not the Business Class seats alone. Aviation blogger Ben Schlappig went further, saying the design looked like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a child and calling the finishes cheap. Aaron Wong of The MileLion questioned the colours and plastic surfaces, though he praised how the seats perform.
SIA told CNA that the colours, materials and finishes were chosen to create a fresh, contemporary and refined atmosphere, supported by adjustable LED lighting, and that it will keep watching customer feedback. Not everyone agrees with the critics. Tay Kewei applauded the privacy doors, Edo Lio welcomed the extra space, and Rosalyn Lee called the uproar excessive.
No one has yet sat in the new seats. The cabins will begin entering service gradually from the second half of 2027 on retrofitted A350-900s and new 777-9s, and whatever happens next will depend on how the airline weighs its critics against the praise for comfort.
On November 6, Singapore Airlines showed the public what more than S$2 billion (about RM6.36 billion) buys: a redesign of all four of its travel classes. Within days, the conversation had little to do with the engineering. It was about the colour of the Business Class seats, which a number of travellers said looked like something from a dentist's surgery.
The new Business Class seat has a grey-and-yellow scheme, with a yellow-green accent on each seat. Its features include sliding privacy doors, a fully flat bed and premium leather upholstery. The airline also points to better ergonomics, roomier footwells, larger screens and improved charging facilities. Adjustable LED lighting runs through the cabin during the flight.
The sharpest early criticism came from Darshen Kuna, a content creator who used to work as SIA cabin crew and is a member of the airline's PPS Club loyalty programme. On Instagram he asked whether the company had spent more than S$2 billion so that the seats would look like dental chairs. He added that sitting in one would make him think he was at the dentist, which he noted is not usually a good experience. One detail is worth keeping straight: the S$2 billion figure covers the whole cabin investment, not the Business Class seats alone.
Aviation blogger Ben Schlappig, who founded One Mile at a Time, was just as blunt. He wrote that the design looked like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby, a reference to SIA's budget subsidiary and the now-defunct American low-cost carrier. He also called the finishes cheap. Aaron Wong, founder of the travel website The MileLion, questioned the colour scheme and the use of plastic, though he praised how the seats work in practice.
SIA, answering the Singapore-based media organisation CNA, said the choices were deliberate. A spokesperson said the colours, materials and finishes were selected to create a fresh, contemporary and refined ambience, complemented by the adjustable LED lighting. The airline said it will keep monitoring customer feedback.
The redesign has defenders too. Singaporean singer-songwriter Tay Kewei praised the privacy doors, and content creator Edo Lio welcomed the added space and improved ergonomics, according to CNA. Former radio DJ Rosalyn Lee called the uproar excessive. Getting so worked up over a colour scheme, she said on Instagram, was just wild.
None of this will be settled soon, because nobody can sit in the seats yet. The new cabins are due to enter service progressively from the second half of 2027, on retrofitted Airbus A350-900 aircraft and new Boeing 777-9 jets. Whether SIA adjusts anything before then will depend on how the feedback it says it is tracking compares with the praise for the seats' function.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The colours, materials, and finishes were carefully selected to create a fresh, contemporary, and refined ambience.— SIA spokesperson, to CNA
You all spent more than S$2 billion for the new Business Class seats to look like what? Dental chairs?— Darshen Kuna, content creator and former SIA cabin crew
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