Airbus A380: In Business at Last
Designer linens and silverware, private suites if you're willing to pay, legroom complaints from the peanut gallery—is the Singapore debut a success?
by Carol Matlack
It has private suites furnished with Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries and Givenchy linens and tableware. Even in economy class, there are USB ports at every seat and a choice of 100 movies to watch. Is the Airbus A380, as its manufacturer insists, "a whole new way of flying"? Some Singapore Airlines (SIAL.L) passengers are about to find out.
Nearly two years behind schedule, the A380 finally will enter commercial service this month, flying between Singapore and Sydney. The mega-jet, which carries a list price of $320 million but typically sells for less than that, has drawn crowds around the world in recent months, during test flights and visits to air shows. But its interior design was kept top secret until Oct. 15, when Singapore Airlines threw open the doors for visitors after formally taking delivery of the plane from Airbus in Toulouse, France.
Singapore is known for pampering travelers, and there's plenty of luxury on board this jet. The most distinctive feature: a first-class cabin comprising 12 suites concealed behind folding doors. Inside, the suites have either single or double beds—with Givenchy cushions and duvets—and a separate seat and table. "Customers can look forward to a flight with an unprecedented level of personal space, in their very own private cabin in the sky," says Yap Kim Wah, Singapore Airlines' senior vice-president for product and services.
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