Why Everyone Is Hating On Singapore Airlines' New Business Class

Imagine booking a table at a restaurant that’s just been crowned the best in the world. The chef has been developing the menu since 2018. The wagyu is flawless, the wine list is outrageous, and the service is so good it feels illegal. Then your meal arrives on a paper plate from a two-dollar shop. But don’t worry, it’s got a yellow boarder to pep it up a bit.

In a nutshell, this is Singapore Airlines’ new business class.

It doesn’t take much scrolling to see the internet has made up its mind. The backlash boils down to an off-brand mineral grey and bright yellow palette that’s way out of sync with Singapore Airlines’ iconic brand.

Before you ask: no, there wasn't a mix-up at the factory, and Singapore Airlines didn't accidentally take delivery of a bunch of dentist's chairs. Julia de Bono, CEO of BMW's Designworks studio, the company that Singapore Airlines tasked to create its new business class seats, has been very clear that the grey and yellow theme was deliberate.

“Many cabins are going warm and more traditional right now, but we wanted this business class to stand on its own with its own attitude,” de Bono said, describing the new look as “modern, progressive, and refreshing”.

But while everyone is roasting the paint job, the genuinely good seat underneath is getting lost. It has privacy doors, a new forward-facing staggered layout, adjustable lumbar support, companion beds at selected seats, 4K screens with Bluetooth headphone pairing, plus the hardware itself feels properly premium. Meanwhile, a few rows up, Singapore Airlines launched a first class product so good it should have been the talk of the town.

Instead, everyone is talking about the paper plate with the yellow boarder.

The Colours Get Worse The Longer You Look

For more than a decade, Singapore Airlines business class has lived in warm, rich tones. The current long-haul seat is mostly plum, tobacco brown, and copper, the kind of palette that makes you want to order a second glass of Champagne. The new seat swaps that for mineral grey, charcoal surrounds, and a yellow piping that Designworks has officially named "Cool Yellow". I've seen it described as highlighter, Spirit Airlines yellow, and hi-vis. Nobody has called it cool, as far as I'm aware.

The best explanation came when de Bono sat down with Daniel Goz and Alex Macheras on their podcast, On-Air with Dan and Alex. The grey, she explained, is like a business suit. The crisp white bed linen is the white sneaker, and the yellow is there to “pep it up a bit”.

Then came the obvious question: is there a story behind the yellow, and does it appear anywhere else in the Singapore Airlines world? De Bono looked down at her Singapore Airlines lanyard, pointing to a yellow flower from the batik print, and offered a hopeful “I think so”.

This would be a great answer, if that flower was the same colour. Singapore Airlines’ current yellows, from the batik print to the bird on the tail, are warm, rich golds. The yellow on the new seat is closer to a tennis ball.

Speaking to German site Reisetopia, de Bono explained the yellow accents double as guide lines, leading passengers to the seat's key functions so they don't have to hunt around. Looking at the seat, I have no idea what functions they'd be pointing to.

The bigger problem is where this all sits on the plane. If Singapore Airlines had saved its radical new look for first class, a halo product built to make a statement, it might have made sense. Instead, the new first class from PriestmanGoode is soft blues, warm leather and terracotta, and the new premium economy is a warm grey-blue with orange accents.

I'm just imagining being on a media tour walking out of a warm, classic first class, through what looks like a spaceship, and straight back into traditional Singapore Airlines. It's the middle cabin that's off-brand, and that's what makes it so jarring.

As for Singapore Airlines, it isn't budging. In a statement issued just before the reveal, the airline said: "We do not subscribe to a fixed colour palette across our cabins."

Singapore Airlines’ new first class retains their traditional warm and elegant aesthetic

It's Not Just The Paint

The colours have hogged the spotlight, but they aren't the only thing worth raising.

The seat has also shrunk, at least by Singapore Airlines standards. The new seat is 22 inches wide on the A350 and 24 inches on the 777-9, down from 28 inches on the current long-haul seat.

To be fair, 22 inches is pretty standard in business these days. You’ll find similar widths on Qatar’s Qsuite, Emirates’ new A350, and Qantas’ ageing A330 business class. The difference is that Singapore Airlines' old seat was famously wider than the competition, and that's the bragging right it's giving up.

The bed also isn't quite as straight as advertised. When Immanuel got some time in the seat at its reveal, he rated the padding and premium hardware highly, but noticed something in bed mode. The footwell sits slightly off-centre from the seat. One of the big upgrades over the current seat was meant to be a straight bed, so you're no longer sleeping on an angle. Yet with the footwell slightly offset, that issue isn't entirely resolved.

Then there's the wait. When Singapore Airlines announced the retrofit in November 2024, the first upgraded A350 was due to fly in mid-2026. It's now the second half of 2027. The seats are already certified for the 777-9, but the plane itself isn't. For the A350, Singapore Airlines is awaiting certification of the seat.

Swapping The Paper Plate For Proper China

You know a design has missed the mark when the internet starts fixing it for free. Over the past few days, travellers have been running Singapore Airlines' official photos through AI image tools, recolouring the seat in about 30 seconds.

The comment sections broadly agree the AI results look better than the real thing, an awkward outcome for a seat that's part of a cabin program costing more than $2 billion SGD.

We had a go ourselves and came up with the below, which doesn't look half bad! We've also rounded up a few of our favourites from social media.

Bottom Line

Singapore Airlines' new business class is a better seat than the one it replaces. Doors, a flat bed, a big 4K screen and premium hardware are all genuine upgrades. It's just dressed in colours that look like they belong to a different airline. Specifically, a budget one.

In fairness to Julia de Bono, anyone who's been put on the spot in a live interview knows how easily an answer can come out sideways. I've certainly fumbled my fair share. Ultimately, the colours are an insane call Singapore Airlines signed off on.

The good news is that leather and trim are a lot easier to change than a seat. With the first upgraded A350 not due until the second half of 2027, there's still time to fix the colours, if Singapore Airlines is willing to listen.