Singapore Airlines began flying the new Airbus A350-900 to much fanfare in 2016. The wide-body aircraft now operates to two cities in Australia – Melbourne and Brisbane – and many other destinations across Asia, Europe, the United States & South Africa.
One AFF member recently flew on the Airbus A350-900 from Singapore to Johannesburg. Unfortunately, they were not too impressed with the Singapore Airlines A350 Business class product.
Business class is configured with 1-2-1 seating, so every passenger receives direct aisle access. And the seats convert to lie-flat beds, so they’re not the angle-flat or recliner seats you’ll find on some airlines. But it seems the Singapore Airlines A350 Business seat has two key shortcomings.
After flying SQ to and from Joburg this week on the A350, we all found the bed very hard and difficult to sleep on. I chose row 11 so we had more foot space but still found it way too hard to sleep on. I hope SQ look at a more substantial mattress in the future. I am surprised that they have gone with this setup on a new aircraft, basically the back of the seat becomes the bed with no padding at all and a very thin mat covers it that is already there when pulled over. I will make sure I dont fly long haul on this again.
The Business class seats are designed such that a foot well is located beside the seat of the passenger in front. Some people find this foot well a little narrow. In this case, our member picked seats in the front row to avoid this problem. But they still found the seat too hard for sleeping on.
At least one other AFF member agrees…
SQ’s A350 seat hasn’t won many accolades from Western folk – many posts similar to yours and more… hard, not enough legroom in the seated position, tight cubby for the feet. Best avoided.
However, another member found the seat to be comfortable. This member suggests that the firmer bed may be better suited to the preferences of Asian travellers.
Actually we were fine with it. One thing though is that all my relatives (Asians) prefer hard bed, including the ones in hotels. They find most of the beds in western hotels way too soft.
If you’re flying Singapore Airlines between Singapore and Melbourne, our recommendation is to book a flight on the Boeing 777-300ER or Airbus A380 if possible. These aircraft have better Business class seats than the Airbus A350, Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A330. Between Brisbane and Singapore, though, the choice is less clear-cut. All flights to Brisbane are operated by A350s and Boeing 777-200s. The A350 still has arguably a better Business class seat as it is lie-flat and more private.
Despite some seating woes on the A350, Singapore Airlines is renowned for quality service and its in-flight dining. The soft product on Singapore Airlines flights – regardless of aircraft type – is consistently excellent.
Have you flown in Singapore Airlines A350 Business class? Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Disappointed with SQ A350 Business bed
(P.S. If you have a Singapore Airlines question or story, don’t forget about our Singapore Airlines Tips, Trips and Tales thread!)
