Singapore Airlines began operating the world’s first Airbus A380 nearly 14 years ago, setting a new benchmark for luxury travel.
Singapore Airlines original Airbus A380 first class suite.
High flyers are luxuriously accommodated in private suites with sliding doors, while the adjoining middle suite opens to create a double bed.
Singapore Airlines original Airbus A380 first class suite.
But competitors soon followed suit with their own private suites, led by Gulf heavyweights Emirates and Etihad Airways. So when the time came for the second generation of Singapore Airlines’ superjumbo suites to take shape, Star Alliance members knew it. I had to reach for the sky.
Etihad Airways has raised the bar with the A380 Apartment Suite.
The project was codenamed “Skyroom,” and the key was to transform a crowded suite into an actual room with a separate recliner and bed, and a little extra space to move around.
Singapore Airlines tapped renowned French designer Jacques Pierrejean to develop the Skyroom from a mere concept into a cozy haven for the wealthy.
“Our concept was the idea that a passenger staying in a (luxury) hotel would find this type of hotel room with different functions during the day and night on the flight,” Pierrejean said. executive traveler At the global media launch of Singapore Airlines’ new A380 Suite in November 2017.
Jacques Pierrejean has reimagined the A380’s first class suite to more closely resemble a hotel suite.
“This way, just like in a hotel room, you can live on board to rest, sleep, or work whenever you want, without being disturbed by the general cabin lighting of the plane or your neighbors. can do.”
Pierrejean is renowned for designing interiors for luxury yachts and private and commercial aircraft, and infuses its unique influences into a series of treatments aimed at stimulating the imagination, giving Singapore Airlines three walls of the original suite. and encouraged us to think beyond one sliding door.
It started by envisioning the upper deck of the Airbus A380 (where the new super-sized suite will be relocated from the nose of the main deck) as a lobby-style entrance and a standing bar serving drinks and snacks.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
It is gently illuminated with LED lighting, creating a delicate Singaporean feel with oriental orchards, and features an elegant woodgrain finish in place of aluminum panels.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
Luxurious curtains open onto the first class cabin, which in Pierre-Jean’s vision included a private dining room.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
It was all part of Pierrejean’s attempt to remake commercial first class flying into something more like a private jet experience, but again, it wasn’t what he believed it would be. actually Take flight, but challenge traditional notions of first class.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
As the Skyroom project progressed, the concept became more concrete and Pierrejean focused on turning each suite into its own room, bringing his work closer to what Singapore Airlines ultimately announced. .
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
Although not far from the finished product, Pierrejean’s style is more modern, and some might think it would look right at home in the first class cabin of a high-speed train across Europe.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
For comparison, here is an actual Singapore Airlines A380 first class suite in the same chair + bed mode.
Singapore Airlines’ second generation Airbus A380 suite.
And here Pierrejean created a “double suite” similar to what Singapore Airlines later did by combining two first class suites to create a double room with a double bed.
Concept image of Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 First Class.
“Twin Suite” on Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380.
The room-like A380 suite was also twice the size of its predecessor, Pierrejean said. executive traveler Singapore Airlines initially resisted the redesign, which would reduce the number of suites on the original A380 from a dozen to just six.
The larger the suite, the fewer the number of suites. This is Singapore Airlines’ latest Airbus A380 first class cabin layout.
“We wanted to find a way to create more space for passengers, and to do that we had to reduce the number of suites,” Pierrejean recalls.
“It took another story to convince the airlines to reduce these passenger capacities. But in the end, they were receptive to doing it and to doing this new concept. Ta.”
Also read: These early Airbus A380 first class concepts were flights of fancy
