Key facts
- Singapore Airlines said the seats' colors, materials and finishes were selected to create a fresh, contemporary ambience.
- The seats feature full-grain leather upholstery, sliding privacy doors and a full-flat bed, the airline said.
- Content creator and former SIA crew member Darshen Kuna asked on Instagram whether the seats were dental chairs.
- Aviation blogger Ben Schlappig compared the design to SIA's budget unit Scoot and Spirit Airlines, Malay Mail reported.
Singapore Airlines said on November 11, 2026, that the colors, materials and finishes of its newly unveiled business class seats were "carefully selected," after the reveal drew criticism from content creators and travel writers, some of whom likened the seats to dental chairs.
The airline unveiled its next-generation long-haul cabin products on November 6, including new first class suites with double beds, redesigned business class seats with sliding doors, and upgraded premium economy and economy cabins. The seats were developed by SIA with seat manufacturer Recaro and design firm Designworks, and much of the reaction focused on their grey-and-yellow palette.
An SIA spokesperson, responding to queries from CNA, said the seats were "designed to enhance comfort, privacy, and functionality, while supporting a more seamless travel experience." The colors, materials and finishes were chosen "to create a fresh, contemporary, and refined ambience, complemented by adjustable in-flight LED lighting throughout the journey," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson cited full-grain leather upholstery, sliding privacy doors, an electronically powered center divider, a full-flat bed and a spacious footwell.
SIA said frequent flyers who attended the launch praised the seats' privacy, spaciousness and comfort, including a larger display screen, charging options, physical seat controls and a companion-bed configuration. The airline said it would "continue to closely monitor feedback and draw on operational insights to refine and enhance elements of the customer experience."
Criticism came from content creator and former SIA cabin crew member Darshen Kuna, a PPS Club member, who said on Instagram: "You all spent more than S$2 billion for the new business class seats to look like what? Dental chairs?" He also took issue with a green accent line on each seat. Malay Mail reported that the S$2 billion figure refers to SIA's overall cabin investment, not the seats alone. Aviation blogger Ben Schlappig, founder of One Mile at a Time, compared the design to SIA's budget subsidiary Scoot and the defunct US carrier Spirit Airlines, and described the finishes as looking "cheap," Malay Mail reported. Aaron Wong, founder of travel website The MileLion, questioned the color scheme and use of plastic while praising the seats' functionality, according to Malay Mail.