Singapore Airlines A380 Suites class: "beyond First" just got cheaper

If you've been thinking of splurging on a flight in Singapore Airlines' ultra-luxurious First Class Suites, it just got a little cheaper.

Singapore Airlines has created a new discounted "fare bracket" for its top-of-the-range private mini-cabins, which means that the deluxe option is now about A$2,400 cheaper for a return flight to London.

Australian Business Traveller asked travel agent and fare insider Mark Trim from Roundabout Travel to explain what new fare brackets mean for you: "Singapore Airlines has released two more fare brackets in Suite class as a way of controlling inventory and being able to sell cheaper fares when demand is weaker."

Fare brackets are shown as a single letter on your ticket, often as "booking class", which shouldn't be confused with the travel class (Economy, Business, First, and so on). 

Mark Trim looked into Suites prices, based on a November Sydney departure.

The existing "R" fare bracket costs A$6346 to Singapore and $15532 to London including taxes.

The new "P" bracket, however, drops to A$5704 to Singapore, and $13932 on to London.

"I’ve never sold a suite class," Trim went on to tell us. "We'd probably sell 150 business class tickets for every one first class ticket. They are rare nowadays because business class is quite good, particularly Singapore's business class, which is probably better on board than Qantas First class."

"First class is all about status (not frequent flyer status, social status) so that puts Suite class in a separate league again," Trim concluded.

The new fares mean that a trip in a Singapore Airlines Suite will cost you A$2,400 less for a roundtrip to London. 

That's about the same as a return in Economy -- but if you're thinking about a First Class return then Economy isn't likely to be your primary point of reference now, is it?

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.