Singapore Airlines boosts new business class to Perth

Just how much comfort do you need on a five hour flight? Even if you're darting between Perth and Singapore on Singapore Airlines, the answer may well be "as much as you can get".

And from October 1 2019 that's going to be rather a lot, with the Star Alliance member switching to all lie-flat beds in business class on its four daily flights between the WA capital and The Red Dot.

That date sees flights SQ224 and SQ225 move from an Airbus A330 with old 'sloping sleeper' business class seats to a Boeing 787-10 sporting Singapore Airlines' latest premium seating.

Singapore Airlines' well-appointed Boeing 787-10 business class seat.

Those well-appointed business class seats offer direct aisle access to every passenger and convert to a wide fully flat bed at the press of a button.

Each of the Boeing 787-10 business class seats converts to a fully-flat bed.

It's a change made doubly welcome by SQ225's red-eye schedule: the flight leaves Singapore just after midnight for a 5am touchdown at Perth.

The return leg is a more civilised affair, taking off at 6.25am to reach Singapore at 11.45am, but nobody will judge if you decide the early morning start warrants a catch-up nap en route.

The staggered layout means some window seats aren't actually next to the window.

The same seat features on Singapore Airlines' other daily Perth-Singapore services: SQ215/SQ216 is also a Boeing 787-10, while SQ213/SQ214 and SQ223/SQ214 are Airbus A350s.

While officially described as a regional business class seat, it's the same design selected by Turkish Airlines for its own Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 jets, which will clock up to 12 hours on routes fanning out from Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines chose the same seat for its long-range Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 jets.

AusBT review: Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10 business class

"We have proudly operated to Perth for the past 52 years and it continues to be an important part of our global network," says Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President Philip Goh, who adds that the new aircraft is a reinforcement of the airlines' commitment to WA and "caters for the growing demand we are seeing for inbound and outbound travel."

Passengers booked into the pointy end of the Boeing 787-10 will want to select the best of those business class seats, which our expert seat guide suggests are

• 11A and 11K, where unused bassinet space creates a 'corner office above the clouds'
• any A or K seat for solo travellers (but if you want to be directly next to the window, choose 12A, 12K, 15A, 15K, 17A, 17K, 19A or 19K)
• couples should book the following pairs of middle seats: 11D and 11F, 14D and 14F, 16D and 16F, 18D and 18F, 20D and 20F
• most flyers will want to avoid 16A and 16K, which have no window (as shown below)

On Singapore Airlines' Boeing 787-10, seats 16A and 16K are business class pews without a view.

Read more: How to choose the best seats in Singapore Airlines' Boeing 787-10 business class

Singapore Airlines is steadily upgrading the rest of its Australian network to fully-flat beds as its older Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 jets are retired.

It will also debut a flat-bed business class in its regional fleet, which currently flies under the SilkAir banner but will be folded back into parent Singapore Airlines from 2020, as new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft roll into the hangars.

Those jets will be fitted with lie-flat Vantage seats from Thompson Aero.

Thompson's Vantage seat will bring flatbed comfort to SQ's regional high flyers.

Most of these will also have direct aisle access, with some in a 'throne' configuration ideal for solo flyers who want a little more personal space in which to work.

SilkAir's new Boeing 737 regional business class will include a handful of 'throne' seats.

The airline's intent is to deliver a consistent 'premium experience' across both international and regional Singapore Airlines flights.

Read more: Singapore Airlines transitions to all-flatbed business class from 2020

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.