S$2b makeover, dental-chair vibes: Singapore Airlines defends new Business Class seats after design backlash

Singapore Airlines’ redesigned Business Class seats have drawn comparisons to dental chairs, with critics taking aim at their grey-and-yellow colour scheme. — Picture courtesy of Singapore Airlines

By Malay Mail

First Published: Wednesday, 11 Nov 2026 11:49 AM MYT

SINGAPORE, Nov 11 — Singapore Airlines (SIA) has given its premium cabins a multibillion-dollar makeover, but some travellers reckon its new Business Class seats look more suited to a dentist’s surgery than a luxury flight.

The airline is defending its controversial grey-and-yellow colour scheme after its next-generation Business Class seats were compared to dental chairs, gaming chairs and even the interiors of budget airlines.

The backlash follows SIA’s November 6 unveiling of a cabin overhaul costing more than S$2 billion (RM6.36 billion), covering all four travel classes.

But while the new Business Class seats boast sliding privacy doors, fully flat beds and premium leather upholstery, it is their clinical-looking aesthetic that has critics reaching for the laughing gas.

Content creator and former SIA cabin crew member Darshen Kuna delivered one of the harshest verdicts on Instagram.

“You all spent more than S$2 billion for the new Business Class seats to look like what? Dental chairs?” he asked.

The figure refers to SIA’s overall cabin investment, rather than the Business Class seats alone.

Kuna, a member of the airline’s PPS Club loyalty programme, was particularly unimpressed by the yellow-green accent on each seat.

“I sit on that new Business Class seat, instantly I will think I’m seeing my dentist, which is not usually a good experience,” he said.

Aviation blogger Ben Schlappig, founder of One Mile at a Time, was equally scathing.

“It looks like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby,” he wrote, comparing the design to SIA’s budget subsidiary and the now-defunct American carrier.

He also described the finishes as looking “cheap”.

Singapore Airlines’ new Business Class seats convert into fully flat beds, offering greater privacy and comfort despite criticism of their controversial colour palette. — Picture courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Aaron Wong, founder of travel website The MileLion, questioned the colour scheme and use of plastic, although he praised the seats’ functionality.

SIA, however, insists there is a method to the makeover.

Responding to Singapore-based media organisation CNA today, the airline said its colours, materials and finishes were carefully chosen to create a contemporary, refined atmosphere.

“The colours, materials, and finishes were carefully selected to create a fresh, contemporary, and refined ambience, complemented by adjustable in-flight LED lighting throughout the journey,” an SIA spokesperson said.

The carrier also highlighted the seats’ enhanced ergonomics, spacious footwells, larger screens and improved charging facilities.

And not everyone thinks the redesign deserves a one-way ticket to the scrapheap.

Singaporean singer-songwriter Tay Kewei praised the privacy doors, while content creator Edo Lio welcomed the improved space and ergonomics, CNA reported.

Former radio DJ Rosalyn Lee also defended the redesign, describing the uproar as excessive.

“But to get so worked up by a colour scheme is just wild,” she said on Instagram.

SIA said it would continue monitoring customer feedback.

The new cabins are scheduled to enter service progressively from the second half of 2027 on retrofitted Airbus A350-900 aircraft and new Boeing 777-9 jets.