Reviews of new A380 Business Class

[djsflynn]

Thought it might be good to have a thread dedicated to reviews of SQ's new A380 business class & first class, for easy reference as first reviews start to come online.

Will kick it off with this review of mine from the SYD-SIN inaugural:
https://www.ausbt.com.au/review-sing...ss-class-seats

[yflyer]

Thanks for the review, djsflynn! A very good read, and ultra-detailed compared to other reviews, and a very balanced perspective as well.

I would have expected SQ to have picked up the accidental call button press issue during testing. Maybe they need to get more people to test their products before launch...(I would happily volunteer!)...

[SporeAir]

Really helpful review djsflynn!

Could you or anyone chip in on the new R as well?
Saw the youtube, and am wondering if you are a solo traveller which would be the best seat? Leaning row 3 since i'm not sure how thin the bed divider is between row 1/2 - that i might bump my knees or vv.
Another concern about last row in current R is the proximity to galley. Poorly placed and loud noise from galley. Hopefully improved on new R.

[djsflynn]

I would have expected SQ to have picked up the accidental call button press issue during testing. Maybe they need to get more people to test their products before launch...(I would happily volunteer!)...

It's always tough because you can test things up the ying-yang and still miss 'basic' stuff. I suspect that either nobody noticed the elbow-brushing-against-the-panel in the mockup, the panel wasn't in the mix until the final mockups or the very positive degree of contact needed to active the buttons was considered as sufficient to dismiss any concerns.

Either way, it was clear from the flight that this was happening throughout the business class cabin (the chap in front of me mentioned it to me when he found out who I was, and I heard the passengers next to me and behind me also begging off the accidental touch of the call button) and the crew confirmed that a lot of business class passengers found the same thing.

[djsflynn]

Here's another AusBT piece on first class, from the delivery flight:
https://www.ausbt.com.au/first-revie...st-class-suite

[krispykreme]

I flew on SQ221 on 12/20.

I hated the new J seats. I sat in 19A.

Here are the issues-
1. The under monitor storage is not tall enough. Hence anything bigger than Rimowa salsa Air won’t fit.
2. The over head bin was also reduced in size. Guess what- anything thicker than rimowa salsa Air won’t fit.
3. The cushion itself it hard. Making it hard to sit and sleep on. The bedding helps. But not what I called a decent sleeping bed.
4. In the front business cabin, 3 of the seats malfunctioned on the flight (include my wife). The seat has to be manually pulled out to become a bed.
5. In just it’s 5th commercial flight, the touch button for the seat control is already glitching. Sometime it’s really responsive and sometime it’s not. I really don’t know how long the seat control in my seats would survive.

The new restroom felt smaller and cheap.

Overall- the new J is a significant downgrade vs the A359. I got much better sleep on the arrival flight on A359 to sin. This is just downgrade. Now I would take BR over SQ if this is the new business class norm.

[SporeAir]

You can actually see into the galley when both the suite door and galley curtain are opened. It's a direct line of sight from the bed. This applies to 3A as well.

I will recommend choosing row 1 or 2.

The suite itself is amazing. I'm enjoying the space. The armchair is very comfortable. The bed is firm and perfect for me as I like it that way. They have both soft and firm pillows for you to choose.

Thanks KFly!

Row 1/2 it is. A fan of a firm bed.

[worldrally]

Interesting thing I found out recently. I was served by the same crew in J class SQ 232 on 2 different occasions, 10 days apart. Told her that I'm a very lucky pax to be served by her again

She then told me there are 3-4 sets of crew manning the new A380 for about a month. After which, SQ will mix in new crew for them to be guided onboard by these experienced ones. About 400 crew applied to be the pioneer batch for the new A380.

The 2 flights were wonderful, made so by the superb crew. The hard product was a hit and miss for me. i like the new personal space layout, the dining table and more seat angle options for relaxing purposes, less so the narrower aisle and seat (I find the A350 seat size perfect) and obstructed window view due to the new seat shell design.

Thank you everyone for sharing their wisdom on this board and wishing all a blessed 2018!