Singapore Airlines all Business Class on nonstop L.A. and New York Flights

Singapore Airline’s business class seats each measure 76 centimetres wide and can be converted into a fully flat bed.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will offer an all-business class seating on its non-stop flights to Los Angeles and New York starting in mid-May, the carrier said Tuesday.

The decision to remove economy seats and offer only business class is aimed at catering to strong demand from its premium travellers, said SIA, one of the world’s most profitable carriers.

Under the new configuration, SIA will replace the existing two-class, 181-seat arrangement on its five Airbus A340-500 long range planes with 100 business class seats for the direct flights between Singapore and the two US cities.

"The peak demand for the non-stop flights is from our business class customers, and this change will expand business class capacity from 64 to 100 seats on each flight," said Huang Cheng Eng, executive vice president for marketing and regions.

SIA said the business class seats, each measuring 76 centimetres wide, can be converted into a fully flat bed.

The business class seats are the same design as those fitted on the Airbus A380, the world’s biggest passenger plane. SIA is the first airline worldwide to fly the A380.

SIA charges 11,000 Singapore dollars, including taxes, for a two-way business class ticket to Los Angeles and 12,100 dollars to New York, according to travel agents.

A return economy ticket for Los Angeles is priced at $2710 and for New York at $2920 dollars, they said.