Singapore Airlines takes out Best First Class for 2021

by Christine Forbes Smith
529
July 20, 2021
Airbus
The A350-900ULR. Image: Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines is once again a big winner in the annual AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards, taking out Best First Class Airline award as well as being ranked 3rd in the rating agency’s Top Twenty.

AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only airline safety, product, and COVID rating website, promotes excellence and innovation in the airline industry and the pinnacle of these efforts is its annual Airline Excellence Awards.

There is little surprise that Singapore Airlines has won Best First Class Airline because it has always been a first-class airline.

AirlineRatings.com names its Top Twenty

AirlineRatings.com names its Top Ten Low-Cost Airlines

Features of the Best First Class Airline for 2021

The airline has pioneered many innovations for all cabin classes but its First Class is a clear standout.

And now it has taken that product to a new level with its new “Skyroom” Suites on the A380. And Singapore Airlines is one of only a handful of airlines that will retain the A380 on major routes when the pandemic is over.

The Skyroom is truly spectacular and each suite covers between 3.23 and 4 square meters of floor space with two-piece sliding doors operated manually, as opposed to electrically with other carriers, a source for prolonged malfunctions.

AirlineRatings European Editor Andreas Spaeth notes there is a similarity to the Flying Oval Office on board Air Force One because each is dominated by a massive swivel armchair.

best first class airline

The main feature is a separate foldout flatbed measuring 76” by 27” (1.93m x 0.68m) which comes complete with mattress bedding, duvet, and pillows. The bedhead has a gas spring to keep the head up to watch a movie for example while lying down.

And for those who want to fly with the family, the dividers between two or even all three suites on one side of the aisle can come down, creating up to two double beds in the two forward Suites 1A/2A and 1F/2F.

best first class airline

Singapore Airlines Attains Number 3 Ranking

To be named in the top ten, airlines must achieve a seven-star safety rating and demonstrate leadership in innovation for passenger comfort.

For the yearly ranking the editors of AirlineRatings.com, some of the most experienced and awarded, look at an airline’s safety record as well as major international industry and government safety audits, and combine these with another 11 key criteria that include: fleet age, passenger review ratings, investment rating and key product offerings to arrive at a ranking.

This year Singapore Airlines is ranked 3rd in the world along with their win as the best first-class airline.

Singapore Airlines is also named Best Long Haul Airline in Asia.