Singapore Airlines has indicated it may revisit the colour scheme of its newly unveiled business class seat after the design attracted a sharp and sustained public backlash. CEO Goh Choon Phong made the remarks at an employee town hall on 11 November 2026, as reported by The Business Times.
A New Cabin That Divided Opinion
The Business Times reported that Singapore Airlines had recently unveiled new cabins, including a redesigned first class and a new business class product. As businesstraveller reported, the new business class seat includes a flat bed, privacy doors and laptop storage. The colour choices, however, drew widespread negative public reaction almost immediately after the launch, according to multiple outlets.
A yellow stripe on the seat became a particular focus of the criticism, with observers singling it out across coverage. The Business Times reported that the airline initially defended its colour decisions for several days before the CEO signalled that a rethink was possible.
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What the CEO Said
Goh Choon Phong's comments at the town hall were notably measured. According to The Business Times's reporting, as cited by One Mile at a Time, he said the airline would look at the matter: "we'll look at it, we'll see what's feasible." That falls well short of a commitment to change, but it is a meaningful shift from the defensive posture the airline had maintained in the days after the launch.
Singapore Airlines' Design Ambitions
The Business Times reported that the new seat's aesthetic was intended to project a specific identity. Ong Wah Li, VP of Product Experience at Singapore Airlines, described the goal as "modern, fresh, yet elegant and refined, that's suited to business travel." The design was developed with BMW Designworks, whose CEO Julia de Bono characterised it as "more refreshing and more progressive."
Whether those intentions translated to the finished product is clearly a matter of debate among the travelling public.
The Bottom Line
This episode sits within a broader period of product investment at Singapore Airlines. We covered the airline's KrisWorld entertainment overhaul earlier this year, which pointed to an airline determined to maintain its premium positioning. A cabin colour scheme that generates this level of negative comment is an unwelcome distraction from that effort.
Goh Choon Phong's willingness to acknowledge the feedback publicly, even in the qualified terms he used, suggests the airline is listening. Whether any changes reach production is a separate question entirely. We will update our coverage if Singapore Airlines makes a formal announcement on the seat design.
This article draws on reporting by businesstraveller, executivetraveller, One Mile at a Time and View from the Wing.
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