Only For The Discerning Few

• It is the first quad plane that is able to fly non-stop for more than 19 hours at maximum capacity without refueling

• It was the longest-range commercial airliner until the introduction of Boeing 777-200LR in February 2006

• It still graces the title of flying the longest nonstop flight in the world to date :

Newark (New York) - Singapore > 17 hours 45 minutes in the air

Singapore - Newark (New York) > 18 hours 30 minutes in the air

• It is the first widebodied aircraft to be fully configured in a single class layout flying the transpacific route

When Singapore Airlines put the first example into service back in year 2003, the plane was initially configured with 181 seats in two classes (64 in Business & 117 in Executive Economy). The now defunct Singapore Airlines Executive Economy Class, was the name of Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Class. The airline opted to reconfigure all their Airbus A340-500 into an all-Business Class in June 2008 as those people in the accounting office felt the yield in Executive Economy wasn't high enough and there are many people willing to pay S$15,000 just for a seat in Business Class to New York.

The old Singapore Airlines Business Class' name. Now it is simply known as Business Class

The reconfigured Business Class. The exact same type of seat found on the larger Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 777-300ER

The old Business Class

(Raffles Class)

Executive Economy Class

(Premium Economy Class)

**no longer exist

The crew rest area located at the cargo compartment

(there is a tiny stairs at the back of the aircraft leading to the crew rest area)

The lavatory with a window

The aft galley

The "lounge" area located at the back of the aircraft