'We'll look into it, see what's feasible': SIA CEO on business class seat colourway criticisms - Mothership

The new yellow-and-grey seats left many users perturbed.

Singapore Airlines' (SIA) CEO Goh Choon Phong has hinted that the airline might be open to reconsidering their new business class seat colourway.

The Business Times (BT) reported that Goh was speaking at a SIA town hall on Nov. 11 when he responded to criticism over the carrier's business class seat revamp.

Noting the negative feedback proliferating online, Goh reportedly said, "We'll look at it, we'll see what's feasible."

However, he believes that customers will come to like the seats after experiencing its comforts for themselves, reported BT.

The airline's new business class seats garnered criticism online after it unveiled its new cabin overhaul as part of a S$2 billion investment on Nov. 7.

While response to the economy, premium economy, and first class seats were varied, netizens were highly vocal about the business class' new grey-and-yellow colourway.

Users called it "dull" and "depressing", with some likening it to a "dental office".

"Hardly feels like I am going on holiday," one wrote.

At the townhall, SIA’s chief commercial officer Lee Lik Hsin also called the furore a good learning point, but reiterated that he hopes customers will mind the colours less after experiencing the seats. 

"I suppose, you know, it’s the 80-20 rule; you can’t please them all,” he reportedly said. 

Julia de Bono, the CEO of design firm Designworks, told Australian publication The Age that they wanted the business class seats to be "modern, progressive, and refreshing".

"It's more like a suit with a sneaker," she said.

BMW Group-owned Designworks came up with the new business class seat design, including its colourway.

A video showing SIA executives reportedly speaking at a Q&A also saw them claim that the seats were designed in accordance to customer feedback.

Ong Wah Li, vice-president of product experience, called it "modern, fresh, yet elegant and refined, that's suited to business travel."

She also acknowledged that SIA's warm and classic aesthetic had served it well over the years, but said that the new business class design was intended to have "its own character".

Responding to concerns that the four cabin classes all had different colours, and thus had a lack of continuity, Ong stressed that SIA "does not subscribe to a fixed colour palette across [their] cabins".

According to BT, aside from the colour scheme, the new business class seats come with a slew of new features.

These include a larger footwell, a sliding privacy door, as well as a reclinable seat that can turn into a flat bed. 

An SIA spokesperson told BT, “As with all our products, we will continue to closely monitor feedback and draw on operational insights to refine and enhance elements of the customer experience."