In November 2026, Singapore Airlines is expected to unveil its new generation cabins, including an all-new first and business class. Ahead of that, the airline has just announced plans to overhaul inflight dining across cabins, including new dishes, drinks, and serviceware. These all appear to be positive changes, though I wouldn’t say that there’s anything revolutionary here.
How Singapore Airlines is refreshing inflight dining
Singapore Airlines has announced that it’s enhancing the inflight dining experience with new and refreshed menus, refined beverage offerings, custom designed serviceware, and distinctive presentation and service touches.
The airline describes this as one pillar of its broader investment in its end-to-end travel experience, alongside next generation cabin upgrades, new amenities, high speed connectivity, and new on-ground services.
The new dining experience includes more than 100 new and refreshed appetizers, main courses, and desserts, being introduced across all four cabins. Singapore Airlines is also introducing new wine labels for Suites, first class, and business class, and new spirits options across all cabins.
In Suites, first class, and business class, meals will be served on new custom-designed serviceware, created in collaboration with Christofle, the French luxury tableware maison. As it’s described, the serviceware incorporates a subtle interpretation of SIA’s signature batik motif.
The airline has started to already progressively roll out the new dishes, while the remaining dining enhancements will be introduced from November 2026.
Here’s how Yeoh Phee Teik, Singapore Airlines’ SVP of Customer Experience, describes these changes:
“At Singapore Airlines, in-flight dining is about much more than the meal itself. Guided by customer feedback, evolving preferences and emerging dining trends, we have reviewed every aspect of the experience – from menu design, seasonal ingredients, and cooking techniques to beverage selection, presentation, and cabin crew service. The result is a combination of thoughtfully crafted dishes, carefully curated beverages, elegant serviceware, and thoughtful touches that make dining on board more memorable for our customers.”
My take on Singapore Airlines’ inflight dining updates
These all strike me as positive changes, so I look forward to experiencing them firsthand. I will say, there’s nothing here that strikes me as being a major overhaul of the status quo, or a generational change, given all else that will be changing.
Singapore Airlines has stellar service — I think the airline is among the best airline brands, has among the best flight attendants, and has among the best first class and best business class. However, there are definitely some areas where the airline hasn’t necessarily kept up with the times, or at least hasn’t innovated, like the carrier not offering dine on demand in business class.
So these incremental improvements look great, but Singapore Airlines’ food, drinks, and tableware, were already very good, and I don’t see anything revolutionary here.
Bottom line
Singapore Airlines is updating its inflight catering, part of a larger refresh of the carrier’s product. This includes the introduction of over 100 new dishes across cabins, along with updated wine and spirits, and new premium cabin serviceware.
That all sounds great, though given that this is part of a generational product update for the airline, this doesn’t strike me as particularly revolutionary. That’s not a criticism, but instead, just a note that “I guess the airline won’t be fully overhauling dining as it introduces new products,” which… is fair enough.
What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ dining updates?
I thought this detail in the press release about the new First class seat was interesting:
“ With the launch of SIA’s new First Class cabin products, customers travelling together can enjoy companion dining, with selected seats converted into a shared space where they can dine face-to-face.”
That’s nice, but let’s be honest: SQ’s food was already really good; and, they’re updating their lounges (at SIN T2, for example); but, what they just need to focus on is new business class seats, replacing the fold-down ones, like on a350-ULR. It’s kinda wild to me that they received #1 airline, even with that glaring shortcoming. I will say, huge fan of their medium-to-short-haul 737max with the lie-flat up-front, especially the ‘throne’ seats, sometimes...
That’s nice, but let’s be honest: SQ’s food was already really good; and, they’re updating their lounges (at SIN T2, for example); but, what they just need to focus on is new business class seats, replacing the fold-down ones, like on a350-ULR. It’s kinda wild to me that they received #1 airline, even with that glaring shortcoming. I will say, huge fan of their medium-to-short-haul 737max with the lie-flat up-front, especially the ‘throne’ seats, sometimes bookable using United points for regional SE Asia flights.
Lobster looks like a vile ocean insect with it's enormous claws .
What would you expect from them for a more "revolutionary" overhaul?
Besides dine on demand, I'm not really sure what else they can do to improve the experience. Maybe serve caviar in business class like QR/TG?
@ yoloswag420 -- Dine on demand, there have been rumors of caviar in business class, cold brew, etc. As I said, the food is already great, my point is just that this isn't anything revolutionary, and it's something that many passengers may not even notice, given the already high standard.
The food on SQ in J and F is average at best, stop making it out to be more than it is. As someone who actually lives in Singapore and flys them regularly (PPS Solitare) yes the offering is fine but it lags behind the competition. Having no appetiser option in J, no dine on demand (still drives me mental they wake us up in the middle of the night on SIN-NYC flights !!) and...
The food on SQ in J and F is average at best, stop making it out to be more than it is. As someone who actually lives in Singapore and flys them regularly (PPS Solitare) yes the offering is fine but it lags behind the competition. Having no appetiser option in J, no dine on demand (still drives me mental they wake us up in the middle of the night on SIN-NYC flights !!) and Hawker food, although tasty, in premium cabins is far from superior. Also the service is not what it used to be. The6 are a solid airline but stop placating them to be the best, it’s tiresome.
Frankly SQ has been living of past rep. Their food offerings have gone down significantly in the past year. Their wine and spirits offerings are average.
And compared to other Asian carriers they are not even in the Top 3.
The lack of dine on demand is getting really disappointing. How long will it take???? Without dine on demand, SQ will still lag behind its fiercest competitors, and it's sorely needed on the US Singapore flights I fly
Old fold-down J seats, no dine-on-demand...
Folks at Skytrax: "Sure sounds like the world's #1 airline!"
*facepalm*
This is a continuation of their boring cost-cutting complacency: even in First Class there is no bread basket and SQ is the only airline that insists salt & pepper shaker are state of the art.
The table ware is the same as before - just with a different decor.
And their "refreshed" list of champagne is exactly what they have done before.
What passengers want is an alternative express dinner or dine...
This is a continuation of their boring cost-cutting complacency: even in First Class there is no bread basket and SQ is the only airline that insists salt & pepper shaker are state of the art.
The table ware is the same as before - just with a different decor.
And their "refreshed" list of champagne is exactly what they have done before.
What passengers want is an alternative express dinner or dine on demand in business and the option of an express breakfast. Competition has been doing this for years, SQ remain by its cookie-cutter one-size-fits-all approach.
SQ was the gold standard many, many years ago - now competition can't find anything they want to copy because SQ is far behind everyone else.
I am a fan of SQ J-class, however I agree with some comments that it is not the same at is used to be some years ago.
Last year they cut sake offer from business class, they got a different (cheaper) supplier for Singapore Sling, which is now just a repulsive sweet syrup etc.
I hope that with revamping they will at least broaden their Book the Cook offer, which shrank a bit with time, IMO.
"the carrier not offering dine on demand in business class"
It might not be an official offering, but the last time I flew SQ in J, I wanted to eat later than the regular meal service and the FAs were very accommodating. That was SIN-JFK, a 19 hour flight, during which several meals are offered. I think my meal schedule was completely off theirs and I had all my meals at oddball times.
same here
"and the FAs were very accommodating."
Same. It may not be official, but I've never once been told no, when I've requested to delay a meal and have it at another time, in Singapore J.
Their LAX flight departs at midnight, and I've almost always just chosen to eat in the lounge and go right to sleep. They always accommodate me, and several others who asked the same thing.
I honestly don't know why they just don't make it official policy, since they happily do it.
snic - breakfast in the afternoon before sleep ; dinner at breakfast time ; vodka-tonic at lunch .