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Singapore Airlines is rolling out new seats in all three cabins — first, business, and economy. The economy seat improvements are nice, but the premium cabin improvements, especially in business, are game-changing.

The photo above shows the forthcoming seating in business class on a Boeing 777. This isn’t a private jet. It’s a 1-2-1 configuration with 30-inch wide seats, WAY more generous than anything else out there. On other airlines’ comparable aircraft, you’re lucky if you get 2-2-2 seating. (2-3-2 is more common.) And a 30-inch wide seat is a huge leap from the 20 to 22 inches that most business class seats offer.

This isn’t just raising the bar, it’s grabbing the bar and throwing it like a javelin. (I guess that makes the other airlines the equivalent of the track-and-field judge who “caught” a javelin with her foot.)

Part of me wonders (however briefly) who really needs that much width in the seat. It’s nice, sure, but are we all getting that fat and wide that we need 30 inch-wide seat? (Oh, wait, we ARE getting that wide.) The new first class is even wider: 35 inches wide. Practically a meter wide!

The revisions to the Krisworld inflight entertainment system are also impressive, though I’m not sure why it’s necessary to have a word processor and spreadsheet. Won’t people who need to create a spreadsheet be firing up their laptop? And how do you transfer a file from the onboard system to your own system, especially since Boeing’s Connexion isn’t operational after January 1? (And why the heck is it called Krisworld anyway? I’ve never understood that.)

This comes after a slew of business-class news. It’s been a big couple of weeks: Delta announced it was installing flat beds by 2008. Upstart Silverjet made it official and announced it would start flying all-business class Boeing 767s between London-Luton and Newark on January 25, 2007. Similarly, all-biz French newcomer Elysair announced that it was planning to fly between Paris-Orly and Newark beginning in December. And Fortune Magazine ran through their favorite business class seats.

But Singapore’s news blows all that out of the water. Delta going lie-flat by 2008? Puh-leeze. I mean, sure, it’s nice to go lie-flat, and it’s great that Delta is doing it, but Singapore is basically a decade ahead of anyone else. It reminds you how pathetic the premium offerings of U.S.-based carriers really are right now.

Hats off to Singapore. I’m left wondering what this will cost. And if any seats in the improved business class cabin will ever be available for frequent flyer mile redemptions…

Related:
- Singapore Airlines (aff)

Downgraded: Food on Alaska Airlines
Well, the food is the same, but it’ll cost you $5 starting August 1.

Upgraded: First class food on Singapore Airlines
Flying up front on Singapore? Consider the thali. Do they have a tandoor in first class? This I gotta see.

Upgraded: Smokers’ inflight nicotine fix
Stuck on a long flight (and not flying all-smoking Smintair), or sitting inside a smoke-free Westin or Marriott? Crack open an ice-cold NicLite — the bottled water with the nicotine kick. You’ll soon be able to buy it at LAX, and possibly other airports.

Downgraded: Delta’s online booking bonus
Book a flight online at delta.com, only get 500 bonus miles instead of the usual 1000. American has already done this for less than top-dollar fares.

Upgraded: AA’s Online Check-In
Same-day round-trip American Airlines flyers rejoice: You can now check in online for both the outbound and the same-day return flights. Convenient for out-and-back trips, as well as mileage runners.

Downgraded: Varig. Upgraded: Varig
Brazilian airline and Star Alliance member VARIG, long in bankruptcy court, was sold for a mere pittance to VarigLog, the cargo arm of the airline that had been previously spun off. The new owners immediately cancelled all flights except the lucrative Sao Paolo-Rio de Janeiro shuttle, leaving many international travelers scrambling for alternatives. Brazilian regulators subsequently forced the airline to resume international flights, but the carrier only has 13 planes that aren’t either repossessed or grounded due to lack of maintenance. Where she stops, nobody knows.

Downgraded: Canadians and permanent residents
If you’re Canadian or a green-card holder, you’re more likely than a US citizen to be a criminal. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from efforts to expand fingerprinting requirements. My opinion: Either fingerprint everyone, or no one.

Downgraded: My opinion of South African airport security
Reporters walked through security and onboard aircraft carrying razor blades, knives, mace spray, and other prohibited items.