Singapore Air’s A380 restaurant tickets sold in 30 minutes

Singapore Airlines Ltd. said all seats on its Airbus A380 pop-up restaurants were reserved within 30 minutes of bookings opening Monday.

With flights largely grounded by the coronavirus pandemic, Singapore Airlines is trying novel ways to raise money, including using two A380 superjumbos parked at Changi Airport as temporary restaurants on Oct. 24 and 25.

A meal in a suite costs S$642 ($474), while seats in business class are going for S$321 and then dropping to S$96.30 for premium economy and S$53.50 for economy. Customers can also pay with frequent-flyer miles.

About half the seats in each aircraft will be available for dining, in line with restaurant guidelines on group limits and distancing, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. It plans to open a wait list from 6 p.m. local time Monday due to strong demand. In normal flying service, the carrier’s A380s can seat as many as 471 people, according to its website.

The company will study the wait list and see how it can “potentially accommodate some of those who are still interested in this unique dining experience,” Vice President of Commercial Operations Lee Lik Hsin said.

Singapore Airlines, which suffered a record S$1.12 billion ($827 million) net loss in the quarter through June and is laying off about 20% of its workforce, is also selling a range of first- and business-class meals and offering a service whereby a private chef reheats, plates and serves customers in their homes.

Meanwhile, demand is soaring for spots on two cruise ships that will start sailing from Singapore next month on round-trip journeys as the city-state aims to give residents an outlet for their wanderlust. Operator Genting Cruise Lines has received more than 6,000 bookings in 5 days, while competitor Royal Caribbean International said bookings are up 500% compared with the past two weeks, reported the Straits Times. The boats will sail at a reduced capacity of 50% and the journeys are only open to residents of Singapore.