Both are emblematic of luxury travel, but who wins the ultimate clash: Orient Express 1900s vs. Singapore Airlines 2024?
The iconic Orient Express was the preferred mode of continental transport for Europe’s elite, and its legacy continues to be felt long after its wheels ground to a halt on its original route back in 2009.
It represented the height of luxury travel during its heyday in the 1900s, but how does it compare to one of today’s most opulent travel providers, Singapore Airlines?
We look at the luxury showdown: Orient Express 1900s vs. Singapore Airlines in 2024.
Background info – how these luxury travel options came to be
The Orient Express was constructed by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits in 1883 and, contrary to popular belief, actually continued to run as a regular service until 2009.
It is perhaps best remembered today for Agatha Christie’s 1934 detective novel Murder on the Orient Express and its subsequent adaptations, but back in the early 1900s, the Orient Express was one of the most popular modes of continental travel for wealthy Europeans.
Its original route went between the French capital of Paris to the Turkish city of Istanbul, passing through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and, occasionally, Varna along the way.
Singapore Airlines, on the other hand, began operations as Malayan Airlines in 1947. Across its history, it has become a Skytrax five-star rated airline and is regularly regarded as one of the best airlines in the world.
It operates from its hub at Changi Airport in Singapore and flies to more than 70 international airports in 32 countries across five continents.
Comparing luxury – sleeping arrangements
Built long before today’s modern bullet trains, the duration of the Orient Express’s journey took anywhere between 80 hours and seven days, allowing for technological advancements across its history.
On a similar note, many of Singapore Airlines’ flights are long-haul. In fact, the airline operates the longest and second-longest flights in the world right now – non-stop to both New York JFK (18 hours, 40 minutes) and Newark Liberty (18 hours, 30 minutes).
If you’re going to be travelling for these lengths of time, you want to be comfortable. The legroom afforded by the likes of easyJet and Ryanair simply won’t do. Luckily, neither of these two services skimp(ed) on luxury.
The Orient Express comprised seven cars. Two of these held baggage, a third boasted a restaurant, and the remaining four were sleeping coaches, each made up of between 13 and 16 beds.
The private cabins on these sleeping coaches boasted comfortable beds, ensuite bathrooms, and bespoke furniture and decorations. Sleeping on a moving train is never going to be the best night’s sleep of your life, but you could do a lot worse.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines offers a greater variety of travel luxury. Customers can travel in five different cabins with the airline: suites, first class, business class, premium economy class, and economy class.
Its suites are the current height of luxury air travel. They come equipped with a leather seat that reclines and swivels, a plush single or double bed, a door for privacy, and a 32” HD touchscreen monitor with Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones.
Should you opt for the slightly less opulent first class, your extra-wide seat’s headrest is sculpted in such a way as to afford privacy. Depending on the aircraft, business class passengers can avail of beds, mood lighting, and entertainment.
Even Singapore Airlines’ economy fleet offers perks like adjustable headrests, additional stowage spaces, and in-flight entertainment.
Food – dining while you travel
Airline food is notoriously terrible. Train food is not much better. But when travelling non-stop for such great distances, you’re going to have to eat.
The Orient Express’s first decadent menu, in 1883, included oysters, pasta soup, turbot, chicken à la chasseur, beef fillet, chaud-froid of game, and an array of desserts, including chocolate pudding. As the service became more popular in the 1900s, the menu became more varied.
While the Orient Express’s menu reflected its French terminus, Singapore Airlines often curated its menu based on its destination. Flights to Japan, for example, often serve up Kyo-Kaiseki meals, while passengers flying to India might expect Shahi Thali fare.
That’s not to say, however, that Singapore Airlines eschews Singaporean food. Indeed, many of its flights serve the kind of food you’d find at a Singaporean hawker centre, like bak chor mee and Hainanese chicken rice.
Singapore Airlines also offers a ‘Book the Cook’ service on some of its flights, allowing passengers to pre-choose meals from more extensive menus ahead of their flight.
Luxury showdown – Orient Express 1900s vs. Singapore Airlines 2024
So, in terms of the Orient Express 1900s vs. Singapore Airlines 2024, who comes out on top? Without a doubt, both represent unparalleled contemporary heights of luxury and opulence.
Given that today’s modern conveniences are superior to those of the 1900s, the easy answer is that Singapore Airlines offers greater luxury in 2024 than the Orient Express did in the 1900s. But should this be the determining factor?
The effort that went into the bespoke design of the sleeping cabins on the Orient Express by far outweighs the homogeny of the private rooms on a Singapore Airlines first-class flight.
Moreover, there’s just something much more romantic about train travel than plane travel. So, the Orient Express edges it for us. But we’ll let you decide who wins the clash of the Orient Express 1900s vs. Singapore Airlines 2024.
