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 super-jumbos parked at Changi Airport as temporary restaurants on October 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 per cent 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.

Also read: Singapore Airlines cuts 20% jobs as virus hits air travel

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