Not all business-class seats are created equal. Some have sliding doors, others have privacy panels. On some planes, you may have to step over a neighbour to reach the aisle. Even planes from the same airline can have differing configurations. Some flights serve caviar and pricey Champagne while others rely on a more basic no-frills approach. With so much variety in the market, how do you know which flights are worth the hefty price tag?
Business-class tickets (like all other seats on the plane) carry a price tag based on market demand, which means the cost can vary widely by airline, route, and date. Generally, business-class tickets range between £5,000 and £10,000 for a roundtrip ticket, depending on the destination and time of year, and discerning travellers should be familiar with what they are booking to make sure that the experience is worth the splurge.
Airline fleets can vary as carriers merge with others and acquire different plane types. It takes time to install newer, nicer seats, which require an airline to take aircraft out of service, and that doesn’t take into consideration manufacturer delivery delays and lengthy government certification reviews (a snag several carriers hit when installing sliding doors to seats).
With a little advance homework, you can find yourself in the best business-class seats offered by an airline if you know which routes to book. It’s common for airlines to use their swankiest and newest products on expensive or competitive, business traffic routes to woo corporate travellers with deeper pockets. But, you might also find them on popular leisure routes, especially if other airlines are fighting for the same passengers.
For most travellers, the primary perks of business class are privacy, more space, and the opportunity for better rest in a fully flat bed. To set the right expectations when relaxing above the clouds, these are some of the best business-class products flying today. Here’s how you can maximise your time above the clouds in the best business class products in the sky.
This story has been updated with new information since its original publication date.
Qatar Airways Qsuites
Considered one of the best business class products in the air, Qatar Airways offers Qsuites on most of its long-haul aircraft. They provide a private space behind a sliding door with seats alternating between forward and rearward-facing. There is also the ability to set up a larger suite by combining Qsuites where passengers can dine and chat with one another in sets of either two or four seats. Some can even combine to make a double bed.
With dine-on-demand meals, including afternoon tea on fine china, and homemade pasta, bread, and omelettes made the day of the flight, Qatar passengers are in for a culinary delight. Qatar even serves caviar in business class (a dining perk typically reserved for first class on many carriers) on select routes to the United States, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore, among others. Then there are Diptyque amenity kits plus pajamas and slippers for added comfort. Qatar’s Qsuites feel more like first-class, but at a business-class price.
Where to find it: Qsuites are on the airline’s Airbus A350-1000s, as well as some of its Boeing 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs and Airbus A350-900s. Its Airbus A380s and Boeing 787 planes do not have Qsuites, however. Most Qatar Airways flights to the UK, namely London and Manchester, have Qsuites, but be sure to double check as aircraft routings can change. On planes without Qsuites, the setup does not have as much privacy as having a door separating the seat from the aisle. A good indicator that the plane does not have Qsuites is if the cabin is in a 2-2-2 configuration; QSuite planes only have one seat by the window (a 1-2-1 configuration).
ANA “The Room” business class
While only available on certain aircrafts, this is one of the most spacious business class products flying between Japan and the UK. Sliding doors assure protection from commotion in the aisle, and the seat feels more like a first-class seat with wide shoulder room facing an enormous entertainment screen. Three-dimensional cushioning from Nishikawa is designed to evenly spread body weight for a more comfortable rest.
Seats alternate between facing forward and backward on the plane, but all have ample interior storage space. Laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, there is a sliding panel in the centre section so that couples can sit together. Its Japanese in-flight dining comes from top Michelin-starred chefs and is a favourite of repeat passengers. Luckily, travellers can pre-order one before boarding the plane.
Where to find it: For now, it is operating on flights from London to Tokyo that use the Boeing B777-300ER aircraft. ANA brands this product as “The Room,” and it’s worth looking for that verbiage if you want to secure this new product. It operates most regularly on flights to and from London Heathrow, while other UK hubs will codeshare with partner airlines.
Singapore Airlines business class
If you want to try another of the widest business class seats in the sky, Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380s should be top of mind. After tucking into Michelin star-worthy meals, ask a flight attendant to make up the bed with pillows and a duvet. Couples in some of the centre-section seat pairs can convert it into a double bed.
Similarly spacious are the seats on the B777-300ERs and A350-900s, which operates nonstop routes from the UK to Singapore. Still, all the airline’s other swoon-worthy amenities like its Book the Cook dining service (lobster Thermidor, anyone?) are available.
Expect flight crew members to address you by name, pour bottles of Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne (a label other airlines reserve for first class), and with advance notice, even serve free birthday or anniversary cake (a service the airline also offers in economy!) for special occasions.
Where to find it: A380, B777-300ERs and A350-900s like those from London and Manchester to Singapore and back.
Emirates business class
Emirates has more than one iteration of business class, and its refurbished Airbus A380s have more than just snazzy first class suites with showers to impress. Its new business class may not have privacy doors, but they do feature leather seats and wood grain surfaces plus a personal, non-alcoholic minibar at each seat.
While meals are not dine-on-demand and there are no privacy doors (they are coming to the new Boeing 777-9s arriving in 2027), passengers can help themselves to snacks and refreshments in the private bar and lounge at the back of the plane. After all, some of the best business-class seats on ultra-long-haul flights come with an alternative place to sit and relax in a social space. These onboard lounges feature large screens showing sports, a staffed bar with top-shelf beverages, and a menu of food available any time.
Where to find it: Reconfigured A380s are flying from London Heathrow to Dubai and all A380s should be reconfigured by late next year.
EVA Air Royal Laurel class
Taiwan has three main airlines, and privately owned EVA Air has the most expansive network from the country. While its flat-bed seats on the B787 have privacy panels, there are still no full doors. But what you will find is excellent attention to service. The quality of service onboard rivals those of some of the larger Asian carriers. Meals are served directly atop designer linens instead of using a tray for the main meal. Designer skincare brands stock the hefty amenity kit while all passengers in business class enjoy a sleepwear set to take home.
If you’re not sure if you’ve heard of EVA Air: Have you seen one of those Hello Kitty planes? That’s EVA Air. The carrier operates a subfleet of planes decked out in full Hello Kitty design from the airplane livery to every conceivable interior feature. From toilet paper and safety cards to inflight meal items and crew aprons, these flights have become a cult favourite among some customers.
Where to find it: All of the airline’s routes to the UK feature the same high-touch service.
Turkish Airlines business class
This airline flies to more countries than any other airline in the world. While you can probably get almost everywhere you need to go on Turkish, this highly celebrated airline has a wide range of planes with quite a few different business class seats. Though the seats in business class do not have privacy doors, they do give you figurative front-row access to the moment when an inflight chef rolls down a multi-tiered trolley with colourful appetisers and mezze delicacies for meal service. Do & Co supplies the airline’s catering and has won awards for its mix of Turkish and international recipes (even the bread uses the world’s oldest wheat grown in Anatolia). Other tasty delights include freshly baked manti (meat-filled dumplings), Adana kebabs, honey-glazed baklava, and traditional Turkish coffee and tea.
It's hard to say no, even if you stuffed yourself in what is one of the world’s most incredible airline business class lounges at Istanbul airport. It features sleeping rooms, live cooking stations with Turkish specialties, billiard tables, golf and flight simulators, kids play spaces, and even a small museum with rotating exhibits like soccer memorabilia and a gigantic globe that shows the present position of every plane in its fleet.
Where to find it: Turkish flies its latest business class product on B787s and A350s from Istanbul.
Delta One Suites
Delta SkyMiles fans will be happy with Delta One Suites, but you’ll have to know which planes and what routes have the swankiest design. Some of Delta’s planes have older business class seats with small screens and more cramped footwells, but if you can fly in this new product, you’re in for a treat.
Among the perks in Delta One Suites are restaurant-quality meals (often in a partnership with well-known chefs at its destinations) and memory-foam cushion seats that transform into a lie-flat bed. Close the door, and it’s like you’re in a private room. There are also mattress pads that wrap over the seat for extra comfort, lumbar pillows, larger duvets, slippers and amenity kits from the iconic Italian brand Missoni containing toiletries from The Grown Alchemist.
Where to find it: Delta’s Airbus A350s and A330-900neos are most likely to have these private suites whereas Boeing 767-300ER and 767-400ER planes do not. Delta makes it clear on its website by labelling suites with a private door as a “Delta One Suite” versus the standard “Delta One.”
A version of this article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveler US.