I’m an airline product geek, and I like to keep an updated list of some of the best products out there, ranging from the best first class airlines, to the best first class lounges, to the best business class airlines. In this post, I’ll share my favorite business class lounges around the globe — after all, a nice lounge can contribute to a great business class experience.
Let me of course acknowledge that we’re all looking for different amenities from airport lounges, depending on the purpose of our visit. Furthermore, there are many factors that can impact our perception of a lounge, including crowding levels. As a result, two people can have vastly different experiences at the same lounge — heck, the same person can have very different experiences visiting the same lounge at different times.
Because of the number of variables, I’m not going to create a ranked list, but rather will just share what I consider to be the several top business class lounges in the world. Then I’d love to hear what OMAAT readers think, and how your list compares to mine.
With that out of the way, here are some of my favorite business class lounges in the world (and you can click each headline to read a review of that lounge)….
In this post:
Delta One Lounge New York (JFK)
Delta One Lounges are still a fairly new concept, as Delta only started introducing these within the past couple of years. However, the airline really knocked it out of the park, and the New York JFK location is easily one of the most impressive business class lounges in the world.
The lounge has an incredible restaurant, a wellness area, a beautiful terrace, luxurious shower suites, and more than anything, supremely friendly service. This really puts American Flagship Lounges and United Polaris Lounges to shame. The Delta One Lounge LAX is also excellent, but if I had to pick just one lounge, I think the JFK location has the edge.
Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Doha (DOH)
Qatar Airways has two exceptional Al Mourjan Business Lounges in Doha — there’s the original Al Mourjan Lounge North, plus the new Al Mourjan Garden Lounge South. Frankly both lounges are great, and I’m not sure which I prefer more. Time permitting, I’d absolutely recommend visiting both of them. For the purpose of this post, let me just keep the initial lounge on the list. This has to be the world’s most architecturally stunning business class lounges, which is what impresses me most about the lounge.
On top of that, though, the lounge features a couple of great dining options, including a bistro if you’re looking for a quick bite, plus a proper restaurant with a la carte dining. The lounge also has rest areas, civilized smoking rooms, showers, and more. Qatar Airways also has exceptional outstation lounges (I’d argue the best outstation lounges of any airline in the world), but I think the hub lounges are still more impressive.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Lounge Hong Kong (HKG)
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong easily has my favorite design of any business class lounge in the world. The lounge is so cozy, warm, and luxurious, and it’s such a pleasant place to relax.
It’s not just that the lounge has nice interior design, though. The lounge also has a full bar with cocktails and barista coffee, and several dining concepts, ranging from a noodle bar, to a tea room. The lounge also has beautiful shower suites, as well as a relaxation area. This lounge is an absolute treat for premium oneworld travelers. And for higher tier oneworld members, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is even better.
I also love Cathay Pacific’s consistent design template for outstation lounges, as you’ll find the same general vibe at lounges at London Heathrow (LHR), Tokyo Haneda (HND), etc.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London (LHR)
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is my favorite business class lounge in Europe, and it’s probably the business class lounge with the most fun vibe. It has a quirky design, amazing views, an outdoor terrace, friendly service, a la carte dining, and top notch drinks (including great cocktails and coffee).
This lounge experience is such a stark contrast to what you’ll experience if you’re flying business class on an airline like British Airways or Lufthansa.
Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto (YYZ)
While the Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto has strict entry requirements, it really takes business class lounge dining to a whole new level. This is separate from the standard Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, so think of it almost like a great restaurant that business class passengers have access to.
The lounge is heavily focused on dining, with dozens of tables. In addition to an extensive buffet selection, the lounge also offers a la carte dining, as well as all kinds of wine, beer, and cocktails. There’s a similarly excellent facility in Vancouver (YVR), so that’s a huge advantage of being on an eligible ticket through one of those airports.
Emirates Business Lounge Dubai (DXB)
The Emirates Business Lounge Dubai isn’t about to win any design awards, but it has some cool amenities, is massive, and has a good food and drink selection. While food is entirely from buffets, the options are endless, regardless of what kind of food you’re looking for.
Personally I prefer the older Concourse B lounge to the newer Concourse A lounge. That’s because this lounge has an awesome Moet & Chandon champagne bar, plus a Costa Coffee store, where you can get a (complimentary) barista made coffee. This is a great transit stop when traveling between other regions.
Etihad Business Lounge Abu Dhabi (AUH)
The Etihad Business Lounge Abu Dhabi is excellent. It’s spread across three floors, with a ton of natural light. Thanks to its size and odd layout, the lounge should never really feel too crowded, even during peak periods.
The lounge has everything from comfortable seating, to two large buffets, to a bar with cocktails and barista coffee, to shower suites, to relaxation rooms. This is a very well rounded business class lounge, with a ton of natural light.
United Polaris Lounge Newark (EWR)
While I do think that Delta has sort of one-upped United, I’m still impressed by the network of United Polaris Lounges. They’re all pretty great, and I’m not sure one is actually that much better than the other, but I do like the one in Newark quite a bit. The lounges offer comfortable seating, quiet rest areas, cocktails and barista made coffee, and a la carte dining.
Honestly, if flying United Polaris business class long haul, I’d highly recommend just eating in the lounge, because the food gets much worse once you board a flight. Note that I haven’t been to the lounge at Washington Dulles, but I’ve heard some suggest that it’s even better, and not as crowded.
Turkish Airlines Business Lounge Istanbul (IST)
Turkish Airlines offers a top notch lounge at its hub in Istanbul. Admittedly this lounge can get really busy, given the size of the carrier’s operations, but I still find it to be very good. The lounge has nice decor with plenty of different places to sit, an incredible food selection, and even private bedrooms for those with extended layovers.
Admittedly this lounge is a bit rougher around the edges than some of the other lounges on this list. For example, there’s not even a proper bar with a bartender. That being said, there’s still something special about this lounge, and in particular, the food. While this isn’t a ranked list, I’m including this one last, because I think it’s maybe one notch down from some of the other lounges on the list.
Bottom line
There are some fantastic business class lounges out there, though admittedly everyone will have their own favorites. The above are some of my picks for the best business class lounges I’ve visited. They all have something special, whether it’s great buffets, a la carte dining, barista made coffee, or other cool amenities.
This list is by no means exhaustive, because there are lots of amazing lounges out there. I look forward to hearing what business class lounges OMAAT readers like most.
What are your favorite business class lounges in the world?
I think it's telling we don't see any Lufthansa or Air France lounges on this list, and rightfully so because their J lounges are not that good. Both of these carriers, however, deliver very competitive F lounge experiences.
If I had to fly transatlantic in J, DL and UA present very compelling offers nowadays, with their J lounges, nice seats, UA's exceptional wine list, etc. Don't forget a decade ago, we all tried to avoid flying any U.S. carrier longhaul.
Four points on the Air Canada Signature Suite.
1) As noted above, the lounge seating was removed and replaced by tables to expand the dining area. I presume this was to meet demand for dining, but it does mean that if you have some extra time to kill you can't liberate your table after eating.
2) I believe Emirates first class pax have access to the YYZ Signature Suite. AFAIK this is the only partner...
Four points on the Air Canada Signature Suite.
1) As noted above, the lounge seating was removed and replaced by tables to expand the dining area. I presume this was to meet demand for dining, but it does mean that if you have some extra time to kill you can't liberate your table after eating.
2) I believe Emirates first class pax have access to the YYZ Signature Suite. AFAIK this is the only partner airline whose pax get in.
3) It's very small, but perhaps with the expansion suggested above this will allow for a variety of improvements such as showers, some lounge space and maybe even access for top tier loyalty members (Super Elites).
4) The Signature Suite in YVR is superior. It has has a nicer vibe, and windows, but also as a lounge-within-a-lounge (upstairs inside the Maple Leaf Lounge), it means you have access to showers and general lounge space downstairs.
Good list. D1 is really taking it to the next level and it’s almost stunning to see a domestic airline undertaking the transformation they are.
To nitpick, I’d rather see them remove the paid wine and cocktails menu away entirely and offer whatever they feel they can afford do offer gratis. I think it cheapens the experience to ask customers to break out the AmEx do get something better than well or call liquor...
Good list. D1 is really taking it to the next level and it’s almost stunning to see a domestic airline undertaking the transformation they are.
To nitpick, I’d rather see them remove the paid wine and cocktails menu away entirely and offer whatever they feel they can afford do offer gratis. I think it cheapens the experience to ask customers to break out the AmEx do get something better than well or call liquor or a decent wine.
Still, LAX and JFK both phenomenal.
Been to many on the list. Of those my ranking would be Al Mourjan, D1, Polaris EWR, Turkish.
I also think the Turkish Airlines lounge at IST is misplaced. The IGA lounge at IST is possibly better, but also highly overrated. I easily prefer AA’s FL and SoHo lounge at JFK (Bollinger, taproom, good wine, and stylish bars), or the QF lounge at LHR. If nothing else for the delicious eggs benny.
Used the Korean 'Miler' Lounge in Incheon twice last week. It's also signposted as a First Class lounge however I was only in Business Class and don't have any particular Skyteam/KE status, so assume can be considered as a Business Class lounge. It's a delight, 5 start hotel level food and bar service, live cooking stations, amazing décor, and wonderful Korean service.
I've been to three of these: CX in HKG, UA Polaris in EWR and the TK lounge at IST. I'm trying to think if I've had other lounge experiences that were demonstrably better or equivalent. Maybe SQ at SIN T3. Not the most exciting lounge with bad showers but solid food and otherwise alright. NH lounge at HND is decent but little wow factor to make a top 10 list.
Agree with your take on Polaris Lounge - it's great - but the Washington Polaris Lounge and the expanded Polaris in Chicago are my faves of the ones I have visited. Also - the sushi at the Delta One LAX lounge is some of the best I have eaten!
Al Mourjan is quite nice but the seating is a bit odd and uncomfortable. I found the Al Mourǰan south to feel rather humid due to its proximity to the garden.
The Al mourjan lounge was style over substance. Looks pretty but theres not much beyond that.
Good list. Would put Singapore’s flagship up there with the lounges above in Istanbul, Newark, Abu Dhabi myself.
None are as nice as my living room.
Although not a hub lounge, DL Sky Club in HND is really nice, on par with the CX lounge above. One of the best business class lounges in Japan for sure.
The only one on the list I have visited is Vigin's LHR club. It was nice....to be clear....very nice, perfectly nice for what it cost me (in my case, DL J ticket). By this, I'm not suggested that it should be ranked lower. I just think that lounges are, in general, overrated. I only paid for TWA lounge access (what? seven, eight years ago :). Now, it comes with my fare or I don’t. To...
The only one on the list I have visited is Vigin's LHR club. It was nice....to be clear....very nice, perfectly nice for what it cost me (in my case, DL J ticket). By this, I'm not suggested that it should be ranked lower. I just think that lounges are, in general, overrated. I only paid for TWA lounge access (what? seven, eight years ago :). Now, it comes with my fare or I don’t. To be frank, when I fly w/o lounge access, I want it. But, I'm smart enough to know it makes more sense to buy a nice snack/meal/etc. and hang out at a "quiet" seat while watching downloads on my tablet. It reminds of my youth, pursuing women who gave me crappy trearment, but I wanted her attention. That is lounge access: you just want to be respected.
Lots of airports don't have decent seating areas for pax. I very much agree there's no real need for a lounge if you just turn up 90 minutes before departure and have to spend over half an hour on the formalities, but metal seats and €6 coffees aren't any good for getting through a 4+ hour connection.
As fun and beautiful as the LHR Clubhouse is, I think the food is subpar; some weird offerings on the menu. That said, the deli has upped their game and has some great healthy options too.
Just curious have you ever touched on the unusually strict restrictions on Air Canada Signature Suite ? For example if I book an award seat (on AC metal) thru United, I wouldn't get access.
Yeah, it’s super tight. Even if you book a business rewards ticket with Aeroplan, you only get access if it’s a flexible (i.e. refundable and most expensive) rewards ticket.
The Delta One Lounge in JFK easily beats most of these lounges. The food in the restaurant is outstanding, service is quick, and the personnel are fantastic.
Check out the new Air India Maharaja Lounge at Delhi airport. Nicely done
Would you rather go to Delta one lounge or Virgin clubhouse in JFK? I was multiple times in the clubhouse but I never tried the Delta lounge. Am I missing out?
Delta One Lounge - no comparison!!
Ben never tried Saudia lounge in JED.
He wouldn't know how good it is.
I did, it was pretty good. Lots of selections including camel milk.
It’s nice, but I wouldn’t rate it in top ten or even twenty.
I would still put it higher than TK IST lounges.
And Hiro definitely never been to JED lounge. Name 20 business class lounges better than this. I can name 10 but not 20.
I second some of the opinions :
Latam lounge (SCL) is way better than some of the lounges on the list , specifically the Etihad one ( mediocre food ) and TK one ( no hard liquor , only wine and beer thrown in buckets on the floor ).
Agree, SCL lounge was the best J lounge I've been to without sit-down dining. Excited to visit Lima's lounge later this year
I'd second that. I actually liked the Etihad lounge, but the Latam at SCL is better.
Also, don't think much of the EWR Polaris.
The Qatar lounge doesn’t deserve a spot on the list. On paper, it ticks every box, but it completely lacks atmosphere and personality. It feels more like a showroom than a place you actually want to relax.
On the other hand, any Cathay Pacific lounge is the exact opposite. They feel warm, inviting, and genuinely comfortable, like you’ve been welcomed home. It’s somewhere you actually want to spend time, not just pass through.
I personally hate the Pier atmosphere.
Always feels like I'm in a basement, maybe because it is a basement.
“It feels more like a showroom than a place you actually want to relax”
This is a pretty apt metaphor for the entire country of Qatar.
Having been frequently in this lounge until I finally got a grip and started boycotting Qatar (hunt the gays), I have to agree. I was blown away by the architecture, but I found the buffet at any time to be style over quality.
ORD Polaris Lounge blows EWR away!
The Air Canada Signature Lounge IS NOT a lounge, all seating has been removed. It's an overcrowded dining room..
The Plaza Premium lounge next door has closed, and the Air Canada Signature Lounge will be taking over their space.
The recently renovated Polaris Lounge at ORD is pretty nice. The IAH one is probably the worst, but it's still nice to have Polaris vs UA Club.
Re: Delta One putting Polaris *AND* Flagship "to shame" -- yes, Delta One is better than Polaris, but they are competitive. To lump Polaris and Flagship together is just plain wrong; Flagships are nothing special at all.
I really don't understand the inclusion of IST TK Lounge in this list. It's so overcrowded, the seating is horrible, it's loud, and people are misbehaving as if they never had received any upbringing or learned any manners. The food is (sometimes) nice, but then hordes of people will jump up to get a few kebabs, or a handful of pita breads. I find it very very overrated. It's really not pleasent to be there at all.
I have some sympathy for the naughty people there as some of the connections and flight timings are brutal. However, there's a real capacity issue and the catering has been seriously downgraded over the years.
This blog/list always makes me miss the old TK lounge. It was so much better than this one. I've been through the new one countless times now and it's not been an absolute zoo maybe twice.
I think latam lounge in Santiago, Chile would be better than at least half of these.
The Iberia lounge in T4S is surprisingly good and could easily make a list like this. I would say it's better than the TK one as the catering there has fallen victim to the country becoming less secular. You'll struggle to find whisky/spirits in that lounge, and you definitely won't find any jamón!
The LATAM and even Banco Safra (ex *A) lounges at GRU are also very high quality - I'd class them as better...
The Iberia lounge in T4S is surprisingly good and could easily make a list like this. I would say it's better than the TK one as the catering there has fallen victim to the country becoming less secular. You'll struggle to find whisky/spirits in that lounge, and you definitely won't find any jamón!
The LATAM and even Banco Safra (ex *A) lounges at GRU are also very high quality - I'd class them as better than UA Polaris at ORD (I haven't visited any other Polaris ones).
Iberia T4S is reasonable but is a big step behind Cathay, Virgin, Qatar's etc hub lounges
I haven't been to those other than two visits to the Pier in ca. 2011.
I think that standards and expectations differ by region - e.g. SAA at JNB arguably have the best lounge in the entire continent but it's probably no better than the average airline-run facility in East Asia (e.g. MU at PVG).
I think you are missing some other really high quality lounges like ANA at both HND and NRT and SQ at SIN. All better than Polaris.
Neither features table service.
And, like suite 'doors' some people are excited by presentations over functionality.
But unfortunately for you, Polaris dining doesn't disappoint and rightfully belong on the list.
JL and NH while both offers great food and very functional, it still lacks other 'fancy' amenities.
Pro Tip: The NRT Priority Pass restaurants are actually pretty good.
I can see why others might enjoy table service, but I don't find that it adds a huge amount of value in an airport lounge context. Having a full sit-down meal might work well before a short overnight flight, but in basically all other circumstances I'd rather spread out in a sofa and occasionally graze on cheese, charcuterie etc.
Having said that, I have no view on the Japanese lounges as it's been a...
I can see why others might enjoy table service, but I don't find that it adds a huge amount of value in an airport lounge context. Having a full sit-down meal might work well before a short overnight flight, but in basically all other circumstances I'd rather spread out in a sofa and occasionally graze on cheese, charcuterie etc.
Having said that, I have no view on the Japanese lounges as it's been a very long time since my last visit, but my latest foray into the Silverkris lounge at SIN left me rather underwhelmed.
LOL, when will people realize.
Everything SQ and SIN is underwhelming.
They over sell everything. And influncers does nothing to put a realistic view on a very overrated brand, product and airport.
It's still super fancy on paper and staged photo shoots. It's also very good and solid product. Just not as fancy as what normal people would experience.
Oh, ANA HND? This lounge is lacking everything for me. Super poor selection of food (I mean many Priority Pass lounges have much better selection), totally crowded, no view, uncomfortable seating and waiting times for shower are in hours…for me one of the worst flagship lounges.
With SQ SIN I agree, it is one of the best and I would always rank it above TK IST.
EWR Polaris (LOL) and JFK D1, but no love for Chelsea/Soho at JFK T8... alrighty then.
DOH, DXB, AUH not happening anytime soon (yikes). Fan of QR's Al Mourjan Business Lounge at The Garden. EK J/F lounges need a refresh. Haven't been through AUH, surprisingly.
Neither Chelsea or Soho lounges are business class.
Chelsea is a first class lounge and Soho is a Oneworld Emerald lounge.
A business class ticket without status doesn't allow you to access either Chelsea or Soho.
Yolo, I guess, but that's fairly semantic. Like, Delta doesn't have 'First' class lounges, and D1 isn't explicitly 'business'-class-only; like, 360 members can access it, generally, even if in Economy on a domestic US-flight.
Sure, Eskimo, Greenwich may be the comparison; is it better than Polaris or D1? Meh.
The right comparison would be Greenwich which is a little better than AA Flagship lounges. Which sadly is the worst among legacy 3, premium cabin lounge.
Polaris at EWR…?
This is a stretch… agree mostly with the rest of the list…
LOL. They added a small 'dining' area (think of it as a smaller D1 Brasserie knock-off.)
Qantas First Class lounge in SYD beats Polaris hands down
As much as I love it, Qantas First Class Lounge is not a “business class lounge”.
The post is discussing Business Class Airline Lounges.
I'm so glad, you didn't include KLM's AMS lounge. So many bloggers are obsessed with that lounge, and I don't understand why. The selection of foods are just about terrible in all ways. They serve 12 types of bread, but only one single type of cheese, and 2 types of 'ham'. They have a huuuge bar, where you can order either Heineken, or Heineken 0,0%. They serve $4 sparkling wine. They have 19 shower rooms,...
I'm so glad, you didn't include KLM's AMS lounge. So many bloggers are obsessed with that lounge, and I don't understand why. The selection of foods are just about terrible in all ways. They serve 12 types of bread, but only one single type of cheese, and 2 types of 'ham'. They have a huuuge bar, where you can order either Heineken, or Heineken 0,0%. They serve $4 sparkling wine. They have 19 shower rooms, where even at the opening of the lounge there is an at least 40 minutes waiting time (they only operate about half of the showers). Their shower rooms have no toilet inside. I don't know any single lounge worldwide, where the shower suites lack a toilet. And you know what it means. People use the shower as a toilet. And no, not just for program one. (I've talked about it with a shower attendant end she confirmed it. Look after waffle stomping). Oh, I just hate that lounge.
It's vile, plus it's had a rodent infestation for decades.
Showers without toilets? Detroit A43 Skyclub has entered the chat.
In France, it wasn't (isn’t?) unusual to see low star hotels that oferred rooms with:
1. No ensuite/shared bathroom
2. With toilet but no bath/shower (shared bathing)
3. With shower but no toilet (shared toilets)
4. With full ensuite
We all know that many bought 3 knowing they could add as many ones or twos they wanted without paying for a 4.
The service at Delta one lounge at JFK when I last visited on Feb 25, 2026 was despicable. The wellness area staff were plain rude and un-interested in explaining the services offered, the shower area attendants didn’t proactively offer steaming my shirt and the formal dining area staff were cold and sloppy.
Furthermore, vegan (or vegetarian options without eggs) are very limited.
In my personal opinion Delta one lounge at JFK is only above...
The service at Delta one lounge at JFK when I last visited on Feb 25, 2026 was despicable. The wellness area staff were plain rude and un-interested in explaining the services offered, the shower area attendants didn’t proactively offer steaming my shirt and the formal dining area staff were cold and sloppy.
Furthermore, vegan (or vegetarian options without eggs) are very limited.
In my personal opinion Delta one lounge at JFK is only above average, and in no way one of best business class lounges in the world! Although high on the list when compared to other lounges in the US…
Delta One Lounge in Boston is on par with JFK - great food, vibes and cocktails
Agreed. The attached SkyClub (at BOS, international terminal) is decent, too.
Yeah except it's only open 7 hours let day(2pm-9pm) and AF/KLM are excluded.
Er, the renovated Polaris lounge at ORD isn’t better than the one at EWR?