I’ve shared what I consider to be the world’s best business class seats (and the worst business class seats), and also about what I consider to be the best business class airlines. Recently, I’ve received a couple of requests for a post on the best business class seats for couples and families, so I’d like to address that in this post.
As we’ve seen airlines improve their business class seats over the years to offer more privacy and space, it’s clear that some airlines just haven’t put much thought into the needs of non-solo travelers.
In this post:
Many new business class seats are designed for solo travelers
It’s surprising how many airlines just don’t seem to consider the desire for couples or families to sit together. For example, Lufthansa markets how its new Allegris business class gives consumers endless choice, with seven types of seats. Yeah, you have a lot of options, unless you actually want to sit next to a travel companion, in which case only the front row business class suites will work (and those cost a lot extra!).
Meanwhile I’m a big fan of reverse herringbone seats in general, and they’re among the most common long haul business class seats out there, like you’ll find in Starlux’s A350 business class. While you can sort of sit together in the center section, it’s still not really ideal for those who want to spend time together. You have to lean forward to talk, and you’re still quite a distance apart.
Business class seats that are good for couples & families
With the above out of the way, what are the best business class seats for couples and families? To start, let me share my own philosophy on picking seats when not traveling alone. Honestly, if I’m just traveling with Ford, we’re usually happy both sitting at windows on long haul flights, and not next to one another:
- We spend enough time together as is
- We both love looking out the window
- We ultimately have different sleeping patterns (he sleeps more on planes than I do), and I’d rather not disturb him
That being said, as I’ve discovered in recent times, it’s a totally different story if traveling with a toddler. We haven’t done all that much long haul flying with our son, but business class seats that are far apart are virtually impossible if you’re traveling with a toddler.
With that in mind, I’m not going to do a ranked list of the best business class seats for couples, since there are so many different products out there that are good. Instead, I’ll share some general thoughts.
Staggered “honeymoon” business class seats are ideal
Arguably the single best business class seats for those looking to travel close to one another are the “honeymoon” seats in staggered configurations. In some layouts with staggered configurations, every other row in business class will have two seats that are very close to one another, which really let you enjoy the flight together, like in Emirates’ A380 business class.
These seats have a privacy shield if you’re traveling next to a stranger, but otherwise, you’re basically as close to one another as you’d be in economy, for better or worse.
There are a countless number of airlines offering this type of configuration, though I should mention that not all staggered configurations have this “honeymoon” seat concept. For example, Delta’s A350 business class has staggered seats, but none of the center seats are particularly close to one another. While they’re staggered, the two center seats are always the same distance apart.
What I’d consider to be two of the world’s best business class hard products are ideal for couples and families, as they have this “honeymoon” seat concept. ANA’s 777 “The Room” business class has this staggered layout, with center seats close to one another, in what’s the world’s most spacious business class.
Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class also excels in this regard, and even takes it to the next level, and I’d argue it’s the best business class for couples. Not only does the product have these “honeymoon” seats that turn into double beds, but you even have the ability to create a seating quad, with the two seats across from it, to create a private space for four people.
There are so many airlines with great “honeymoon” seat concepts, like Etihad’s 787 business class…
…and Condor’s A330-900neo business class…
…and Korean Air’s 787-10 business class…
…and many more.
Some old style business class seats are great as well
Many of the business class products that I don’t enjoy when flying solo are actually great when traveling with others, especially if you want to enjoy the flight together. Lufthansa’s old business class? I’m kind of a fan, if traveling with someone! Heck, arguably, it’s better than the new Allegris business class for those purposes.
Turkish Airlines’ A330 & 777 business class, with the pairs of seats? I’m also sort of a fan!
Even though it’s a dense product, I enjoy the Collins Aerospace Diamond product when traveling with someone, like in Ethiopian’s A350 business class, since you can really enjoy the flight together.
Bottom line
There are all kinds of top notch business class products out there, but the best really depends on whether you’re traveling alone or with soemone, and how much you value sitting together.
In general, I’d consider the best seats for couples or families to be any sort of a product with a staggered layout and “honeymoon” seats, with ANA and Qatar Airways having the best seats for those purposes. However, there are plenty of other honeymoon configurations out there.
Meanwhile I’m a huge fan of reverse herringbone seats, though their biggest strength is also the biggest weakness — you know exactly what you’re going to get, since all the seats are virtually the same, but you better not actually want to sit close to anyone.
What do you consider to be the best business class seats for couples?
We are 5 in my family: A boy 4 years, A girl 7 years, A boy 9 years.
We had flown several times for many years in business class from Mexico to Europe, Asia and Russia.
LH 747-800 most people hate it but we love it, in particular the second floor, the privacy and the control of our children. Like the comments of FFups, try to control a 2 years old and a...
We are 5 in my family: A boy 4 years, A girl 7 years, A boy 9 years.
We had flown several times for many years in business class from Mexico to Europe, Asia and Russia.
LH 747-800 most people hate it but we love it, in particular the second floor, the privacy and the control of our children. Like the comments of FFups, try to control a 2 years old and a 4 years old in a herringbone configuration: they remove seat belts, they walk, go to toilets, complain about the TV screen, etc. No problem with LH, neither with TK 777-300 old configuration, very comfortable and spacious, but not glamorous.
Our flights on TK 787 was a nightmare because TK change all the seat assignments that we had, and children decided not to sleep.
AF, is very good, and they give 25% discount on children tickets.
I know that we all want to try the best, newest and most glamorous products in the market, but when travelling with children the focus is in the practicality and comfort of the business class product.
i'm surprised to see Hawaiian's new business class product omitted from this list! Wasn't the whole logic of those seats to be couples centric, because they get so much more leisure traffic vs business traffic?
All of a sudden I'm looking into old business products or PE products for the first time when the toddler comes along.
Fiji's old A330 J product has a lot of floor space (especially bulkhead) is great.
Ironically, EK's terrible J with 3 seats across is perfect for this situation too!
Otherwise it's QF/EK PE products for anything longer haul ex Australia.
Iberia is the best we have flown on so far, by a lot
While not ANA or QR, I think Polaris deserves a shoutout here for its product consistency, bedding, and being a domestic carrier. I did SFO to Japan with a partner and it was quite nice to enjoy together, or united one might say. Just be sure to eat up at the airport…
If you are awake, the best seats for couples is actually something along the lines of Comfort Plus seats (economy class with more leg room but not premium economy) on the aisle/window of a Delta Airbus A330-900neo. That is because you can raise the armrest and have a double seat.
If you have to sleep, no seat is really good unless you want to sleep apart, then many business class seats will be ok.
On air France, they had this weird rule I nthe web seat assignment system that never let me put my child in the 2 middle seats, even if I or my partner is assigned to the other. I could only assign him to a window seat.
Weirdly if you call them and ask to assign the seats, the call center ppl can do it.
I have run I into this also when traveling with my son and his family. We just book six seats in proximity of each other and once the seatbelt sign is off move around. I agree, it is a weird rule and sometimes even the call centers cannot circumvent it
I recently flew Finnair with my spouse and those seats worked surprisingly well for a couple. The opening between the center pairs of seats was huge, and you didn't have to sit forward to see each other. For a couple, I even liked those seats better than ANA's Room. (The food, on the other hand...)
I'd actually prefer the Delta configurations.
If you can't be more than 2 feet apart for a few hours, you need counseling.
Esk, have you any experience of flying JetBlue Mint? It looks quite interesting to an ignoramus.
You should follow Tim and the rest of his ad hominem alter ego to Matthew.
You need help too.
Esk, you are absolutely correct, I have asked you for help and this is how you respond.
Seriously now, if you know anything about JetBlue Mint suites, perhaps you would be kind enough to share your experience with us all?
Just flew old style mint with the family. Kids slept well but seats are showing their age. But to get cross country really not many better options and it’s a perfectly nice product to fly with a family. T5 at jfk is gross though.
Thank you Peter, one appreciates your appraisal, such a pity that others couldn’t find it in them to be as helpful.
Esk, your opinion on parenting was well received and quite rightly so, however, your reluctance to answer a straightforward question is less so. Furthermore, it is extremely rude to deliberately ignore your readers. Therefore please inform the readers why you are presuming to act like a juvenile? If you have no experience of the JetBlue Mint product, why not just come out and admit it?
Thanks for this write up and summary! Found out the hard way just how much the seating configuration matters when flying with toddler. Super easy experience when daughter was still <2 because she was on lap and is a great sleeper. Then Air France business alone with her when she was 2.5, i.e. had her own seat. Try to persuade a 2.5 year old she should remain seated on takeoff when you can't reach her...
Thanks for this write up and summary! Found out the hard way just how much the seating configuration matters when flying with toddler. Super easy experience when daughter was still <2 because she was on lap and is a great sleeper. Then Air France business alone with her when she was 2.5, i.e. had her own seat. Try to persuade a 2.5 year old she should remain seated on takeoff when you can't reach her because she's too far away! She had other plans LOL. Never had I wished to be in economy so much the subsequent 9h. What a horrible flight. So, I chose wisely the following year and Condor honeymoon seat. Day and night super easy experience -- right within reach and super easy to get to, and all around fine experience with a 3.5 toddler then.
Agree with You!
I had similar experience in the past with TK.
Swiss is fantastic when traveling with a family.
Swiss business class is awful. Very narrow and dated seats.
Only thing good they have is the Swiss chocolate that they hand out.
My elementary age kids really did not notice the narrow seats. I did value the ability to sit in a solo seat on the side while the kids sat in the middle seats, and I could get up and help both of them without having to go into the other aisle. It’s a good product for families, not the best business class seat ever. Food is not bad either.
I think you can add more about full double suites (where the divider comes down completely). Like SIA A380 business class, Adient Ascent seats (QR & HA B789 business class)... couples would enjoy those more than the generic staggered seats with divider still somewhat dividing two seats.
Regardless, thanks for this post requested by many readers before.
Ben, we all appreciate your insights and reviews, however, there is someone who post herein who must also have an extensive breath of knowledge and experience. Due to his high income and status, I have in mind the contributor Arps. Surely we might all benefit from his contribution?
Arts, perhaps old bean, as you are reputed to be such a ‘hot-shot’ legal beagle, you must have spent some of your hard earned cash on a...
Ben, we all appreciate your insights and reviews, however, there is someone who post herein who must also have an extensive breath of knowledge and experience. Due to his high income and status, I have in mind the contributor Arps. Surely we might all benefit from his contribution?
Arts, perhaps old bean, as you are reputed to be such a ‘hot-shot’ legal beagle, you must have spent some of your hard earned cash on a number of very expensive aircraft seats, yes?
Furthermore, you must have visited some very exotic locations and stayed in some really exciting hotels, etc, yes?
That being the case surely you must be willing and able to share your worldly experience with the readers, yes?
Please feel free to impress the lowly peasants who clearly are less fortunate than yourself and might well benefit from your extensive knowledge, yes?
Why is Tim Dunn's BA alter ego still here?
Hello Esk, Is that you bro?
…. I thought that we were playing the game and being nice little children.
I think that premium economy may be a better option than business class if travelling with a small child - perhaps you could review some of those products?
On Virgin Atlantic's standard herringbone PE is absolutely a better option than business for families. Would be very difficult to attend to my girls in those coffin seats.