I’ve long published my rankings of the world’s best first class products and best first class lounges. In the past few years, I’ve tried to do the same for business class.
It’s kind of hard to truly rank business class products, simply because there’s so much variability in terms of the quality of products across aircraft, food and beverage service can vary significantly across flights, people prioritize very different things in business class, etc.
My list of the top business class products is essentially the airlines I generally most enjoy flying in business class, factoring in all the things that make a business class experience stand out. Before I get into this list, let me note a few things:
- This is highly subjective, and these choices are just my preferences, so if you have different picks, that’s totally reasonable, and I’d love to hear about them
- I’m attempting to factor in the overall business class experience, from seat, to food and drinks, to service, to amenities
- I’m generally going to be sorting the list starting with my favorite, though I could easily see myself switching many of these rankings by one or two spots
- I’ll always note which products I’m referring to with the rankings, since many airlines struggle with product consistency across the fleet
In separate posts I’ve written about the world’s best business class lounges, and the world’s best business class seats (which often aren’t airline specific). For that matter, going in the opposite direction, I’ve also written about the world’s worst business class seats.
With the above out of the way, below are my favorite business class products…
In this post:
Qatar Airways business class
Qatar Airways sets the standard for business class, plain and simple. The carrier is known for its Qsuites business class, available on select Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s. Boeing 787-9s also feature an awesome business class product, though it’s a bit different.
There’s not a more well rounded business class experience out there. Qatar Airways has thoughtfully designed seats with privacy doors, amazing dine on demand catering, impressive amenities (including pajamas), virtually unlimited entertainment, free Starlink Wi-Fi, caviar on select routes, and more.
The airline keeps one-upping itself, and has plans for a next generation Qsuites product. If I could only ever fly one airline again in business class, it would be Qatar Airways.
Japan Airlines business class
Japan Airlines flagship aircraft is theAirbus A350-1000, and this plane really takes the passenger experience to the next level. For one, Japan Airlines is the launch customer for the Safran Unity seat, which is one of the most spacious and well designed business class seats we’ve ever seen. The tech is also awesome, with features we’ve never seen before, like headrest speakers.
Beyond that, Japan Airlines’ soft product is excellent, from friendly service, to delicious food, to free Wi-Fi, to excellent amenities, including comfortable bedding. It’s amazing how both of Japan’s major airlines now have among the best business class products in the world.
All Nippon Airways business class
All Nippon Airways has what’s probably the world’s best business class seat, known as “The Room,” on select Boeing 777s. This seat is even better than Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class seat, and it honestly feels more like a first class suite than a business class seat. As you’d expect, service on ANA is to a very high standard as well (it’s Japan, after all!), with both Japanese and Western food and drinks, and solid amenities, including free Wi-Fi.
However, the tech isn’t quite as good as on Japan Airlines, and I also slightly prefer Japan Airlines’ soft product. Furthermore, neither Japanese carrier has a soft product that’s as well rounded as Qatar Airways.
Singapore Airlines business class
Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s most recognizable airline brands. Ironically enough, the carrier’s business class hard product is not cutting edge, whether you’re flying the Airbus A350, Airbus A380, or Boeing 777 (though a new product is coming soon). And in some ways the carrier is lacking a bit when it comes to amenities, with no pajamas, very basic amenity kits, no dine on demand, etc.
However, in my opinion there’s not an airline that more consistently has exceptional service in business class than Singapore Airlines. There’s just so much pride that goes into service on Singapore Airlines, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad flight with the airline.
The airline also has a lot going for it beyond friendly service, including free Wi-Fi, endless entertainment through the KrisWorld system, and “Book the Cook,” which allows you to pre-order your food from a huge selection of options that might not be available on board.
Etihad Airways business class
Etihad Airways is really in a groove, with its new Airbus A350 business class suite. Etihad has reverse herringbone seats with doors, and the seats are comfortable and feature incredible tech (bluetooth audio, wireless charging, etc.), with lots of entertainment and solid Wi-Fi.
Etihad’s soft product is excellent as well, in particular thanks to the Armani / Casa collaboration. From great bedding, to dine on demand catering, to a great coffee selection, Etihad has come a long way in business class. Etihad has also introduced a new Boeing 787 business class, which is excellent as well.
EVA Air business class
Taiwan is blessed with three amazing airlines, with China Airlines and EVA Air being the two longstanding ones. EVA Air has the edge, and has an incredible business class soft product. The carrier’s business class seats are nothing special, and include reverse herringbone seats on the Boeing 777 or staggered seats on the Boeing 787, but it’s the food, drinks, amenities, and service, that set the airline apart.
From amazing champagne, to a collaboration with Din Tai Fung for food, to comfortable pajamas, EVA has one of my favorite soft products in the world. If you’re lucky, you can even fly on one of EVA Air’s Hello Kitty jets.
Starlux Airlines business class
Starlux Airlines is Taiwan’s newest long haul airline, and the company has started operating long haul flights with its Airbus A350s. Starlux’s business class is excellent. For one, the airline is the launch customer for the Collins Aerospace Elements product, which is without a doubt the world’s best reverse herringbone seat. This is an excellent hard product, with each seat having a door, a large footwell, and unbeatable tech.
Starlux’s soft product is quite good too, with free Wi-Fi in business class, pajamas, nice amenity kits and bedding, and an extensive selection of food and drinks. I’m excited to see this airline continuing to expand.
Cathay Pacific business class
Cathay Pacific recently debuted its new Aria Suite business class, which is being retrofitted on Boeing 777s. Much like on Starlux, Cathay Pacific selected a modified version of the Collins Aerospace Elements seat, which is stellar. But what’s great about the product goes beyond that.
For one, the seat’s tech is amazing, from the crisp entertainment screen, to the bluetooth audio and wireless charging. On top of that, the bedding is phenomenal, among the best you’ll find on any airline in business class. Cathay Pacific’s food and drink selection is also imaginative, from the signature Cathay Delight, to vegan and wellness oriented options.
Turkish Airlines business class
Turkish Airlines actually has a pretty mediocre business class hard product. Turkish’s Boeing 787 business class consists of staggered seats, while Turkish’s Boeing 777 business class has seven seats per row. Turkish does have some ex-Aeroflot Airbus A350s with an impressive hard product, and also plans to introduce a new business class seat soon.
So why do I rank Turkish Airlines so highly? Well, everything about the soft product is excellent. In my opinion, Turkish has the best food of any airline in business class, plus a great coffee selection. On top of that, I find hospitality on Turkish to consistently be genuinely hospitable and friendly.
Türkiye is an incredible country with so much to offer (that’s a statement about the food, culture, history, and people, and not about the government), so connecting through Istanbul is always a pleasure.
Emirates business class
Emirates is one of the most popular airline brands in the world, and the carrier has a huge halo effect from its A380 fleet. Emirates’ A380 business class definitely isn’t cutting edge, and on many aircraft, even looks quite outdated. The cabin is also huge, so service doesn’t feel that personalized.
However, there’s no denying that there are some things Emirates does really well, and people love flying the carrier’s A380. The seats are comfortable, having an onboard bar is awesome, the drinks are phenomenal (including cocktails), the entertainment is incredible, the Wi-Fi is free, and the amenities are great, with gorgeous amenity kits and even pajamas.
Air France business class
Many people may (correctly) observe that virtually all the carriers on my list are from Asia and the Middle East. Unfortunately that’s just the cookie crumbles, given the competitive landscape. So I want to add a wildcard to the list, which is Air France business class.
While Air France business class isn’t quite to the level of some of the above, I’d argue that the carrier’s new Airbus A350 business class and Boeing 777 business class are by far the best in Europe. The planes have comfortable reverse herringbone seats with doors, excellent tech, and amazing bulkhead seats.
On top of that, I find Air France’s business class soft product to be a cut above the competition. Crews are generally friendly, food and drinks are tasty, entertainment is excellent, and Wi-Fi speeds are quite good (with free Starlink Wi-Fi being on the way). In Europe, Air France is among my favorite airlines in business class.
ITA Airways business class
Let me add another wildcard to the list, especially since it’s not an Asian (or Middle Eastern) airline. I’m a huge fan of Italy’s ITA Airways, and I don’t care whether I’m flying the carrier’s Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330neo, or Airbus A350.
It’s not that the hard product is necessarily that amazing, but instead, it’s that the food and drinks are top notch, as you’d expect from an Italian airline. I’ve also found the service to be exceptional. So while there are areas where ITA doesn’t match other top carriers in business class, on balance, I enjoy my flights with the airline immensely.
Bottom line
It’s amazing how far business class has come over the years, especially when it comes to seats. Many business class seats are now better than first class seats 15 years ago.
Since we’re all looking for different things, there’s not a single business class product that we’ll all agree is the best. The above are my favorites, and Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and All Nippon Airways, are definitely my top three. However, there are lots of other lovely products as well that I really enjoy.
What are your favorite airlines you’ve flown in business class?
I wonder why CX isn’t higher up in the pecking order, given how much positive of a review it was. Yet it’s always its alliance partner JAL hogging all the attention with the A350-1000, despite having a much worse entertainment selection that doesn’t befit that huge 4K screen. I can’t understand why CX isn’t getting a lot of love here, both in the comments section and in the ranking itself. Surely the Aria Suite can rival QR or JAL’s best products today?
I wonder why CX isn’t higher up. Surely the Aria Suite can rival QR or JAL’s best today?
I keep hoping Etihad will have flights from LAX to Abu Dhabi.
The Emirates A 380 is nice from LAX but I'd like to see the product Etihad provides even if it's not an A 380.
Not sure why all the hate for the A380. I have flow all of the airlines (except for Starlux) in the last 5 years, and EK A380 is the one I look forward to booking again (but sadly haven't been able to due to routing or EK having a 777 on the route I needed)
Any airline that's not a US one!
It's a disgrace that Delta - the Greatest and most Profitable Airline in the WORLD - is not on this list. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
None of them have a comfortable seat where you can really sleep well. Too hard, too narrow, always bumping an elbow or a knee anytime you move once lying down. In short, the classic former business-class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration were far more comfortable and allowed sleeping very well. Nowadays, if you want the equivalent of these, you need to go first class. The obsession with individuality and privacy requests has reduced the space...
None of them have a comfortable seat where you can really sleep well. Too hard, too narrow, always bumping an elbow or a knee anytime you move once lying down. In short, the classic former business-class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration were far more comfortable and allowed sleeping very well. Nowadays, if you want the equivalent of these, you need to go first class. The obsession with individuality and privacy requests has reduced the space for each passenger at the expense of the seat itself, which is rather small. On top of that, the same policy isolates passengers, killing the conviviality of what used to be travelling; it was not rare to speak to your neighbours and have excellent conversations, meeting very interesting people. The privacy/individualism developed by airlines has killed it and is unfortunately anti-human.
Come along now Tim, liven this topic up with some of your words of wisdom please …. :-)
Hey... maybe he's enjoying a nice vacation; let him rest. So, I'll play along. Aero, please note that Delta's a359 DeltaOne Suites (with doors!), not to be confused with the 2-2-2 LATAM hand-me-downs, are best-in-class. Until AA XLR's get approvals for their doors, it's just DL and newer Mint with doors among US-carriers.
Why do I feel like these posts are becoming so repetitive in topic? Comes down to three narratives: airline reviews. Hotel reviews. Credit card reviews. Lucky, a year long vacation is worth considering for a restart.
It's probably a good thing, it means that there aren't something new and stupid that came out of Trump's administration, a "professional" influencer, a near miss or a plane crash.
Uh, maybe it's because the blog is about airline, hotel and credit card reviews? Your complaint is like going on a football blog and complaining there are too many articles about the Super Bowl.
How about you take a year long vacation instead of Lucky.
The fact that SQ seats require you to lie with your legs at an angle from your the rest of your torso, guaranteeing back pain, defeats the point of a life flat and unless you get a bulkhead, I avoid SQ in J. Surprised you didn’t mention it.
For real. Those seats are over-due for a refresh. It's one thing for 8+ hour TATL... another thing for 18+ hours from NYC-SIN.
Grere 100%! to Top it off, mostly old movies on Long Routes.
If you consider the consistency of the hard product, I think jal ranks the first by far given their superior seats on a350 and long haul 777. Then surprisingly SQ! Yes their seats are old but I still find their seats very roomy even these days. Maybe cx and qr are the next in my opinion. All of the hese airlines offer superior service and I am curious about starlux
I think there's a big gap between JAL/ANA and the rest. Qatar losing ground. The rest are almost playing in a lower league.
In that lower league, agree AF is the best in Europe... but the liquor list could do with some improvement. Iberia's new hard product is much better, though the service can be hit or miss. Virgin also making a play for best European with the new seats and Retreat, and also as...
I think there's a big gap between JAL/ANA and the rest. Qatar losing ground. The rest are almost playing in a lower league.
In that lower league, agree AF is the best in Europe... but the liquor list could do with some improvement. Iberia's new hard product is much better, though the service can be hit or miss. Virgin also making a play for best European with the new seats and Retreat, and also as the service is almost universally great, but they're let down by the food.
Lol just another Japan glazer. Weird seeing all these Japan glazers in social media when literally their littler neighbours Korea and Taiwan are overtaking it in a variety of fields. Looks like of the big 4 in East Asia Japan only has China left to show off to now lol.
Korean air and Taiwanese carriers with the exception of CI are all better than JAL/ANA.
JAL doesn't even have a big long haul...
Lol just another Japan glazer. Weird seeing all these Japan glazers in social media when literally their littler neighbours Korea and Taiwan are overtaking it in a variety of fields. Looks like of the big 4 in East Asia Japan only has China left to show off to now lol.
Korean air and Taiwanese carriers with the exception of CI are all better than JAL/ANA.
JAL doesn't even have a big long haul network compared to Qatar or Singapore airlines. Funny story in reddit is that actually JAL operates a flight between Tokyo Haneda to Doha and many people in reddit often talk about disappointment when they get JAL flight instead of Qatar airways despite booking Qatar airways.
Sometimes even when you end up booking a Tokyo flight by QR you end up getting a JAL codeshare and I have seen many people in Qatar airways subreddit cry about how they were pushed into JAL flight instead of QR flight to Tokyo from Doha.
So if JAL is that good then why would people vent disappointment in business class especially??
The issue I find with most of these 'best' airlines is that the products that are highlighted are not found on the majority of their fleet.
Qsuite on Qatar, sure great. But that 777 with Qsuites can also get swapped last minute to a 777 with old school 2x2x2 seats.
ANA and JAL - both the same as above. Although they tend not to swap equipment as much as QR their products featured in this...
The issue I find with most of these 'best' airlines is that the products that are highlighted are not found on the majority of their fleet.
Qsuite on Qatar, sure great. But that 777 with Qsuites can also get swapped last minute to a 777 with old school 2x2x2 seats.
ANA and JAL - both the same as above. Although they tend not to swap equipment as much as QR their products featured in this article are only found on a minimal amount of their fleet. They still fly aircraft with 2x2x2 set ups on long haul flights.
Turkish, also the same. And like Qatar they DO often sub one config or aircraft type with another.
Emirates - no. Just no. First Class, maybe. Business, extremely middle of the road and as far as the middle easter carriers go the bottom of the pile.
Putting Emirates on there is a weird choice. Their A380 seats are ok but the vast majority of their aircraft are 777s with an extremely outdated angle-flat 7-across layout...
I had the same thought. Until their retrofits reach a critical mass, it's on my list of long-haul cabins to specifically avoid unless guaranteed the A380. Therefore seems hard to justify inclusion here.
Ben, one post you could make is your favorite business class dependent on the route you take, plus an alternative:
- From US to Asia (via Pacific);
- From US to Europe
- From US to Central and South America
- From US to the Middle East
From Europe to Asia, From the US to Australia.
1. That does not make sense since the center of the world is not in the US (Geographically it could be London or Paris based and the Prime Meridian and historical importance and connectivity, or Ghana with a Latitude 0 and Longitude)..
2. There is a continent called Africa.
So your request should be:
Europe to Africa
Europe to Middle East
Europe to Central & South America
Europe to Asia
Europe to North America
:)
Dude, take a chill pill.
He is US BASED and it IS about HIS opinion being based there. It is HIS blog. It is about HIM, not where you think it should be. The name of the blog does not mention George Biddell Airy the last time I checked.
But here is the opportunity for you to create your own and put you perspective, ok?
You must have oh so much free time and oh so much need of attention...
My experience on Turkish in Business was not great. I flew them IST-IAD on a 787 a few years ago. Seat uncomfortable and cramped, and service was extremely slow and food not great. I really didnt understand the hype and came in with high expectations based on everything I've read here and elsewhere. They almost didnt have time to finish the lunch service before landing in DC because they were just moving so unbelievably slowly....
My experience on Turkish in Business was not great. I flew them IST-IAD on a 787 a few years ago. Seat uncomfortable and cramped, and service was extremely slow and food not great. I really didnt understand the hype and came in with high expectations based on everything I've read here and elsewhere. They almost didnt have time to finish the lunch service before landing in DC because they were just moving so unbelievably slowly. Alas, I'm giving them one more chance soon as their fare was too good to pass up (Turkish in business or United in economy for the same fare...) Tbd!
Huge no no to Turkish. IST is a terrible, terrible hub with very long taxiing, bus gates, overloaded gates, equipment changes and weird seating - 777 if solo is meh, 787/350 with the weird wing and covering window is tight.
ANA's Room is great but I wish they'd roll out new product on 787 and more 777s with Room, too few connections have it. JL has it beat, soft product and lounges in JPN are...
Huge no no to Turkish. IST is a terrible, terrible hub with very long taxiing, bus gates, overloaded gates, equipment changes and weird seating - 777 if solo is meh, 787/350 with the weird wing and covering window is tight.
ANA's Room is great but I wish they'd roll out new product on 787 and more 777s with Room, too few connections have it. JL has it beat, soft product and lounges in JPN are better.
Would put it QR, SQ, JL, CX, NH and then rest.
Even with super slow Alegris rollout, is LHG overtaking the american three? Slop is edible at least on LHG and flight attendants have a pulse at least. With finally seats in the 21st century, all 3 US lines are falling behind. UA Polaris is nothing to write home about, AA signature is .... meh.
You are missing Lufthansa
ANA is overrated. There are very few planes with The Room and those that don’t have it feature substandard hard products.
Take it back! LOL. ANA is excellent, even with older business class. Yes, The Room is where it's at. Still, their food and high standard of service exceeds most expectations, regardless. And, they are upgrading their older lie-flat to newer suites on 787, etc.
Man, if I had a nickel for every time you mentioned EK's A380 halo effect...
Good article but I think it needs a bit more nuance:
Qatar - yes, QSuites (some 777s, some A350s) are great if a bit worn now, and so are their Adient Ascent (all 787-9s). But it really is a roulette spin as to whether you end up with the good seats or their outdated ones because of their infamous aircraft swaps. Then it’s awful Minipods (some 777s) and average Cirrus IIs (all A380s and all...
Good article but I think it needs a bit more nuance:
Qatar - yes, QSuites (some 777s, some A350s) are great if a bit worn now, and so are their Adient Ascent (all 787-9s). But it really is a roulette spin as to whether you end up with the good seats or their outdated ones because of their infamous aircraft swaps. Then it’s awful Minipods (some 777s) and average Cirrus IIs (all A380s and all 787-8). On your average 4 leg long haul return I have never had the seat type I originally booked.
Emirates - sorry but no, zero privacy, old and blingy.
Iberia - new A350s with door (few and far between) are equal to Air France’s new product (equally scarce), and food / service only a wafer behind.
BA - Club Suites (all LHR 777s, all LHR A350s, all LHR 787s) are actually pretty good, as is the food and service. Nothing stellar but it does the job well enough.
Overall - Perhaps add the % that seat actually occurs in their fleet?
For me, a door is a must. It’s your own private space and worth so much more than a robotic smile, an extra 50 IFE films, etc.
BA's food does the job when there is food. It should not be on any top list because of the consistency of pax being denied their first choice of meals. Further, it does not provide PJs on even its longest flights in J class.
That's not what paying a premium of several thousands $$ is for. So it should not be on any top 10 list.
Re BA, if it's not stellar, it ain't gonna make Ben's top lists. BA, to me, is very much middle of the pack. The food is ok, the hard product is ok, the major issue is that the staff/service ranges from phenomenal to terrible.
In the last 2 months, I had 4 Long Flights with Qatar, Nothing Beats Q suites or Qatar Service (on the planes) Now Talk about services on the Ground, They probably have the worst service . Doha has got to be the worst when it comes to Inspections at Customs/Immigration, they will pull out "Arabs" out of Line and process them First then the rest.This is mostly when Departing Doha.I went through this twice this month.
It really depends on what plane you fly on. JAL on A350-1000 is obviously better than JAL on 787 or 777 in business class.
I’m good with your list overall but Business Class also should reflect the ground experience…notably the lounges and dedicated security/checkin. JAL has lost its edge here whereas Cathay and Qatar reign supreme…especially in their home bases. Some JAL and Qatar seats are too coffin-like to warrant praise. Qantas might come closest for me when looking for a carrier in the Anglo-sphere.
This is a very interesting topic Ben, together with some very compelling reasons for your choices. However, I find that there are some major omissions from your selections. That being the reason for travel, route requirements and itinerary. These factors can dictate a different airline selection, etc, don’t you know.
Airline ‘A’ might well have a better J cabin, on a specific route, however, airline ‘B’ might well be more direct, with a better departure...
This is a very interesting topic Ben, together with some very compelling reasons for your choices. However, I find that there are some major omissions from your selections. That being the reason for travel, route requirements and itinerary. These factors can dictate a different airline selection, etc, don’t you know.
Airline ‘A’ might well have a better J cabin, on a specific route, however, airline ‘B’ might well be more direct, with a better departure and arrival time to suit one’s itinerary. The vast majority of passengers need to get from point A to B as quickly as possible, as economically as possible, without undue delays and with the minimum amount of additional cost or complexity. In other words, not all of us are single passenger ‘joyriders’ Ben.
The topic is about the product not the routes. That said, if prices are similar, a number of folks would perhaps choose an indirect Qatar/JAL/ANA over, say, a Delta 767 biz class direct.
@ Khati
I for one would choose QR/JAL/ANA over a DL 767 nonstop J flight even if the they charged several hundred $$ more than DL.
Would add under Qatar that they fly 8 ex WY aircraft with Apex suites which are private. There are two 787-8, 3 330-200 and 3 330-300 flying for Qatar fulltime now.
ANA and JAL are light years ahead of Qatar imho. The Qsuite was great 8 years ago, but I no longer find it cutting edge and not even close to the NH or JL levels of comfort; bedding on QR is poor - I hate that thick purple hairy blanket; and Qatar’s catering sucks despite gimmicks like caviar.
And separately, Emirates should never make it to this list for the fact they’re still flying 777s...
ANA and JAL are light years ahead of Qatar imho. The Qsuite was great 8 years ago, but I no longer find it cutting edge and not even close to the NH or JL levels of comfort; bedding on QR is poor - I hate that thick purple hairy blanket; and Qatar’s catering sucks despite gimmicks like caviar.
And separately, Emirates should never make it to this list for the fact they’re still flying 777s with sloping seats in a 2-3-2 config in J… regardless of how good the A380 is (… and it’s not).
Have you tried ANA’s J offering on their 787-8s and 787-9s?
@volan
The EK's A380s have shower, dontcha know...
@justindev not in business class for sure!
@Baliken yes I have flown ANA’s 787s on regional routes in Asia and TYO-ORD… Thank you for reminding me. Very dated vibes (soft product still very good though). But at least The Room is guaranteed on certain routes/rotations and not subject to swap lottery akin to TK or QR. But good point, hard to rate airlines which have a range of products.
I recently flew outbound to BBK via ORD to HND in ANA's the Room with ANA Lounge stopover in HND and returned BKK-DOH-IAD via Qatar Q suites and lounges in DOHA and Qatar's are now a definite second to ANA. I found Qatar's FA's really are slipping. Hopefully the new management can shake things up or they will drop to third or fourth.
QR has definitely been on a decline. Their service doesn't actually seem that great. They just have a very high end service flow with the tablecloth and candles, but the actual FA quality themselves can be very hit or miss, especially depending on the station.
In addition, QR buys itself a ton of good PR via its offerings like dine on demand or caviar in business class, but in reality, they run out of food...
QR has definitely been on a decline. Their service doesn't actually seem that great. They just have a very high end service flow with the tablecloth and candles, but the actual FA quality themselves can be very hit or miss, especially depending on the station.
In addition, QR buys itself a ton of good PR via its offerings like dine on demand or caviar in business class, but in reality, they run out of food options so quickly, and people are often getting only their second or third choices. For example, they ran out of every dessert option within the first hour of a flight, how is that even possible?
Now obviously these are first world problems, but if you really want to call them best in the world, these are things you need to nail.
I disagree. QR’s lounges at DOH are miles ahead of NH’s HND and NRT lounges.
Agree with everything except Etihad. Stopped flying them recently after 50 flights with them in J. Crew is hit or miss, with “miss” most of the times. They consistently run out of food in J (3 out of 4 in last 2 years). Used to love them but these days find crew with EU carriers more friendlier than EY.
Delta has NOT made the list.
@Tom Deuce (occasionally known as Tim "Homer Simpson" Dunn), comment?
Air Koryo didn't make it either.
I agree, they are highly overrated but you do have a larger selection of mediocre food
Can’t agree with you about Singapore. Flew J class JFK-FRA a year ago - poorly designed seats (you have to sleep at an angle), so-so food and frankly robotic cabin crew. It was a big disappointment.
To the best of my knowledge all SQ J seats are now lay flat seat/beds.
Likely means SQ's 777 flipper seats, which are flat but not straight. I specifically like them and seek out their 777 flights, just due to those seats as they suit me perfectly.
I flew 1A in the new 350 setup on AF last summer. The extra space feels great, but really was no use to me. To be sure, I was happy to snag it again for this summer. It costs no more on US flights (at least for now), but I'm not sure if I'd pay much extra.
No PJs in business is a hard no no for me.
SQ's product is rather meh and tired now, but I readily admit that it provides consistently good service.
SQ really does need something better than the ‘flip the seat down’ for lie-flat and the odd angle; I’m taking it long-haul soon, and mostly looking forward to the delicious food on-board.
SQ seats definitely could use improvement. Still beats most airlines.
Out of date 1990/Bot. All SQ J seats are flat bed now.
The angle here is horizontal. You will have to curl up as the foot cubby is not straight aligned from the seat. Sort of like half way between reverse herringbone and staggered but while sleep worst of both.
Great list. Ben, I’m curious where you put KLM business class. I’ve flown Air France several times (pre-doors) but I’m using KLM round-trip for the first time from Eastern Europe in December. Looking forward to checking it out.
KLM J long-haul is incredible… mainly for the delft blue houses!
@1990 no idea why you would say KLM biz is incredible. It's ok, middle of the pack, service is friendly, the Delft houses are nice, but the food and drinks are mediocre and some seats remain old style side by side flat beds with no dividers.
The KLM hard product is good, crew are friendly in general. However their food (and no I am not talking about Dutch food) offering is not good both in quantity and quality. Their Premium Comfort actually have better food somehow. They also tend to keep the cabin a bit warmer sometimes based on my last couple of flights.
John, I've found that the food depends on where it's coming from; departing from Amsterdam or Asia is usually decent; however, when I took KLM from KGL-EBB-AMS, unfortunately, they restocked in Entebbe, and yikes, it was not good.
@1990 no idea why you would say KLM biz is incredible. It's ok, middle of the pack, service is friendly, the Delft houses are nice, but the food and drinks are mediocre and some seats remain old style side by side flat beds with no dividers.
would love to see a shoot-out between the US4 (AA UA DL B6), and maybe add in AC / WS too. Do on some sort of mainstream plane (e.g., don't do UA 757 or DL 767 - do something fairly respresentative of the product as it is in most cases)
Bit of a Mexican standoff there. AA's 773/772/787/XLR Flagship F & J, DL's 359, 339, 764 in DeltaOne, and UA's 777, 787 with Polaris, and B6's newer Mint are all fairly comparable as far as 'hard' product. The big three each do sundaes, yum, though, I prefer B6 Mint's food and drink, personally.
Then, there's the bottom of the barrel, like AA's older a321T J in 2-2 or their rear-facing J on some 787,...
Bit of a Mexican standoff there. AA's 773/772/787/XLR Flagship F & J, DL's 359, 339, 764 in DeltaOne, and UA's 777, 787 with Polaris, and B6's newer Mint are all fairly comparable as far as 'hard' product. The big three each do sundaes, yum, though, I prefer B6 Mint's food and drink, personally.
Then, there's the bottom of the barrel, like AA's older a321T J in 2-2 or their rear-facing J on some 787, DL's loathed 763 and aging 757 with 2-2, UA's similar 757 with 2-2 and dreadful 'coffin' 772 with rear-facing 2-4-2 in J, and I guess older Mint.
I agree that I'd like to see this US/North American comparison.
Air Canada is a hidden star. Comfortable seats, middle of the road catering, nice crew. It does feel vaguely pared down, overall.
Lufthansa is no dark horse at all. Catering created by ruthless accountants, seats in all classes that are thin, hard and odious. Here is an intercontinental airline that is stuck in an apparent holding pattern. Oh, did I mention fares are high?
I've had very decent experiences on AC J too. Very nice food (even in coach), good seats (also in coach!), and loooovely crews.
Slight addendum: Air Canada wide-bodies (a330, 787, 777) are indeed excellent in J. Food, service on-board, seats. *chef’s kiss* (however, narrow-body, Rouge, not as much.)
Have to disagree. Awful narrow cramped seats in AC J class. Hidden gem though is their premium economy - a great product.
Recently flew AC J from NRT to YUL. The food and service were terrible. To me they are only to be flown when there are no other options.
Agree on that. I flew AC for a few flights late last year. YUL to YYC in a widebody, and was a perfectly comfortable J seat for that daytime flight. Pleasant crews, catering was better than I expected. Just found the angle of the seat to be a little bit too extreme. And the massage feature could barely be felt.
Also did a few narrowbody flights, and it was just about what the typical first...
Agree on that. I flew AC for a few flights late last year. YUL to YYC in a widebody, and was a perfectly comfortable J seat for that daytime flight. Pleasant crews, catering was better than I expected. Just found the angle of the seat to be a little bit too extreme. And the massage feature could barely be felt.
Also did a few narrowbody flights, and it was just about what the typical first class seat is on other carriers. Catering was surprising that even for a short YYZ to EWR flight, they served a cheese/fruit plate, which I'd normally expect just some snacks on such a flight.
I'm 3 for 3 enjoying A330/B787 flights in J, and as an aside, I would rank their narrow-body J comfortably above the US3 F for short-haul flights in North America. Lounge access, real food on board, interesting wines, good service. Have never flown Mint.
Excellent list! I’d remove Turkish, add jetBlue’s newer Mint.
No way, removing TK from the list would be a terrible mistake. On the LHR-IST direct route there is no better J seat available. However, on other routes there may be better options.
If it's TK's a350 or 787 with newer business class, I'd say, sure, fine, decent hard product, and yes, the food is good, and fine, the new IST is a beautiful, massive airport, with decent lounges. Ok, fine, see, look, I can say nice things about TK. But, the 773s, a330s, etc. are aging, and 2-3-2 business class is not good enough, and sometimes, the older a330s get swapped, and you have limited recline J,...
If it's TK's a350 or 787 with newer business class, I'd say, sure, fine, decent hard product, and yes, the food is good, and fine, the new IST is a beautiful, massive airport, with decent lounges. Ok, fine, see, look, I can say nice things about TK. But, the 773s, a330s, etc. are aging, and 2-3-2 business class is not good enough, and sometimes, the older a330s get swapped, and you have limited recline J, which is awful for an 8+ hour redeye when you paid for lie-flat.
The world rankings place TK two places above AF. European travellers review media all concur.
Possibly 100+ flights between LHR-Istanbul-LHR over the last five decades, would not have been contemplated if they could have been beaten. We even travel to Egypt via Istanbul, to avoid the stupid o’clock landings.
No 1990Bot, you will never convince me that the likes of any of the U.S. airlines could ever hold a candle to TK. I would...
The world rankings place TK two places above AF. European travellers review media all concur.
Possibly 100+ flights between LHR-Istanbul-LHR over the last five decades, would not have been contemplated if they could have been beaten. We even travel to Egypt via Istanbul, to avoid the stupid o’clock landings.
No 1990Bot, you will never convince me that the likes of any of the U.S. airlines could ever hold a candle to TK. I would even accept their PE over any U.S. airline class.