I’ve long published my rankings of the world’s best first class products and best first class lounges. However, I haven’t historically published my rankings of what I consider to be the world’s best business class products. I think it’s time to change to that.
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
- I haven’t flown Starlux Airlines’ A350 business class, so I can’t include it on the list; however, when I do fly it, I suspect it will make the cut
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).
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 simply 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, reasonably priced high-speed Wi-Fi, and more. If I could only ever fly one airline again in business class, it would be Qatar Airways.
All Nippon Airways business class
All Nippon Airways has 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.
However, ultimately the business class experience isn’t quite as customized as on Qatar Airways. I do think that Qatar Airways & ANA have the two best business class products at the moment.
Etihad Airways business class
Etihad Airways is really in a groove, with its new 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 will also soon introduce a new Boeing 787 business class.
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. 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.
Turkey 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.
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 or Airbus A380. 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.
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.
Japan Airlines business class
Japan Airlines has Apex Suites in business class on select Boeing 787s and Boeing 777s, which is my favorite “generic” business class seat in the world (in other words, one not exclusive to a single airline). The window seats in this configuration are unparalleled in terms of privacy and space.
On top of that, Japan Airlines has friendly Japanese service, solid food, reasonably priced and fast Wi-Fi, and pretty good amenities.
Oman Air business class
Oman is one of the most interesting countries in the Gulf region, and Oman Air is very much a reflection of that. For one, Oman Air has a great business class seat — the airline has Apex Suites on most of its long haul aircraft, much like Japan Airlines, and those are hard to beat.
On top of that, the airline has excellent food and extensive amenities (including pajamas). It’s also interesting how Oman Air has a combination of local flight attendants and foreigners, which you won’t find on Emirates, Etihad, or Qatar.
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 and All Nippon Airways are definitely my favorites. 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 think there is an over fascination with Asian and Middle Eastern airlines.
They are great and provide great service.
That said...Delta has worked hard to catch up to its heralded food & service partners...KLN/AF...I think have surpassed.
Their Delta One is on par with most and Delta One Suites is magnificent.
I found the service on TK to be subpar. No alcohol freely offered before takeoff, poor wine availability and very little care outside of mealtimes. They made zero runs to ask if we needed anything, and I was parched, so I found myself marching to the galley several times. Crew were just ok and spent most of their time chatting. Even DL has better service than that. Hard product was fine but nothing special.
What and British Airways new business??
My favourite is definitely Qarar.
Singapore airlines has the best business class
How about some European and N. American airlines? For those of us who don't travel to Asia, this ranking is not very helpful.
I’m surprised that JetBlue MINT isn’t on this list. I did check and MINT is sold as Business Class rather than First Class.
What about Emirates??? Flew SF-Dubai on an A380 and have never seen a better business class product. The business class on their 777 is mediocre at best. Flew that aircraft from Dubai-Auckland.
Qatar Airways has a better business class product on the A380 than Emirates does.
Curious about United Polaris and if you were close to including it.
Polaris has a good hard product and gray bedding. Service is okay at best and the food is edible on a good day.
All that being said, if you travel ex-US to Europe and eat in a Polaris Lounge and sleep the whole flight it’s a great way to fly.
Given the caveats I just wrote of course it’s no surprise it’s not on your top 10 but curious how close it was.
But is this a list of best overall business class or just airlines offering a good soft product paired with a certain seat?
For example, we have Qatar's suites as being on the list...but what about their non-suites? Is Qatar's A380 business class not considered one of the best? Is it not as good as EVA's, even though it's the same seat as EVA but with the same food, service, IFE, etc that you get...
But is this a list of best overall business class or just airlines offering a good soft product paired with a certain seat?
For example, we have Qatar's suites as being on the list...but what about their non-suites? Is Qatar's A380 business class not considered one of the best? Is it not as good as EVA's, even though it's the same seat as EVA but with the same food, service, IFE, etc that you get in Qatar's suites but also has a bar on the A380?
Also, where is Air France's new suites which Lucky raved about recently in his review?
You clearly didnt really read what he wrote. He said this is his subjective list of best business classes based on his preferences.
As for Qatar Airways, He didnt just say "Q Suites", he said Qatar Airways Business class. He said that Q Suites are a good thing, but that even the non Q suites variants are excellent. It's pretty explicit that it's not just Q Suites but Qatar Business as a whole.
I...
You clearly didnt really read what he wrote. He said this is his subjective list of best business classes based on his preferences.
As for Qatar Airways, He didnt just say "Q Suites", he said Qatar Airways Business class. He said that Q Suites are a good thing, but that even the non Q suites variants are excellent. It's pretty explicit that it's not just Q Suites but Qatar Business as a whole.
I agree and was surprised that Air France wasnt listed as he does seem to have an overall high degree of praise for the product.
Actually I did read what he wrote. Did you read what I wrote?
"He didnt just say "Q Suites""
But he didn't say much else about the other business class seats offered. From the text which some of did and didn't read:
"There’s simply not a more well-rounded business class experience out there. Qatar Airways has thoughtfully designed seats with privacy doors"
Which only applies to the suites. It doesn't apply to their reverse herringbone...
Actually I did read what he wrote. Did you read what I wrote?
"He didnt just say "Q Suites""
But he didn't say much else about the other business class seats offered. From the text which some of did and didn't read:
"There’s simply not a more well-rounded business class experience out there. Qatar Airways has thoughtfully designed seats with privacy doors"
Which only applies to the suites. It doesn't apply to their reverse herringbone seats.
Similar to his points about ANA. Where do their staggered seats (which you still find on many routes) rank with other business seats? Are the staggered seats an overall better product and experience than say on Turkish (regardless of the seats offered on Turkish)?
The new Eva Air 787-9 business class on long-haul routes from the EU to Taipei is unbeatable.
I wonder if the CEOs of the US big three airlines will get a bonus from their boards for not making this list.
Im a big fan of Emirates. Lounge in Dubai fabulous & first class dreamy!
Yeah but this isn't about first class...
Booze seems to be the norm and not the exception in the zionist hypocrite flag carrier Etihad airlines. No wonder nobody respects moslems anywhere.
Q Suites by a landslide. This product is in a league of its own I didn’t realize it was business class. I would say this experience was just behind LH F.
Then I’ve flown AA J endless times and BA club world once. Both these products are abysmal bottom feeders. Nothing more than arriving at your destination slightly less exhausted than flying in economy. I have no idea while people dread economy. You love to fly. Get up and stretch and walk around a bit.
ANA the room would disagree... It's a far superior hard product and I think the soft product is equal.
BA's Club World is hardly abysmal in the new suite seats. And the upgrade to DO&CO catering gives them above average food too.
But the cabin service is totally unpredictable given their mixed crews (can be amazing or terrible... Even on the same flight), the vast majority of seats are still the old ones, and even the new ones still are definitely not Q suites or The Room
Whilst I seem to almost agree - I’d place ANA first only because with QR you can get aircraft switching at the last moment and you could end up in 3 different types which is not ideal , this happened the last 4 times I flew with them and whilst their soft product is the same not knowing what you will end up with is not good and as well the “stairs and bus “ shuffle in Doha is hardly 5 star service
I fully agree with you Ben, for NOT having Qantas anywhere on this list Overpriced. Underwhelming.
Qantas is actually quite good imo. Nice seat. Good food. Also like their first class. Overpriced? Definitely. But if you’re smart you can use AA points to fly them at low prices. Australians unfort very one eyed about accumulating wantas points which are abysmal.
Qantas was good... About 15 years back. Seats barely changed since then, and the food has gone downhill a lot
I vote for American and KLM. Lufthansa,Delta,Areolinas Argentina and BritishAirways are thumbs down
KLM?!?!? I like the crews, the food is ok, but the seats are mediocre at best. They may be good if traveling as a couple but if traveling alone, there's almost no privacy
Truly a great, thoughtful, and informative post. You are the thought leader...
I'll stop there.
What is the airline that you were saying has executive seats that do not recline, but are still very comfortable?
I believe this is finnair
ANA The Room wins for me because it means I get to fly through Japan. However, if no The Room, I'd prefer JL, both for Apex suite and I find JL FAs more professional and attentive. Close third for EVA.
Singapore should not even be on the list, the biz seat is disqualifyingly bad.
It's a shame some still frequent the most discriminatory countries in the world if they have good premium air travel.
If you think discrimination isn’t a problem in Japan, I have news for you.
If you think discrimination isn’t a problem in every and each country, well, I got news for you…
The endless search for a perfect human (much less, group of humans). We all fall short.
Turkish Airlines do have excellent soft product onboard, however, their ground service and reliability are horrible.
Their flights are frequently delayed and IST is also notorious for missing or delayed bags when connecting.
True. I love flying with them, but they are certainly not a “neat” airline. Still, I think they earned their place here. Food out of IST is truly magnificent, the lounge is fantastic and service is, normally, very friendly. I would argue, though, that flying out of an outstation damages the experience severely, since you wouldn’t access Turkish Lounge and the food wouldn’t be that special.
Hey Lucky,
Why do you continue to promote countries with questionable human rights records? You are a gay man and you constantly fawn over airlines (that in most cases are an extension of the state) from places that condone capital punishment for homosexuality. With no warning to other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Shame on you.
Petra. Lucky has addressed this multiple times.
Please check his archive.
He is entitled to have his opinions just like you.
Petra, nobody is perfect, and no country is perfect too.
If Ben filters each and every negative aspects from every group of people or any country out there... then there is practically nothing can be written in this blog.
And I think Ben didn't "promote" any country, he is only stating and sharing his experiences and opinions with the airlines/hotels.
Having a different opinion is fine, but that doesn't mean that we...
Petra, nobody is perfect, and no country is perfect too.
If Ben filters each and every negative aspects from every group of people or any country out there... then there is practically nothing can be written in this blog.
And I think Ben didn't "promote" any country, he is only stating and sharing his experiences and opinions with the airlines/hotels.
Having a different opinion is fine, but that doesn't mean that we need to _cancel_ everything that is different from us.
Not sure what the demographics of your readers are. I bet that the majority will be booking with AA, UA or DL for their international trips. Reviews like this are a once upon a time.
PS Why does OMAAT have so many trackers? Im getting alerted of over a 100 everytime I go to the site.
However it’s a list of the writer’s favourite airlines in business class, not a list of the airlines most frequently booked by readers.
And, for example, I'm not in the US. Actually more likely to end up on Qatar, Emirates, Turkish or ANA for big trips. Catering to an international audience.
Turkish is the best lounge by far!
Service is great.
However the 777 from LAX and return was very old and very uncomfortable. It is difficult to adjust and doesn't give you many options. I think they are trading them out, I hope!
Glad your omitted Lufthansa! Terrible on all scores. They don't seem to care either.
No way… Al Maha is waaaay better than the Turkish lounge. They don’t even serve liquor.
In the status lounge there is indeed no liqour, in the business class lounge there is. The lounges are split between Y pax with Star Gold and J pax. The J one is the nicer one.
COVID only had the non-liquor one open for my last 3 visits. Even with liquor, Al Maha is way better. It's honestly not even close.
I really hope the US 3s or the US type business realizes that the 5 more dollars they squeezed out of customers’ pockets eventually making people hate to fly with them, luckily they still invested in some nice seats, probably they might work with McDonald for delivering better and consistent food services.
McDonalds could also provide friendlier service, probably… Also, cleaner restrooms (absurd as it may sound to people who never flew them…)
Invest in McDonald’s. Each one is basically a micro factory build on a plot real estate land. They sell 70 hamburgers every second worldwide.
Back on point American sucks. Everytime I’m in domestic first it reminds me of riding the LIRR as a child.
Being that it's nearly impossible to find reward business class ANA to Japan these days, I'm pretty stoked that I was able to book business JAL from JFK to HND for November with Alaska miles. I've seen mostly positive reviews from other bloggers and Youtube.
Qantas is actually quite good imo. Nice seat. Good food. Also like their first class. Overpriced? Definitely. But if you’re smart you can use AA points to fly them at low prices. Australians unfort very one eyed about accumulating wantas points which are abysmal.
Maybe next time you can rate the best business class within an alliance; ie within One World, Star Alliance members , etc. This could be very beneficial especially if someone has most of their miles in one specific alliance.
From the article:
Oneworld: Qatar
Star Alliance: ANA
SkyTeam: nothing
From previous articles, I would assume SkyTeam's is the new Air France business class, but he probably rates it as "just outside these 10" or "top 10 but not enough flights to rate".
Really enjoyed this list! There are several on here I have yet to experience but would like to try.
I love Turkish, which I flew for the first time this year. I actually enjoyed the 777 with the 2-3-2 configuration because there is much more legroom when sleeping than when you have to put your feet in a footwell. Sleep is one of my top priorities. I also enjoyed their food and service.
A couple...
Really enjoyed this list! There are several on here I have yet to experience but would like to try.
I love Turkish, which I flew for the first time this year. I actually enjoyed the 777 with the 2-3-2 configuration because there is much more legroom when sleeping than when you have to put your feet in a footwell. Sleep is one of my top priorities. I also enjoyed their food and service.
A couple that aren't on here and which may not be at the level of the ones you chose, but which I quite enjoyed:
- Virgin Atlantic "Upper Class". We flew it upstairs on a 747 back in 2017, and it was a smaller cabin with just 12 seats and again...no footwells. I slept SO well on that flight. We also quite enjoyed the London Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
-Air France. We flew a 777-300ER in 2021. The food was amazing, and everything else was good.
Like OFE, I had a poor experience in United Business. The food was abysmal and the communication prior to the flight was poor. (That is not a business class problem per se, but not flying until 28 hours after our scheduled departure time when the text from the airline said the flight was 20 minutes is a bummer, particularly when there is no weather-related reason for the delay.)
Just flew UA Business DEN-LHR and the only good thing was the cabin and flight crew who were excellent and tried their best to provide service. My seat had only 2 positions, full upright or full bed and the cabin crew could not fix it. Trim on the armrests and tables was peeling, and there were chunks of the table tops missing. The business class meal was truly inedible, a large blob of fat with...
Just flew UA Business DEN-LHR and the only good thing was the cabin and flight crew who were excellent and tried their best to provide service. My seat had only 2 positions, full upright or full bed and the cabin crew could not fix it. Trim on the armrests and tables was peeling, and there were chunks of the table tops missing. The business class meal was truly inedible, a large blob of fat with gravy for the "Beef", brown veggies with brown rice that was cold and stale bread. We flew UA FRA-DEN in Premium Econ and the food was far better and there were no real interior problems.
The state of Domestic airlines International Business "Class" service should be an embarrassment.
No emirates???
Their business class is good but not great, even on the A380. Also their seat on the 777 definitely won't be on any Best of Business Class lists.
I agree with EVA Air being on the list. However, I do find that, particularly in economy class, EVA Air flight attendants' English is very limited. I have difficulty understanding them or the announcements unless I really concentrate. I'm glad they have a menu in economy class to point to.
This is a list about business class, not economy.
Mÿ comment and recent experience has been oñ both.
Your comment was only about economy class.
Putting TK on the list is a joke . Hard is mediocre , but soft product and service are average . Although food presentation gets five points , taste of food and weak liquor options puts their overall business product easily out of top 10
I agree Qatar is the best. Flew them SFO-DOH on the A350. JAL is a really dated hard product. Been on three JAL flights in the last year and underwhelmed by the service and food. United’s Polaris and BA’s new Club World are consistently good.
Play the lottery, Edward. Your experiences with UA and BA have been considerably better than mine.
Surprised to not see Cathay on here. Have they gone really downhill since the pandemic?
Yes.
I fly United 99% of the time, and their business class is up at the pointy end. For these international airlines you reviewed, isn't there a first class that's even nicer?
I'll stick with Emirates, thank you.
Egypt Air one of the worst business I've ever flown. Qantas doesn't make my list either. BA was in the "okay" group.
.
Stick with EK, you mean stuck in a middle seat of their business class?
@Patti We could never postulate a J configuration with middle seats for this list
@ BBK – Yeah, that'd be a Turkey amongst chickens
Never seen a middle seat on their business class. Not on any I've flown with them.
I’ve flown all but Oman… not sure if I would include JAL. It’s been meh and the seats aren’t even that great.
I agree. I like that JAL has affordable (but scarce) AA awards, but definitely not worth the money from the west coast on 787s or 777s.
JAL and TK don't belong there. JAL is second tier and TK third. Malaysian better than both.
I’m okay with TK, especially since the lounge is super nice and they have really good food. Agree 100% on JAL being 2nd or 3rd tier.
JAL has comfortable seats with good privacy and all aisle access on their wide body flights (whether Apex or reverse herringbone seats), great service, and delicious food (both Japanese and Western). Remind me again what makes them 2nd or 3rd tier?
And here I thought BA first class was the best business class!
It's the best premium economy :)
The old BA business class on the 777 had the greatest window seat. Reverse facing and like a private room. Ben likes doors. I wonder if he liked that seat?
Overall I think this is a really great list.
I flew Qatar this past March from DC to Doha on the old product, and even though I didnt have Q Suite it was still an excellent, comfortable experience. Great service and food.
I flew Turkish back from Doha via Istanbul. I must have missed something. I had very high expectations going in and they overall were not met. The flight from Doha to Istanbul was...
Overall I think this is a really great list.
I flew Qatar this past March from DC to Doha on the old product, and even though I didnt have Q Suite it was still an excellent, comfortable experience. Great service and food.
I flew Turkish back from Doha via Istanbul. I must have missed something. I had very high expectations going in and they overall were not met. The flight from Doha to Istanbul was at 3AM on an A321. That actually was a very comfortable flight in business with very good food. Slept well. Istanbul Airport was chaotic - huge! The lounge was okay, but that early in the morning they didnt have much food out, so I was disappointed there. Then the flight to DC was the low point. I was on their new 787, which Iwas looking forward to. Honestly, it was not comfortable. The seat just felt very narrow with the shell. I'm definitely a bigger guy, and it just wasnt great. Plus I hated how I couldnt see out the window. Service was not good. Especially the main meal towards the end of the flight. It was extremely slow, poky, and I was worried that they'd have to skip serviing us dessert as it took them a very long time and we really didnt even get dessert until barely an hour before landing. Quality was nothing to write home about. But I'd do it again, especailly for the absurdly cheap biz class redemption I got using TK Smiles.
I'm surprised Austrian isnt on your list - I get that the seats arent great, but the service I feel more than makes up for it, as well as the food, which is uniformly excellent.
Somebody else mentioned Virgin. While the seats are variable, I've only been on the herrinbone seats and even then I thought it was excellent -from the lounges at DC, LHR, and JNB, to the food, to the service, to the entertainment, I loved it. And with the new seats they're installing it's only going to get better.
Thanks for putting this list together!
I agree on this. I flew TK SJJ-IST-DFW last Thursday. The lounge in IST has gone downhill and only offers one beer, a few wines and no spirits. Food was good, service was slow. Service was not proactive, I had to use a call button today get anything outside of mealtime. Also, the shell is indeed restrictive for wider shoulders.
I still find it a superior way to fly between the above points as...
I agree on this. I flew TK SJJ-IST-DFW last Thursday. The lounge in IST has gone downhill and only offers one beer, a few wines and no spirits. Food was good, service was slow. Service was not proactive, I had to use a call button today get anything outside of mealtime. Also, the shell is indeed restrictive for wider shoulders.
I still find it a superior way to fly between the above points as IST is better to connect in than Western Europe and Capital One miles seem to be able to go to miles and smiles for last-seat availability at 107.5k.
Agreed that the list is good overall, but personally I find TK and the new ANA seats to be misses.
TK 787 seats are narrow, and worse yet they are notorious for equipment swaps, and their non-787 seats are really old. Service is fine, not exceptional.
ANA seats are simply too firm, and yes they are spacious (as spacious as many F seats), but everything else is just ok compared to their competitors in the region.
Etihad business class seats are made for midgets :(
Where would Virgin Atlantic be on your list?