Airlines across the globe have been improving their business class experience. Whilst this covers everything, from check-in to lounges, and then the planes themselves, the biggest improvement can be found in the seats themselves.
What used to be a bigger, more plush economy seat is now much closer to what you’d expect (and get) in First Class. Seats have become suites, complete with walls, and drinks cabinets, large TVs and massage functionality.
This improvement in Business Class means that the jump from Economy Class to Business is significant, and often, when you jump up to First Class, the differences are negligible.
This is not a definitive list of all business class seats, but rather a set of pointers towards airlines that have particularly good or interesting offerings.
Qatar’s Q-Suite
Widely regarded as one of the best in the sky, and soon to be usurped by its upgraded next-generation Q-suite, this is an incredible seat that rightfully has an excellent reputation.
It’s a fully enclosed suite, meaning that you have a privacy door that can close. As with most suites, this does not go all the way to the ceiling, but it offers a good level of privacy, whether you’re dining or sleeping.
The biggest problem with Qatar’s Q-suite is aircraft swaps. You might book a flight six months out, and then find that the promised Q-Suite is now an older-generation business class seat. Qatar operates too many seat variations, and whilst some are almost as good as the Q-suite, some are certainly not.
Qatar connects hundreds of cities globally to their hub in Doha, meaning it’s a good choice if you’re flying from the US to the Middle East, or Europe to the Far East or Australia.
British Airways Club Suite
BA once led the way when it came to Business seating. Whilst it has now been surpassed by Middle Eastern and Asian carriers, their current flagship Business Class seat is still solid. The look and feel of it are good, but where it really performs is when it’s used as a lie-flat bed. It’s well-sized and offers a very comfortable night’s sleep.
The Club Suite was introduced in 2019. It’s based on the Collins Super Diamond seat, and it was brought in as an option after the airline rejected internal designs.
What’s also great about the seat is that it has plenty of storage. Some modern Business Class seats look great, but have very few places to put things. Whilst you can use the overhead bins, having storage around the seat is important for objects like phones, laptops, headphones and Kindles. BA does a great job with storage.
There’s also a perfectly decent TV screen, at 18 inches. There are larger ones out there (Emirates have upto 23” in their suites) but once you get past a certain size it’s hard to tell the difference. JAL’s A350s are the king of the screen size, with 24” in Business Class, and a somewhat ridiculous 43” in First.
Whilst it’s been seven years since BA introduced the seat, some planes still fly the older Club World seat. This was market-leading when it launched, but it’s a little narrow and simply feels much older than any other seat. The Yin-Yang configuration is awkward too. Thankfully, it’s easy to see which ba planes have club suites.
Upcoming changes to the airline’s fleet will see this older seat type disappear completely. The A380 will have a full refit, which includes upgrading the Club World seats to Club Suites and the introduction of a brand new First Class.
British Airways is a good choice if you are flying to Europe from either North America or the Far East, or in reverse if you’re flying from Great Britain. They have a high number of flights to the US, as well as lots of long-hauls to places like Singapore, Shanghai, Japan, and many more.
Emirates Business Class
As equally well-regarded as Qatar’s Q-suite, except in one soon-to-be-removed configuration, Emirates business class seats are – at their worst – on par with the best European or US airline. The best Business seats are on par with the best in the world.
They differ based on plane type: the giant A380 fleet has an excellent Business Class seat, complete with its own (unchilled) mini-bar, live TV, and of course, fully lie flat.
The newer A350 also has an excellent Business seat, whilst the older 777 has the most disliked Business layout: a 2-3-2 configuration, meaning some passengers don’t have direct aisle access.
As Business Class seats have evolved over time, being able to step from your seat into the aisle has gone from a nice-to-have to an absolute need.
Emirates seats on the A380 also benefit from being able to access the online bar, which is just behind the Business Class cabin on the upper deck.
Emirates is another carrier that is a great choice for travel to the Middle East, particularly if you need to head to its home city of Dubai. It’s also a good choice if you’re travelling from Africa or the Far East to Europe, thanks to their multitude of connections into primary and secondary cities in the EU.
Delta’s Delta One Suite
If you’re flying long-haul with Delta and you end up on their A350 or A330neo then you will likely get the Delta One suite. It’s regarded as being the best long-haul Business Class seat out of all US carriers, although I would say that JetBlue’s Mint Suite is better, albeit with far fewer international routes.
The suite might lack the mini-bar that Emirates has, the cachet of the Q-suite, but the Delta One suite is an excellent seat that gets the basics absolutely right. There’s a lie-flat seat, wireless and USB-C charging on some of the more recently installed suites, and plenty of storage.
Delta is a great choice if you’re travelling to or from Europe to the US, or for US passengers wanting to access any of the 100 or so cities that Delta flies to internationally.
When business isn’t business: Euro-business and US flights.
Most travellers dream of sitting in a business class seat, and intra-Europe and flights within the US offer “business class” seating at a much lower price.
These seats are fundamentally different to the business class you see on TV and in your social feed. In some cases, the seats are exactly the same as economy, with just one small twist.
The experience will be better than economy: a shorter check-in line, sometimes expedited security and then lounge access. On-board the food and drink offering will be better than economy, but in some cases, if you look at the seats themselves, it’s no better than the cabin behind you.
In Europe, the concept of Euro-business is that you sit in an Economy seat, in a 3-3 configuration, but the middle seat is blocked out. If you’ve booked Business expecting an enclosed, luxurious suite, and end up with a regular one, you may be disappointed.
Leave a Reply