Flying High: The Best First Class

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed)
Oct 18th 2006 at 10:02AM

Those of us unfortunate enough to travel on commercial airlines know the unrestrained joy that occurs when we get an upgrade. For the most part, this means leaving the cattle barn for leather clad chairs and free booze. But there are several airlines that take the experience to the next level. From gadget filled seats that coddle you in comfort to bars and massages, the world of premium class has gotten very competitive and one-upmanship is the name of the game.

Our list is after the jump.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Upper Class
More like a Playboy club in the sky (at least that's what they want you to think,) Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class kick started the premium class wars with its oodles of amenities and services. The Upper Class treatment begins with a chauffeured driven car pickup and drive-through check in at Heathrow or Gatwick. Then you can relax in the oh-so-hip Clubhouse Lounge. Each one is different, but we love the Heathrow lounge with its ultra-mod decor and hot-tub. If you finally decide to get on the plane, you'll enjoy a 22" seat of cushy leather with ottoman that becomes a full 6'6 bed. A full bar is open for your enjoyment and you can even chose a mini-spa treatment so you arrive refreshed. Virgin Atlantic has ordered several of the mammoth Airbus A380's and promises to add new features to the Upper Class experience.

Emirates Airlines First Class
Are you just longing to live like an Sheik? Why not fly the airline of one. Emirates Airlines has undergone a transformation much like Dubai has itself. In Dubai, glittering towers await visitors who come to gawk at the ostentatious wealth on display. To get you there, Dubai has revamped its first class offerings on Emirates to be as fabulous as in the air as Dubai is on the ground. The centerpiece of the first class experience is the cabin. We've seen the lay-flat beds and guest seats before, but Emirates gives you something different, Privacy. These personal "suites" can be partitioned off to give you a personal little cabin in which to nap, watch TV, or dine in. The overhead bins have been removed to give a more open feel and in their place, a ceiling designed to emulate the sky. Through the course of the flight, it changes from day to night with stars coming out to lull you to sleep. Dinner is served whenever you want it and you can relax at the stand up bar for a nightcap with other travelers if you like. Emirates is definitely the airline to chose when heading toward the Middle East.

British Airways First Class
My personal favorite choice in First Class comes from the great people at British Airways. They started flat bed craze and although little has changed, the folks at BA keep a top-notch product coming time after time. With the demise of the uber-luxe Concorde, BA's First Class became the leader of trans-Atlantic celebrity crossing and hardly a flight goes from JFK to Heathrow without some star or starlet gracing the cabin. The seats lay out to 6'6 beds and come with comfy duvets and big pillows. Dinner is whenever you want it and if you prefer to eat on the ground and sleep in the sky, you can have dinner in the first class departure lounge. If sleep isn't your thing, the wine selection is extensive and a catalog of movies ensures that your flight will be relaxing.

Tags: british airways, BritishAirways, emirates, first class, FirstClass, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Emil Oct 18th 2006 10:59AM

Darn it, I knew I should have gone into investment banking. The planes I fly on don't look anything like that, and a fat flight attendant sat on me last time I flew.

Damien Oct 18th 2006 11:08AM

OK, heres my take on it since I've flown all three recently ( well Virgin was one year back).

1) VA - Good service, great seats but just felt short of being truly 'First Class'

2) Emirates - Great service, great amenities, great ambience, so-so seats in terms of width/length, otherwise fabulous in terms of support, comfort etc.

3) By far THE WORST first class I've ever experienced. Horrendous service, extremely cramped seats, completely overpriced BUT the best connections to anywhere in the world. And do you really think people travelling in First Class really care about spotting some celebrity or the other? I know I dont.

Others worth a mention:

Swiss, Lufthansa. Don't know much about Singapore Airlines but they're supposed to be great.

Riskmanagement Oct 18th 2006 3:29PM

Not many people can pay the first class, its very luxierous.

Justin Resuello Dec 4th 2009 3:01AM

You guys totally missed yesterday's announcement from Singapore Airlines (and last week's announcement from Cathay Pacific). The Asian carriers--particularly, SQ--have really raised the bar for everyone.

Andrew Lam Oct 18th 2006 1:57PM

But for those who can pay, its the only way to go (it also helps to stay with one airline/alliance and accumulate miles). I can't believe SQ isn't featured here, since they blow VS, EK, and BA out of the water (or the air as the case may be). Not only has SQ raised the bar, they set the bar for consistently excellent service. I find it interesting that Asian airlines are missing, but not surprising since most people still have this idea that BA is the best (Kofi Annan must think so; I've seen him in seat 1A). So its worth mentioning Cathay Pacific and Thai as other airlines with great FC.

Scotty Oct 18th 2006 4:42PM

While I think the Virgin Upper Class is very nice, the thing that kills it for me are the flight attendents. I've always found them to be a bit rude and arrogant. Several times there was some celeb on my flight and it seemed that all they cared about was hanging out with (flirting with) the celeb.

On BA and definitely on the asian airlines, part of the joy of flying 1st class is the amazing service.

Justin Resuello Oct 18th 2006 7:56PM

I have to reiterate my previous comment (along with Andrew Lam): SQ has amazing service. Don't get me wrong, when I'm checking in and the CX agents come to the line and escort me to the ticket counter, that's nice... But, when an amazingly gorgeous SQ female flight attendant pours me glass after glass of Krug (which I prefer over Dom), makes my bed (as I prepare in the lav), and tucks me in and says "Pleasant dreams, Mr..." you've gotta tell yourself: "I'm truly on cloud nine."

Adam Oct 18th 2006 8:39PM

I'm with Emirates all the way, the service level is far beyond any other carrier. Whenever I fly, I check Emirates first.

Virgin is a distant second, I'm not fond of the service or the cabins but they are the only airline that doesn't feel dated or like a hospital. But their first class lounges are a wonderful feature.

Eddy Xavier Oct 19th 2006 6:28PM

Singapore Airlines is the one to go for. Check out their new First Class.
http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/exp/new/firstclass/index.jsp

christopher gabriel Oct 22nd 2006 12:11PM

I HAVE FLOWN MANY DIFFERENT AIRLINES BUT EMIRATES IS A CLASS OF ITS OWN,STARTING FORM CHECK IN TILL YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION,YOU GET THE BEST SERVICE,THEY PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY SINGLE DETAIL,NOW WHEN EVER I FLY FROM NORTH AMERICA EMIRATES IS MY FIRST CHOICE,I AM SO GLAD THEY STARTED SERVICE FROM NEW YORK

A. Dobo Oct 25th 2006 5:29PM

I've flown with neither Singapore Airlines nor All Nippon Airways, but have hoity-toity relatives who insist on flying with the former, and worked for latter several years ago. Singapore is supposed to be the gold standard for 1st class, and ANA garners consistent praise on Skytrax (www.airlinequality.com).

Bobby John Dec 16th 2006 2:43AM

I flown in a number of airlines and the last l flew on Singapore airlines SQ, it was lacking in service. The smiles from the air stewards were very plasticky or put on, unlike that of Mas (Malaysian airlines) where l felt the warmth of their smile and good service. Even the cakes that SQ served was stale. My last flight with them was in 18th Sept 2001. Recently (Dec 2005) l flew with Air Lanka and even their service was great, air stewards warm and freindly. TO me SQ service is overated. Bobby

Fred Jan 18th 2007 1:35PM

I feel that every airline mentioned is worthy of praise. I have had the chance to fly all of them except for Emirates in their respective premium cabins. There is no question that Singapore is the most refined, they may be a bit robotic at times, but the package as a whole is something other carriers have been trying to grasp for a long time.

I have to say, I flew on Lufthansa from LAX-Florence in August, and the service is just as on point as any other carrier. The privacy of bering on the upper deck is something no other carrier offers in F-Class if I'm not mistaken. (I know for instace that Virgin has half of the upper deck reserved for Upper Class, but Upper Class is just a frilly business class). The seats are a bit dated on LH, but they are still lie flat and very comfy. Their major strong point now is the F-Class TERMINAL in Franfurt. That's right folks a lounge just would not do for their hub so it's a seperate building filled with an ultra modern lux decor and all the extras every other airline has in their loung sans hot tub, but it's a much more peaceful and productive place to be than say the F-Class lounge in Singapore. Then, when it's time for your connection you are driven in either a Porsche SUV or MBZ S-class to your connecting flight, no unnecessary walking for the LH F-Class pax. I'ts really a nice experience.

Although SWISS is now owned by LH their seats are far better. The service is on par with LH but done so with a more intimate flair as the cabin on the A340 I was on only seats 8. They too have an amazing product.

I could go on and on about the great airlines of the world, but I'm sure you'll all agree that not once does a US airline come close to making any list. The lack of service, extras, cabins, etc. is quite sad. I have flown UA, AA, and CO in First and Businessfirst overseas in 06' and they all are fair at best. AA is by far the worst. The Skysuite's on the 777 aircraft are so worn and dated that you feel the metal coming through the cushion of the seat, they provide no form of padding in "bed" mode so sleep is really not going to happen unless you've taken a pill and drink a lot of the 4 dollar bottles of wine that they offer. Don't want to get into their ground services.

UA is far superior to AA, but great lengths behind overseas airlines. The Skysuite is nice (and soon to be redone) and provides a comfortable place to work, sleep, eat, etc. The food on UA over the past few years was nothing short of awful, yet over the past 2, it has had a change for the better. The airline is supposed to announce new cabin services as well as introduce new business seats (which they really need)
in the upcoming months so I have to say that UA is on the rise.

CO was just a nice business class. They started the Businessfirst craze over 10 years ago but they need to take it to the next level. The service they provide is the best of any major US carrier (Hawaiian and Aloha are great airlines to travel premium with).

To sum up, the US carriers need to start taking note from the overseas airlines. If the products that they provided even came close to those of the others they might start selling more premium seats as opposed to reward tickets. If I ever have to pay for a flight that allows me to choose a foreign carrier vs. a US, 99% of the time I have to go with the overseas airline as there is far more value, comfort, and convenience every single time.

-Fred B.

Los Angeles, CA