The Best Business Class Airlines

Flying business class is a real luxury. You get to stretch out and sometimes lie down on a bed in the sky! We choose to fly business class for medium haul flights. When a flight is under 7 hours we can slum it with everyone else in economy class. In our opinion, a flight under 7 hours, isn’t worth the cost difference. A free upgrade though to business class is always welcome! We love flying when it is in business class. We love writing about it even more! Below we share our experiences and hope you find them enjoyable and informative.

But which airlines, offer the best business class products? Sadly, we haven’t travelled on every business class product in the world. Economy class, yes, almost, but who wants to read about economy class? We all know how painful economy class is and we don’t need pictures to rub salt in the wound! Below we review 3 airlines for business class cabins, Emirates, Qantas and British Airways. Qatar Airways is coming soon!

Awards for best business class airlines

The best business class airlines in the world according to Skytrax consistently rate Asian and Middle Eastern airlines at the top. In 2018, 1st place went to Qatar, 2nd place to Singapore Airlines and 3rd place to ANA All Nippon Airways. The Skytrax Awards for 2019 name Qatar Airways as the best business class airline. Their QSuite product beats ANA All Nippon Airways for 1st place in 2019. We will review Qatar QSuites and a non Qsuites in January 2020. Cannot wait!

Emirates rates higher than Qantas for best business class airlines. We have to agree with that ranking too. When you take into account the lounge experience, Emirates is superior to Qantas in the food and beverages department. Emirates always has gourmet quality food choices and premium wines. Qantas lags behind with good wine and tasty food. Read our reviews on business class lounges in Melbourne, Sydney, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and London.

British Airways business class doesn’t even make it into the top 10 of best business class airlines. Both in 2018 and 2019, British Airways is absent in the list. In fact in 2019, BA is not in the top 20 list of best business class airlines. Ooops! The British Airways business class lounges are a great escape from the crowds in terms of space and seating options. However, like Qantas, the food and beverages needs attention. In their defence, British Airways is always cheaper than Emirates business class.

When choosing which airline has the best business class product, you must look carefully at the plane type. Dreamliners, A380s, 777 planes all come with varying business class seats and configurations. Some of the planes have on board bars and some don’t. Even on the same airline, a different plane number can mean very different amenities.

We take you through in detail what you get and what you don’t. Only1invillage shows you photographs of every aspect of the flight.

What are the criteria for best business class airlines?

We answer those burning questions you have about business class. Do the seats go fully flat? Does every passenger have access to the aisle? What are the charging facilities like for laptops and phones? How comfortable is the seat? Is there extra storage space close by? Is there an in seat massage function? Is there a bar on board? What’s the quality of food like? Are the wines and spirits of premium quality? What’s the amenity kit like? How much entertainment is there? Are the TV screens better? How do the flight attendants treat you in business class? Is there a complimentary chauffeur service? Are the toilets better in business class?