If you’re the historian type of AvGeek, you may remember that British Airways was a pioneer of lie-flat business class seats. In the early 2000s, it rolled out the groundbreaking fully-flat Club World seat across its long-haul fleet. Club World lasted for over 20 years. But, in more recent years, other airlines pulled ahead with more competitive business class products.
A photo from a 2017 trip in Club World on an A380
I enjoyed my time in Club World “classic” back in 2017, but I was even more excited to try out its successor: Club Suites. Over the past few years, in an effort to catch up to the cutting edge, BA rolled out the new suite-style seat across much of its long-haul fleet. On paper, it checks a lot of the boxes you’d want in a new seat: universal direct aisle access, privacy doors, and fresh tech.
I got to fly Club Suite on a 777-200ER from London Heathrow to New York JFK. I can confirm, in most of the ways that matter, it delivers.
Read on for a photo and video walkthrough of the highlights, including the ground experience at LHR, the seat design, and the inflight service. And don’t forget the usual window-seat views.
On most global airline rankings, a few elite airlines reign supreme. In recent years, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines have duked it out for the top spot. That pair of long-haul carriers are on top of their game, especially in premium cabins where they can dial the experience up to the max.
In this story I compare Singapore and Qatar on the basis of seats, service, food, drink, entertainment, amenities, and the ground experience at their respective hubs. And at the end, I do my best to crown a champion. That last task was tough, because it ended up being a VERY close fight.
Whether you’re a seasoned road warrior, an aspirational fancy flyer, or you just like pictures of pretty planes, you’ll enjoy this story. So click / scroll below and read on!
Back in 2017 we covered Qatar Airways’ reveal of its new Qsuite business class seat. But 2017 was a long time ago. How has Qatar’s flagship product fared since then? The short answer is: it’s doing VERY well. Qsuite remains a huge favorite among among frequent flyers, and it has helped drive Qatar to the top of many global airline rankings.
But it’s been almost eight years since Qsuite hit the skies, and that’s an eternity in the ultra-competitive world of premium cabin air travel. How does it hold up today? We got to find out by making a Qsuite our home-suite-home on a long-haul flight from New York to Doha.
Did Qatar’s business class hold up to the hype? Our full story has our answer, plus plenty of the usual photos, videos, and window-seat views for you to enjoy along the way. Don’t miss out — read on!
As a US-based flyer, when I think of the big Middle Eastern airlines I think of epic long-haul flights on 777s, A380s, and other big planes. But can those airlines deliver a great experience on smaller single-aisle aircraft?
We got to find out on an A320 flight from Doha to Zanzibar on Qatar Airways, Skytrax’s best airline in the world for 2024. Over the course of the six-hour flight we got a close look at the airline’s narrowbody business class seat and “medium-haul” service style.
So what should you expect onboard a Qatar A320 compared with their 777s, 787s, A350s, or A380s? Read on to find out. And as usual we have some window seat views for you to enjoy along the way.
Copa is an interesting airline to get to know. Based at the junction of two continents, the Panamanian carrier found its niche connecting the Americas from north to south. It operates a single-type fleet of around 100 Boeing 737s. But compared with other all-737 airlines that follow a low-cost carrier model, Copa is a different beast. It’s a full-service airline with premium cabins and some of the lengthiest 737 routes out there.
As with most of the world’s 737-based airlines, Copa went in big on the MAX, and it was heavily affected by the past few years’ MAX drama. On the bright side, the airline put its best foot forward with the MAX, debuting a brand-new premium cabin branded as “Dreams” business class. The Dreams seat was designed for Copa’s medium-haul services, the four- to seven-hour flights where quality sleep is a big deal.
We got a chance to try Copa and their new MAX seats on a recent trip. We also got to explore the relatively new terminal at the airline’s Panama City hub. The trip hit a snafu midway through, which we’ll get to later. But in the end we still got a good feel for the airline, its new seat design, and the freshest updates to its home airport.
Read on for more on our time flying with Copa and exploring the airport in Panama City.
