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!
Singapore Airlines knows what it’s doing. No airline is perfect, but Singapore earns its status as a fan favorite for frequent fliers. Flying one of their long-haul premium cabins has been one of my AvGeek dreams for a while. So when I snagged a lucky award ticket during a trip to Asia/Australia — and on the A380, no less — I was EXCITED.
I’m not going to bury the lede. This flight was about as good as it gets. It was the airborne equivalent of watching a seasoned orchestra perform. Read on for the full story about my time in Singapore Airlines’ upper-deck A380 business class. And don’t worry, as great as things were inside the plane we still have plenty of window seat views for you to take in.
Sometimes it’s hard to beat a classic. Japan Airlines’ 777-300ERs are the heavy lifter of their long-haul fleet. And although the current premium cabins have been flying for around ten years, they’re still a fan favorite.
I had my first chance to fly JAL’s Sky Suite business class on a flagship route from New York JFK to Tokyo Haneda – now I completely understand why it’s so popular. As an added bonus the window seat views were pretty amazing, since it was nothing but daylight for the full 15 hours from boarding to deplaning.
Read on for more photos, videos, and highlights from this classic long-haul route.
