Oneworld Business Class
 

I'm looking into either getting a DONE4 or something similar (AA's RTW, Circle Pacific, etc.) and one question I keep having is which airline to pick for various segments... e.g which airline has the better business class product. For some routes I think it's clear (take CX over BA on LHR-HKG) but others I'm not sure of. While I'm aware that it can depend on the route, what is the general ranking of business class products in the oneworld alliance?

I would say that the airlines without F generally have a better J product than the ones that do. Specifically LA, IB and RJ are better than BA and AA. Others can comment on CX, QF, JL, AY, S7 and AB. My guess would be that AB & S7 might be the exception to the general rule.

My rough guess:

Cathay Pacific
Qantas
British Airways
Finnair
Japan Airlines
Iberia
LAN
Royal Jordanian
American Airlines
S 7
Air Berlin


I have been on many of the above, but not all.

I think it also depends on aircraft type.

eg. for J
QF SkybedII (A380 and revamped 747) equivalent with the newnew CX J but QF imho wins on food wine.
But the oldnewCX J is better than the QF SkybedI (sloping) which is also better than the CX Regional J

Old CX J herringbone shaped coffins are quite good in flat out sleep mode (in fact, very good), but cramped and horrid in day mode sitting. Oh, and if you like to look out the window with these seats, make sure your head can rotate 120 degrees comfortably :rolleyes:

It very much depends on the aircraft and just what you compare each seat to. It isn't really fair to compare the AY or BA European offering to the JL or QF long haul offering.

It might be better to have two rankings. One for Long Haul (eg, QF 388, 744, 332, CX 77W, BA 744, 777, AA 777, 763 etc) and one for Domestic/Regional.

I always try to avoid BA because: 1) the seats are uncomfortable and the food is lousy (just opinions, of course); 2) the tax on J and F flights out of the UK; the fuel surcharge added on BA segments, in addition to the price of the ticket itself. I always favor AY, LA, IB, CX, RJ for long-haul business class. When I have to choose between BA and AA, I take AA because of the fuel surcharge, the food, and the crazy lay out of seats backwards and forwards on BA. Nonetheless, AA seats are less comfortable for sleeping and BA has better wines. For short-haul it really doesn't make too much difference, but I find BA more cramped than the others.

Got to disagree on this point, the herring bone coffin is dreadful especially if you are more than 6' and bigger (wider) than average. The tapered end of the seat where the feet go is especially awful. Luckily the AVOD is quite good negating the need to look out of the windows much!

Having met og, I can advise the member is at least 190cm tall - well over 6', so it's an interesting comparison between differing views.

Opinions Vary
 

I see how much depends upon your build, height, etc. I like the CX herringbone seats very much. But I'm 5'10" 170# & fit. Although I like some things about the overall BA seat, it is NOT truly flat -- the head is at a slight angle. And for someone like me who at times sleeps like a turtle (face down), it is almost impossible to lay flat face down in the BA seat -- but not the AA J seat.

Is it just me or are the A330 coffins shorter than the ones on 747/777s?

I'll second what others have said: it depends on the route (and hence aircraft) plus personal preference of course. In my opinion, it also makes a big difference if traveling solo or with a partner or good friend. Personally, I can't sleep when next to a stranger, so when I'm alone I go out of my way to fly airlines with more privacy in J (e.g., CX or BA), but when I'm with my partner or a friend I'm more flexible.

I don't think having F or not having F is what matters. CX and BA have F, and I think both have a J that is much better than, say, AA's J.

I wouldn't put QF above BA! QF has side-by-side J seats (including 2-3-2 on some aircraft) and wedgie seats on some aircraft.