Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Global Airline Alliances > oneworld
Reload this Page >

OW first class routes thread

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
Old Aug 1, 2016, 1:42 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: littlevoices
Since this thread started in 2016, along with the last wiki update in 2018, many airlines have significantly reduced their true first class routes, or just given up and rebranded a few seats as Business Suites or similar.

Of the oneworld airlines (now and future announcements), the following offer true first class flights

American Airlines (AA); British Airways (BA); Cathay Pacific (CX); Japan Airlines (JL); Qantas (QF); Qatar (QR)

This means the following oneworld airlines do NOT offer a first class product:

Alaska Airlines (AS); Fiji Airlines* (FJ); Finnair (AY); Iberia (IB); Malaysia Airlines (MH)#; Oman Airlines (OM)*#; Royal Air Maroc (AT); Royal Jordanian (RJ); Sri Lankan Airlines (UL)

*Future member

# Offers a business elite /studio seat

The below is as of 20 January 2025, and the number of flights is typically from around 19 Feb, so winter season

American Airlines/AA

AA offers two types of true first class. An increasingly diminishing Trans-Continental routes using specially designed aircraft, and International First (Flagship First). This explicitly excludes any domestic first class flights that typically offer 2x2 seating. Note AA executives have made statements about removing First, so this list will likely gradually decrease over time.

Routes Transcontinental on custom A321T planes, type code 32B (1-1 layout)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) New York (JFK) -> Multiple times daily (9)
  • San Francisco (SFO) JFK -> Multiple times daily (3-4)
  • JFK Orange County (SNA) -> One flight a day
  • LAX Boston (BOS) -> One flight a day
  • LAX Miami (MIA) -> Appears to have switched to a none transcontinental but is still listed on the website, so now only offers normal domestic first
Routes International, on B777-300ER aircraft (1-2-1 layout)
  • Charlotte International Airport (CLT) London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) -> 1x daily
  • Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) -> 2 x daily
  • New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) -> 1x daily
  • New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Buenos Aires' Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) -> 1x daily
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) -> 1x daily
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Sydney Airport (SYD) -> 1x daily
  • Miami International Airport (MIA) London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) -> 2 x daily
  • Miami International Airport (MIA) Sao Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) -> 1x daily
  • Miami International Airport (MIA) Buenos Aires' Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) -> 1x daily
No longer any First class services from: PHL, BOS

British Airways/BA

BA offers first class on a variety of B777s and the A380. It remains perceived as a the best business class in the sky, excluding Qatar product. But it does go everywhere. The newer generation of planes has fewer seats, but the typical layout has 14 first class seats, so it is hardly private or exclusive.

Between London Heathrow and

North America
  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Boston (BOS)
  • Chicago (ORD)
  • Dallas (DFW)
  • Houston (IAH)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Miami (MIA)
  • New York (JFK, EWR)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • Seattle (SEA)
  • Washington DC (IAD)
Latin America & Carribbean
  • Bermuda (BDA)
  • Barbados (BGI)
  • Mexico City (MEX)
  • Santiago (SCL)
Europe: No First Class flights since Moscow has been suspended

Middle East & Africa
  • Abu Dhabi (AUH)
  • Abuja (ABV)
  • Bahrain (BAH)
  • Cape Town (CPT)
  • Doha (DOH)
  • Dubai (DXB)
  • Jeddah (JED)
  • Johannesburg (JNB)
  • Kuwait (KWI)
  • Lagos (LOS)
  • Riyadh (RUH)
Asia & Far East
  • Male (MLE)
  • Hong Kong (HKG)
  • Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
  • Shanghai (PVG)
  • Singapore (SIN)
  • Sydney (SYD)
  • Tokyo (HND)


Cathay Pacific/CX

Very limited services have resumed after COVID. Many of the First class planes are now on routes and sold as business class with a nice seat for Diamond (top tier) status members. Cathay does have First class planned on their upcoming B777X deliveries, but with delays these may not be available for many years. Offers a 1-1-1 layout

Between Hong Kong, using a B777-300ER and
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 1x daily
  • Tokyo Haneda (HND) -> 1x daily
  • Beijing (PEK) -> 1x daily
  • New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) -> 1x daily
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) -> 1x daily
  • Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) -> Suspended for in late 2024
Japan Airlines/JL

Offered on two aircraft, an older 777-300 (1-2-1 layout), and the new A350-1000 (generally thought of as the best first class in oneworld at the moment with 1-1-1 layout).

Between Tokyo Haneda and
  • New York (JFK) > New A350-1000, 1x daily
  • Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) > New A350-1000, 1x daily
  • London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) > New A350-1000, 2x daily
  • Bangkok (BKK) > B773, 1x daily
  • Singapore (SIN) > B773, 1x daily
  • Sydney (SYD) -> B773, 1x daily [suspended for the northern summer season after 1 May 2025]
  • Helsinki (HEL) -> B773, 1 xdaily [allegedly according to this article, but not yet showing in ExpertFlyer, summer season 22 April to 29 September 2025]
Qantas/QF

Only offered on the A380, but with Project Sunrise they are planning a new improved first class on ultra long range A350-1000s. Offers 14 seats but they are enormous as set out in a 1-1-1 layout.

Between Sydney and
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 1x daily (via Singapore) -> 1x daily
  • Singapore (SIN) -> 1x daily (travels on to London Heathrow) -> 1x daily
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) -> 1x daily
  • Johannesburg, South Africa, O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) -1x daily
Between Singapore and
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 1x daily
Between Melbourne and
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) -> twice weekly?
Qatar/QR

Offered on two planes a number of A380s (1-2-1) and ex-Cathay B777-300ER (1-1-1) planes (still using the same CX seats). The prior CEO wanted to end First Class, but the new CEO intends to improve and offer a limited First class service. This explicitly excludes any domestic Middle Eastern first class flights that typically offer business class seating and service to locations such as Dubai, Cairo and the wider Middle East.

Between Doha and
  • Hong Kong (HKG) -> 1-2x daily using B77W planes
  • Bangkok (BKK) -> 1-2x daily using A388
  • Maldives (MLE) -> 1-2x daily using B77W
  • Sydney (SYD) -> 1x daily using A388
  • Perth (PER) -> 1x daily using A388
  • Istanbul (IST) -> 0 to 1x daily using B77W [irregular, not every day]
  • Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) -> 0 to 1x daily using A388 [irregular, not every day]
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 2x daily using A388

==> Finally, and just for completeness, noting the business elite products (still book into A/F class), so not true first class, but would earn you the miles!:

Malaysian Airlines/MH

Between Kaula Lumpur and
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 2x daily using A359
  • Tokyo (NRT) -> 2x daily using A359
  • Doha (DOH) -> 1x daily using A359
  • Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) -> 1x daily using A359 [in the summer]
Oman Airways/WY

Retired all of their A330 flights which reduced their network further

Between Muscat (MCT) and
  • London Heathrow (LHR) -> 1x daily using B789
  • Bangkok (BKK) -> 1x daily using B789
Print Wikipost

OW first class routes thread

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 16, 2015 | 2:37 am
  #166  
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: CPH
Programs: SAS Gold, Marriott Platinum, IHG Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold
Posts: 162
BA is adding First to the LHR-AUS route starting Oct 25 when they switch out the current 787 for a 777-200.
https://www.austintexas.gov/news/bri...n-london-route
jjakobv84 is offline  
Old Jun 17, 2015 | 1:49 am
  #167  
Original Poster
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,445
Originally Posted by TrAAveller
Malaysia Airlines can be updated to "none" since they just sold off their entire A380s which was the only routes with widebody first class.
No they haven't.
Kiwi Flyer is offline  
Old Jun 17, 2015 | 8:33 am
  #168  
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 6,449
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
No they haven't.
Agreed, but it does appear all but certain for the future.
Global321 is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2015 | 8:16 am
  #169  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,013
LGW-JFK on BA hasn't existed for a while
Calchas is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2015 | 10:35 am
  #170  
10 Countries Visited20 Countries Visited30 Countries Visited40 Countries Visited
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Australia
Programs: KrisFlyer, AA, Qantas, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 606
Can't find F between HKG and MEL or SYD - have they stopped these?
jubbing is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 12:34 am
  #171  
Original Poster
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,445
Originally Posted by jubbing
Can't find F between HKG and MEL or SYD - have they stopped these?
CX stopped years ago.
QF stopped F for MEL-HKG years ago (when they started their alliance with EK and dropped MEL-HKG-LHR).
QF stopped F for SYD-HKG more recently. Even though A380 operates in peak travel dates there is no F sold.

Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; Jun 20, 2015 at 12:48 am
Kiwi Flyer is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 12:37 am
  #172  
10 Countries Visited20 Countries Visited30 Countries Visited40 Countries Visited
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Australia
Programs: KrisFlyer, AA, Qantas, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
Stopped years ago.
Damn, I guess one less Airlines to try.
jubbing is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 12:49 am
  #173  
Original Poster
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,445
I edited my earlier reply to clarify by airline.
Kiwi Flyer is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 1:07 am
  #174  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,013
DFW-EZE might need to be changed to "some flights". It isn't available on a scheduled service I have coming up (on the 787)
Calchas is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 1:31 am
  #175  
10 Countries Visited20 Countries Visited30 Countries Visited40 Countries Visited
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Australia
Programs: KrisFlyer, AA, Qantas, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
I edited my earlier reply to clarify by airline.
Do you know which Airlines DO fly F to Melbourne/Syd now? The front page is a little outdated :/
jubbing is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 2:34 am
  #176  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,013
Originally Posted by jubbing
Do you know which Airlines DO fly F to Melbourne/Syd now? The front page is a little outdated :/
BA SIN-SYD
QF (and EK) DXB-SYD, DXB-MEL(?)
Calchas is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 10:01 am
  #177  
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 6,449
Originally Posted by jubbing
Do you know which Airlines DO fly F to Melbourne/Syd now? The front page is a little outdated :/
CX is talking about bringing back first class to Australia. But so far it appears to be talk.
Global321 is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 10:24 am
  #178  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,013
Originally Posted by 110pgl
CX is talking about bringing back first class to Australia. But so far it appears to be talk.
You would imagine that SYDHKG would be a profitable route for premium pax.
Calchas is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2015 | 12:17 pm
  #179  
10 Countries Visited20 Countries Visited30 Countries Visited40 Countries Visited
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Australia
Programs: KrisFlyer, AA, Qantas, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by 110pgl
CX is talking about bringing back first class to Australia. But so far it appears to be talk.
Surely with Etihad offering their First Class Apartments on the AUH - SYD route, they'd want to give people another option with their F class. Guess not.

Side note - why is everyone saying Etihad First Class Champagne sucks?
jubbing is offline  
Old Jun 21, 2015 | 3:49 pm
  #180  
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,856
AA is running a three class 777-200 on RDU-LHR this summer
CMK10 is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.