The best first class airline
 

Hi there

I've been asked to write an article for an Australian start-up travel site about the best first class airline, so I'd be interested to hear from all you frequent flyers as to which airline you think offers the best first class services and why.

Furthermore, if anyone has any PR / media contacts at any of these airlines that might be able to assist with images, etc. then I'd also be interested to hear, but for privacy reasons maybe anything like that should be PMed rather than posted here.

Thank you all for any pointers/help/advice you can give...

The usual suspects are CX, SQ, EK, EY, QF. Fallen to 2nd tier are BA, LH, JL. Rising fast are some Asian competition that I haven't personally flown (MH, KE). Finally many airlines have renamed their F as J, often with superior product over when they had an F, for example AC, NZ, DL and a dozen others -- reflecting the reality of corporate ban on F travel. But very few F routes left now, maybe 10% of a decade ago.

Thank you - that's a helpful start. :)

They want you to write an article based on anecdotal evidence. You should demand that they buy you tickets so you can do the proper research! :D

I know, I know... it's really not fair! :D

For me the best ground service is Thai.

For departures from Bangkok, from the moment you walk to the check-in area, everything is done for you, and you are escorted everywhere. From check-in, through to exclusive security, cart ride to lounge with private rooms/suites, everything presented and brought to you, escort to massage, escort to airplane, escort to your seat. Towel and beverage service every 5 minutes it seems, before you even get off the ground :)

Lufthansa makes a case, but it's Thai that takes the cake.

I've flown F internationally in the last 2 years on LH,LX,TG,EK,CX,UA,NH

Out of that very limited pool, I would also rank TG as best ground service, although EK gets you to the airport, LH drives you to the plane in a car, LX drives you to the plane in a bus.

In the air, its really very objective, sometimes depends on the plane you are on, amount of pax in the cabin, cabin crew mood of the day, etc.

I cant really say one was way better than another. They were all pretty damn awesome.

well except UA, their Global First doesnt really qualify as first class.

You could go through the Flyer Talk trip reports....many of them titled in a way that you know the report is about first class flights...and use that for your research. It includes wonderful, detailed reports complete with many great photos. Start from there!

my experiences on LH are a bit different. i have to walk from the front door or to the gates. i usually encounter stairs. once i leave the gates, i have to go down the stairs to the tarmac.bus to the plane. at the plane, they have stairs on a roll up ramp to get into the plane.

where you guys come up with the mercedes treatment. i cannot even get a golf cart from one gate to another.

JL ex-NRT (best food I've ever had on an airplane; flying to Japan it is often only slightly above average) is very, very nice IMO if you get their newest product.

I beg to differ. :eek: New First on BA is one of the best there is. Not as good as Cathay who i still think are ahead of the rest, but BA is absolutely nowhere near 2 tier.

I have done CX, SQ, LH, AA F internationally. I think they're all 'best' but in different ways. CX has great food, and I love their seats. But their website / ground service is not up to par. E.g., if you have to change anything on your tix, it's almost impossible to get through to their agents, despite flying F. SQ has warmer service on flights (I was on the older seat). LH has best ground facilities in FRA (first class lounge) with Poshe taking us to the plane. Can't beat that. I also like their amenity bag the most (La Mer product). AA, forget it. They don't even collect empty glasses.

It also depends on the route. Regional CX is not comparable to their int'l long haul.

Thats just the thing, you cant really pick a 'best first class'
Each is a great experience, and each brings different things to the table.

Some people are also so attached to their airline (BA fanboys seem to be particularly loyal) - that they wont recognize other airlines as being equal or better, no matter what.

Heck, there are still people out there that will claim till they are blue in the face that AA or UA First Class is actually first class.... :cool:


If I was forced to pick, I'd probably pick EK, you really cant beat a shower in the sky :p

It just dawned on me that this thread is begging the Skytrax problem; not the one that we suspect there is some funny business going on behind the scenes, but the fact that very few of us have the ability to provide a comprehensive comparison because very few of us have flown on enough of these airlines to make an informed universal judgement, even if subjective.

As such, I'm thinking a good way to create a list would be to ask people for simple A v. B comparisons, and compile the resulting data. Otherwise, it's just a popularity contest (e.g. people will tell you that CX is the best just because their other reference points are crappy airlines).

Also, because to at least some extent, "best" is subjective, it might be worth constructing, somehow, a bit-by-bit comparison (obvious ones including such things as website, check-in and ground experience generally, lounge (comfort and ambience, food, facilities, etc), in-flight seating, in-flight food (quality, choice, range, service), general in-flight service, in-flight extras (such as pyjamas, for instance), in-flight entertainment...

Some things are more important to some people than they are to others, so at least this would give people an idea of what ratings/opinions were based on.

For what it's worth, I'd put Singapore at the top of my list, although Cathay runs them close. Qantas is also very good.