I’m an airline product geek, and I like to keep an updated list of some of the best products out there, ranging from the best first class lounges, to the best business class airlines, to the best business class lounges, to the best business class seats. In this post I wanted to share my updated ranking of the world’s best first class airlines, reflecting the status of things in 2024.
First, I wanted to talk briefly about my method for ranking first class airlines, and then I’ll get into my rankings, with an explanation of each.
In this post:
Why you should trust OMAAT flight reviews
Hopefully, I don’t have to explain this to regular OMAAT readers, but I feel like this is worth mentioning for those who aren’t regular readers…
All the time I see mainstream media outlets ranking different first class airlines, though almost without exception they’re just going off stock media images and how airlines describe their first class products, rather than actual firsthand experience.
Why should you trust OMAAT flight reviews?
- I pay for all of my own flight tickets, either with cash or miles
- I’ve flown every single first class airline that I rank, and for that matter have flown almost every single first class product in the world (the only exceptions are Kuwait Airways and Starlux Airlines first class)
- I don’t have any sort of financial relationship with any airline
- This is my passion, I’ve been reviewing airlines for 15+ years, I’ve written hundreds of flight reviews, and have logged millions of miles
There aren’t many sites that can say all of the above, and in the case of some other rating agencies (like Skytrax), I certainly wish we’d see a bit more transparency regarding the financial relationship they have with the airlines they rank.
My method for ranking first class airlines
Let me note upfront that my reviews are subjective, and that’s by design.
Some might say “well you should make this as objective as possible and use a scorecard to rank them.” I certainly could, but I don’t think that does justice to the special touches that some airlines offer, and also the variability in the experience from flight-to-flight.
A lot of what makes a first class experience great isn’t something you can rank on a scorecard, but rather is this intangible feeling you get when flying an airline, where you feel “wow, they really get it.” As far as I’m concerned, airlines also deserve bonus points for consistency across various flights, because it’s nice to know exactly what you’ll get.
The other issue is that the top first class products are all really exceptional. On a 100 points scale, I suspect all of these airlines would score a 90+ from me.
To give an example of the issue with a scorecard approach, inflight Wi-Fi is something I personally value, but not all of the airlines offer it in first class. If I said Wi-Fi was worth 10 points on a 100 point scale, that would automatically put any airline without it in last place, and that doesn’t seem right, since it’s something that many people don’t care about.
Again, I’m admitting my rankings are subjective, and what I rank #1 may be #10 for you, and vice versa. And that’s totally fine — I don’t think that makes anyone wrong.
I’ve taken flights on every single one of the airlines on the below list and said “that’s one of the best flights I’ve ever taken.” If anything, I recommend the takeaway from this being the airlines that I put in the top 12, rather than the very specific ranking of them.
The world’s 12 best first class airlines
With the above explanation out of the way, below are what I consider to be the 12 best first class airlines, starting with the best. Let me emphasize that the post is specific to the onboard experience, and I rank first class lounges separately. You can click on each headline to read a review of that product.
1. Emirates first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
Emirates introduced its new first class on select Boeing 777-300ERs several years ago, and the product is spectacular. Emirates is the first airline to introduce truly fully enclosed suites in first class.
The suites don’t just have doors that add privacy, but rather are enclosed floor-to-ceiling (Air France has curtains that go floor-to-ceiling, but I consider that to be different). As someone who values privacy, I love that.
The seat is also thoughtfully designed, with impeccable attention to detail. The suite is spacious, the TV screen huge, the bed extremely comfortable, and you can control the lighting and temperature in the suite.
The soft product is also hard to beat, from free-flowing Dom Perignon to a dine on-demand menu with all kinds of great options (including caviar).
While Emirates A380s don’t have seats that are as impressive, they have the advantage of having onboard showers and an onboard bar, so that’s a treat as well.
The only issue is how few Emirates 777s have these suites. Emirates only has these first class suites on nine of its planes, and there are no plans to retrofit existing planes with these seats. Upcoming Boeing 777Xs should feature these seats, but those won’t join Emirates’ fleet until 2025 at the earliest.
2. Air France first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
There are great first class products, and then there’s the perfection that is Air France first class. Air France’s 777-300ER first class cabin consists of a single row of seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. The cabin is so elegant, and rather than offering suites with doors, the airline instead has curtains you can pull around your suite.
What really sets apart Air France is the first class soft product. The food is the best I’ve had on any airline, the service is flawless and oh-so-French, and every part of the experience is thought out.
When it’s time to sleep, Air France has some of the most comfortable bedding in the sky, and I love being able to draw a curtain around my seat for privacy.
The way I see it, Air France first class is the world’s most well-rounded first class product. While I do think Emirates wins out in terms of the onboard experience, Air France still offers the world’s most well-rounded first class experience, given that the airline also offers the world’s best first class lounge experience at its Paris Charles de Gaulle hub.
Perhaps most exciting is that Air France has plans to introduce a new first class product, which should start to be installed on select Boeing 777s in the next year or so. I can’t wait to learn more details about this, as I wouldn’t be surprised if this puts Air France in the number one spot.
3. All Nippon Airways first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
All Nippon Airways has an excellent first class product on a portion of its Boeing 777-300ER fleet. The seats are perfectly comfortable and competitive, with privacy doors, huge televisions, and functional design.
However, it’s the soft product that really delights, from excellent amenities, to complimentary Wi-Fi, to unbelievably good food, service, and drinks (including Krug champagne). Japan is such a special country, and you really feel that on ANA.
4. Singapore Airlines Suites (Airbus A380)
Singapore Airlines is known for being one of the best airlines in the world, and the carrier is particularly known for its A380 Suites. Singapore Airlines’ A380s have just six first class seats, spread across three rows on the upper deck, in a 1-1 layout. The airline dedicates more square footage to each first class passenger than any other airline.
Each Suite has both a seat and a separate bed, which is a mighty nice feature.
What’s even more special is that if you’re traveling with someone, you can actually create a double suite, so that you have an extra large bed. This is by far the world’s best first class product for those traveling with a companion. What’s not to love here?!
On a good day, Singapore’s Suites might be the best first class soft product in the world. On a lunch or dinner flight departing Singapore the catering is typically excellent, and there’s usually caviar, satay, etc. You can even “book the cook” in advance, and order from a huge menu that’s not otherwise available onboard.
Singapore Airlines also has an amazing champagne selection, with the choice of three options, including Krug.
Service on Singapore Airlines is typically excellent as well, among the best in the world.
Based on the above, you might wonder why I’m not ranking this as the world’s best first class product. While this is an exceptionally good product, there are some things I don’t love about it. For example, each passenger is allocated such a huge space, though I wish that Singapore Airlines actually made the bed larger and more comfortable, as it’s not particularly big.
This is still a world class product, all things considered. However, despite the amount of space Singapore Airlines invested in the Suites, I can’t help but feel disappointed in the fact that the space wasn’t used in a more creative way, to create the world’s most comfortable bed on a plane. The airline certainly had the space to do so.
5. Etihad Airways first class (Airbus A380)
Etihad was the first airline to have a single-aisle configuration in first class on its A380s.
The First Class “Apartments,” as they’re called, will take your breath away. I remember being speechless the first time I boarded an Etihad A380.
Etihad has a dine on demand menu with some customization options, an onboard shower, and the second most square footage dedicated to each first class passenger.
However, there are some areas where Etihad is style over substance, in my opinion. While the suite is huge, it isn’t actually that practically designed, as the seat doesn’t recline that far back, and the bed isn’t that large. This is the same issue I have with Singapore’s new Suites.
Etihad unfortunately just has a very small Airbus A380 fleet. The planes currently fly exclusively to London, but will soon fly to New York as well. Note that Etihad’s A380 first class hard product is much better than what you’ll find on the Boeing 787s with first class.
6. Cathay Pacific first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
Cathay Pacific exclusively has first class on Boeing 777-300ERs. First class has just six seats, in a 1-1-1 configuration. While the seats aren’t fully enclosed, they’re angled away from the aisle and sufficiently spacious so that there’s no need for them to be. It makes the product feel less claustrophobic, which I appreciate.
Cathay Pacific has one of the most comfortable beds in the sky — the bed is wide, and the bedding is some of the best out there.
I also love the ability to dine face-to-face with a companion. Caviar and good champagne at 37,000 feet is a heck of a date night. I also appreciate that Cathay Pacific offers a full meal service even on departures in the middle of the night.
Cathay Pacific crews are also consistent and attentive. They’re always there during the meals, and when you need something during the flight, they appear in just a couple of seconds after pushing the call button.
Unfortunately the only catch is that Cathay Pacific’s first class is only available on very few routes. So while Cathay Pacific first class used to be easy to book with miles back in the day, that’s no longer the case. Cathay Pacific is expected to introduce an all-new first class on its upcoming Boeing 777Xs, and I can’t wait to learn the details.
7. Japan Airlines first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
There’s no country where there’s more pride in the service industry than Japan, and that’s incredibly evident when flying Japan Airlines first class. It’s like getting a taste of Japan before you even get there. Japan Airlines has fully flat beds in first class with direct aisle access, though the seats as such don’t stand out that much.
What does stand out is the excellent food (caviar, sushi, wagyu beef, etc.), champagne, the free and fast Wi-Fi, the ability to choose the firmness of your mattress pad, and the perfect service.
The Japan Airlines first class soft product is pretty close to perfect, as far as I’m concerned.
While this is already an incredible experience, I expect Japan Airlines’ ranking on my list will be increasing shortly. The airline is taking delivery of new A350-1000s featuring a new first class product, which looks exceptional. I’ll be flying this in the coming weeks, and I’d be shocked if this doesn’t rank in the top three on my list.
8. Garuda Indonesia first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
Garuda Indonesia offers an excellent first class product, though the catch is that it’s currently only available on a single Boeing 777-300ER, flying between Jakarta and Amsterdam. So first class products don’t get much more exclusive than this, in terms of the number of people who can try it.
Garuda Indonesia’s hard product is perfectly nice but nothing amazing, as it consists of suites with doors. It’s certainly not as remarkable as some of the other hard products on the list.
But everything about the soft product is perfection. I find Garuda Indonesia to have among the best flight attendants of any airline, and the airline even has an onboard chef in first class.
The airline offers tasty food, great wine pairings, exceptional presentation, free Wi-Fi for first class passengers, etc.
But really it’s the crews that make the experience. Many surveys rank Garuda Indonesia as having the best cabin crew, and I have to agree. The warmth of the Garuda Indonesia flight attendants I had on both of my first class flights was unrivaled.
The only area where Garuda Indonesia can improve is with its bedding. While it’s good, it’s not nearly as plush as what some other airlines offer.
Now, the catch is that Garuda Indonesia has been doing some cost cutting in recent years, so it’s my understanding that the experience isn’t quite as great as it was in the past. Between that and how rare this product is, I’m not ranking it quite as high as in the past.
9. Korean Air first class (Boeing 747-8)
Korean Air offers a consistent first class product. By far my favorite first class cabin offered by the airline is on the 747-8, where there are just six seats in the nose of the plane.
The seats are spacious, the amenities are excellent, and the food and drinks are very good as well.
The only thing I don’t love about Korean Air is their entertainment selection and lack of Wi-Fi.
The good news is that this product should still be around for a while, as Korean Air plans to keep 747-8s into the 2030s.
10. Lufthansa first class (Boeing 747-8)
Maybe I’m biased due to my German background, but I love Lufthansa first class for how consistent it is. No, Lufthansa doesn’t have the most private first class seats out there, but the cabins are elegant (in a German way), the service is among the best of any western airline, and the airline is remarkably consistent in terms of its offerings.
There’s just something about the pre-flight champagne, nuts, and roses that makes me feel like I’m at home in Lufthansa first class.
Lufthansa has great bedding in first class, and offers first class passengers free Wi-Fi, and it’s even quite fast.
It’s also nice to see Lufthansa’s first class footprint once again increasing. The airline has first class on Boeing 747-8s, Airbus A340-600s, Airbus A380s, and soon on select Airbus A350-900s, which will feature an all-new first class product.
11. SWISS first class (Boeing 777-300ER)
It’s a toss-up between Lufthansa first class and SWISS first class, so I could have just as easily ranked SWISS ahead of Lufthansa. SWISS’ 777-300ER first class cabins have eight seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration.
The food presentation and quality are definitely higher-end feeling than on Lufthansa, even though the airline doesn’t consistently have caviar.
I’ve had great service in SWISS first class, though I’ve also had pretty bad service, so I find that part of the product to be a bit inconsistent.
SWISS’ first class bedding is plush and comfortable, so a great night of sleep on SWISS is a given.
12. Oman Air first class (Boeing 787-9)
Several years ago, Oman Air introduced a new first class product, which is primarily on its 787-9s flying between Muscat and London. The cabin consists of eight seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. These aren’t the most spacious seats, but they’re very comfortable and have a sleek design.
What makes Oman Air so great is the soft product — Cristal champagne, an incredibly customized menu that you can order in advance, and some beautiful Omani touches.
Bottom line
There you have it. Those are what I consider to be the world’s 12 best first class airline products. I’d like to once again emphasize that I think anyone would be reasonable to think that the above products should be in a different order, but hopefully this is at least a useful list in terms of the 12 all around best first class products.
For anyone curious, I think I know what I’d rank as the next three first class products (13-15), roughly in order — Qatar, Qantas, and Thai.
What do you rank as the world’s best first class airlines?
Thai First Class on the A380 is also very good, along with dedicated check-in, departure lounges and assistance with transfers, immigration procedures and baggage pickup.
Hey Ben, nice list, however I would replace Lufthansa with Qatar and move Airfrance further down in the list. Swiss has the better service imho. Greetings, a german LH-sen ;)
Ben, you need to update #9 for Korean Air. The First Class in the 747 is only bookable via cash/paid tickets now (no longer able to be booked via SkyPass points).
And yet the experience on Emirates can easily be ruined by some self-important idiot yammering on the phone at full volume for hours, as Emirates allows voice calls.
Champagne, champagne, champagne. Some of us really enjoy a good glass of wine with our food, so a review of the wine lists would be most worthwhile, even though it appears that you do not drink wines with your meals.
Thank you.
I think it would be great if Ben could change the ranking from best first class 'airlines' to 'best first class products.'
If I'm thinking about flying on the Emirates a380 first class seat, I don't know where on this ranking it sits, even though it is possibly the most commonly flown international first class seat in the world (second only perhaps to the old EK 777 seat).
Since the A380 product especially is very...
I think it would be great if Ben could change the ranking from best first class 'airlines' to 'best first class products.'
If I'm thinking about flying on the Emirates a380 first class seat, I don't know where on this ranking it sits, even though it is possibly the most commonly flown international first class seat in the world (second only perhaps to the old EK 777 seat).
Since the A380 product especially is very different from the new 777 product, it would be useful to know where on this list it ranks.
Maybe implement a similar rule to the business class seat ranking, where a minimum of one seat per row is needed to qualify.
In this case, it could be that a seat needs to be featured on at least 30% of an airlines first class footprint to be included.
This way, if someone is considering flying first class on x airline, it is far more likely that this list will be useful to them.
Ben, please stop reposting Garuda as top10 again and again. It’s not even in top20 these days. You saw what happened to Garuda, first class not being an exception, and you still keep doing this.
Fantastic article, Ben! Your detailed insights into the world's best first-class airlines really highlight what makes each experience unique. I particularly enjoyed your emphasis on the nuances of seat design and service quality. It's interesting to see how airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines set the bar high. Personally, I've found similar excellence in my travels, and I appreciate the depth of your review. It adds a lot of value for anyone looking to elevate...
Fantastic article, Ben! Your detailed insights into the world's best first-class airlines really highlight what makes each experience unique. I particularly enjoyed your emphasis on the nuances of seat design and service quality. It's interesting to see how airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines set the bar high. Personally, I've found similar excellence in my travels, and I appreciate the depth of your review. It adds a lot of value for anyone looking to elevate their travel experience.
Ben shouldn’t you discount Emirates and ANA given the limited availability (ie these hard products are not fleet wide).
At least for Air France and Singapore, if you book the product you know you’re going to get it.
I realize this is subjective, but I'll say it: Air France is wildly overrated.
The Paris lounge is fantastic! And the food is good. But the seat is... fine. Not nearly as much real estate as several other products.
Given the choice I'd unquestionably take the overall Singapore Suites onboard product over Air France in the air. La Premiere is a top 5 product for sure. And maybe the new first class will...
I realize this is subjective, but I'll say it: Air France is wildly overrated.
The Paris lounge is fantastic! And the food is good. But the seat is... fine. Not nearly as much real estate as several other products.
Given the choice I'd unquestionably take the overall Singapore Suites onboard product over Air France in the air. La Premiere is a top 5 product for sure. And maybe the new first class will catapult it higher. But for now I can't see how it's #1 or #2 without a more spacious seat.
It’s already among the most spacious non-A380 (the only aircraft with an abundance of space to be wasted on the low-return investment of making F more opulent) products out there, how much more space does it really need to be exceptionally comfortable for passengers?
@Dominic Kivnl, there are two poor assumptions in your response:
1. Many people who have top tier status on airlines such as SWISS have employers who pay for their tickets in business or even F but aren't wealthy. So, the cost of Wi-Fi does matter to those folks when not on expense account.
2. Many wealthy people are wealthy *because* they don't waste their money. Not wealthy here, but not poor. I could, theoretically splurge...
@Dominic Kivnl, there are two poor assumptions in your response:
1. Many people who have top tier status on airlines such as SWISS have employers who pay for their tickets in business or even F but aren't wealthy. So, the cost of Wi-Fi does matter to those folks when not on expense account.
2. Many wealthy people are wealthy *because* they don't waste their money. Not wealthy here, but not poor. I could, theoretically splurge for that F uprgrage out of my pocket for a business flight. But that doesn't mean I'm insensitive to the price of Wi-Fi. I'm careful with my money so I can choose to splurge when I want to. I bet I'm far from alone in this crowd.
Think you responded to the wrong comment of mine AD...I think if this theoretical wealthy person that you are referring to was actually being careful with their money, they wouldn't have upgraded from J to F in the first place (or might even be flying...Y), as you already get a lie flat in J, what you are getting with F is more space / privacy / personalized service (direct aisle access is already a given...
Think you responded to the wrong comment of mine AD...I think if this theoretical wealthy person that you are referring to was actually being careful with their money, they wouldn't have upgraded from J to F in the first place (or might even be flying...Y), as you already get a lie flat in J, what you are getting with F is more space / privacy / personalized service (direct aisle access is already a given since a top status holder will be able to select seats for free ahead of time), which are quite easy to go without for the cost of 1k-2k CHF for the upgrade. Blowing 1-2k on a splurge and then whining about tens of CHF is precisely the "stepping over dollars to pick up pennies" behavior that does not lead to being wealthy...
A long-haul J / F trip costs anywhere from a few thousand USD / EUR / CHF to well over 10k, and for someone to hit HON Circle (or even Senator) they need to be taking such flights on a very regular basis. The vast majority of employers that are going to pay for J / F instead of Y are only doing so for employees whose time is so valuable that it can't be wasted recovering from jetlag in a hotel, who are implicitly very high income. F still exists at AF / LH / LX / Asian airlines because companies are buying them for their C-suite executives, not their average HR person or accountant. J is slightly wider in scope but even then, a low-value employee who is regularly being flown across the world in J will be cheaper to simply replace with low cost local employees. The vast majority of the customers who are top status holders through employer spend are going to be high income, wealthy individuals. LX doesn't need to cater to the handful of remaining low income top status holders, and in fact the lost revenue from the high income top status holders may be more than the revenue they could get from these low income top status holders given the high price they were charging.
I haven’t flown it but watched a video review of it the other day. Just seems so open for most of the flight. The reviewer looked awkward sitting there! I’d much rather be sitting in the etihad apartment for a flight than Air France.
Etihad apartment is my fav, followed by the old sg a380 (flying the new one in Feb).
I find jal first to be a bit tired and worn.
I think one thing to add is the arrival experience at Doha airport. First and Business class passengers access a private lounge upon arrival where you will find your own passport control. From here you exit directly to baggage claim. This is priceless after a long flight.
Yes after climbing down stairs and onto buses usually in the heat- very first class
Have airlines ever opened up space specifically for you to book an award ticket? I’m assuming no, and that could be of value to mention.
Would love to see an updated review of Garuda first class - didn't know it was still flying!
Now that Swiss has WiFi on their planes that non-royalty can afford, would you put them above Lufthansa, given that that was the major thing dragging them down?
Somehow I don’t think the target customer base of SWISS First Class has much trouble paying for in-flight WiFi…and given they pretty much restrict award redemptions to top tier elites that have already spent lots of cash with LH Group and charge hefty amounts for cash upgrades, I think it would be hard to argue that there’s any SWISS F passengers for whom it’s a problem
Happy new year, Ben.
Looking forward to how your list evolves this year and beyond. I see you already note you anticipate the JAL A350-1000 First Class product to crack your top three.
Finally, I see Garuda Indonesia tumbled down the list. But I do understand why you had them so high for so long, after I got a brief taste of the 77W product between CGK and DPS in March 2023.
How long has Allegris been teased? While it looks truly gorgeous, I can't imagine we'll see the first class even in 2024...
Can we have an article highlighting the worst first classes in the world? I know you have done one before but an updated version would be appreciated.
I second this! This would be very entertaining.
In fairness, domestic US "first class" should not be considered for any such article.
These are all fantastic First Class products! For the record, I've flown SQ and Korean First Class, both amazing. Bigger question is why would airlines offer these as “saver” awards going forward? These are targeted to people who fly private but for flagship long haul routes this is their version of PJs. Mere mortals fly Business for award tickets, and in the case of Delta airlines, the aspirational award seat is Economy Comfort +.
Wonderful article! What about British Airways F Class? Thoughts?