I flew business class on 6 airlines this year and there was a huge difference between the best and the worst
Taylor Rains
- I've flown in long-haul business class on six different airlines since September 2022.
- My favorite overall was Japan's All Nippon Airways, while Air New Zealand was the least impressive.
Over the past 12 months, I have experienced six different international business class products thanks to my job as Insider's aviation reporter. And — among this particular bunch — I've found that none of them are like the other.
My string of high-class flying started in September 2022 when I flew on Air New Zealand's inaugural trek from New York to Auckland, which is now the world's fourth-longest flight at about 18 hours.
I then flew on the world's longest flight in January from Singapore to New York on Singapore Airlines, followed by a journey from Paris to Newark on a little-known all-business class airline called La Compagnie.
In March, I flew on Japan's largest carrier All Nippon Airways in its famous "The Room" business class. And, in June, I tried out German leisure carrier Condor's new business class from New York to Frankfurt.
Most recently, I trekked 12 hours from Los Angeles to Seoul in Korean Air's "Prestige" business class.
After experiencing each, and having little experience flying business class before, I realized how different each airline's luxury product is — so much so that my favorite and least favorite are actually leagues apart.
Here's how the six business class cabins compare and their pros and cons, including everything from privacy and food to lavatory design and bed comfort. Insider paid a media rate for all of my flights.
The main thing I noticed about this group of six airlines is that not a single one truly resembled the other, each having distinct differences that make or break the experience.
The six airlines I've flown on are Air New Zealand, Condor, All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, La Compagnie, and Korean Air — which is a pretty mixed bag of business models.
Singapore, ANA, and Korean are all considered five-star carriers in the eyes of the airline ranking website, Skytrax. And, it's easy to see how they're in a league of their own in terms of service and comfort.
Condor and La Compagnie, on the other hand, are more leisure-focused and target both business travelers and tourists — the latter actually recently partnered with a travel company to launch VIP tours to the Caribbean starting this fall.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is sort of on an island of its own, literally and figuratively. It is a major international airline with unique products like the Skycouch, but it isn't quite at the luxe tier of the Asian airlines — and its 777/787 business class definitely needs some work.
Probably the most significant feature that set each apart was the privacy — and All Nippon Airways set the bar.
I flew on Japan's largest airline in March, riding in "The Room" business class on the carrier's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The journey lasted about 14 hours, and it was definitely my favorite ride of the year.
What makes the carrier's business class particularly special is its full privacy door, which makes the product feel more like a tiny hotel room rather than an airplane seat.
It was actually the only airline that offered one. The other five had some sort of winged headrest or a middle divider, but none were nearly as cocooned as ANA.
While I don't necessarily mind not having a door, it's hard to beat having a fully enclosed suite and it made it extremely easy to relax and sleep.
Korean Air is the only other carrier that provides a somewhat fully enclosed space thanks to its unique "Apex Suite," making it the most comparable to ANA in terms of privacy.
Korean Air's Boeing 747-8i business class is fit onto both levels of the double-decker, with a 2x2x2 configuration on the first floor and a 2x2 layout on the second level.
While a dual-seat layout typically means the window passenger cannot freely access the aisle, Korean's Prestige product uses a rare design known as Apex Suites. Only a few other carriers feature these, including Japan Airlines, Oman Air, and Gulf Air.
The Apex design is good because it features a staggered layout, allowing a walkway to be installed between the window seat and the aisle.
This means that every passenger will have direct aisle access — effectively optimizing space without sacrificing capacity.
On my trip, I loved this design because I felt boxed into my little corner on the upper deck. Plus, the middle divider blocked off my neighbor — truly making the 747's second level feel more like a private jet than a commercial airliner.
However, I noticed that this level of privacy is really only reserved for those lucky enough to snag a window seat.
What makes Korean Air's prestige window seat so private is that it's shielded by the aisle seat (pictured), meaning flight attendants and other passengers can't easily peer in. The aisle seat does not have this same level of privacy, however, because there is no door to block the entry.
The wall of the seat does stretch pretty far though, so at least sleeping passengers can feel cocooned from the waist up.
None of the other carriers' seats created a pod-like feeling, with La Compagnie probably lacking the most in terms of privacy.
Singapore, Condor, and Air New Zealand all had privacy, with the latter taking advantage of an angled 1x1x1 cabin layout to create a capsule-like seat. Each lounger was angled so you really couldn't see anyone on either side when laying down, though the people across the aisle's feet did poke out — but more on that later.
While I didn't mind the sleeping situation on ANZ, the flight attendants had to set the bed up and down — I couldn't do it on my own, which was an inconvenience.
However, La Compagnie's 2x2 layout was my least favorite. In some cases, two strangers could be seated right next to each other with just a small white half-circle dividing the space.
On my flight, I was lucky to get a row to myself, but I could see straight across the aisle at the person sleeping in the window seat on the opposite side of the plane from me. So, the divider didn't offer much.
I will give credit to La Compagnie though for its unique business model, which flies all-business-class-equipped Airbus A321neos between Europe and the US. And, fares are relatively less expensive.
La Compagnie flies between Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Paris, Nice, and Milan, so it has a pretty small route map. Ticket prices also hover around $2,500 roundtrip on average.
But, after flying the carrier, I noticed it has an overall lower tier product compared to the other major international airlines I've flown.
This is mostly due to its 2x2 layout, meaning window seat passengers do not have direct-aisle access — a dealbreaker for many frequent flyers and something airlines are actively addressing as they design new business class products.
However, I still think the airline is a no-brainer for the price, especially those traveling together and will not be as impacted by the lack of privacy and aisle access.
Condor also offers lower fares compared to Air New Zealand and the three Asian airlines, but I appreciate its direct-aisle access and improved privacy compared to other carriers.
Like La Compagnie, Condor is trying to attract some higher-budget leisure travelers, or those maybe wanting to splurge on a one-time business class ticket for a luxe vacation.
And, the budget carrier recently overhauled its business class for its Airbus A330-900neos, and I'd definitely recommend it over more expensive competitors.
While privacy is a major selling point for business class customers, the actual bed itself can be a game changer too. Out of the six, ANA and Singapore easily offered the best lie-flat experience.
Condor and La Compagnie both offered the typical narrow bed that is just wide enough to lay on your back or side. Sleeping on your stomach or kicking a knee out requires a little more maneuvering.
Korean and ANZ offered more space. But, none of the four offered as much wiggle room as Singapore or ANA. Both airlines have a very wide seat, which is really more of a two-person couch.
Because of this, when the lounger converted into lie-flat mode, the seats proved to be much bigger than I expected, and I could sprawl in any way. Plus, both airlines provided two pillows for sleeping, as did ANZ.
Albeit they have slimmer beds, Korean and ANZ still let me get comfortable sleeping on my stomach.
On both flights I slept about seven hours, switching between my stomach and my side. I tried sleeping on my stomach on Condor and La Compagnie, but it was more practical on my side or back.
Overall, every bed across all six airlines was finely padded with enough cushion for sleeping. Condor even offered a thick mattress pad, which definitely made up for the slimmer bed.
Although not as big of a deal to me compared to other design features, adequate and effective storage space can definitely make a business class seat feel bigger — which proved especially true on Korean.
Korean has by far the most storage space of any of the six airlines thanks to the two giant bins situated next to my window seat.
I was able to fit my purse, the pillow and blanket, my water bottle and chargers, and all of my other random items between the two boxes — meaning my seat was completely void of clutter.
This really did make the already large space feel even bigger. However, this is yet again another unique perk of Korean's 747 business class window seat as the aisle seat passengers must make do with fewer cubbies.
While Korean wins the storage war, Singapore and ANA are close seconds thanks to their various cubbies, pockets, and shelves.
Both ANA and Singapore offer a small cubby-like storage space against the front wall of the seat next to the TV. It could hold things like cups, a passport, and charging cables.
Singapore also had a slot built into the armrest, which could hold a water bottle, headphones, and other bulkier items.
Condor, ANZ, and La Compagnie definitely falter compared to the Asian airlines, all offering just small slots and nooks for clutter.
Overall, I didn't feel like I had a place for all of the things I wanted to keep at my seat on either of the European carriers, or ANZ.
Both had small things like a side table and a pocket, but I had to get creative with storing my laptop, book, and change of clothes.
ANZ actually has one of the worst products for storage — it's pretty much just what you'd find in economy.
The storage can be a big pain point when flying ANZ, but the company is hopefully remedying this problem with its improved Business Premier cabin coming in 2024.
The seat will come installed on future Boeing 787s and retrofitted onto existing ones, though the 777s will remain as they are.
In addition to fixing the abysmal storage, the new lounger with also address the awkward angled seat — which makes it hard for people to enjoy the views out the window — as well as the inconvenience of the cabin crew setting up each lie-flat bed.
While I'm picking on ANZ, it also lost points due to its extremely tiny TV — it was easily the smallest I've ever seen in business class.
While ANZ defines its business class by having a lie-flat bed and premium food, its storage and TV are more like economy offerings.
The 11-inch screen is annoying because it pops out of the side of the seat, meaning it has to be stowed for takeoff and landing and passengers can't use it during those times. Moreover, its awkward position makes it difficult to see when lying down.
Fortunately, there were plenty of good movies and shows to choose from. And, I will admit, I personally liked how close the television was to my face when sitting up and eating. It just felt cozy — so that was another saving grace.
By comparison, Singapore and ANA offered the largest televisions, with Condor, Korean, and La Compagnie also providing decent-sized flat screens.
ANZ's little screen stretches just 11 inches wide — that's less than the 13.3-inch screens in premium economy cabins on carriers like Emirates and United Airlines.
The biggest TV of the bunch is on ANA at 24 inches wide. Singapore follows at 18 inches, then Condor at 17.3 inches, Korean at 17 inches, and finally La Compagnie at 15.6 inches.
At least every airline offered a remote control, though Singapore, ANA, and Korean's were better — another thing that makes the five-star airlines stand out.
Unlike Condor, La Compagnie, and ANZ, the remotes on the three Asian carriers had a touchscreen display. I could look at things like the flight plan, as well as scroll through titles directly on the remote and make selections.
It's the small touches like this that make some carriers more enjoyable than others.
As far as the other common perks of business class, all six airlines offered some sort of amenity kit, with most also providing slippers and an eye mask.
The amenity kits were all pretty similar, containing things like lotion, socks, an eye mask, and other toiletries. Meanwhile, ANA and ANZ even provided pajamas — the latter's was just special for the inaugural flight, though.
I wouldn't say there was any single amenity that was better than the other, but La Compagnie's bag was my favorite because it has two separate slots for organizing and I've reused it regularly since.
Meanwhile, the tray tables on all six carriers were all adjustable and stored out of the way of the bed, so I didn't feel like any was encroaching on my legroom when sleeping.
La Compagnie probably had the most basic tray table, which folded in half and could move forward or backward. Condor's was also smaller compared to competitors but felt like the robust tray table I expected in business class.
The three Asian airlines and Air New Zealand had giant tables, and I particularly favored the ones on Korean, ANA, and Singapore because they could adjust to several different positions.
Aside from the physical product itself, I thought the level of customer service was great on all six airlines — which is expected of business class — though a few particularly shined.
Major Asian carriers are famously known for having a heightened level of customer service among their cabin crew.
While the differences are more obvious in economy cabins — as I came to realize on a recent international United flight — it's something I've also noticed in business class.
Specifically, Korean, Singapore, and ANA I thought had the most overachieving flight attendants — they were always checking in on me, keeping my drinks full, and making sure I was never short of snacks.
Singapore puts a huge emphasis on the performance of its flight attendants, who go through an intense four-month training process that includes a focus on etiquette and elegance, among all of the required safety courses.
In fact, all three Asian carriers I've flown this year were in Skytrax's top 20 for the best airlines cabin crews of 2023.
That's not to say that the cabin crews on Condor, La Compagnie, and ANZ weren't terrific, but there is an obvious difference in how they act and perform their duties.
Personally, I don't care either way.
One of the grosser parts of flying is the lavatory, but I was happy to see all six airlines made a point to keep the bathrooms fresh and clean throughout the long flights.
My recent flight on United showed how gross economy bathrooms can get, with toilet paper and overflowing bins always meeting me at the lavatory during my trek from London to Newark, New Jersey.
It was a stark difference from my economy flights on ANA and Singapore this year.
Fortunately, the other airlines didn't falter in business class lavatory cleanliness, and I appreciated the toiletries, body mirrors, and even the bidet that showed up across the six airlines.
But, hands down, the best lavatory was onboard ANA thanks to its rare bidet.
Only a few airlines have a bidet, including ANA and Japan Airlines — which makes sense given they are both Japanese carriers. It's truly a game changer to have onboard.
I also appreciate the full-body mirror on Japan's largest carrier, which was also present on Singapore. The latter also had a touchless bin opener.
The airlines also kept the lavatories stocked with toiletries, like lotion, mouthwash, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
Plus, I liked the design on ANZ and Singapore, the former featuring fun wallpaper and the latter having a wood-like finish to make it feel more homey.
Probably one of the most fun parts of flying business is trying all of the inflight meals, many of which include the local cuisine of the airline.
I was thrilled to find that all three of the Asian airlines offered cultural dishes alongside Western meal options. Food included things like sushi and edamame on ANA, a traditional rice dish called bibimbap on Korean, and noodle soup on Singapore.
Up until I flew on Korean, my favorite food experience was on Singapore thanks to the particularly delicious beef dish that came with sauteed spinach, roasted mushrooms, and potatoes.
I was also very privy to the "floating island" dessert on Singapore, which was easily the most unique and tasty sweet I've had on an airline.
The carrier is also known for its "wellness meals" that help with things like fullness, insulin spikes, and digestion during the 19-hour journeys between the US and Singapore — and I could tell the difference.
But, Korean surprised me, which is now officially my favorite inflight meal.
The bibimbap came with minced beef, vegetables, sesame oil, and gochujang, a hot pepper paste — I used about 3/4 of the little tube.
I thought the flavors were perfect, and I loved that I could add my desired level of spice, and even create little rolls using the seaweed wraps.
La Compagnie also came through on its promise for top-grade inflight food.
The carrier boasts about its cuisine being a major piece of its onboard product — even inviting chefs from Michelin-star restaurants to create customized dishes — and I found that it puts its money where its mouth is.
The meal on my specific flight was especially unique thanks to the truffles sprinkled over the scallops — an appetizer I'd never seen on an airline before, but the boutique carrier executed perfectly. The salmon entree and accompanying cheese plate were also delicious.
Overall, none of the carriers had bad food.
The food on ANA was delicious as expected, as were the meals on Condor and ANZ.
I particularly liked the cheese platter, green tea, and bento box on ANA, and I was impressed with the large spread of appetizers on the German carrier.
After flying on all six airlines in business class, there isn't one particularly "bad" airline that was miserable all around. However, I'd pin ANA as my overall favorite.
While I like Korean's food and storage best, ANA simply checks every box that I find most important in airline business class: a sliding door, a giant lie-flat bed big enough for me to sprawl out to sleep, local cuisine (extra points for being in a bento box), a great inflight entertainment system, and the flight attendants kept my tea cup full.
The entire cabin felt like a bunch of mini hotel rooms, each offering complete privacy in a cozy, cocooned space. I also particularly loved the pajamas provided, all of the storage, and — of course — the bidet.
Meanwhile, Singapore and Korean outshine La Compagnie and Condor simply for storage and bed space.
The three Asian carriers are easily the top three of the six airlines I've flown — albeit Korean's 747 jets annoyingly have zero WiFi, putting it behind Singapore and ANA for overall favorability.
Meanwhile, Condor beats La Compagnie and ANZ despite it being a budget airline.
I could definitely see the sacrifices made by Condor to keep the fares low — like privacy and storage — but the new seats are still a major upgrade to its old product with direct-aisle access and the mattress pad.
La Compagnie's falls below Condor because of its lack of direct-aisle access and minimal privacy. The divider is simply smaller than I'd like, and the wing on Condor gives a better sense of privacy.
Plus, the German carrier also offers "Prime Seats" at the front for an extra fare, which provides more space and better privacy.
When it comes to ANZ, however, business class is at the bottom of the totem pole.
Because ANZ was the first business class I flew on for work, I definitely felt more impressed at the time due to the lie-flat seat and food. And, although the angle was weird, it I felt like I had privacy aside from the awkward feet sticking out from the center section of loungers.
But, after flying on several other business products since then, the product's pitfalls are more apparent.
The TV is embarrassingly small, and so is the lack of storage. And, the fact that I couldn't make up my own bed and had to wait on the flight attendant was inconvenient.
It's incredible how different ANA and ANZ's business class products are, especially since both were flying ultra-long-haul across the Pacific.
ANZ's business class is scraping the bottom of the barrel compared to ANA. Granted, they were good seats back in the day when angled cabins were popular, but the changing market has prompted airlines like ANA to make changes — ANZ is simply behind.
Overall, I would not recommend flying ANZ's business class if there are other options, like United or Australia's Qantas, but it is still perfectly comfortable for the purpose of sleeping — and sometimes that's all you really care about on ultra-long-haul journeys.
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