I've already posted a ranking of the top 5 best business class airlines, but now lets talk about the top 5 best first class airlines. As you probably already know, first class and even business class seats can get very expensive. But if you find the right ticket, it will definitely be worth the cost! So keep reading to find out, in my opinion, the 5 best first class airlines/seats.
#5 - Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is known for having terrific crew members, and a huge and very wide seat. Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong, and is a member of OneWorld. It is a perfect flight for all of you luxury travelers who go to Hong Kong frequently. Cathay's first class has a record-breaking 36" in seat width. On the 777, they have a 2-row cabin that is layed out in a 1-1-1 configuration, with good privacy. You can fit 2 average-sized adults in this one seat! The seat, of course, turns into a massive lie-flat bed that you can enjoy while eating caviar, and for all you adults, drinking champagne out of bottles that cost over $1000 dollars! When you first walk on board, you will get a warm, friendly greeting from the flight attendants. They will then show you to your seat and offer you a drink to start off your flight. The seat consists of everything you would expect from a first class flight, such as a large IFE, a closet for your jackets and suits, a bag with noise-cancelling headphones, slippers and pajamas, and bedding. All of these things will make your flight great! You can purchase this seat for around $10,000 depending on where you fly. This is a very expensive seat, but for what it is, it's 100% worth it!
#4 - Air France La Première (777-300ER)
Air France La Première is an astonishing first class seat. You will feel at home throughout every moment of the flight. Many first class seats feature big and heavy sliding doors that give you complete privacy, but Air France does it differently. Instead of doors for privacy, the first class suites have curtains and drapes to make you feel like your truly at home. The seat itself feels more like a recliner chair at your house than it does an airplane seat. Once you are settled in, you will receive an amenity kit that has everything you need for a great flight, a drink, and bedding. The first class suite features as I said curtains, drapes, a desk lamp, a very fast IFE screen that is around 30", lots of storage, and a pouch for magazines and a menu. The food is OK but it is made very fast thanks to the very great cabin crew. But try and fly the 777-300ER because the A380 is not as nice. This great first class suite on board Air France La Première will cost you around $8,000 depending on your route and destination. This is a relatively cheap cost for this great first class flight and I would highly recommend it for all of you travelers with money to spare.
#3 - Singapore Airlines *New* Suite (A380)
Singapore Airlines just recently updated all of its classes on board the A380. On my list of the top 5 business class flights, I talked about the new business class on the A380, but now let's talk about the first class! The ground experience is not as great as that of Air France's La Première, but it will definitely satisfy you. Once you get on board, you will be escorted by the cabin crew to your personal suite that features all the bells and whistles that will make you the happiest person alive for the whole duration of the flight. At your seat, you will find a closet to hold your jackets, a tablet to control the lighting, a 32" entertainment screen, Lalique amenities, a big arm chair that swivels and reclines to your personal preference, and a separate bed next to your seat that will pull out to give you the ultimate sleep. While sleeping in this bed, you will feel like a king! You can then close the door for utmost privacy. The suites are arranged in 3 rows of 2 suites so there are a total of 6 suites in the first class cabin. Half of these suits can turn into a double bed by lowering the wall separating 2 suites and creating the best night sleep you might ever have in the sky! This seat will cost you around $23,000 which will definitely make your wallet feel much lighter! If you redeem this ticket with KrisFlyer miles, it will cost you a grand total of 94,000 miles per person! This suite definitely costs a lot of money, but for you travelers who seek luxury, this is the perfect flight for you.
#2 - Ethiad Residence (A380)
The Ethiad Residence on the A380 is a revolutionary seat even better than first class! On the plane, there are around 10 different first class suites, but only one residence. This suite features 3 different rooms: a living room, a bedroom, and a shower room! In the living room, there is 2 leather seats across from a 32" entertainment screen, a closet that your personal butler will put your jackets and suits in, a sliding door, lots of storage, and much more. In your suite, you can enjoy sitting by yourself or with a entire family! When you are ready to go to bed, you can walk down a mini hall, still inside your suite, and relax on a 6'10" long double bed. When you want to take a shower, your butler will escort you your own private bathroom that features a full-sized shower and everything else you could get in a first class bathroom. Ahead of time, you can request anything you want for the flight, and I mean anything! (Has to be legal of course)! You can fit up to 5 people in this one suite! When you get off the plane, you will be immediately be greeted by your personal driver that will transport you to where you need to go. This seat will cost you roughly $38,000 on a trip from New York to Mumbai. This airplane ticket will definitely make you wonder where your life savings went, but it might just be totally worth it!
#1 - Emirates *New* (777-300ER)
Emirates recently updated its first class suites on the 777-300ER to get ahead of its competitors, Singapore Airlines and Ethiad. I think that it completely worked! Your unbelievable first class experience starts directly after you leave your front door. You will be greeted by you personal driver who will transport you to the airport in a Mercedes-Benz S class. You will get to the airport and breeze past check-in and security in no time. You will then get to experience the amazing first class lounge while you wait to board the plane. In some terminals, you can board the plane directly from the lounge! Once you are on the airplane, you will be escorted to your first class "apartment" where you will feel like a million dollars. Inside your suite, you will find a closet, a mini bar with snacks and drinks, Bulgari amenities, Byredo products, and you even have your own binoculars to experience the amazing view. Next to your leather seat, you will find a tablet that you can use to control the 32" TV, call the flight attendants, and adjust the seat positions. On the other side of the seat, you will find another screen where you can control the lighting, mood setting, and temperature. Your seat itself has many different positions. Dining, work, upright, sleeping, and something called zero-gravity that is supposed to make you feel like your floating. This is made using NASA technology and it really works! The suites are layed out in a 1-1-1 configuration with 2 rows, so there are a total of 6 first class suites. For maximum privacy, you can close the wooden door that goes from floor to ceiling, and for even more privacy, you can turn on the do not disturb button. Even if you are sitting in the middle seats, you can still enjoy the window! This is because in the middle seats, Emirates made virtual windows that is controlled by a camera that shows exactly what you would see at a window seat. There is a feature that comes with the seat called dine on demand, meaning you can order what you want, whenever you want it! You can simply press the call button on the tablet and ask for food or anything else you want to make your flight more comfortable. When you are ready to go to bed, the flight attendants will gladly assist you by closing the curtains and making your bed into the ultimate sleeping experience! Emirates calls their new first class "a game changer", and this is exactly what that is. To enjoy this suite and to fell like the ultimate king, you will only have to pay about $3,500 for a round-trip on a 22 hour travel day. This might seem a bit expensive but it is well worth the cost. When you have money to spare, I would definitely recommend flying Emirates' new first class on the 777-300ER.
Please note that this list contains just my opinions. If you disagree, I invite you to make your own list and tell me in the comment section. Also, click here to watch Emirates' official video for the new first class suite.
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