The air has never been a more comfortable place for passengers in business
class. Flat bed seats are now obligatory while spacious layouts are also
becoming the norm. Here are our top ten in the air today
1. Air Canada
ExecutiveFirst, a sort of hybrid business and first class, is available on its
777s and some of its 767-300s. At the heart of the service is a fully flat
bed that extends to 6 foot 3 inches when extended. The width is good too -21
inches when in seating position and 31 inches at the shoulder when reclined.
Great privacy thanks to well designed screens and herringbone seat layout.
2. British Airways
BA’s Club World was revolutionary when it was first introduced – it marked the
first foray of flat bed seats out of the first class cabin. A new Club World
was announced last year and is gradually being introduced. It’s not
revolutionary in the same way but is still impressive – six foot long when
fully flat, memory foam pillow, 10.4 inch TV screen and a cool screen to
block out your snoring neighbour.
3. Eos Airlines
With just 48 seats on board its planes, the Eos experience seems more like
first class than business class. In fact, I would argue that that’s exactly
what it is in every respect, apart from the price – the cheapest deals are
currently around £1,250 return including taxes. Business travellers across
the Atlantic have fallen for the 6 foot 6 inch flatbeds, soft linen and huge
dining tables something rotten.
4. Etihad Airways
The Abu Dhabi based carrier’s Pearl business class seat extends to six foot
one and has direct aisle access, thanks to a 1-2- configuration. There’s a
whopping great 15 inch personal screen too. The seats are installed on the
airline’s A330-200s, the A340-500s and the Boeing 777-300 ER and while the
colour scheme might jolt the senses, they are great by comparison to many
other Middle Eastern carrier business class seats.
5. Jet Airways
Jet’s business class offering, Première, is dramatic evidence of the vastly
increasing numbers of international business travellers to and from India.
The cabins of Jet’s Airbus 330-200s and Boeing 777-300ERs have been fitted
with 30 seats in a herringbone fashion, giving everyone aisle access.
6. Singapore Airlines
Singapore’s new business class seat is a departure from the norm. It lies flat
lie the other seats in this article but you lie on it diagonally. This
sounds uncomfortable but actually gives you much more width than usual – a
world-beating 30 inches. It also has an enormous screen and both USB and
power sockets. The new suite has been installed on the airline’s Airbus A380
and Boeing 777-300ER services.
7. Silverjet
The airline’s 6ft 3 inch lie-flat seats – it has a small but perceptible
incline - have started to win over regular business travellers on British
Airways and Virgin Atlantic services, mainly due to its very keen prices.
There are 100 seats arranged 1-2-1 on the carrier’s 767s. Despite the
incline, there’s no intrusion by the seat in front and you can’t argue with
the value.
8. South African Airways
South African was an early pioneer in flat bed seats and the airline became an
early favourite with business travellers for its 6ft 1 fully flat bed seat.
The comfort of the seats is undeniable but many may think that the 2x2x2
configuration lacks privacy, especially compared with new generation flat
beds from other carriers.
9. United Airlines
The appearance of an American mainline carrier here may be something of a
shock but the US airlines are finally realising that they need to match what
their UK rivals are offering business travellers. United’s new business
class seat first appeared last November on the Washington-Frankfurt route.
It’s 6 foot 4 inches when reclined, has built-in USB and power sockets and a
15 inch personal screen.
10. Virgin Atlantic
The design of the Upper Class Suite addresses one key problem: what makes a
good seat doesn’t necessarily make a good bed. The seat is leather cushioned
on the sitting side and foamy on the sleeping side. The seat’s other great
asset is space. This is one helluva long bed when reclined – at 6ft 7.5
inches and a very comfortable 33 inches wide across the shoulders. The seats
are also laid out in a herringbone fashion, giving privacy and aisle access
to passengers.
