The Best First Class Airlines

Suites, A380 · Best overall first class

Six suites on the upper deck, each a private room with a separate armchair and a genuine bed rather than a seat that folds flat. The two centre suites combine into a double. Service is calibrated rather than performed, the wine list is among the best in the air, and Book the Cook lets you order from a menu written by the airline's international culinary panel.

Game Changer suites, 777 · Best suite design

The 777 Game Changer suite is fully enclosed floor to ceiling, with virtual windows in the centre suites projecting a real-time fibre-optic view, NASA-inspired zero-gravity seating and a video-call service to crew. Add the onboard shower spa on the A380 and the Dubai first class lounge with direct aircraft boarding, and nothing else feels quite as theatrical.

La Première · Best ground experience

Only four suites per aircraft, and the ground service is the point: a private lounge at Charles de Gaulle with a Ducasse menu, a personal escort through a dedicated security channel and a car across the tarmac to the aircraft steps. On board, Alain Ducasse dining, Sofitel MyBed bedding and an all-fabric suite that feels more salon than cabin.

First Class and Allegris First · Best private terminal

Frankfurt's First Class Terminal is a separate building with its own immigration, bath tubs, cigar lounge and a Porsche or Mercedes to the aircraft. The new Allegris First Suite Plus adds doors, a double bed and a suite you can reserve exclusively. Caviar service and a serious German wine list remain fixtures.

First Apartments and The Residence · Best for scale

The A380 First Apartments are among the largest seats in commercial aviation — a separate reclining armchair and a full bed in one enclosure. Above them sits The Residence, a three-room cabin with a bedroom, a living room, an en-suite shower and a dedicated butler, sold to a single party. It is the closest a scheduled airline comes to private aviation.

The Suite, 777-300ER · Best new Japanese first

Eight suites, each with a 43-inch screen — the largest on any commercial aircraft — a sliding door and a bed built with a proper mattress. The Japanese menu is supervised by Michelin-starred chefs and the sake and shochu list is taken as seriously as the wine. Understated where Emirates is expressive.

First Class Suite · Best food in the air

JAL's first class is quieter and less decorated than its rivals, and the strength is the table: a rotating roster of Japanese and French chefs through the BEDD and Sky Auberge programmes, plus one of the best champagne selections flying, with Salon regularly on board. Haneda's central Tokyo location is a practical advantage.

First Class, 777 and A350 · Best European alternative

Eight seats at most, a separate first class lounge and terminal area at Zurich, and a service style that is formal without being stiff. The new SWISS Senses First adds a fully enclosed suite with a wardrobe and a double option. Cheese trolley, Swiss wines and a punctuality record most flag carriers cannot match.